Book Release - On the Bright Side - S R Johannes

It has been some time since I have been able to blog about anything seeing as Google apparantly hates me and accordingly Blogger does too.  I have now managed to sort out most of the technical difficulties I was experiencing on my blog and can join the world of blogging once again! Yeah!

Anyway I thought I'd start of my return to the Bloggerverse by letting you all know about a quirky new YA book releasing today (by Publishers Coleman & Stott) called on the Bright Side by S R Johannes. Here is the cover (which I kinda love) and a description of the book which I received from the author. I will shortly be posting a review of the book, but as you can see from the book description the story promises to be fun, quirky and an all around pleasant teen read!

Gabby is a disgruntled tween angel who has just been assigned to protect her school nemesis and ex-beffie. Problem is her ex-beffie is dating Gabby’s longtime crush. Instead of protecting Angela, Gabby pranks her (since when is sticking toilet paper to her shoe or spinach in her teeth a sin?) Soon, Gabby gets out of control and is put on probation by her SKYAgent, who has anger management issues of his own. Determined to right her wrongs, Gabby steals an ancient artifact that allows her to return to Earth for just one day. Without knowing, she kicks off a series of events and learns what can happen when you hate someone to death. 

On the bright side is not the first book by S R Johannes. If you want to find out more about the author...read on!

S.R. Johannes is the author of Untraceable (a teen wilderness thriller) and On The Bright Side (a tween paranormal). She lives in Atlanta Georgia with her dog, British-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess, which she hopes- someday- will change the world. After earning an MBA and working in corporate america, S.R. Johannes traded in her expensive suits, high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and her love of writing. 

I for one love finding out about new up and coming authors so I hope you will all have a look out for her newest book !  Hopefully I will have an author interview for you soon to get to know her better and to get inside the never ending imaginative minds of the authors we love to read! 

You can also get in touch with Shelli here:

Blog: http://faeriality.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/srjohannes

Author Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5235537.S_R_Johannes

Sorry for the long leave of absence guys!  It is sure great to be back! 

Happy Holidays Everyone

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Carving Angels - Diane Stringam Tolley

Carving Angels
by Diane Stringam Tolley

Carving Angels is definitely not the genre of book that I normally read and considering the target group for which it was written probably also not age appropriate. I had received a copy for review from the author and was a bit hesitant about whether I would like it at all. What I found between the pages of this book however is definitely a story which I adored and which I believe should have an honorary space on any shelf between all the best classical Christmas stories.

SUMMARY

This beautiful story follows Papa Adam, a retired elf whom was part of the community of Elves who make toys for children which are distributed by Santa. Papa Adam has gone blind and has lost his will to live and is thoroughly depressed and hopeless. When his five year old granddaughter Amy one day brings him a piece of wood and challenges him to carve with his heart and not with his eyes, he finds new hope and purpose in his life and together Amy and Papa Adam saves, what would surely have been, a disastrous Christmas.

WHAT I LIKED

This book has a beautiful ethereal quality to it and contains a few lessons that young and old can benefit from. As a childrens book it reads easily and it has a quality to it which I can only describe as magical. It draws you in, regardless of your age and engages you on a level which we as adults have probably forgotten. The story is whimsical and timeless and has every element which a great Christmas story must have! The relationship and dialogue between Amy and her grandfather is witty and precious. I had felt a deep yearning for my own grandfather and the things that we used to do together after reading the story of Amy and her Papa Adam. It definitely made me greatful for those times and even the nostalgia did not detract from my enjoyment of this book, but only added to it in its own way.

This book is a winning recipe! I can definitely see parents around the world reading Carving Angels to their young ones during the festive season and it becoming a priceless possession of many young dreamers out there. I absolutely loved this story. It is an must have for your collection. I am definitely buying this for my young nieces as gifts for Christmas and will keep one to read to my daughter one day.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

I could not think of one thing I didn't like about this book after having finished it and will not dare critisize it anyway. Once again I loved it!

SO WHAT'S THE VERDICT

I don't believe I have to say anything more about this book. The content speaks for itself! I loved reading it, regardless of my age and regardless of my normal genre preferences. A beautifully enchanting tale!

