Rustin Petrae's Blog, page 9

New Blog Freebie Coming Soon!

It's been awhile since I've done a blog freebie so I thought I would let everyone know that I'll be posting another one really soon.  I want to go back over the one I have in mind and do some more editing on it.  This one is called the Phoenix's Gift.

A little blurb (to build anticipation):

The Phoenix's Gift follows a man who's daughter is terminally ill.  She's failing more and more each day and her death is pretty much a done deal.  But when he comes to her hospital room and find's a mysterious woman sitting there, she offers him a proposal.  A gift, really, for his daugther, but one where he has to pay the price.

This is a story about the lengths a father will go to so that he can save the life of his child.  It's a story about paying the ultimate price and sacrificing everything for someone he loves.

I really hope to have this up sometime next week so check back often!

Book One: Dragon Review by datbookreviews!

Tom Martin at datbookreviews reached out to me so that he coudl review Book One: Dragon.  I gladly gave him a free copy.  He's read and reviewed it.  Here's a little of what he had to say about the first book in the HIstories of Purga saga:

Another exciting review for me, as it’s a book sent to me for review. It’s something I’ve found quite surprising – these new authors really want for their books to be read, reviewed. At first I was worried that, in offering to review a book for somebody, they’d simply think that I was trying to get a free read out of it. I was so very wrong. The author of this book, Rustin Petrae, seemed very thankful that I had reached out to him. Thinking about it, if I had written a book, I too would want to know how people felt about it. Anyway, this book is the first in a series of four, the second of which is to be expected July this year. Well then, on to the review!

The Rooks are a race of people far technologically advanced, able to create almost anything they need from small nano-bots that are kept with them at all times. The Terraquois are a colony of people dwelling deep within the forest, in tune with nature and the animals. Many can alter their form to a beast representing their nature. The two people’s are at war. There’s a new player though, and when the Rook city is attacked by the Blak Army, a young Terraquois girl saves the life of a Rook Prince. And that’s where things really start going wrong.

Book 1: Dragon has a very compelling plot-line. Once I was into it, I really couldn’t stop reading. It is not, however, very linear. I found it a little hard to follow at some points. That is, when I wasn’t fully concentrating. I don’t think this book is an easy read, I had to sit down and ‘actively’ read it. Don’t take this for a bad thing though. I find that generally, books thy force me to pay attention are deeper, more interesting and give a better experience. I’m glad this book had me wanting more, looking for time to sit and read. One thing I wasn’t too find of was the author’s use of perspectives. As you move through the novel, you are following lots of different groups of people, and they aren’t all in the same stretch of time. I found it quite hard to follow who was with who, and where, and when. Having people in different places in time can work really well (just look at Lord of the Rings), but sadly this one just didn’t come out on top. Overall, a thrillingly compelling plot, just slightly convoluted. Oh yes, and the ending is amazing – totally unexpected and I really can’t wait for the next book!

You can read the rest of the review at Tom's site.  Just follow the link below:

http://datbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

Thanks again Tom and I'm glad you reached out to me.

 

Blood Ties: The First has been released!

My newest novel, Blood Ties: The First, has finally been released. Just in time for Valentine 's Day too. I think it would make a really awesome gift, just saying. It will be on sale for 1.99 for the first week of its release, so get it now.

 

Here's the blurb:

 

All Kendra wanted was a change.

 

After a bad day at work, she wants this more than anything. She goes to an old friend for comfort and decides it’s time for that change to happen. So she gets a tattoo in a last ditch effort to make people see her differently. She never would’ve bargained for what comes next. She’s seeing better than she ever has in her life. She can smell and even tell the difference between scents. She can hear a fly buzzing from fifty feet away. She’s faster. Stronger.

 

Oh…and now she’s extremely hot.

 

But is the price of these changes too high? And what about the shocking revelation of who-and what-her biological father really is?

 

Sometimes change can be good…and then there’s the other times.

 

Here's the link:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Ties-Firs...

 

 

If you like monsters, magic, werewolves, and a secret group of monster hunters than this is the book for you. Spread the word if you would. Thanks.

