Review: Screamcatcher: Web World by Christy J. Breedlove

Review: Screamcatcher: Web World by Christy J. Breedlove

Title: Screamcatcher: Web World
Author: Christy J. Breedlove
Pub Date: April 23rd 2019
Pages: 219
Goodreads | Amazon

When seventeen-year-old Jory Pike cannot shake the hellish nightmares of her parent’s deaths, she turns to an old family heirloom, a dream catcher. Even though she’s half blood Chippewa, Jory thinks old Indian lore is so yesterday, but she’s willing to give it a try. However, the dream catcher has had its fill of nightmares from an ancient and violent past. After a sleepover party, and during one of Jory’s most horrific dream episodes, the dream catcher implodes, sucking Jory and her three friends into its own world of trapped nightmares. They’re in an alternate universe—locked inside of an insane web world. How can they find the center of the web, where all good things are allowed to pass?

Screamcatcher introduces readers to a terrifying concept. Where do bad dreams go once entangled in the web of an ancient dream catcher? And what would happen if it exploded, taking four unsuspecting people into a world made of nightmares? 

The plot of Screamcatcher is a unique one. I cannot imagine surviving the harrowing journey that these characters went through. I kept wondering, “what next?” Weaved throughout the story are interesting, familiar and unfamiliar to me, Native American lore. The main character is a woc (Chippewa/Hawaiian). Her character was the most believable/well-written among the cast. I feel like Lander and Darcy weren’t fleshed out enough to be likable. Let’s be honest, I would’ve left Darcy behind. :^)

There are a few things I feel unsure or nitpicky about but I think it’s more of a me issue. Overall, Screamcatcher is well-written, thoughtful book for fans of fantastical adventures.

Review: Speechless by Madeline Freeman

Review: Speechless by Madeline Freeman

Title: Speechless (Unfortunate Souls #1)
Author: Madeline Freeman
Pub Date: December 2nd 2018
Pages: 348
Amazon|Goodreads

She longs to be part of his world. He desires to be anywhere else.

In a world where uncommon powers are feared by ordinary people, seventeen-year-old Aria must hide who she is or risk being shipped off to a detention facility for people with abilities—for aberrations like her.

Enrique Martinez is tired of having every moment of his life live-streamed to eager viewers. When he learns the cameras will go dark for forty-eight hours, he vows to break the rules and have the adventure of a lifetime—if even for only a day.

When Aria’s ability to breathe underwater is discovered, her life collides with Enrique’s, entangling their fates. Swept up in a global deception, Aria must choose between her safety and her desires, between her family and the life she’s always wanted.

Divergent meets The Little Mermaid but 10000% better than Divergent

Aria is an aberration who can breathe underwater. With special abilities comes special circumstances, and Aria is about to have the adventure of a lifetime. . . just not one she was expecting. Danger, conspiracies, and uncertainties are all around the corner. 

So first off, that cover is so beautiful. It’s what caught my attention when I was scrolling through Kindle Unlimited (covers are sellers). The story? Just as great. 

The story gives us some juicy details on the aberrations and the colony on Mars but of course not too much info. There is a lot left uncovered. I have so many questions. The biggest one being why?

Despite similarities to other dystopian-like books, this one is unique. I like the retelling aspect a lot.

Review: Emmie and the Tudor King by Natalie Murray

Review: Emmie and the Tudor King by Natalie Murray

Title: Emmie and the Tudor King (Hearts and Crowns #1)
Author: Natalie Murray
Pub Date: June 11th 2019
Pages: 323 
Amazon|Goodreads

One moment, Emmie is writing her high school history paper; the next, she’s sitting with a gorgeous 16th century king who vacillates from kissing her to ordering her execution. 

Able to travel back to her own time, but intensely drawn to King Nick and the mysterious death of his sister, Emmie finds herself solving the murder of a young princess and unraveling court secrets while trying to keep her head on her shoulders, literally. 

With everything to lose, Emmie finds herself facing her biggest battle of all: How to cheat the path of history and keep her irresistible king, or lose him–and her heart–forever.


Emmie finds herself in a peculiar predicament when—with the aid of a mysterious ring—she arrives in Tudor England and in the court of a young, handsome king. Indecision, danger, and sweet romance awaits those who read this tale. 

The title alone was enough for me to want to read this book. I love reading about the Tudors, but at the same time I’ve been totally burned out on the typical historical fiction takes. So seeing a historical fantasy/time travel book involving Henry VIII’s grandson named Nickolas the Ironheart…Yes, please. 

