Word to Dreams

Honestly, Zest Books has never let me down and finishing out my part of this tour, I can say that they are truly a diverse publishing group. You may wonder just how much info you can get in a book about 50 different icons in history and I'm here to tell you it's a lot more than you would think. The author expertly touches on various aspects of each person, including trivia bits that can be used in conversation with others who have the same interests.

This is a book that can be shared throughout a family or a group of friends. A helpful reference when either researching one of those listed in the book or to use as a starting point in finding someone to do further research on. For any history teachers out there, this would be a great supplement to your classroom library. For students, nothing like being able to add something interesting facts during class discussions.

Any person who has an interest in iconic figures in history would find this book right up their alley. An issue with the book though, is the small font throughout the book. This is a limitation for those with vision issues. A bigger font would bring in more readers. Yes, this would make for a larger book, but even if the book doubled in size, it would be very manageable. My reading glasses got a work out with this one, but I survived.

The story in this book isn't what I thought it was going to be. The cover and the synopsis had me thinking much more along a spooky story, which is not what this book is. This book covers a girl, her choices, possible outcomes and the chance to make everything right.

As a novella, there's a lot that goes in to this story. I could feel the pain of a troubled friendship, the internal turmoil caused by the loss of a sibling years earlier and the push and pull of peer pressure. Trisha is quite the normal teenager, except that her long dead twin sister has suddenly started appearing to her. As a mother of twin teenage girls, stories like this really feel like a hit in the gut.

A paranormal take on how some situations could be manipulated by outside forces. It really makes you think. How many times have we heard a person say how someone close to them must have been watching over them to keep them out of harms way? Simple things like, if I had gone straight to the store as planned instead of missing the turn, that could have been me in the car accident. If I had missed my flight, I would have been on the plane that crashed.

An interesting story that works well for the young adult audience of any age. It touches on the dangers of alcohol and watching out for the smooth talkers that have only one thing on their mind. This story has many lessons in it that come to fruition at the end and wraps everything up nicely.

I would like to thank the author for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  Doing so does not sway my review in any way.

When I first read the synopsis of this book, I have to admit I got some déjà vu from other books that I’ve read.  As I started reading it though, I noticed a distinct difference.  Where others felt it was necessary to glam up the supernatural beings, the surroundings, the other dimension, etc, the author chose just the opposite.  Sofia is in many ways your typical teen of a single mother.  She works extra hard to keep up with her grades, so she can get in any school she wants, she has a job which is to set money aside for college, she has a boyfriend who is just like her and keeps her grounded as she does him.  It was nice to get to know the characters as they are and slowly start to see where they will be going.

The magical, supernatural parts of this book are pretty subdued, until the end.  Just as Sofia starts to slowly learn more, the ones, Angel and Ar’ch (which I love how it’s spelled), slowly start seeing their powers strengthen and the giddiness of learning what they can start to do with them.   The descriptions are not overly done but give you just the right amount of information to set the scene and let your imagination fill in the blanks. 

The bond between the brothers felt genuine and had me thinking of some brothers that I know now that in ways act just like the two of them, minus the supernatural element.  I quickly felt fond of Angel but even up to the end, I wasn’t so sure about Ar’ch.  One moment his intentions are clear, the next they made me wonder.  Through it all, they kept one another in check; well Angel kept Ar’ch more in check because he needed it more.  Their relationship never felt like a competition though, so the story was able to flow along without those hurdles.

Sofia and Rafe.  Two teens who have known each other pretty much all their life, who found it fairly easy to transform into dating one another, but in some sense, things were just too cookie cutter.  Rafe seemed more on the desperate side than Sofia and also had more illusions than she did of them.  I could feel the tension within Sofia and well, I just really wanted her to push Rafe out of his comfort zone and let her experience some of things she wanted to.  I have a feeling there will be things learned in the next books that will explain why things were so chaste.

