Sulan is Free!

Hey, everybody! My good friend Camille Picott is an author and has newly published the first book in a YA dystopian series called Sulan. Between now and August 20th, you can download it onto your Kindle for FREE from Amazon! 

Definitely grab a copy of this while you can with absolutely no risk to you. 

I'll be a stop on her upcoming September blog tour, so stay tuned for more from Camille and Sulan!

About Sulan, Episode 1: The League: Sixteen-year-old Sulan Hom can’t remember life before the Default—the day the United States government declared bankruptcy. As a math prodigy, she leads a protected life, kept safe from the hunger and crime plaguing the streets of America. She attends the corporate-sponsored Virtual High School, an academy in Vex (Virtual Experience) for gifted children.

Beyond the security of Sulan’s high-tech world, the Anti-American League wages a guerrilla war against the United States. Their leader, Imugi, is dedicated to undermining the nation’s reconstruction attempts. He attacks anything considered a national resource, including corporations, food storage facilities—and schools. When Sulan witnesses the public execution of a teenage student and the bombing of a college dorm, she panics.

Her mother, a retired mercenary, refuses to teach her how to defend herself. Sulan takes matters into her own hands. With the help of her hacker best friend, Hank, Sulan acquires Touch—an illegal Vex technology that allows her to share the physical experience of her avatar. With Touch, Sulan defies her mother and trains herself to fight.

When Imugi unleashes a new attack on the United States, Sulan finds herself caught in his net. Will her Vex training be enough to help her survive and escape?

Free YA Audiobooks for the Summer!

Hey, everyone. AudioFile Magazine is hosting a giveaway of 2 FREE YA audiobooks each week between the weeks of June 14 - August 22, 2012.

This is a really great opportunity to download some free MP3 audiobooks if you're into listening to them. I did this last year and got a few really cool YA titles, including Shiver by Maggie Stievater. Of course, this year, the books are going to be different, but they are going to be giving away some great reads again. A few that stand out are:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter 

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy






They are also throwing in with each recent YA title, a classic title as well, including:

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare (read by a full cast)

The Call of the Wild by Jack London






Wow! That is a great line up. I can't wait to download these books. Each week, two new ones will be available to download for one week only until the giveaway ends. Be sure you download OverDrive Software in order to download the MP3 files. That is a requirement. Go here to see the schedule of downloads and don't forget to check back each week for new audiobooks.

Don't miss out on this opportunity, you guys! 

Review: "The Death Clock" by J. Rock

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"The Death Clock: a Short Story"
by J. Rock

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Reading Grade: Adult (short story)

Publishing Type: self-published

Publication Date: December 23, 2010

Source: Kindle store (freebie)

Age Rating: 15+

| Amazon | 

Andie didn’t know what to make of the numbers.
She started seeing them when she got on the bus that morning. She didn't know what they meant...until she saw them run out... 

My Review

This is a good really, really short story. It's around 4,000 words long, but despite that, it's still highly entertaining. The concept of a “death clock,” or the ability to see a countdown of numbers displayed over someone's head that indicates their remaining lifespan, is nothing new. I recognized this used in Death Note, one of my favorite manga series, to name one of many other stories in which it can be found.

But, that's not what impresses me about the story. It's more about the amazing plot twist that you will never see coming, and it is a doozy! This is a free ebook, so you'll lose nothing but a few minutes of your time to read it and freak out at the end, trying to wrap your brain around the incredibly ironic ending.

What I don't like is the main character for most of the story. Andie is one of the most non-proactive characters you'll ever read about, but she arguably goes through a little character growth by the end. If you find yourself disliking her, don't worry—that really won't be a problem for you. Trust me on that… Just read it for the fun plot twist at the end.

My score: 4 out of 5 stars.

* This goes toward my 2011 Spooktacular October Paranormal Reading Challenge!

Review: "Remedial Magic" by Jenna Black

"Remedial Magic" (Faeriewalker, #0.5)

by Jenna Black

Genre: Fantasy/Faeries

Reading Grade: Young Adult (short story)

Publishing Type: traditional

Publication Date: December 17, 2010

Source: Kindle store (freebie)

Age Rating: 14+

Amazon | Barnes &Noble

Having a prodigy for an older brother is not so fun…especially one who is magic wiz-kid. But Kimber has a plan to finally step out of his shadow.