My Review of: The Mage's Tomb

I chose to get the Mage's Tomb, by J.T. Brister, when it was offered as a free promotion on Amazon. I was drawn to it mostly because of the cover. It looked very professional to me. Then I read the blurb and was definitely drawn in. Just as a precaution, I also glanced at the Look Inside sample. That really sealed the deal for me. I had to read it. Here are my honest thoughts on the book.

 

Things that I liked:

 

The writing was definitely very good...for most of the book anyway. What I find that I liked most about it was the witches. They were creepy, well thought out, evil and manipulative. They were definitely my favorite part of the book, hands down. The other thing that I liked was the magi. It was an interesting twist to the concept of magic using and I really liked the idea of using magic equals a price that has to be paid. The village of Chardwick was also well thought out and their way of life descriptive enough to suck me into the story. I loved their hatred for the magi and the fact that they deemed themsleves protectors of a sort. The thing that I really thought the author excelled at was character development and dialogue. It all felt very real and natural, unlike some books I've read where they seemed fake or forced. There were other aspects to this book that I enjoyed, but those are the big ones.

 

Things that I didn't like:

 

One of the biggest things that I found I disliked was the author's tendency to skip out on a few details. For example, the MC gets on a boat by himself. Then, it jumps ahead to a different POV, the witches', and somehow they are on the boat with the MC. It took several more paragraphs for me to learn that they were invisible and the MC didn't know they were there. I found several instances of this throughout the book. Also, there were more than a few grammatical errors, typos, wrong words or even words that were missing that were supposed to be there. Overall, it was infrequent, but towards the end of the book, they started getting more common. Another thing that I wasn't overly fond of was the pace of the book. I felt that the beginning was excellent. Then it got slow. Then slower. Then it finally started picking up again. Then it was getting even better with lots of action. Then it started to die down again. Finally, at the end, the book's pace was more locked in and natural.

 

 

 

Overall, I really wished I could give it a Four star rating, but there were issues I couldn't overlook. If I could, however, I would give it something like a 3.5 rating. I think the book is better than a three star (especially with some more editing), but for me it didn't quite reach four. I would like to read the next book in the series, however. The story is interesting and I'd like to see what comes next.

Book One: Dragon will be free again!

My novel, Book One: Dragon is going to be free again starting January 24 to the 25th. Since I won't be enrolling it in KDP Select again, this will be its very last free promotion. So get it free while it's hot! Cat's Paw is going to be free as well.

This newest promotion will have the latest (and last) edition of my book and it also has a bonus sneak peak of Book Two: Roc. I hope that everyone enjoys it and for those of you that have already downloaded it, I would still urge you to get this latest version. It's much better (atleast I think it is). Cat's Paw has been re-edited as well.

 

Book One: Dragon (A Histories of Purga Novel):

 

Now with a bonus sneak peak of Book Two: Roc.

 

HE WAS HER ENEMY. SHE SAVED HIS LIFE. THE REST IS HISTORY.

 

Rooks have embraced science and technology, inventing helpful, microscopic robots called nanos to create any machine they need.

 

The Terraquois are their opposite. They embraced the spiritual, developing a deep bond with nature. This bond allows them to shift into the animal that resembles their own, inner selves.

 

These two races have fought each other with brutal savagery for centuries. But things change when the Rook prince, Rone Varlamagne, is attacked and left for dead by an unknown force. Keiara, the daughter of the Terraquois chieftan, finds him, but instead of killing him, she saves his life. It is one act. One conscious choice. But it changes everything for them and the entire world of Purga.

 

Together, they face foes from every direction...and they will stop at nothing to protect each other.

http://www.amazon.com/Book-One-Dragon...

 

Cat's Paw Link:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Cats-Paw-ebook/...

 

Thank you to everyone and I hope that you guys give them your honest reviews! I really like hearing what my audience has to say.

If anyone wants to re-post, tweet, share, or blog about my upcoming free promotion you are more than welcome to and I would definitely appreciate it.

Book One: Dragon's Second Review

Book One: Dragon now has it's second review and I couldn't be happier.  Here's what Patricia Hamill had to say about the first book in my Histories of Purga series.

Outstanding, a must read!

