23 June 2014

Blog Tour: Secrets & Lies by Jacqueline Green (Review)


Hey guys! Welcome to day one of the Secrets and Lies blog tour hosted by Paper Lantern Lit. So let's hop to it :)

Can you keep a secret?
Tenley Reed and Sydney Morgan have never seen eye to eye -- until now. United by a common goal, they are determined to find out who was behind their friend's murder. Joined by Emerson Cunningham, a gorgeous but troubled teen model, the girls start their own investigation. But in the isolated beach town of Echo Bay, it's hard to know who's a friend and who's an enemy.
Secrets and Lies is the second book in the Truth or Dare series -- and will keep readers in suspense from beginning to end.



Review

I loved this book just as much as I loved the first book Truth or Dare! The plot still centers around 3 girls and picks up right where Truth or Dare left off. This book has so much suspense, romance, and mystery making for a great read. This books was definitely better than the last when it came to plot twists because it really keeps you guessing throughout the whole read. All of the underlying relationships also make the book a great read because you not only get the crazy mystery but you still get the regular high school romance drama. As I said in my review of Truth or Dare this is definitely a great series to start reading and the only reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5 stars is because of its uncanny similarity to Pretty Little Liars but that is definitely not a deal breaker for me being a fan of the series myself. I can't wait for the last book in the trilogy to come out to see how this complex amazing story ends.

Rating:


About the Author:

Jacqueline Green grew up in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, where she devoured books the way other kids did candy. She never stopped loving those books she read as a kid, so after receiving her BA from Cornell University, she went on to get her MFA in Writing for Children from The New School. She’s since worked in many parts of the children’s publishing field, from marketing to editorial to writing. She now lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their very small dog, who moonlights as her writing companion.


Follow Her on Twitter or visit her Website


Buy this Book: Amazon | B&N
20 June 2014

Interview w/Vivian Eve


Hey guys! Today I have for you an interview with Vivian Eve, author of Birthright. Let's get started! :)

1. When did you first realize you wanted to be an author?


As far back as I can remember, honestly. I almost always carried around notebooks to write down my ideas. I dabbled with typewriters before gaining access to computers; thankfully, I grew up in a generation where they were becoming an extremely common thing to own and use. So aside from a very dark period of my life where I almost completely gave up on writing, I could be frequently found typing away and stashing kernels of ideas into removable storage for future use.


2. How long does it usually take to write a book?


Birthright took me around a year to actually write; fleshing out the characters/world and finishing the outline ups the time even more. I'm not a super fast writer, but I'm testing out ways to hopefully better streamline the process without suffering a drop in quality.


3. What was your inspiration for the characters in Birthright?


It's hard to pinpoint exactly. Once I conceived the overall plot, they fell into place naturally. There has been some tweaking here and there along the way, but the characters all turned out great. In the future, readers will get to see why I love each and every one of them—even the villains. ;)


4. Where did you get the idea of the storyline?


My love of history, Arthurian legends, and the nagging voices of the characters who refused to be quiet about wanting their stories to be known to the world. I didn't set out to write a certain story or a specific genre; it just happened to come together that way.


5. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?


I already knew years ago that writing is hard, but I didn't realize just HOW hard. There's a lot that goes into it: worldbuilding, character creation/development, etc. And this isn't even getting into the technicality (grammar, punctuation, etc.) portion. Personally, I think seeing your stories through to the end is the hardest; writing novels takes a lot of patience, time, and learning. You need a ton of persistence and determination in this line of work (not to mention thick skin, but that's another story entirely).


6. Do you listen to music for inspiration as you write certain scenes?


There's rarely a time when I'm not listening to music while writing. To help with my process, I'll also create playlists based on the story I'm writing. Sometimes, the songs will reflect a specific scene; other times, it'll be songs representing the overall theme/feel to keep myself in the mood of the world.


7. Do you have any suggestions to help people become a better writer? If so, what are they?


Read as much as you can, write as much as you can. Brush up on your grammar skills with some research and studying; there are tons of books about writing and language, and limitless sources on the web. Always strive for improvement; it's important to always be open to constructive criticism in order to improve your craft. Lastly, NEVER GIVE UP!

Thank you Vivian for taking out the time to let me interview you :) I will be posting a review of Birthright by Vivian Eve tomorrow.

