The Moon Coin in Print

Hello everyone! I just wanted to announce that The Moon Coin, which I reviewed a few months ago,has just come out in a print edition! This is particularly exciting for me because the author has put a quote from my review on the praise page and the back flap! Here is the link to a quick look and the printed format. Needless to say I am ecstatic and very much looking forward to reading the sequel that comes out later this year. I hope you are all having a fantastic week! ~ Larissa

Follow Friday

 Q: Jumping Genres: Ever pick up a book from a genre you usually don’t like and LOVE it? Tell us about it and why you picked it up in the first place.

A: Definitely! That's happened to me several times, one of them being a historical fiction novel I picked up about a year ago called Jubilee Trail . Historical fiction isn't usually my go to genre, but it was recommended to me by a wrangler on a horseback ride I went on outside of Glacier. She kept saying really good things about it so I got it from the library and read it. I loved it and even bought my own copy for keeps. (I highly recommend it by the way).  

Thanks for stopping by! I'd love it if you would check out my giveaway of Savage that I am hosting!

Happy Friday

Review: Wanderer's Shadow

Title: Wanderer’s Shadow (Wizards and Faeries #2)

Author: Stephanie Void

Page Count: 132

Rating: 3.5 TURTLES: A very enjoyable read, I recommend you check it out.

Author’s Website 

Description:

When a naked man washes up on the shores of Cemagna’s home, she knows it means something bad is happening. And within 24 hours, she and her brother Temet are thrown headfirst into a world of wizards, war, underground monsters, and Magic-related human experimentation.

But what she did not expect to discover is the real nature of the Wizardly Order, the prison-like organization all wizards are forced to join. She learns the dirty little secret its leaders are hiding, and they will stop at nothing to make sure she doesn’t repeat it.

To make matters worse, her worst enemy, Duke Von Chi, whom she thought she was dead, turns up in the worst possible place: inside her mind, where she can’t escape him. If the Wizardly Order doesn’t get her first, the insanity the Duke is driving her to may succeed…

Review:

Wanderer’s Shadow was a quick and fast-paced sequel that picks up two years after Halfway left off.  Unlike the last book, Halfway, Wanderer’s Shadow does not alternate between the characters Cemagna and Temet, leaving Cemagna the sole narrator. Many of the questions that were left unanswered at the end of the first book were addressed.

My main problem while reading this book was the same as with Halfway. Because while I do enjoy quick reads, when it becomes so quick that the plot and the characters’ actions seem rushed it detracts from my enjoyment somewhat. Especially with fantasy I think it is nearly impossible to rush because you have to be transported to an entirely different world and I just never felt I was actually there.

If you liked Halfway I would definitely suggest that you check out Wanderer’s Shadow. If you haven’t read Halfway yet you can find out more about it HERE.  The end of Wanderer’s Shadow definitely left me wanting to find out what happens next despite the rushed feeling and I will be keeping a lookout for the next installment. 

Buy Wanderer's Shadow (Wizards and Faeries) on Amazon

Review: The Gatekeeper

Title: The Gatekeeper (The Marenon Chronicles #2)

Author: Jason Morrow

Page Count: 414

Rating: 4 TURTLES: A great read, I definitely recommend.

Author’s Website

Description:

With the war in Marenon escalating quickly, Silas Ainsley is running out of time. The relentless Stühocs are attacking villages, and an assassin is tracking his every move, making it difficult to find the one person who has all the answers: The Gatekeeper.

Meanwhile, after learning that the Dunarian Council is compromised, King Julian Hobbes scours Marenon for the truth about how deeply the Stühocs have penetrated the freedom fighters.

When Julian discovers what he must do to uncover that truth, he must decide whether the result can justify his actions.

Review:

Let me just say that right off that the Gatekeeper did not suffer from the sequel slump in the least. The Gatekeeper picks up several months after the end of The Deliverer, with the main character, Silas, training for the upcoming war until he is sent on a quest to find the Gatekeeper. One thing that was different in this book was that there was more than one story line happening at the same time, whereas the first book only followed Silas.

Like many sequels, this book would not make much sense without reading the first book first, especially in a fantasy novel with complex world-building such as this one.  I felt that the pace in this book was faster than in the previous one, which was due in part because of the multiple story lines and because the world of Marenon is already established there was a lot less explaining and this definitely added to my enjoyment of this book. The faster pace was very exciting and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

I would certainly recommend fans of The Deliverer to get their hands on a copy of The Gatekeeper, and if you haven’t read The Deliverer but are looking for a new fantasy world to get lost in I would definitely suggest you try out this series.

Buy The Gatekeeper: Book Two in the Marenon Chronicles (Volume 2) on Amazon

Release announcement: Shards of History

WORLD WEAVER PRESS

ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF

“SHARDS OF HISTORY”

A NEW NOVEL

BY REBECCA ROLAND

FIRST FULL LENGTH PUBLICATION

FROM SMALL PRESS

AVAILABLE AS A DIGITAL EDITION

TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2012

Rebecca Roland

New York, NY (July 2, 2012) – World Weaver Press (Eileen Wiedbrauk, Editor-in-Chief) has announced Shards of History, debut novel by author Rebecca Roland and their first full-length publication as a small press, will be available as a digital edition on Tuesday, August 21, 2012.

“I'm incredibly pleased that our first novel is such a great story featuring a strong heroine who doesn't shirk responsibility even when a perfect storm of conflicts and disasters descends on her,” commentedWiedbrauk. “Shards of History is a fast, interesting read that I hope readers will love as much as I do. Rebecca Roland is a strong new voice in the field of fantasy fiction.”

Like all Takwaa, Malia fears the fierce winged creatures known as Jeguduns who live in the cliffs surrounding her valley. When the river dries up and Malia is forced to scavenge farther from the village than normal, she discovers a Jegudun, injured and in need of help. Malia’s existence--her status as clan mother in training, her marriage, her very life in the village--is threatened by her choice to befriend the Jegudun. But she’s the only Takwaa who knows the truth: that the threat to her people is much bigger and much more malicious than the Jeguduns who’ve lived alongside them for decades. Lurking on the edge of the valley is an Outsider army seeking to plunder and destroy the Takwaa, and it’s only a matter of time before the Outsiders find a way through the magic that protects the valley--a magic that can only be created by Takwaa and Jeguduns working together.

The digital edition of Shards of History will be available via amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, diesel.com, kobo.com, and other ebook retailers.

Rebecca Roland lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she writes primarily fantasy and horror. Her short fiction has appeared in Uncle John’s Flush Fiction and in Stupefying Stories, and she is a graduate of the Odyssey Writing Workshop. When she’s not writing, she’s usually spending time with her family, torturing patients as a physical therapist, or eating way too much chocolate. You can find her online at Spice of Life, her blog, or follow her on Twitter @rebecca_roland.

World Weaver Press is a publisher of fantasy, science fiction, and nonfiction, dedicated to producing quality novels, novellas, collections, and anthologies. As a small press, World Weaver seeks to produce books that engage the mind and ensnare the story-loving soul.