As I was reading this book, I found myself getting irritated by the usage of a certain word.  In the first 29 pages, this uncommon word was used 3 times, and then thankfully was dropped only two more times the rest of the book.  No, I’m not going to point out which word, but I will say that it personally distracted me, but it may have no effect on the next reader.  This, along with some choppy dialogue and some character reactions that came across as hollow and/or off the mark, are really my only issues with this book.  Oh, and I would have liked to learn more about Damiana in this book.  There’s no way that the next books won’t give all the information needed, but a bit more in this first one would have been good.  There’s so much that’s said in this book while you know there’s so much more not said and if other readers are like me, theories are running around in our heads on the who’s, what’s an why’s.

I feel that this book would be a good choice for all age of readers of subdued fantasy.  I think those that read the extreme fantasy novels might find this book too low key for them.  This is also a great starter book for anyone looking at trying the fantasy genre for the first time.  Personally, I’m not a big fantasy reader and I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the others in this series.

This book is a no holds back debunk of just about everything but the kitchen sink.  The author touches on everything from evolution, to AIDS, to climate change, etc.  I actually learned quite a few things about how screwed up some high level doctors and leaders are and how their actions or inaction's have created catastrophic outcomes.  

Packaging of the book itself isn't up to par.  The cover combined with the font makes it look like a cheap knock off instead of a professionally published book.  This is turn makes for one to think of conspiracy theorists instead of a man who really has his act together and quite a bit of knowledge to share.  I beg the publisher to do the author justice and produce a package worthy of the product being offered.  If I was perusing the shelves and came across this, honestly, I would just keep on going.

The publisher states that this book is for ages 14+ and parts of me agree with that while other parts of me don't.  It just feels like a good debatable read that the younger crowd would not get the gist of.  While reading it, I felt like I was sitting there with the author and having a full out discussion with him.  He calls out the bull and trumps it with facts.  This book brings up things in the past. but not in an old fashioned way while also bringing to the forefront the current events and activities of our world like one's well read uncle would.  The author tackles some theories that right now have people on opposite sides of one another.

This book would make for a great supplementary read in any class that deals with history.  This history is not just world history, economic history, religious history but also ecological history.  This is where the younger crowd comes in and would have fun with the authors contributions, while in a learning atmosphere.

I recommend this book to just about everyone, even those who can't see the grey but only the black and white.  I feel that every reader will finish reading this with a minimum of one thing that they didn't know before and a better understanding of why and how things get so blown out of proportion.

Wow! What a page turning, heart thumping, keep the lights on no-matter-what story! I was not expecting this when I read the synopsis. I thought it was going to be just your average paranormal YA story but this is on the same lines as my favorite horror writer, Bentley Little. At first I had visions of M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village" but it quickly spanned out to be so much more.

The book starts out with the knowledge that things are just not right. The main character, Caitlyn, is heading to her father's to stay for good. Her mother had passed away, ok, murdered. Caitlyn, only a teen, had done a brief stint in rehab (really not as bad as it sounds, you'll get the jist when you read it), her stepmother is about as nice as the one in Cinderella and from the get go, all kinds of crazy starts going down. This story has secrets, magic, ancient Indian demons, and so much more. I love a good horror story and this is right up there on my list of the best.

As I read it though, some things did stick out as being red flags left alone. When someone who's been gone for a week and is found bloody, emaciated, throwing up disgusting things and attacking someone out of the blue, you don't expect them to be out and about the very next day. You would expect them to be home, under the care of a parent, doctor or nurse. When you find someone had been looking into your child's window, you wouldn't let them run around the next day at a festival like it never happened. It also struck me as a little on the odd side that with the Redemption going on and with everything that goes with it, that someone would think that something else paranormal is odd. I also am still stumped with the very end of the story. I don't know what I missed, and I'm going to go back and try to figure it out. These are the reasons that this book is not a full 5 star read for me.

For lovers of horror, this book is right up their alley. Even with the items that I mentioned above, the story kept a flow to it, the action was pretty non-stop and I didn't want to stop reading. Do not read by just the light of your ereader and do not read on a windy night. You have been warned, now let's see if you listen. An excellent read, and one of my favs so far in 2015. I look forward to reading more from the author, O'Dell Hutchison.

It's been a while since a story has grabbed me right from the beginning and kept my attention all the way to the end.  A true science fiction ride that brings together technology, aliens, hybrids and so much more.  I was captivated by the story, able to picture the characters and scenery as if I was in the story itself and playing like a movie.  It ended with a cliffhanger that would satisfy even those that absolutely hate them because a realization was made at the same time.