18 June 2014

Review: Eden Forest by Aoife Marie Sheridan


17087721
Sarajane Anderson is your regular twenty one year old. With family, friends and a normal job. She also happens to be the only person who can save Saskia, a world parallel to earth.When Sarajane is taken to Saskia, she could never have imagined the reality of the world she steps into, a world where magical abilities are in everyone's possession. She must face a father she never knew, a world that is beyond her belief. A guardian who captures her heart, and a darkness that wants to take it.On this journey Sarajane discovers her magical abilities and realizes they come with a price. Sarajane is truly tested, as her loved ones are put at risk. The question she must ask herself is, how do you choose who lives and who dies?

Review:

I loved this book!! The story was great and something different which I liked and lets not even get me started about all of the underlying love stories going on lol. You know how I am a sucker for love and this book really does bring that romantic aspect in multiple ways.  There is a great amount of adventure in this book along with a small amount of mystery and just enough romance and action.  This book made me laugh, cry, swoon, and everything else in between. The book really checks all of the boxes for me and has easily become one of my favorite books.  The only reason I don't give it five stars is because of the frequent spelling errors. A lot of the words had "my" as a replacement for key letters in the word and "my" was used as a replacement for "her" which made it kinda difficult and confusing at times to get the gist of the situation but other than that it is a great book and I highly recommend taking out the time to read it. Eden Forest is the first book in a trilogy which I love because I can't wait to find out what happens next in Sarajane's journey.

Rating:



Buy This Book:


About The Author:


Aoife Marie Sheridan
Aoife Marie Sheridan has loved reading from a very young age, starting off with mills and boon's books, given to by her grandmother her love for romances grew, by the age of 14 she had read hundreds of them. Aoife had a passion for writing poetry or in her eyes her journal entries. It was something she did throughout her teens and into her twenties. Aoife won first place for two of her poems and had them published at a young age of just nineteen. Realising she needed to get a real job (What writing isn't) she studied accountancy and qualified working in that field for many years, until her passion for reading returned and she found Maria V Snyder. Poison study one of her favourite books has been read and re-read countless times. Aoife's first book Eden Forest (Part one of the Saskia Trilogy) came to be after a dream of a man and woman on a black horse jumping through a wall of fire and the idea of Saskia was born. Now with her first novel published and taking first place for Eden Forest with Writers Got Talent 2013, Aoife continues to write tales of fantasy and is currently working on her third book for the Saskia Trilogy amongst other new works. 


16 June 2014

Interview w/Aoife Marie Sheridan


Hey guys! So, yesterday I reviewed Eden Forest by Aoife Marie Sheridan which will be linked to at the end of this post. Today I have for you all an interview from the author of the book, Aoife Marie Sheridan. First off, a thanks to Aoife for taking the time to let me interview you. Let's get started!

When did you first realized you wanted to be an author?

Only recently believe it or not, like in the last year. I started writing as a way to release my emotions I lost two people so writing helped me get through it. I released my first book and then wrote the second as I was still in turmoil and it was my release. It’s not until now in the last year that I have realized just how much I love to write and I know I will never stopped. I think I am over my grieving process and now I can write through different eyes as such not just ones fuelled with grief. 

How long does it usually take to write a book? 


The first book took me a year, the second about nine months. The most recent about three months. I have also started about four other stories and they are all on different levels of completion. If I had the time, I can’t see why I wouldn’t write book in two months. 

What was your inspiration for the characters in Eden Forest?

People around me, every character in Eden Forest represents people in my life. Every single one of the them. 

Where did you get the idea of the storyline?

One night I had a dream of a man and women on a horse, passing through a wall of fire. The dream lingered with me, as did my grief. So I started my story. My starting point was my dream and I worked my way from there. Eden Forest helped me once again deal with death, and all that comes with it. So in a way I am very grateful for this story. 
I always wondered why God created us and what was our purpose, but those questions are unanswered. So in my story I give you the answers for this world called Saskia. In the story God creates a world parallel to ours, for four fallen angels. 
Death is something that I also question now, like why do we die, is 60 to 90yrs of life enough, imagine having immortality what would one do to gain it? And that’s where a lot of my plot lies. The greed for immortality, for power’s that only God should wield, drives Saskia into war.
God decides to give one person all the powers that anyone could possess to banish evil, before it destroys Saskia and Earth. This one person happens to be a young lady called Sarajane Anderson who lives in the mortal world (Earth) but is actually from Saskia. 

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

That I could create worlds and see them so vividly in my head. I was surprised that I could do this  and like I said see it so clearly, I never would have imagined that I would be capable of something so creative. :) 


Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?