My Review

I immediately took a liking to this short story. It's told from the POV of a fifteen-year-old girl named Kimber, who is a wise-cracking genius college student (already). She is a faerie, but is sorely lacking in the magical abilities department, so this is a source of pain and embarrassment for her. To make matters worse, her older brother of two years, named Ethan, is a phenomenally gifted faerie and attracts plenty of female admires, much to Kimber's chagrin. Well, he steals all her friends away because they are female.

So, Kimber gets this idea to have a faerie tutor come to the house while she thinks no one is home to help her develop her abilities. The tutor is a college freshmen, like herself, but she's eighteen, as most college freshman are. Somehow things go horribly wrong and Ethan shows up only to steal yet another potential friend from Kimber.

The YA voice in this story was spot-on and refreshingly hilarious. I could easily hear Kimber's voice in my head. The drawback is that it is far too short to really convey a complete story. It's more like the beginning of a good story, and maybe some of the middle, but none of the end. So, I can't give it as many stars as I'd like for that. Mostly, the preview to the first Faeriewalker book is there, right afterward, demanding to be read.

I had already purchased Glimmerglass (book 1 of Faeriewalker), before I obtained this title, but I now believe I'll enjoy it, although the protagonist is not the same person. Still, I believe in the author's writing and voice, which are both superb. Recommended for those who simply want a taste of the Faeriewalker series before committing to it.

My score: 4 out of 5 stars.

Free E-Book Friday! #2 (9/23/11)

Hey, people! Free books are exciting, right? Well, here are a handful of fantasy e-books I discovered this past week that are totally and completely FREE! Two are short stories and the rest are novels. They are linked directly to the Kindle store on Amazon.com, but each might be free on other e-book store fronts, as well, if you are so inclined...

Have a great weekend, y'all!

This first e-book is one I reviewed on my blog only yesterday. I gave it a raving 5-star review!

"Drop Dead: A Lawson Vampire Bonus Story"
by Jon F. Merz

 Meet Lawson. A cynical, wise-cracking vampire charged with protecting the Balance between vampires and humans, he is part cop, part spy, and part commando -- a James Bond with fangs. Lawson mixes shrewd cunning with unmatched lethality to get his job done. He tries his best to dismantle conspiracies, dispatch bad guys, and live long enough to get home.
This time, Lawson has been given an easy assignment, a “dead drop.” That is until an old enemy returns…

From Within
by John M. Dow
 
Three strangers find themselves drawn to Wakely, a small village in the Scottish Borders, where a centuries-old conflict between two warring Celtic deities is drawing to its gruesome conclusion. A small boy holds the key to their survival, but first they have to find them. And they're not the only ones looking.

 

The Emerald Talisman (Talisman, #1)
by Brenda Pandos

To be normal, sixteen-year-old Julia Parker would shed her empathic gift in a second. Life has been difficult since her mother's mysterious disappearance ten years earlier - an event she witnessed, but can't remember. Julia's situation becomes more complicated after a near death experience from a blood thirsty stalker. As high school students go missing it is clear there is a connection to her own experience--past and present. Someone has to stop the madness and a chance encounter with a creepy psychic foretells that only Julia is the key to stopping the madness, but it may require the life of the one she loves.

Marysvale

by Jared Southwick 

When accused of witchcraft, John does the only thing he's ever done"Run! That is, until he meets Jane, who lives in the bleak, imprisoned town of Marysvale. As their love grows, the dangers of Marysvale unfold; and for the first time in his life, John discovers there is something worth dying for. Marysvale is an action-packed story filled with monsters and tyrants, heroes and heroines.

Reckless Magic (Star-Crossed, #1)

by Rachel Higginson

16 year old Eden Matthews has been in and out of private schools for the last two years. Kingsley is her last chance to finish high school and she is determined to simply do that. But when she meets Kiran Kendrick and her world opens to something she thought only existed in fairy tales, she's unsure what her future will hold. Suddenly she is captivated by a boy who seems to be the source of all of her problems and struggling to rescue her best friend from a foreign prison. When attempts are made on Kiran's life, Eden alone must save him. Thrust into a world that is more make-believe than reality, Eden has to find her own destiny without losing those she loves most. Reckless is an intricate story of mystery, adventure, magic and love. Eden Matthews is an unlikely heroine set on a path to save the world and her loved ones before its too late.

