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


GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

XBTBanner1

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.



GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

XBTBanner1

Review: Seacity Rising: A Tale of Unwatery Adventures by Elika Ansari

Review: Seacity Rising: A Tale of Unwatery Adventures by Elika Ansari

Title: Seacity Rising: A Tale of Unwatery Adventures
Author: Elika Ansari
Pub Date: June 6th 2019
Pages: 238
Goodreads | Amazon

When the underwater animals of Seacity pond learn that their home is in danger, they decide to investigate further by doing something no one has ever done before – go up to land to seek the answers they need. An unlikely team of two royal turtles, a genius goldfish and a timorous frog are then assembled to embark on a series of adventures. Whether they are racing the fastest tortoise on earth, falling in love with travelling mice theatre, or bringing peace to warring ant colonies, each unique experience is taking the group of friends closer to the heart of what is really going on. But will they make it back in time to save Seacity before the Winter’s Slumber? 

Join Babak the frog and his newfound friends for a fun and brave adventure to save their friends, family, and home.

Seacity Rising is a beautiful, well-crafted tale for children and adults alike. Heartwarming with a cautionary warning about the changing environment and what we as humans do to impact the ecosystems of all creatures big and small (from the turtles, the birds, and the tiniest of ants).

If animals could talk as we do, what would they think of the changes going on around them? Seacity Rising puts that thought into perspective. And it’s a perspective I believe children especially would understand. I had a lot of fun reading this and would recommend this for everyone to read.

Review: Before the Broken Star by Emily R. King

Review: Before the Broken Star by Emily R. King

Title: Before the Broken Star (The Evermore Chronicles #1)
Author: Emily R. King
Pub Date: June 1st 2019
Pages: 294
Format: Kindle
Goodreads

Everley Donovan is living on borrowed time. The lone survivor of her family’s unexplained assassination, she was saved by an ingeniously crafted clockwork heart. But the time she was given won’t last forever. Now, every tick-tock reminds her how fragile her existence is and hastens her quest to expose Killian Markham, the navy admiral who shattered her world and left her for dead. But Everley’s hunt for justice will be a long and hard-won voyage.

Her journey takes her to a penal colony on a cursed isle, where she will be married off and charged to build the new world. It is here, and beyond, that hidden realms hide, treasures are unearthed, her family secrets are buried, and young love will test the strength of her makeshift heart. When Everley discovers Markham may not be who he seems, her pursuit for truth is bound to his redemption, her tragic history, and her astonishing destiny.

2.5

I mostly (didn’t and won’t read the last book) liked The Hundredth Queen series written by Emily R. King, so I thought I might enjoy this series a lot better. I like Emily’s writing style and the synopsis sounded very promising. I generally like revenge stories set in unique backdrops.

A girl with a clockwork heart?

Cool! I like anything that plays around with clocks and time.

Fantasy worlds with an abundance of what-ifs?

Gimme.

But. . . I didn’t care. about. anything. Not for Everley. Not for her husband (too cookie cutter nice/bland). Not for Markham (he was close to being interesting).

No matter how much I might like some aspects of the plot, I must like at least one character to feel motivated or invested enough to read the next book. I won’t be continuing with this one.

Review: Spelled (Kingdom Chronicles #2) by Camille Peters

Review: Spelled (Kingdom Chronicles #2) by Camille Peters

Title: Spelled
Author: Camille Peters
Pub Date: April 18th 2019
Pages: 330
Format: Kindle

Rosie is fairly certain that there’s nothing wrong with putting a love spell on a foreign prince. At least she hopes there’s not, because such a drastic measure is necessary in order for her to ensure that the perfect fairy tale romance she’s dreamt about her entire life includes her own prince charming. As the heroine in her story, she won’t be deterred by well-meaning friends, royal betrothals, hungry dragons, or the intriguing guard who stands in her way. 

Luckily, Rosie has access to an enchanted bakery and a recipe book of spells, one of which will ensure she’ll win the royal heart she desires. Unfortunately, no story is complete without a few obstacles, and Rosie’s comes in the form of a most formidable foe—a stoic guard whom Rosie may or may not be developing feelings for, one who is committed to thwarting her at every turn. But nothing will stand in the way of Rosie’s happily ever after. After all, what harm can a simple love spell do? 

3.5 stars

I liked this one a lot more than Pathways. 

Rosie is a delightfully fun but incredibly silly and immature girl seeking her happily ever after..even if she has to force it. That meant for a entertaining read. The chemistry in this book was soo soo good compared to book one. 

My only gripe is that I saw a certain plot twist coming and while it taught her a valuable lesson, it still feels a little bit..deceptive, even though what she was doing was wrong anyway. It worked out for the better but talk about embarrassing. Haha. 

I can’t wait for the next book.

Review: Pathways (Kingdom Chronicles #1) by Camille Peters

Review: Pathways (Kingdom Chronicles #1) by Camille Peters

Title: Pathways
Author: Camille Peters
Pub Date: February 4th 2019 
Pages: 312
Format: Kindle
Amazon | Goodreads

Eileen has never been interested in love. Ever since her father’s abandonment, she’s vowed to never experience such pain again. But the enchanted forest has different ideas. When the continuously shifting pathways lead her to a mysterious stranger, Eileen finds her promise to fiercely guard her heart increasingly difficult to keep. 

One night when she becomes lost in a storm, the enchanted forest’s pathways lead her to the castle, home to the kingdom’s Dark Prince, where Eileen finds herself entangled in what many consider an opportunity but which Eileen believes to be a curse: competing for the Dark Prince’s hand through a series of tests that judge one’s royal worth. Eileen is neither royal nor interested in becoming a princess. But the mysterious stranger she met in the woods has his own reasons for helping her succeed, although the cost of his assistance may be too high: that of Eileen’s heart, the one thing she’s vowed never to give. 

3.5 Stars

A good solid start to a new fairy tale retelling series. Unlike a lot of retellings, this one took inspiration from them instead of focusing on being controlled by the original or familiar narratives we’ve all heard/read/watched a thousand times over. A unique spin is a must

Pathways offered that. 

There were some things that I didn’t like or wished had been addressed differently. It took almost half the book for Eileen to arrive at the castle, so the first half of the book was slower compared to the second half. Also, Eileen refused to even see that maybe the situation with her father was out of his control and maybe he didn’t just up and abandon his family like she assumed the entire book. (It got old really fast). And when the truth comes to light, she doesn’t even feel guilty about her misguided grudge. Lastly, I felt the chemistry between her and the “mysterious stranger” was a little bit..not completely there. 

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