Review: The Abbey at World’s End by LL Watkin

Posted in Format: Kindle, Genre: Alternate Worlds, Genre: Young Adult, Rating: Three Umbrellas, Review: 2013 by Raindrops and Pages

The Abbey at World’s End by LL Watkin.
Release Date:June 5, 2012
Publisher: Self Published.
Rating

The Summary: Keldaren just wanted an easy life. A job where the boss wouldn’t scream if she was five minutes late. A nice boyfriend. An apartment where the auto-programs actually worked. Treasure worth a not so small fortune. To go a week without a bomb going off in her near vicinity. Was that so much to ask?
Unfortunately, when your best friend is a three thousand year old ghost with a chip on her insubstantial shoulders, nothing is as easy as you’d imagine.

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book as part of a read and review group. I am not compensated for this review, nor am I influenced in any way. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Review:This is an interesting read. It took me a little while to get into it, because the reader is immediately thrown into the world. No set up, no explanation of what’s going on, and the story just takes off from there. The world is a futuristic world where apartments decorate themselves, ids are needed for pretty much everything, and the law follows the leading/teachings of the Goddess. Keldaren is a woman who works in an office for her day job, but in actuality is a thief and she and a couple of associates are planning on pulling off a massive heist.

She plans on stealing the Goddess’ belongings.

The reason behind this is partially monetary gain, the other is to keep her best friend Missra, a ghost, from disappearing from existence completely. Keldaren and her associates accomplish this, and that’s when the story really takes off. Keldaren is thrust into a world of power plays, changes, power gain and to top it all off someone’s trying to kill her. The city around her is racked with bombings, packed with people due to the annual festival and she’s caught in the middle of everything.

Once you get past the first couple of chapters the book unfolds in a way and becomes easier to read. It’s a really fast paced, action packed story and it sets the groundwork nicely for the rest of the series. (Did I mention that this was the first in a series?). The mystery elements to the plot I didn’t figure out until the very end, and I really fell in love with a couple of the characters. I only wish that the beginning had been rounded out a bit more so I could get into it a bit easier–but it might be just me. It’s a good book, a wild ride, but it did take me a while to get into it.

Purchase The Abbey at World’s End: on Kindle

13Aug2013

Review: Strong Blood by Dale Ibitz

Posted in Genre: Alternate Worlds, Genre: Young Adult, Rating: Four Umbrellas, Review: 2013 by Raindrops and Pages

Strong Blood by Dale Ibitz
Release Date: October 1, 2012
Publisher: Self Published through Createspace.
Length: 260 pages
Rating:
The Summary:The war between nature’s gods continues to rage on Eyidora and Haley, descendant of the Air Eyid, struggles with her own battles.

She’s mired in a battle with Ian, the Fire Eyid descendant, over the lost Eyid stones. She needs the stones to stop the war, and he needs the stones to destroy Eyidora. She knows where the Land Eyid stone is hidden, and she races to Tamoor to find it before Ian does.

Haley still doesn’t trust Tuggin, the stone-faced Eyidoran assigned to protect her. As a Menta witch, he’s adept at lying, mind-control, and killing. Even though Haley is starting to believe that Tuggin may be serving more than one master, she continues to battle her feelings for him, never sure which duty he feels most inclined to serve.

But Haley’s biggest battle of all comes when she meets Luke and Telsa, twins with undeniable strength. Haley invites them to join her on her mission to find the Land Eyid stone. Has she put her trust in someone who may be just as dark and dangerous as Ian, the descendant of Fire himself?
The Review: In the second instillation of the Last Moon Rising Series, we find Hadley, Elana, and Tuggin still tangled up together in a twisted “should they be or shouldn’t they be trusted” plot string. I like that no one really seems to be who they say they are in this series. Here we’re also introduced to a second set of twins, Luke and Telsa who also apparently have secondary motives.

There’s a lot more story in this book. We get history about the war and some of the things that are driving the story along. We get more character definition and learn more about a couple character’s motivations. I really love the interaction between Tuggin and Hadley and the relationship that is building between them. Hadley gets more development, not only on a personal level, but grows with abilities. She and Ian are well matched as antagonist/protagonists go, and I’m really liking where this story is heading.

The major encounter between Hadley and Ian is very interesting. A few secrets are revealed, a couple of characters come clean about their actions, and betrayal rocks the rag-tag group of teens. Personally I feel that this book is a bit stronger than the first book, but I still want more. I’m one of those people who like longer books and in a way I almost feel that Book one and two could have been combined. I’m looking forward to book three.

I was gifted book two by the author herself. It was sent along with book one, and I am not compensated for this review in any way.

Review for Book 1 Fire in the Blood

Purchase Strong Blood:
On Kindle
Paperback through Createspace

13Aug2013

Review: Fire in the Blood by Dale Ibitz

Posted in Format: Kindle, Genre: Alternate Worlds, Genre: Young Adult, Rating: Four Umbrellas, Review: 2013 by Raindrops and Pages

Fire in the Blood by Dale Ibitz.
Release Date: July 11, 2011
Publisher: Self Published through Createspace.
Length: 238 pages
Rating:

The Summary:Global warming is playing havoc on Earth, and when 17 year-old Haley tumbles to a parallel world, she discovers that Earth’s issues stem from a war between the Eyids, the gods of nature. Because her necklace is a stone that holds the power of the Air Eyid, Haley is called upon to stop the war

But Haley has a problem. Actually, two problems. One named Tuggin, and one named Ian.

Both lie to her. Both have secrets. And neither are who they say they are. With her stone of power, Haley’s forced to make a choice that will decide the fate of all the worlds. But who should she trust, who should she fight, and who is the one with fire in his blood bent on betraying them all?

The Review:Alternate world/universe books are something that I eat up like candy. This book was no exception to that. Fire in the Blood is a the first book in a promising young adult series. The main character Haley is a modern, typical seventeen year old girl, who wants nothing more than a “Hall-God” boyfriend, and to get through the day without some sort of muck up.

Instead, she’s thrust into a parallel world called Eyidora by her adoptive mother when she’s hunted by the same entity that killed her birth parents. There she’s introduced to Tuggin, a tight lipped, abrasive, gorgeous eighteen year old who seems to want nothing to do with her–except to keep her on a tight leash. The problems don’t stop there, in fact they intensify when she learns that she’s a crucial piece to ending a war that would not only destroy Eyidora, but Earth as well. To further complicate things, THE Hall-God Ian enters the picture, joining her in this parallel world. He knows more than he should, and nothing is what it seems.

I really enjoyed this book. There are a couple hitches to it though. I think there should have been just a little more exposition in the beginning as things start quickly and the reader is expected to keep up, even as this new world, new languages and history are thrown at us in a rapid fire fashion. I like that Hadley grows through the story, and learns quickly rather than depending on Tuggin and a few other characters. It’s also extremely fast paced and the story moves so quickly that I read through the book and wanted more to this piece.

I was given this book as a prize through a facebook contest. I am not being compensated for this review.

Purchase Fire in the Blood:
on Kindle
Paperback through Createspace