Anna Abner's Blog, page 35
April 16, 2014
Review of Jennifer Echols’ Major Crush
Reading Major Crush, or reading it for the third time, is such an unexpected pleasure. It’s a sparkly, hilarious, witty, frothy YA delight from beginning to end.
Virginia has a lot of problems. Her best friend is in love with her. The boy she crushes on doesn’t know she exists. She’s not getting along with her dad. And she has to share being drum major of her high school band, even though she deserves to be the one-and-only girl in charge.
If you love funny, sweet, smart YA then you won’t go wrong with Major Crush. Or anything Jennifer Echols writes, to be honest.
April 9, 2014
Another Haunted House
I adore old houses. The creepier the better. So when my daughter and I took a road trip through the back roads of North Carolina and spotted this home I had to stop and take pictures.
Lucky for me, the current owner of the house (and descendant of the original owners) saw me snapping photos and ambled out of the auto parts store next door. He told me the rear of the home was built in 1790 by his ancestors the Carr Family. The original plantation went on for miles, but has been whittled down over the centuries.
He assured me the interior is structurally sound, but the front roof leaked and damaged the side facing the road. Photos of the home have been featured in a book on the history of Duplin County.
Not too far from the Carr Plantation House I found this extremely creepy family cemetery built around a giant, leafless tree. Naturally, I had to stop and take a closer look.
April 8, 2014
A New 5-Star Review for Elixir
You can visit the site here or read the review below.
I cannot get enough of zombies stories lately, and Elixir delivered my next fix perfectly! Anna Abner penned a unique story that left me wanting more of this series. Her writing flows so well, and this story pulled me in immediately.
The characters in Elixir were a very dynamic bunch. Ben was my favorite one, because I was so intrigued by him. I’m dying to know what happens to him during the rest of this series! Maya is a great main character. I very much enjoyed following her journey and learning about her life and the world around her. Hunny did get annoying, though. At first, I thought she’d be endearing but she quickly got on my nerves.
The detail in this book is amazing. I’ve been all over North Carolina except the Raleigh-Durham area, but I still felt like I was there. I was never left wondering how, and what, things were happening because Anna Abner did an excellent job at keeping the reader informed and invested.
If you’re a fan of zombies books, I would recommend Elixir to you in a heartbeat. Fans of Tracey Ward and her kick-ass heroines will enjoy this quick and inviting read, too!
5 out of 5 stars
–Kristen
April 4, 2014
Flirty Clip Friday #26
Some of Katniss & Peets’s sweetest moments from Hunger Games and Catching Fire. Enjoy!
Video created by “RachelWSProductions”
April 2, 2014
Divergent by Veronica Roth Book Review
I enjoyed the story, which is very similar to the Hunger Games, and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I especially liked watching Tris’ development from a shy, weak little girl into a tough, independent young woman.
I felt like it fell apart a little at the end as suddenly the book, which had been about a girl discovering her inner strength and going through initiation trials, became a more political story. But overall, very fun and entertaining.
March 28, 2014
Flirty Clip Friday #25
I’m really starting to love Caroline and Stafan’s relationship right now on The Vampire Diaries. Enjoy!
Created by KristinaOrtutova
March 26, 2014
Red Plague Series an Amazon Daily Deal!
Today my YA series was a daily deal from Amazon. I had no idea Elixir, Antidote, and Panacea would be email blasted to Amazon customers, but I’m so proud and delighted.
My Top 4 Favorite Zombies
The stories of risen dead originated in the voodoo religion, but they definitely got more fun when Hollywood took over. From the first zombie monster in 1932’s White Zombie to the decomposing walkers on The Walking Dead, zombies have always been my favorite movie monsters.
#4: Kyle from American Horror Story: Coven (2013-2014)
Kyle and Zoe had an instant attraction, but when he was killed the same night they met, what was a witch to do except piece him back together and raise him from the dead? He had a bumpy readjustment period, but with time Kyle learned to be (mostly) human again.
#3: Sophia from The Walking Dead (Current)
Technically, all my favorite characters on the show are zombies since they have the zombie virus inside them. But of all the turned walkers poor Sophia broke my heart the worst. I really wanted her to be okay and when she re-appeared I cried for her, Carol, and all of them.
#2: Freddie from Return of the Living Dead (1985)
This movie gave me nightmares, and it will always be my favorite horror film. The wiggling dog corpse. The tar monster in the basement. The cemetery literally coming to life. Not only is this movie crazy scary, but I was emotionally invested in Freddie being the good guy who would get a happy ending. Nope. Zombie.
#1: R from Warm Bodies (2013)
If all zombies were as adorable as Nicholas Hoult’s R, horror movies would be very different. First, the book was an amazing story I could not put down, but then the film was even better.
These characters, and countless others, inspired me to write my own zombie YA adventure, Elixir.
March 24, 2014
Red Plague Photos
I live in North Carolina and everything around me inspired locations and characters in the Red Plague Trilogy, but here are some things that made me stop and imagine the series in a new way.
A helicopter flying over a NC highway. In the zombie apocalypse, this would be one of the first signs of trouble.
Another helicopter searching for the infected.
This is an osprey scouting the area.
I was driving on I-40 near Raleigh when I spotted smoke in the distance which made me imagine all kinds of apocalypse scenarios.
An empty highway in NC surrounded by thick forest, just like in the book. Can you picture Maya and her companions traipsing down the center line?
Another NC highway flanked by pine trees.
The I-40 near Raleigh, NC.
The McDonald’s (near Raleigh, NC) that catches Hunny’s attention.
Maya, Pollard & Hunny take over an RV similar to this one at the end of Elixir.
March 22, 2014
Flirty Clip Friday #24
A quick and cute video of Isaac Lahey and Allison Argent’s best moments. Enjoy!
Created by MakeStronger3