Emmie and the Tudor King is a fun, candy-popping kind of story. I think it had a little bit more potential. With Emmie being a modern girl going into that time period and talking/behaving the way she did, more people would have questioned her behavior instead of writing it off as ‘common’ peasant-like qualities. It was a little too brushed over but all things considered it didn’t matter as much since I still like the story and the characters. 

I’m looking forward to the rest of the series. 

I hope there will be a cover change down the line because I feel the current cover doesn’t do the book justice.
Book Blitz + Giveaway: Kingdom of Mirrors & Roses Boxed Set

Book Blitz + Giveaway: Kingdom of Mirrors & Roses Boxed Set

Kingdom of Mirrors & Roses: A Limited Edition of Beauty and the Beast Retellings
Publication date: August 1st 2019
Genres: Fairy Tales, Fantasy, New Adult

Beauty and the Beast, but not how you remember it

Deep in the forest, a castle hides. No one knows who lives there, but rumors of a beast keep people away.

Cloaked in shadows, hidden from view, a prince destroyed by a curse shuts himself away from the world, ashamed of the beast he’s become.

And in the village, a beautiful girl with her nose in a book, yearns for something more.

True love is the only thing that can break his curse. True love is the one thing she’s looking for, but how can they find true love when neither knows the other exists?

Find out if love really can defy all odds in this set of thirteen captivating retellings of the classic fairytale, filled with love, hope and the strength of two people willing to do whatever it takes…

One click now for your happily ever after.

Other books in the Kingdom of series…
Kingdom of Glass and Ashes (Cinderella retellings)
Kingdom of Salt and Sirens (Little Mermaid retellings)
Kingdom of Sand and Wishes (Aladdin retellings)
Kingdom of Mirrors and Roses (Beauty and the Beast retellings)
Kingdom of Thorns and Dreams (Sleeping Beauty retellings) coming soon

Goodreads / Amazon

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Spotlight: The Kingmaker Contest (The Source of Magic #1) by Troy Clem

Spotlight: The Kingmaker Contest (The Source of Magic #1) by Troy Clem

Title: The Kingmaker Contest (The Source of Magic #1)
Author: Troy Clem
Pub Date: July 26 2019
Pages: 192
Goodreads|Amazon

A brutal contest determines the King. Does a god control the outcome?

A thrilling epic fantasy world of magic and war.

Theo’s empathic power lies untapped, but she knows of his abilities. Is she god or something worse? The only thing that’s certain: the rage and terror warring inside Theo can obliterate the Drasque Empire—if war doesn’t first.

Part one of an EPIC series

Theo couldn’t imagine the consequences when he stowed away. His freedom from Losik wasn’t worth war, but he didn’t know magical forces were waiting for him. In a time when whale oil and muskets replaced torches and swords, an ancient way of thinking still prevails, forcing men to kill other men for a chance to be king, and allowing a god and her blood magic warriors to bend the world to her will.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

An emerging figure in contemporary prose, Troy Clem was born in Orange County, California, in the late 1980s. He was raised on a steady diet of science fiction, fantasy, graphic novels, and pop culture, which has calcified his unique writing aesthetic. He relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area after graduating with a Film degree from San Francisco State University, and lives there today with his wife and two children. Having written throughout his lifetime for various journalism, film, and online ventures, The Kingmaker Contest is Troy’s first commercial novel.

Find Troy and learn more about his work on his website.

Book Review: Evie and the Upside-Down World of Nevermore by Birgitte Margen

Book Review: Evie and the Upside-Down World of Nevermore by Birgitte Margen

Title: Evie and the Upside-Down World of Evermore
Author: Birgitte Margen
Pub Date: January 4th 2019
Pages: 272
Goodreads|Amazon

AFTER FALLING INTO a dark hole when she was running through the forest, Evie finds herself trapped in a strange new world that mirrors our own. Her only guide is a compass stick given to her by an angry gnome who lives in an ancient knobby tree. As she travels through the lands of this upside-down world she happens upon creatures that are twisted versions of fairytale folklore. A place where fairies bite, unicorns charge, mermaids are menacing, and nightmares are more than dreams. A world where the souls of those who could not follow the unspoken rules are trapped forever.

As a southern girl born on the wrong side of the tracks, Evie relies on the wisdom passed down by her grandpappy and the haunting memories of her mama to teach her perseverance of the soul. She learns that things are rarely what they seem as her world is turned upside down. 