I simply could not put this down. Book One: Dragon by Rustin Petrae is an outstanding story in which fantasy and science fiction are seemlessly melded together in a believable world.

 

The story begins with Prince Rone, the bored heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Roanoke, a technologically advanced civilization whose citizens make use of personal nanobots and blueprint programs to build a nearly limitless variety of machines for themselves.

 

Feeling trapped by the duties and responsibilities that are his birthright, The Prince yearns for freedom, but settles for minor acts of rebellion instead . Getting a rare ok from his father to go on a solo flight (using a flightpack he designed for his nanobots), the Prince jumps at the opportunity, only to be shot down by a missile after an hours long chase that takes him to the far edge of the desert adjacent to his kingdom.

 

Meanwhile, Keiara and her little brother, Asher, are setting out to collect some herbs for a local healer in the distant Terraquois held lands. Unlike the people in the Kingdom of Roanoke, the Terraquois live a simple life, so close to nature that most of them are able to take on the form of the animal with which their souls resonate. Their homes are, for the most part, high in the bows of massive trees, which are linked together with suspended bridges.

 

Keiara, like Prince Rone, is unhappy with her lot in life and desires nothing more than to explore the entirety of Purga, including the land of the Rooks (the Terraquois name for the people living in the Kingdom of Roanoke). In the desert, she and her brother find Rone unconscious and critically injured and she decides to save him, though others of her race would have either finished him off or simply left him to die instead.

 

From there the story takes off in a whirlwind of action, social angst, love and magic. Every element of this story works: the dynamic characters, the fantastic world of Purga, the long standing fear and hate between the Rooks and the Terraquois, the technology, and the magic.

 

This is one of those stories that makes you want to read everything the author has written, and more than once. I can honestly say I cannot wait to read the next one.

Thanks Patricia. I"m glad you liked it.

Blood Ties: The First Freebie is Now Up

Blood Ties: The First has now got a special sneak peak up in the Freebie section of my website.  This was definitely a book that I had been working on for a long time and I liked the overall outcome of it.  It's actually grouped into four novella type stories: Tattoo, Heritage, Alpha and then War.  So no chapters in the traditional sense.  I wanted to do something a little different and I hope that it gets a positive outcome.  Check it out, let me know what you think and it will be available soon!

All graphic designer Kendra Henner wanted was a change.

 

After a bad day at work, she wants this more than anything.  She goes to an old friend for comfort and decides it’s time for that change to happen. So she gets a tattoo in a last ditch effort to make people see her differently.  She never would’ve bargained for what comes next.  She’s seeing better than she ever has in her life. She can smell and even tell the difference between scents.  She can hear a fly buzzing from fifty feet away.  She’s faster.  Stronger.

 

Oh…and now she’s extremely hot.

 

But is the price of these changes too high? And what about the shocking revelation of who-and what-her biological father really is?

 

Sometimes change can be good…and then there’s the other times.

Coming in January 2013!

 

My Review of: The Moon Dwellers

I just finished up reading the Moon Dwellers, by David Estes.  It was a very enjoyable, easy read.  The biggest thing that drew me to this book was the premise.  I wanted to read a book about what humanity would be like if they were forced to live underground and I wasn't disappointed.  I thought that the Tri-Realms were in an inventive creation and a completely believable by-product to having humanity living underground. It felt real and that drew me into the story even more.  Here is what I thought of the Moon Dwellers.

Things that I liked:

 

As I said before, the biggest thing that I liked about this book was the society itself, the Tri-Realms.  It felt like something humans would do if they were all stuck living underground.  Someone would rise up and dominate the rest.  It's almost like human nature.  And then creating a caste-like system was a nice, added touch.  I thought that having Adele, a main character, stuck in prison in the beginning of the book was genius.  It kept me wanting to read more and find out how she gets out.  I also liked the insta-connection between Adele and Tristan.  I knew, as a reader, that there was something more going on there (that it wasn't a love-at-first-sight type of thing) and that also kept me wanting to read on.  My favorite character, however, was probably Cole. His backstory really sealed the deal for me.  I like characters that are driven by something so much that it consumes them.  Cole was definitely that kind of character.  The author's writing style was very good. The book was clean and well written.  It had a great flow that made it easy for me to keep reading.