For me, this story had a familiar feel to it.  Not a negative, been there, done that feel, but the characters felt like a meld of several different ones from current science fiction culture.  I felt a mix of Star-Crossed, Defiance, Alienated and more.  The YA genre has come a long way with how it views aliens and given in to the fact that not everything is as it seems.  Yes, aliens are still trying to do us in, but not all of them are, some actually have our back quite well.

The author has come up with an Earth, far in our future, that has gone through a transition due to wastefulness and a nuclear incident. She describes the climate, the feel of the environment and the catastrophic changes so well.  It's a realization that made me wonder just how far we are from starting down the wrong path with the balance of nature or if we have already hit that tipping point.  In ways, I felt a sense of mourn for the Earth as we know it.

Having read the author bio, she has put her past professions to good use with this novel.  She was able to draw from her knowledge the way things could be.  She also sensed a good story of the savior aliens swooping in to save us but with an ulterior motive.  Her characters are strong, the relationships between all the different sections are diverse and the fact that she made use of the moon shows she has a plan for her story that won't cut things short and shows a layered story that keeps on giving.

I recommend this book to all readers of the science fiction genre, no matter how young or old.  This is a story that intrigues, makes you think and really grabs hold of your attention.  You will see just how creative the characters are and will find yourself wanting to tinker with extra equipment that you have laying around. 

I look forward to the subsequent novels in this series and can't wait to read more about Helia, Kalo and the rest of the gang.  I can't wait to read what the author will be bringing to the table next.  Bravo Ms. Neal!  You say that you haven't gotten your dream job of being a drummer in a rock band, well, I'm telling you that your creative mind are the sticks and the story is your drum.  You have reached that goal and you are a rock star with it.  Your screaming fans await the next book in the Starlight Age.  Rock on!

The fun thing about science fiction is that it really pulls in components to stop you once in a while and just make you think.  This book is a good example of that.  As stated by a character in the book, society's downfall wasn't a war, it was technology.  This book, while providing the reader a good story to follow, shows you the meaning and truth behind that statement.

The author gives the reader a strong female lead with Yara.  You learn quickly about her home environment which helps in giving not only a face to her but also providing the material to visualize how she looks, acts, reacts and thinks.  Joshua took a little longer to visualize, because honestly, at first I just didn't connect with him. He had some good attributes starting off, but with his actions and the dialogue, I just found him very vague.

The author gives you a story of those who live by the government standards, who hook up to technology to live out their fantasies, hopes and dreams and on the flip side, the rebels who feel that the government has gone too far, taken away too many personal freedoms and who refuse to live with technology the way that the New State demands of its citizens.  We learn just how much that the government wants to get rid of the rebels, because they fear how the rebels, aka Undergrounders, can overturn what they have created.

This book touches on many subjects; over the top technology, war, romance between two from opposite sides of the tracks, hope, fear, secrets, etc.   Some of it flows, some of it doesn't.  Together though, it's strong enough to bring this world to you and take you with it through the currents.

I recommend this to readers of science fiction of any age and I also recommend this to those that are open minded to stories other than just contemporary styles.  I look forward to reading more from this author and hope that she continues on with this series.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve found that my favorite genre is dystopia.  I couldn’t be bothered with a romance novel.  To my dismay, I found myself loving every moment of this unusual take on love in a world where love itself is a crime.  From the very beginning, I found myself captivated with the story of Opel and Aecker.

Having been a big reader of dystopia, I know how this genre has swelled over the past few years and has found itself being written into near exhaustion.  This author has breathed new life into the genre and taken a unique and fresh approach which is both mesmerizing and completely satisfying.  Love is universal, take that away and what happens?   This story exams that and more.

There are so many layers to this story; loss, hope, betrayal, frustration and so much more.  The choices of the characters lead them through many difficult situations.  The action and the character reactions kept the story moving along.  There were times where the story seemed to have a bit of a lull or feel a bit too much, but the author eventually moved it back into the direction needed before it got to distracting.

