Short Review: Faking It by Cora Carmack

Faking It by Cora Carmack

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It's official. There is a law written somewhere that says (and I quote): "Reading anything by Cora Carmack will make the reader have heart aches for fictional characters and at random moments in public make the readers bawl without visible cause."

And I say this because it happens EVERY TIME with her books. It's beautifully engaging and emotional entrapping.

Thank you, Ms. Cormack, thank you.

Tour Stop: Book Review - Imaginable

Welcome Girls Heart Books Tours and J Meyers! Thank you for allowing me the pleasure of reading and reviewing!

Intangible

Series- Intangible # 1

By J. Meyers

Publication Date-January 31, 2012

Twins Sera and Luke Raine have a well-kept secret—she heals with a touch of her hand, he sees the future. All their lives they’ve helped those in need on the sly. They’ve always thought of their abilities as being a gift.

Then Luke has a vision that Sera is killed. That gift they’ve always cherished begins to feel an awful lot like a curse. Because the thing about Luke’s ability? He’s always right. And he can’t do anything about it.

Links-

Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12677691-intangible

Amazon-

Paperback-http://www.amazon.com/Intangible-J-Meyers/dp/1470010151/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364319181&sr=8-1&keywords=Intangible

Kindle-http://www.amazon.com/Intangible-ebook/dp/B0073BNIU8/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1364319181&sr=8-1

My Review:

I am truly humbled by Ms. Meyers request for me to read Imaginable and I must thank her tremendously for asking me! Thanks must also go to Girls Heart Book Tours for allowing me a spot in the tour. 

This book kind of scared me.  I LOVED Intangible and thought there would be no possible way to outdo that wonderful story.  I am so thankful I was proven wrong.

Our characters are still very much the loveable and personable characters we were introduced to in book one.  They’ve grown some into who they are but the core of them remains the same and wonderful.  I think I enjoyed them nearly (perhaps more) than I did the first time around.  It was like meeting up with an old friend after not seeing them for a while. Completely fantastic character building.

The story – without giving too much away – is just as enveloping as the first.  There are still surprises and unexpected turns that startle.  It is just as fascinating as the first book in terms of originality and creativity which is – in the paranormal genre- quite refreshing.

Overall, I loved this book.  It was a wonderful continuation of the first and the characters are old friends.  (Perhaps I’m also biased. ^_^)  If you’ve read the first than the sequel is a definite must.  If you’ve not read the first than I definitely recommend getting to it. 

My Rating:

Blog Tour Stop: Raksha by Frankie Rose

Raksha
by Frankie Rose
Publish Date: March 2013

She has no name.

She has her knives; her training; her halo.

The first and second give her the tools and the skill to defeat the opponents she is pitched against each month. The third frees her from pain and fear. From any kind of emotion at all. Everything is as it should be. Everything is as it should be, until…

FearPainAngerHappinessDesireGuilt

Love.

When a newly-named Kit escapes the Sanctuary after killing her best friend, the last thing she needs is another knife in her hand. Or Ryka, the damaged, beautiful blonde boy, who she refuses to let save her. Still learning how to process the onslaught of her new feelings, the sights and sounds of Freetown are overwhelming and strange. There are a hundred differences between her old home and her new one, but one thing remains starkly similar: the matches. Yet where the blood in the Sanctuary landed only on the colosseum floor, Kit will quickly learn that a river of red runs through Freetown’s very streets.

Freed from the oppression of a society who stole her right to feel, the true horror of her old life leaves Kit wondering if she really has been freed at all. Would she be better off without the crippling horror of all the blood on her hands, or is the love of one boy worth living through all the pain?

Raksha is the call of the dead. The rumbling chant for fresh blood from the other side, the demand for sacrifice. The colosseum is behind Kit. The fighting pits await.

You have been called to the fights.

First thing’s first.  Thank you to the tour host and Ms. Frankie Rose for allowing me to participate.  I am very honored. 

I’ve been dragging my feet.  Many other blogger friends have continually recommended Frankie Rose to me and I’ve just never picked one up.  There was always something else to read.  Now that I’ve read one of Ms. Rose’s books I feel like a total DICK for waiting so long.  For which I am sorry. 

The world Ms. Rose has built in Raksha is beautiful.  Not in beauty as in physical appearance but beautiful as in so very real and believable.  The story isn’t littered with multiple scenery like some and its simplicity makes it all that much more realistic.  It breathes is the best way to describe it.  

