{ Cover Reveal...Finn Finnegan by Darby Karchut }

I am super excited to share with you all a cover reveal for my friend Darby Karchut's newest trilogy which is set to be released next spring! Me...and my 10yr old...are Super excited for this one. Love to know what you think?

Finn Finnegan

Finn (not bleedin' Finnegan) MacCullen is eager to begin his apprenticeship. He soon discovers the ups and downs of hunting monsters in a suburban neighborhood under the demanding tutelage of the Knight, Gideon Lir. Both master and apprentice are descendents of the Tuatha De Danaan, a magical race of warriors from Ireland. Scattered long ago to the four corners of the world, the De Danaan wage a two thousand year old clandestine battle with their ancient enemy, the Amandán, a breed of goblin-like creatures.

Now with the beasts concentrating their attacks on Finn, he and his master must race to locate the lost Spear of the Tuatha De Danaan, the only weapon that can destroy the Amandán, all the while hiding his true identity from his new friends, Rafe and Savannah, twins whose South African roots may hold a key to Finn's survival. Armed with a bronze dagger, some ancient Celtic magic, and a hair-trigger temper, Finn is about to show his enemies the true meaning of "fighting Irish."

Title: Finn Finnegan

Author: Darby Karchut

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press (www.SpencerHillPress.com)

ISBN: 978-1-937053-32-1

Release Date:

March 12, 2013

Formats: Paper, e-book

Genres: Middle Grade/Young Adult, Fantasy



{ Florence by Ciye Cho }

Florence by Ciye Cho

July 1, 2012 by Studio Amazepop

Format: ebook

Source: from author for review

From Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Florence Waverley is out of her depth. Literally. Kidnapped and taken below the waves to the mer world of Niemela, she is the ultimate gift for merman Prince Kiren: a human familiar tied to his side. But nothing is what it seems amid the beauty and danger of a dark ocean.

Every Niemelan has a role to play, from the mermaids who weave towers out of kelp to the warriors who fight sea monsters. But in trying to survive, Florence will end up in the middle of a war between the mer and the Darkness. A conflict that will push her between two brothers: Kiren, the charmer inexplicably drawn to both her and the monsters; and Rolan, the loner who has been pushing her away since the day they met. But in order to take a stand--and find out where she belongs--Florence will have to risk it all: her life, her heart... and her very soul.

My Review:

When I was approached by author Ciye Cho to read and review the first book in his new series...well, I was prepared for a wild ride. One thing I learned from Ciye's first series? He has one wicked imagination! You know what? I was pleasantly surprised by this new series. I found myself totally immersed in his world of Mermaids and Mermen. The world of Niemela and these characters were so easy to adore.

Florence was not only believable, but likable too. And one thing I loved is that we see her grow a great deal throughout this story. Princess Yolee is the perfect little sister. Adorable! Loved her! Prince Kiren and Prince Rolan are the perfect balance between the good and evil, even if at times the lines are blurred on both sides. Author Ciye Cho did a great job of developing these characters and slowly introducing us to a budding romance...between who...I'll never tell. But I will say this? Rolan could definitely creep up to one of my top swoon worthy characters of all time...just saying.

Not only do we get an amazing visual of the world of Niemela, but there is action and danger at every turn. This is a YA series, but I would definitely recommend this one to middle grade readers too...of course Adults too! This is a perfect summer read for the beach. It's a fast easy read, filled with a fantastical world and illuminating lovable characters.

In the end, I highly recommend Florence to anyone looking for something a little different, something fun with just a hint of romance. I can not wait to see where book 2 takes Florence and the world of Niemela. Thank you Ciye Cho for a GREAT read!

Rating:

 4 stars!

{ Into The Shadows by Karly Kirkpatrick }

Into The Shadows by Karly Kirkpatrick

November 10, 2012 by Darkside Publishing

Format: Ebook

Source: from Author for review

From Goodreads:

Fans of the TV series ‘Heroes, the film ‘Push’, and the book ‘The Hunger Games’ will enjoy Into the Shadows, a modern and paranormal thriller. This is the first book in the Into the Shadows Trilogy.

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.

My Review:

When I was approached by author, Karly Kirkpatrick to read and review Into The Shadows, I knew right away that I had to give it a read. I was a HUGH Heroes fan and thought we need a book like that in the YA world. I will admit though, that I found myself a bit disappointed in the beginning. I found this book to be quite slow and sluggish to get into the nitty gritty of the story. Sadly, it took a good chunk of the book before that happened. Also, at times I found that the writing and dialog was more middle grade than YA...but perhaps that was just me.

The characters were more of the same for me. Some I was easily connected to and others not so much. I am not even really sure what it was. Perhaps it was more of a believability issue for me. Like Paivi's parents. They were loving parents yes, but at times it just seemed that they were like these weird 'pod' parents or something. And they talked down to their kids quite a bit. Actually now that I think about it, it was more of the author talking down to the reader. Yes, having life lessons embedded into the story is great, but talking to your readers like they are your 7 or 8 year old children? Doesn't work. Also, some of the dialog between some of these characters just was not believeable. This is not how teenagers talk to eachother.

So did I enjoy it at all? Yes. The last 4 or 5 chapters were awesome! And on a whole, the story really is original and exciting. I was excited to see how this book would end and really do want to continue this series and see where these characters and this society go from here. I truly hope that author, Karly Kirkpatrick can continue on this road for the remainder of this series. I feel it could end up to be a truly great one!

In the end, I do recommend it, just be prepared for a slow read up until the last quarter.

Rating:

3 Stars