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Waiting on Wednesday - 30 November 2011 - Dreamless - Josephine Angelini

This year is fast heading downhill isn't it! I have read nearly as much as I wanted, but I still read some really good reads this year.  The Starcrossed series by Josephine Angelini is just one of them.  Dreamless the next installment in the series and is my pick for the a weekly meme hosted by the Breaking the Spine.  The fact that the cover is absolutely beautiful and ethereal is definitely a plus and should draw the interest of any avid reader.

  

Dreamless is set for release on 29 May 2011 so I'll have to wait just a little while longer.  Here is the Goodreads blurp for those who are interest:  

As the only Scion that can enter Hades at will, Helen descends to the Underworld in search of a way to overcome the Furies and end the cycle of revenge that has cursed the Scions. But she’s running out of time. Each descent weakens her both in mind and spirit. A mysterious stranger might be her only salvation, but the price may be her love for Lucas Delos. As an unforgettable love triangle emerges, Josephine Angelini’s compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding. The eagerly awaited sequel to the internationally bestselling Starcrossed, Dreamless delivers with a huge emotional impact that will leave readers satisfied—and longing for more.

Have a great week all and be sure to let me know what your pick is this week!

Beautiful Creatures - Book 3 - Beautiful Chaos

Beautiful Chaos
by Kami Garcia

The Caster Chronicles is one of those series that I did not expect to like. When I read the summary it seemed to be just another magic story which would be predictable. But without any doubt this series is one of my favourite this year! This third installment was bi exception and I enjoyed it tremendously from the first page to the last.

SUMMARY

This book follows the seemingly tragic events of Beautiful Darkness. The Caster world is recovering from Lena's claiming during which she essentially became half Dark Caster and half Light. Link is settling in quite nicely with his new nature as a Incubus and Ethan is trying to keep his family and friends together whilst Apocalyptic occurrences in town are ripping them apart. Throughout the book human and Casters alike are searching for a way to restore the order of things and waiting for Abraham and Sarafine to expose their next evil plot to destroy the Casters and possibly humans as well. Ethan is having disturbing dreams which seem to follow the tune of the newest shadowing song that he is now being haunted by. Whilst Macon and Olivia try and search out John Breed and the significance that he may or may not have in restoring the order of things, a new player comes on the scene in the form of Lilith, the Demon Queen and seemingly also the wheel of fate. From what she tells Ethan we learn that a significant sacrifice can restore the order of things, and that sacrifice will have to be made by a specific person. Whilst the crew originally think that that person is John Breed... there are quite a few surprises that await the reader. Ridley surprises everyone with her desperate need to return to a life of magic and she even falls in with some very unexpected people to maintain a measure of power. Ultimately Lena and Ethan have to face a future which may see them apart forever. The Wheel of Fate is crueler than you could ever have thought...

WHAT I LIKED

I loved the interesting and unexpected ways in which the writers continue to make the Caster stories so interesting. In this book one at last become more acquainted with Sarafine and the story of how she happened to go dark. Ethan's relationships with other characters but Lena are also expanded on significantly which is an aspect of this book which I particularly liked as so many young adult novels tend to focus only on the love birds! The relationship between Lena and John which I expected to turn into a love triangle confounded me again and I liked the fact that he was kept as a character and good one at that. Only time will tell if he remains that way. Several plot lines are revealed that once again focus on the secondary characters and the possible futures which they may have after finalization of the series.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

Ethan's introspection and inner monologues at times became a bit tedious for me. I did not expect to lose Amma as one of my favourite characters so soon and I did not like the fact that there was very little about her in this book, in comparison to the last two. I really hope that she will redeem herself in future books.

SO WHAT'S THE VERDICT

I absolutely loved Beautiful Chaos and it will have an honorary place on my re-read shelf once the series has been completed. If you have not started reading this series yet, get up and grab a copy immediately!

WHAT'S NEXT

The name of the next book in the Beautiful Creatures series has as far as I know not yet been revealed but watch this space for more news on it in the near future. Happy reading everyone!

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