"The Death Clock, a short story"

by J. Rock

Andie didn’t know what to make of the numbers.
She started seeing them when she got on the bus that morning. She didn't know what they meant...until she saw them run out...

Review: "Drop Dead" by Jon F. Merz

"Drop Dead: A Lawson Vampire Bonus Story"

by Jon F. Merz 

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Vampires

Reading Grade: Adult (short story)

Publishing Type: traditional

Publication Date: February 15, 2011

Source: Kindle store freebie (still free)

Age Rating: 17+ (violence & some language)

Amazon |

Meet Lawson. A cynical, wise-cracking vampire charged with protecting the Balance between vampires and humans, he is part cop, part spy, and part commando—a James Bond with fangs. Lawson mixes shrewd cunning with unmatched lethality to get his job done. He tries his best to dismantle conspiracies, dispatch bad guys, and live long enough to get home. 

This time, Lawson has been given an easy assignment, a “dead drop.” That is until an old enemy returns… 

My Review 

Why have I taken so long to get into the Lawson Vampire books? This short story is completely dope-sauce! 

First of all, the writing is superb—exactly what a story like this needs to be written like. This is pure urban fantasy, the kind starring an adult male protagonist, and that requires a certain writing that makes you feel like you're truly inside the head of a guy who marches to the beat of his own drummer. An outlier. But, a really cool guy that is so different from everyone else that you just wanna hang out with him because his life is so dangerous and cool. Merz makes it happen. 

This is exactly the kind of urban fantasy I love to read. For me, it has to star a male character who is an agent of some sort of organization (or a mercenary guy on his own). He has to have so much swagger that he creams you with it from a mile away. Here, the swagger mostly comes from the story itself and the epic writing. From what I can tell, Lawson has swagger, but I couldn't tell so much because most of the story takes place during a flashback to the 1960's when he was younger and less confident. 

That part of the story sets up what happens in the present and it's just cool, for lack of a better word. The action is so in-your-face and extreme, it reads sort of like watching The Bourne Identity movie. And, even the villain is epic and truly thinks deeply like a villain. I love me an epic villain. I'm amazed all these elements are packed into such a short story that literally takes a half hour to read from beginning to end. 

Needless to say, I can't wait to read my copy of the Lawson novel that follows, The Kensei. I've finally found my dream urban fantasy novel series. I hope the TV adaptation hits the airwaves soon... 

My score: 5 out of 5 stars.

 

Free E-Book Friday! #1 (9/16/11)

I've decided to do a post of the free e-books I've been able to find and point them out to my followers, just in case you all might want to download them for yourselves. I might actually be able to do this every Friday, but I can't be sure about that, yet.

These are fantasy/paranormal novels, or short stories, that I might not have read, but they are of interest to me. I probably will only post about the free e-books that I'm interested in reading...

The Soulkeepers (The Soulkeepers, #1)

by G.P. Ching

This is still free over at Smashwords.com! 

When fifteen-year-old Jacob Lau is pulled from the crumpled remains of his mother's car, no one can explain why he was driving or why the police can't find his mother's body. Made a ward of his uncle and thousands of miles from home, a beautiful and mysterious neighbor offers to use her unique abilities to help him find his mom. In exchange, she requires Jacob to train as a Soulkeeper, a warrior charged with protecting human souls.

He agrees to her demands, desperate for any clue to the mystery of his mother's disappearance. But soon Jacob finds himself trapped in a web of half-truths, and questions her motives for helping him. 

Demon Girl (The Rae Wilder Wilder Novels, #1)

by Penelope Fletcher

Amazon.com

Rae Wilder has problems.... Supernatural creatures swarm the earth, and humanity is on the brink of extinction. Stalked by a handsome fairy who claims she is like him, demonkind, Rae thinks maybe it was a mistake breaking the rules by going over the Wall into demon territory. Plunged into a world of dark magics, fierce creatures, and ritual sacrifice, she is charged with a guarding a magical amulet. The changes to her mind and body are startling, but rather than accept her purpose she struggles against who she is destined to be. Throw in a big lust for a vampire who can't keep his hands off her, and life starts to get complicated. Rae is forced to make the ultimate choice: to live and die human, or embrace her birth-right and wield magics that could turn her into something wicked, a force of nature nothing can control.