 

Things that I didn't like:

 

There isn't a whole lot to this book that I didn't like.  There were minor typos and errors here and there but nothing overwhelming.  Some of the dialogue didn't really sit well with me.  It didn't really feel like something that someone would really say, but again, there wasn't a whole lot of that either.  There was a little bit of repetitiveness to the action sequences.  Like I said, just minor things here and there that really didn't bother me all that much when I was finished with the book.

 

Overall, I think this book is great.  Lots of action, a great plot, a very strong premise and great writing.  I enjoyed the read and will definitely read the other two books in the series when I get the chance.

My Review of: Dark Rising (The Dark Matter Chronicles #1)

I was given Dark Rising, by M.X. Kremzen, so that I could give it my honest review.  I actually found this book and was drawn to it by both the cover and the blurb.  Both of them, I think, did what they were supposed to and actually made me want to read it.  I thought it would be something right up my alley.  Here are my thoughts on it.

 

Things that I liked:

 

The biggest draw for this book was the blurb itself.  I thought it was well done and it interested me enough to actually want to read it.  I loved all the technology in the book.  I thought there were a lot of ideas in there that were original and kept me interested.  The story itself was pretty good.  It wasn't ultra-compelling but it did make want to read more.  My favorite character from the entire book was Psi, the villain.  I thought his motives were excellent, he was smart, and he always thought things through.  I even liked his evil plan in the story too.  Again, it speaks to his intelligence and planning skills.  The world-building, also, was very good.

 

Things that I didn't like:

 

Psi was the only character I really ended up liking.  Elijah was also cool and mysterious but he wasn't in it for very long.  I didn't like nearly any other character.  I felt James and Alexander's banter didn't really make sense.  I thought that James's treatment of Alexander didn't make sense either.  Their entire relationship didn't make a whole lot of sense to me.  There were times when I did like Ezilie's character, but there were times when I didn't.  I also didn't like (SPOILER ALERT!!) how easy it was to foil Psi's plot.  He was a careful planner and I really don't think he would've let them get the better of him like they did.  I didn't really think Psi and Alexander's special abilities really clicked with the rest of the story.  They seemed thrown in their as opposed to actually being flawlessly meshed into the plot.  It was a big part of the story and I don't even really know what was going on.  I didn't really know what it was their abilities were for or really did.  I thought the writing itself was really good in some small parts, good for most of the story, and poor for the rest.  There were some grammatical errors that kept tripping me up and some places where words were clearly supposed to be in the sentence but weren't.

 

Overall, I thought most of the story was pretty good.  The beginning was excellent and drew me in, but shortly after that, things kind of dropped off.  I found myself, more often than not, forcing myself to finish.  Then the ending came and things really didn't make sense to me.  I know it's part of a series, but I felt some deeper explanations about some things might've been helpful.  I think maybe some edits and more proofreading would really turn this book into a great one.

 

Some might agree, others won't but that is my honest review.

My Upcoming Title Blood Ties: The First

I am currently working on my newest title, Blood Ties: The First. 

In this novel (which is actually more like four novellas combined together), we follow Kendra Henner, a successful graphic designer who is tired of being an awkward, shy, reserved girl with bad hair, bad skin (bad everything it seems), that keeps getting walked on by her co-workers and people in general.  After a particularly bad day at work, she makes a decision.  She's going to get a tattoo.  Her hope is that people will start to see her differently and will stop harassing her.  What happens as a result is more than she bargained for.  After going to an old friend for the tattoo, she starts experiencing some truly weird things.  Her vision is better than it's ever been in her life.  She can hear things even if they're far away.  She can smell and even differentitate between scents.  She's faster and stronger too.  On top of all that, she's also extremely hot.

What she doesn't know is that she is a werewolf.  Her previously dormant genes were awakened by the man she knew as a friend.  A man she had trusted but who's kept secrets from her ever since they met.  Can she find a way to come to grips with her new reality?  And can she master her new gifts in time to save herself from a manaic intent on killing her?

You'll have to find out when the book is released January 2013!

Stay tuned for a special preview of the first fifteen pages on my Freebies section.