Enter a different kind of adventure.

One that bites.

Evie is unprepared for what she finds in the strange Upside-Down World. With distorted otherworldly plants, animals, and other beings of fairy and myth out to get her, she’ll have to fight her way out of danger if she wants to go home again.

Whatever the outcome, Evie will have to adapt and overcome. There’s a lesson in everything.

I’m surprised Evie and the Upside-Down World of Nevermore hasn’t reached a much wider audience. I found the story to be a unique weaving of familiar fairy tale beings and stories mixed and blended to create both a suspenseful, fantastical tale. It will remind a lot of readers of Alice in Wonderland (but I’m not that big on Alice—shhh).

I loved that Evie is a ‘Trailer Park Alice’ because I can relate to her on that level. I’m also in that same socioeconomic level and no stranger to trailer park living. I always feel like impoverished girls aren’t visible in fantasy often.

The only part which left me wanting was the ending. I wanted a little more closure on how Evie would move on. It was bittersweet to me, thinking about all those other children left in the Upside-Down World.

Book Blitz + Giveaway: Fate of Dragons by Alisha Klapheke

Book Blitz + Giveaway: Fate of Dragons by Alisha Klapheke

Fate of Dragons
Alisha Klapheke
(Dragons Rising #1)
Publication date: March 27th 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

An Earth Queen desperate to wake her magic.

An elven prince fighting a ruthless betrayal.

A flood is coming. The Sea Queen has a mad plan to drown the world.

Only the magic of the Earth Queen can stop her. Vahly, the last human, was born to fill that role and wield the power necessary to battle the rising oceans and save the dragons and elves.

But Vahly is the world’s biggest disappointment. She possesses no magic whatsoever.

When she finds an ancient scroll that mentions a human power ritual conducted deep in the homeland of the elves, she gathers her dragon allies and journeys to see the king of that great forest-dwelling race.

Welcomed by a handsome royal cloaked in dark magic, will Vahly find answers or will a twisted and powerful elven lord destroy her chance at saving the world?

Goodreads / Amazon

Only 99¢ for a limited time!


Author Bio:

When USA Today Bestselling author Alisha Klapheke isn’t busy creating new fantasy worlds, she teaches martial arts (specifically Muay Thai kickboxing, Krav Maga, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), loves on her two amazing kids, and travels the world with her ninja husband. *Alisha made the list November 2, 2017

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


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Book Blitz + Giveaway: Fractured Sleep Anthology

Book Blitz + Giveaway: Fractured Sleep Anthology

Fractured Sleep
(Fairy Tale Ink, #4)
Publication date: June 28th 2019
Genres: Adult, Fairy Tales, Fantasy

Fairy Tale Ink is proud to present these four retold stories of the classic, Sleeping Beauty. A story for every reader from best-selling and award-winning authors!

Aurora’s Fight, by Angela Brimhall Five years ago, Aurora was forced to live at Thornhurst Manor, the city insane asylum. Every night she dreads sunset when sleep becomes a wicked game of survival. When Aurora is kidnapped and imprisoned in The Briar, a vision reveals the desperate man in the next cell is her only hope in stopping the plague of her nightmares. Will she find a way to rescue this mysterious man before The Dragon’s death countdown reaches zero?

The Lonely Princess, by Jo Schneider: Everything changed in the 500 years Aurora slept. Now teenagers go to the Academy, where humans and fey live side-by-side and everyone pretends to get along. In her attempts to find her place in this new world, she meets Saru—a mysterious boy who delights in irritating her. Their attraction is instant, but his forgotten past might be their undoing.

Dragon’s Curse, by Adrienne Monson: When her nana is in a near-fatal car accident, Dawn is forced to reconcile her beliefs about magic. Her long-buried powers could save Nana’s life, but at a high price. Accepting magic means that the man Dawn dreamt about her whole life is real and that she’s the only one who can save him from a cursed sleep. To do that, she’ll have to face the terrifying dragon who put him there.

Restless, by Quinn Coleridge: Rory Kingston doesn’t want much. Just a good night’s sleep and a normal life free of magic. Yet Rory’s own royal pedigree keeps getting in the way of achieving these goals, not to mention her preoccupation with a new neighbor. Where the darkly handsome history professor goes, danger and mayhem follow. Has Phillip come to drag Rory back to the magical kingdom she left behind years ago or are his motives even more nefarious?