Into the Shadows (Into the Shadows, #1)

by Karly Kirkpatrick 

Amazon.com 

Paivi Anderson has it all: friends, a spot on the varsity basketball team, wonderful parents, and quite possibly, her first boyfriend. It was everything a freshman in high school could ask for. 

Her perfect life begins to crumble when she discovers her name on a list distributed by a power-hungry presidential candidate. How could anyone think of Paivi as an Enemy of the State? Could it be because of her special powers? No one was supposed to know about them, but the mysterious messages in her tater tots say otherwise. 

In Into the Shadows, Paivi quickly learns who her friends are and is forced into a reality she didn't see coming.

Rumpel, a retelling of the Brother's Grimm Rumpelstiltskin
by Eileen Cruz Coleman 

Amazon.com 

RUMPEL is the dark and quirky retelling of the Brothers Grimm Rumpelstiltskin. When foreigners arrive on an island beach in search of a lost spinning wheel which they believe rightfully belongs to them and on which their very existence depends, the island inhabitants—spirits, trolls, mermaids, fallen angels and humans—are thrust into a course of events during which some will become allies and others will turn against their own and seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Miller must defend her unborn child from a vengeful troll, Rumpel, while also struggling to accept that she is the reason why eighteen-year-old Prince Alarick, a fallen angel, chose to give up a chance at redemption.

"Mutiny" (Mystyx, #2.5)
by Artist Arthur 

Amazon.com 

What did I do to end up in this nightmare?

One minute Franklin Bryant is a normal teenager in school with his girlfriend, Krystal. The next, a reaper leaves him in Trance, the place between worlds where his destiny will be decided. Franklin has been summoned by the demon Charon to help destroy the Mystyx, a group of classmates including Krystal, with supernatural powers that can defeat Charon. 

Franklin loves Krystal, but he faces an impossible choice: join Charon and be rewarded with powers beyond his dreams, or refuse and die....

Amazon often has promos available for ebooks.

Download The Soulkeepers for Free!

One of the best indie YA fantasy titles I reviewed on my blog this year was The Soulkeepers by G.P. Ching. (Read my review of it here. 4.5 stars!) Now, anyone who wants an e-book copy of the first book in the series can get one for free on Smashwords.com. Go get your copy today!

The Soulkeepers (The Soulkeepers, #1)

by G.P. Ching

Smashwords link (free!)

Synopsis

When fifteen-year-old Jacob Lau is pulled from the crumpled remains of his mother's car, no one can explain why he was driving or why the police can't find his mother's body. Made a ward of his uncle and thousands of miles from home, a beautiful and mysterious neighbor, Dr. Abigail Silva, offers to use her unique abilities to help him find his mom. In exchange, she requires Jacob to train as a Soulkeeper, a biologically gifted warrior charged with protecting human souls. He agrees to her demands, desperate for any clue to the mystery of his mother's disappearance. But soon Jacob finds himself trapped in a web of half-truths, and questions Dr. Silva's motives for helping him.

*****

Out now, the sequel to The Soulkeepers, Weaving Destiny, which I'll be reviewing here on my blog as part of the "Weaving Destiny" Book Blog Tour. My date is slated for Wednesday, September 21st. Participants in the giveaway hosted on G.P. Ching's blog will be eligible to win either a Kindle, or a Nook. Stay tuned for more details...

Download FREE YA Audiobook Titles All Summer!

*Ignore that is says "2010" on the banner ad*

I've got some great news! AudioBookSync.com is giving away 2 FREE YA audiobook titles EVERY WEEK ALL SUMMER LONG! 

This week they're giving away an audiobook version of SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater (June 23 - June 29). We all know that is a popular YA paranormal romance read!

Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1)

by Maggie Stiefvater

Amazon.com

Sync Audiobooks DL link

the cold.
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.

the heat.
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.

the shiver.
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.

I haven't read this series yet, so image how excited I was to see I could get not only a free book, but a free audiobook at that! You can be sure a future review is coming out of this, even if the book is a couple of years old already... 

And, if you love reading non-paranormal/fantasy books, they'll be giving away plenty of YA titles in other genres all summer long. 

Happy listening!