I really feel that when I am writing that I often stop and think what would the reader want and it changes my story but I really think that you should write like no one will ever read it. So it stays true to your heart and your 100% behind your story. I find when I go off course thinking of some reading it, I stop and tell myself no one will ever read it, so tell the story the way I want to tell it. That would be my suggestion to writers. 


Do you listen to music for inspiration as you write certain scenes?


Yes, yes and yes. :) I love all type of music and create playlists that would suit each book before I start writing. If I get writers block I play the music and I start typing. It depends on the scene I’m writing but if it’s sad, powerful or just world building I will play the song that I have allocated to each of these. It does the trick for me. 

 You can check out my review of Eden Forest here.

Visit Aoife Marie Sheridan: 

Buy Eden Forest:


15 June 2014

Review: The Savages by Matt Whyman

Hey guys! So, today I have for you a review of The Savages by Matt Whyman. I meant to get it out yesterday but didn't get a chance to so here it is. So let me tell you guys what this book was all about :)

17315389They'd love to have you for dinner....
Sasha Savage is in love with Jack - a handsome, charming...vegetarian. Which wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that Sasha's family are very much 'carnivorous'. Behind the family facade all is not as it seems. Sasha's father rules his clan with an iron fist and her mother's culinary skills are getting more adventurous by the day. When a too-curious private detective starts to dig for truths, the tight-knit family starts to unravel - as does their sinister taste in human beings...

And now for the review....Honestly this book was a struggle to get through. It took me almost a month and a half to finish because it really didn't draw me in or get my attention.  However, I didn't really want to create a DNF review so I keep reading. I liked the underlying love story of course but that was really the only thing that keep me reading. The book does have an interesting concept which is one good thing about this book because it is pretty unique and the writing was great but all in all I just don't think it was the book for me. But, if you are into books that have a little out there storyline with a strong family bond present in it along with a dash of love then you may love this book.  But that are my views of the book. If you have read this book as well I would love to hear your thoughts. I hope you all are having a Happy Father's Day! :)

Rating:


13 June 2014

Feature & Follow Friday!


Increase Blog Followers

Welcome To Feature & Follow Friday! #FF is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Each week two book blogs are featured and this week those two book blogs are Cornerfolds & Awesome Book Assessment. Be sure to follow these guys! :) Now time for the question:

Armchair Travel! Tell us about your favorite book in a setting you'd like to visit (a real place for this question).
Hmm....*enter DyeHard Twilight Fan haha*....I've always to visit Forks, Washington from Twilight! I've never been to Washington plus I think it would be cool to see the all so famous Forks, Washington sign haha :) What about you guys? Happy Friday! TGIF! 



12 June 2014

TBR Thursday (1): Lost Girls by Ann Kelley




Hey guys! Happy Thursday!! So today I thought I would participate in a new meme created by Words with Sarah called TBR Thursday. I think this is a great way to reduce our ever growing TBR piles.  So, what you do is you pick a book that's been in sitting in your TBR pile for a good while that you plan on reading/reviewing this week. However, I not only plan to pick a book in this post but also review a TBR book. So starting next week every Thursday I will have a review of a book that's been in my TBR pile for a while and also tell you which TBR book I will read the following week :) But today I will just tell you which TBR book I will read/review next week since its the first post. 

So I chose....*drum roll please*....Lost Girls by Ann Kelley!


This book sounds awesome! I can definitely see why I wanted to review it in the first place :) Here's the synopsis:

No parents. No rules. No way home.
Fourteen-year-old Bonnie MacDonald couldn't be more excited for a camping trip on an island off the coast of Thailand. But when a strong current sweeps Bonnie and her friends past their appointed campsite, depositing them instead on what the boatman calls a "forbidden island," they're just happy to have reached dry land.
Overnight, things take a turn for the worse. Three torturous days pass, but the boatman doesn't return, and what once seemed like a vacation in paradise becomes a battle against the elements.
Peppered with short, frantic entries from Bonnie's journal as she struggles to survive, Lost Girls tells the page-turning, heart-pounding story of a group of teen girls fighting for their lives.

So you guys should totally join in on the fun of this new meme :) What's your next read from your TBR pile?


 

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Hey guys! My name is Cierra and I'm a southern college YA bookie. Thanks for stopping by Books Ahoy. Here you'll find reviews, giveaways, interviews, and more! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy your stay! :)
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