I recommend this book to all lovers of the dystopia genre, especially those that are looking for something a bit more close to the heart.  I look forward to reading further in this series and from the author, herself. 

Set in the future, after our world has gone through an economic disaster and been rebuilt with a new government and a mandatory type of currency, this book felt more like a realistic fiction piece than a dystopia.  The world is basically the same as it was before, but with the difference of everyone needing to be chipped and that's how things are paid for.  Like any government, you have those for it, those against it and those that take things as they are without thinking into it.

The story and characters the author has presented is some ways parallel that of history. People are enslaved because they are different, being bought and sold like a commodity, stripped of ;basic rights and liberties and made to act a certain way by their owners.  This story is told from the POV of a teenage girl, Rielle, on the brink of adulthood, whose parents refused to conform to what they government wanted and in turn the government has torn the family apart.

Put into the job as a housekeeper, Rielle does what she is told to do with a small bit of defiance on her own part that carries it's own weight.  The reader learns the daily toll of those who are Contracts for the Banker.  We also learn secrets along that way that creates a heavy burden on those with them.  Each character has his or her own story which comes out in bits and pieces here and there.

This was an interesting read.  It really made me think about different things.  It also drove me a bit crazy because Reille didn't really put up a fight.  She put up walls and eventually let certain people in, who helped guide her to the end result, but I felt there should have been more action from her.

I recommend this to anyone who likes to read books about where our society could find itself in the future.  The way our lives could change due to crooked politicians and government dangling a carrot in our faces at times of major upheaval and the outcomes of that.  A very insightful book from a debut author.  I look forward to reading more in this series and whatever else the author writes.

Reading the title I was originally thinking, ugh, not another book about the dead.  Than I read the synopsis and couldn't wait to read this, because it was the complete opposite of that.  Love, soul mates, and the gods, all wrapped up in one novel.  Upon the start of the novel, I was ready to dig in and was ready for an all nighter if it came to that.  Unfortunately, it did not grab me as I thought it would.

Honestly, wrap the first half of this book into a chapter, or even a prologue and take it from there.  That's exactly how long it took before things started happening.  Yes, we are introduced to the characters, but not to the point that it really mattered.  The character development itself lacked in the beginning, all feeling a bit stiff and with no chemistry between themselves nor with the reader.  As a reader, it felt like I was getting nowhere with the story.

After that point, things pick up.  The prophecy is set in to motion and the action starts up.  The Greek mythology comes to the forefront, the theme intensifies and the fight is on. This is where the reader gets glued to the story and doesn't want to let go.  So much going on, layers of stories meshed together and the story finds its legs.  And of course, you are left with unanswered questions which will bring you wanting to read the next book as soon as possible.

A good start to a new series, readers who enjoy Greek mythology will find an interest in this book, along with those who like paranormal romances.  I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

I would like to thank the author for providing me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Doing so does not sway my review in any way.

I just finished reading this book and I'm still trying to wrap my brain around much of it. Set in modern times, a catastrophic event has occurred, leaving the world as we know it in an apocalyptic chain reaction of many incredible and unexplained incidents. From the onset of the major event until a few months afterwards, Tess was holed up in a shelter made by her prepper father. The majority of the book is about her getting to her father, several miles away, with the assistance of a stranger she meets along the way, Cole.

I pretty much figured out who Cole was from the start, but the reader never gets a definitive answer on it. There are many other things that are left with loose ends that makes me wonder if there is going to be a followup book to this one. If there isn't, than as a reader, I feel very slighted. Cole is quite the free spirit but he also provides the comic relief needed when times are so tough that you need to lose focus for fear of losing oneself. Tess, while butting heads with Cole most of the time, is every bit the seventeen year old she should be.

The author provides us a world that 99.9% of the population has disappeared by the time Tess comes out of the shelter. No animals are around other than her cat which she had taken into the shelter with her. There are not even birds to be heard. What has happened to all the people? Where are all the animals? What are the crazy weather patterns being experienced? So many questions with some being answered while others never really touched on.

A good book in this day and age where preppers even have their own show, personal faith is being questioned and teens have a more direct say about things that effect them. This book shows the survival skills a person needs to overcome obstacles and that apocalyptic events are not always man made. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good what if book.