Goodreads / Amazon

SNEAK PEEKS:

At the Edge of Dreams
by Angela Brimhall

(Steampunk)

Aurora pressed her back against the clock tower wall, clutching the stolen scroll to her chest. The whine of clicking machinery from the surrounding buildings tapped like a metronome in her head, beating out the rhythmic heartbeat of The Briar. She squeezed her eyes shut listening for the signal she’d been detected. But nothing came. Aurora’s chest fluttered when she peeked around the corner to Main Street.

Steam hissed from arterial pipes and veiny downspouts protruding from faceless citadels. Aurora searched through shadows for yellow-orange eyes. Mist clouded the alleyways wedged between the buildings, cloaking any Huntsman hiding from view, but she couldn’t see any patrolling the street.

Aurora didn’t hesitate. She bounded away from behind the wall and ran, not looking back. Alarms blared as she passed the city limits and met the lip of Spindlewood Forest.

They know.

Her thighs burned. Puffs of strained breath came in uncontrolled spurts, but the dissonant sound drove Aurora harder. She crashed through the threshold of trees and fought her way up the steep hill into the woodland’s heart.

Aurora pulled herself over the summit and crawled to the nearest bush, wheezing through pursed lips, clutching the stitch in her side. A twig snapped. The sound rode on a whisper of dank smoky air from the grove of trees two feet away.

Something was close.

The hair on Aurora’s neck rose, and she narrowed her eyes, peeking around the shrub. She gripped her piecemeal knife in one shaking hand, the scroll in the other, waiting for the metal minion to show himself.

Where are you?

Several cracks echoed in different directions around her. Blood rushed from Aurora’s face into her stomach. She whipped around, her head darting every which way, ears perked. Aurora crouched, knife out, ready to jab anything that came close.

I’m surrounded.

A skeletal metal face peered at Aurora from behind a large tree trunk five feet in front of her. It’s lifeless eyes twisted and whirred, yellow pupils fixating on her location. Aurora froze. The Huntsman stepped out from behind the tree and brandished a long bronze pistol.

Dragon’s Curse
by Adrienne Monson

(Paranormal Romance)

I was going to explode. A restless energy had been building inside me for months now. There were times when it felt like my skin was the only thing keeping me from flying apart. There was no good reason for it. Frustration continued to grow and everything I’d done to ignore it and tamp it down seemed to only feed the impotent ire simmering beneath the surface.

When my coworker, Ben, had asked me out for the third time tonight, I’d lost it. I mean, yelled and came pretty close to slapping him. While he may have been annoying, he hadn’t deserved my freak out.

My phone played Sound of Silence to let me know it was ringing. All I wanted was to take a shower and wash the smell of coffee and baked goods off, but when I saw it was Nana, I answered. “Hey.” I put the speaker on so I could grab some water while I spoke. I tossed my keys on the counter and placed my phone next to them.

“What’s wrong?” Her confident voice flitted through my tiny apartment as if she were in the room.

My shoulders tensed and my defenses kicked in. “Why does something have to be wrong?”

“It’s in your tone. I can tell. What are you so mad about?”

That was the question I’d been asking myself for weeks. I glared at the phone as I drank. The cold water felt nice on my throat, but it was not enough to calm me.

“Dawn?” Nana called, her voice louder. “Don’t you give me that look.”

Rolling my eyes, I huffed. “You can’t see my face. You have no idea what look I may or may not be giving you.”

“I know you. You’re glaring a hot laser at the phone right now.”

It was all too easy to imagine her grey eyes meeting mine in challenge, never backing down. I’d bet anything she was folding her arms across her chest and that her lips were pulled into a stubborn line. “It’s a boy, isn’t it?” she asked.

Grinding my teeth, I picked the phone up from the counter and headed to the bathroom. “I don’t date, Nana. Why would you think it’s a boy?”

“What happened?” Her tone had softened and the concern I heard broke through the barrier I’d had up all evening.

My shoulders slumped and I put the phone down again to pull my long, blonde hair out of its ponytail. Nana didn’t say anything. She always knew when to wait. “Ben asked me out again,” I finally admitted.

“Why do you say that like it’s a horrible thing?”

I was positive that her brows were drawn together and that her thin lips were pulled down into a frown that showcased little wrinkles. It’s how she always looked when we approached this topic.

An image of a man with brown hair and brown skin entered my mind. He wasn’t real – just a man from my dreams that no one knew about. I couldn’t tell Nana he was the reason.



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