Kit is very human, very flawed.  She goes through a lot and (I believe) is stronger for it.  However, there’s stuff she goes through that does in fact make her weaker as well.  Her confusion is a very real, very palatable, very relatable. 

Ryka is… magnificent for lack of a better word.  He is truly beautifully tormented though hides it very well.  He also has an arrogance to him that isn’t enough to make him conceded but enough to make the reader realize he uses that to cover the torment which I find FACINATING.

The story is extremely fast paced.  There’s no way to lose track of detail or information but it definitely moved from point A to point B without hesitation or taking the scenic route.  It’s very well told and very well thought out.  

Raksha is one of those books that once started cannot be put down until finished and every interruption better be life threatening or else.  Definitely a must read for all dystopia, action packed readers.  

My Rating

GHB Tours Blog Stop: Born in Flames

Born in Flames
Candace Knobel
Published: September 2012

Red mirrored scales race up my arms as the haze of pain blurs my vision. My bones crack, breaking to realign. I scream. It is then that the realization of my unavoidable fate sinks in; I am of a dying race. I am dragon.

Aurora Megalos, orphaned and teetering on the edge of adulthood, thought finding her past would curb the sting of being an outcast. Having no memories of the time before she awoke on her foster mother’s doorstep, she yearns for the emptiness inside her to be filled. With her fellow orphaned best friend, Fenn, by her side, she has nothing to lose and everything to gain. But something powerful stirred within her that she couldn’t explain. Something wanted out.

In the dark of night, a crazed Seer, dubbed Mr.Creepy, erases everything she’s ever known with an impending prophecy. She now faces two paths. Return to her true home to protect a dying race against a growing evil, or stay hidden in the safety of our realm with a shot at a true love. With a vengeful Arch Enemy stopping at nothing to see her dead, she’s running out of time; a decision must be made. What would you choose?

I will begin by saying thank you to Ms. Knoebel for allowing me the opportunity of reading her story.  And then thank you to Girls Heart Books Tours for allowing me once more to participate in the fantastic tour.  This will be a completely spoiler free review because quite frankly it should be read. ^_^

I haven’t read many modern day dragon books.  Other than one other actually I’ve not really found them to be as on par as other paranormal books.  However, always willing to try something before knocking it I decided to read this one as well.  And I’m so very happy I did.  

From the first page we dive into the story of Rory and Fenn.  And I do mean literally dive.  There’s no long winded back story or monologue.  From the start the book is ripped with action.  

The characters themselves feel very carefully thought out.  They were well developed and even some of the side characters have this feeling of completeness about them that’s rare in most books.  It’s almost as if every character gets their ten seconds of fame.  It was really quite refreshing. 

As noted briefly above, the story moves.  From the first pages to the last the activity is riveting.  Saying “I’m just going to read one more chapter” isn’t feasible with this book.  It must be read at once or the suspense of what’s happening next will be murderous. 

Overall I enjoyed the book.  It was well written and fast paced.  The characters are a world of their own and the plot is unique in its style.  I would definitely recommend this for all readers of paranormal. 

My Rating:

Girls Heart Books Blog Tour Stop: Gemini of Emreiana by Kristen DaRay

Gemini of Emreiana 
Author: Kristen DaRay

My entire life has been a lie: My parents didn't die in a car accident. They're not even dead. I'm not American. I'm not even human. I have strange powers, and I'm the heir to the throne of the planet Emreiana.

If I take the crown, I have to leave behind everything I have known here on Earth. I would have to say goodbye to my friends and leave behind Kyle, the boy I've loved since I was five. If I don't, then I risk the Bremoir finding me here on Earth and destroying everything I love.

First as always thank you Kristen DaRay for allowing me the privilege of reading and thank you Girls Heart Books for allowing me to participate.  Secondly I have to apologize as this review is going to be kind of short as I am also in the middle of fast drafting. ^_^ With that being said I’m going to jump right into the meat and potatoes of this. 

This book is an awesome read.  The environments are so vivid and realistic yet original and (in special circumstances that I’m not going to spoil) believable without question.  The author does a fantastic job of making the reader believe they are present in the book.  

The characters are also well thought out and well developed.  As a reader sometimes it’s hard to find the connecting point to be able to empathize with the character but that issue is not present here. Every character has their quirks and they were just as real as the environment they moved through. 

The story is pretty fast paced.  I – at least – could not put it down.  Each scene leads into the next in a constant flow that it makes it impossible to say to self – just one more chapter. There are a couple of missing factors that I’m sure will be clarified in editions to come but otherwise there were no confounding moments or huge plot holes to drive a reader mad. 

My Rating: