Sarah M. Cradit's Blog, page 7
October 22, 2015
Happy Release Day- Alexia Purdy’s The ArcKnight Chronicles
By
Alexia Purdy
Coming Oct. 22nd
Don’t forget the Giveaway at the bottom! :)
The ArcKnight Chronicles (Books 1 & 2)
Ardent (The ArcKnight Chronicles #1)
MarkTier (The ArcKnight Chronicles #2)
Author: Alexia Purdy
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publish Date: Oct. 22nd, 2015
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
The ArcKnight Chronicles
(Books 1 & 2):
Vengeance is the only thing worth dying for.
Only love can save you.
Teaming up with a handsome shifter named Ephrem, the banished Princess Lilliana must find her stolen Ardent talisman before a sinister enemy uses it against both rival wolf pack strongholds. Thrown onto a path neither of them expected, they stumble across a third cell of supernatural shifters lurking in the city’s Outlands where tensions mount. These new strangers want nothing more than to disrupt the two royal strongholds, the ArcKnights and the MarkTiers, and reignite a long-forgotten feud from decades past.
In the treacherous City of Temple where supernaturals and humans intertwine, only the most cunning will survive.
Includes Books #1 & #2: Ardent & MarkTier Vengeance is the only thing worth dying for.
BOOK LINKS:
The ArcKnight Chronicles (Books 1 & 2):
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/ArcKnightChronicles
Ibooks: http://smarturl.it/ArcKnightIbooks
Kobo: https://goo.gl/ghgjTA
Nook: http://smarturl.it/ArcKnightNook
Smashwords: http://smarturl.it/ArcKnightSW
Ardent (The ArcKnight Chronicles #1):
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/ArdentArcKnight
Ibooks: http://smarturl.it/ArdentIbooks
Nook: http://smarturl.it/ArdentNook
Kobo: https://goo.gl/GPfp1J
Smashwords: http://smarturl.it/ArdentSW
MarkTier (The ArcKnight Chronicles #2):
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/MarkTierArcKnight
Ibooks: http://smarturl.it/MarkTierIbooks
Nook: http://smarturl.it/MarkTierNook
Kobo: https://goo.gl/2I3yQs
Smashwords: http://smarturl.it/MarkTierSW
Enmity (The ArcKnight Chronicles #3)
Releases Dec. 8th, 2015:
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/EnmityKindle
IBooks: http://smarturl.it/EnmityIBooks
Nook: http://smarturl.it/EnmityNook
Kobo: https://goo.gl/Kn1e6J
Smashwords: http://smarturl.it/EnmitySW
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EXCERPT ONE
“Well, you need to remember everything you’ve been told about the neutral area between strongholds. The Outlands of Temple are cursed. Yes, it’s a large city and thrumming with people, but it’s also a supernatural focal point. A vortex of some sort that attracts people. Normal and supernatural alike.”
I gulped. “So it rains here all the time. Why would anyone want to stay here?”
Ephrem rubbed his face, scratching his chin.
“Look, I don’t know how much they’ve told you, but like I said, it attracts people. It attracts all sorts of unsavory people too. That’s why it’s dangerous to go traipsing around this place at night. Actually, it’s not safe at any time. No one leaves willingly, either. This place is like… I don’t know… like the strongest magnet in the world. It draws you in, latches onto you and never lets go. People are warned to never come here. Only those of superior supernatural powers are ever able to break the hold it has over them.
I stared at him in horror. “What? Are you saying I’m stuck here?”
He frowned, letting his eyes drop down to his coffee as he added sugar and cream to it. Stirring furiously, he took a moment before answering me.
“Technically, yes.”
~Lily & Ephrem – The ArcKnight Chronicles
EXCERPT TWO:
“My Lady, I cannot leave you here alone. It’s not safe.”
I whipped my eyes open and glared at him. “I told you I was banished. You can stop with the formalities and get. I don’t have time to waste on a pathetic royal guard. Especially a MarkTier. I’m okay on my own.”
“If you come with me, I know a safe place where you can get out of the rain and get warm.”
I laughed. It came out more hysterical than I intended, but I was not in a mood to keep it together any longer. The fact that he offered me any shelter at all, most likely his home, was gracious, yet the knowledge that it was most likely on ArcKnight territory made the offer even more bittersweet. I was banished not only from the royal ArcKnight palace but from lingering on any of the pack’s territories, which included a substantial chunk of the city.
I was truly alone now.
“You’d be punished for harboring a non-citizen… a traitor like me. I can’t. You know I can’t.”
He held out his hand. It glistened with water, for he was soaked to the bone, just like me. The cold rain didn’t affect him at all. I was the one shivering and on the verge of hypothermia, and yet he waited patiently.
“It’s beyond the ArcKnight border. I promise.” His eyes gleamed in the momentary moonlight sneaking past the storm clouds above. They were breathtaking and unusual. I’d never seen another shifter with eyes like his.
It may be beyond the ArcKnight stronghold, but they weren’t the only pack ruling the city.
“But the MarkTiers….”
“They have no jurisdiction there either.”
Staring at him in disbelief, I let my eyes linger on his for an eternal moment. His offer brought more questions to my mind than anything else. Even so, there was something there that held me in a trance and beckoned me to follow. Taken in by that hypnotizing cobalt sea, I reached out, accepted his hand and let him lead me through the murky city paths I’d never trodden, deeper into the unknown.
This place was now my new home, and it was nothing but strange and frightening.
But what choice did I have?
~Lily & Ephrem – The ArcKnight Chronicles
Author BIO:
Alexia Purdy
Alexia currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada – Sin City! She loves to spend every free moment writing or playing with her four rambunctious kids. Writing has always been her dream and she has been writing ever since she can remember. She is the award-winning author of the Reign of Blood series and A Dark Faerie Tale Series.
Sign up for email updates and exclusive giveaways: http://eepurl.com/uJk9r
Connect with Alexia Purdy:
Sign up for Alexia’s Newsletter HERE
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE
Alexia Purdy’s Blog
Alexia Purdy’s Website
Twitter
Instagram
You-Tube
Goodreads Author page
Alexia Purdy’s Facebook Fan Page
A Dark Faerie Tale Series Facebook Fan page
Reign of Blood Series Facebook Fan Page
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October 21, 2015
Book Review: Gone Girl, Sharp Objects, and Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Sharp. Edgy. Different. Gillian Flynn’s work has been described using these words, and many others. Her skill at piecing a story together, often using co-existing but not immediately evident threads, is unique and refreshing. It’s also not for everyone, as can be evidenced by the polarizing critical reviews. You either love her work, or hate it. I happen to love it.
My reviews of the individual titles are below.
Gone Girl
conveying it effectively to words. All writers aim to do this, but very few succeed in the way she did. She also adequately balanced significant detail in her characters, without feeling like they were being handed to us. Despite understanding who each character was, the story never became predictable.
The first half of the book was stunning. Building up to the second half, even though Nick is our narrator, we are still not sure what happened to Amy, and what his role in it was, or was not. That’s a difficult thing to sell, but it was done well.
The second half (which I won’t spoil) almost felt like a different book altogether. Where the setup of the book had a dark, but steady undertone, this felt more like a rollercoaster ride. I still don’t know how I feel about the big twist here, but I do understand why Flynn ended the book the way she did. While not exactly satisfying, it makes sense in that it was true to the nature of the characters.
Overall, this was a book that kept me reading, and guessing, until the end. For that, and the colorful writing, I would definitely recommend it to others. 4 stars.
Sharp Objects
As with her other two books, Dark Places and Gone Girl, I’m struck with Flynn’s ability to create an utterly and completely engaging story, while presenting not a single sympathetic character. This makes it challenging to build the proper stakes (I didn’t care what did or did not happen to Camille, or how her coming home impacted her), however this was the first of Flynn’s books where I really felt like it didn’t take a lot away from the story.
Anyone who has ever lived/grown up in a small town can relate to Wind Gap. Flynn knows how to create the perfect small town, midwest backdrop, though her view on it is decidely and resoundly cynical at best. I’ve read in interviews that this is not what her own experiences have been, which surprises me, as she writes with the conviction of one who knows exactly the feelings she wants to emote.
The mystery that carries the story is well told, and despite figuring out early-on what at least part of the big reveal would be, it did not take away at all from the page-turning aspect of the book. And while her characters are not relatable, they are neverthless fully-fleshed and incredibly rich… so much so that I was invested in their futures, which I could not say about the characters in Dark Places or Gone Girl. Interesting to me that it is her first novel that hits on all the right points. 5 stars.
Dark Places
I first started reading Flynn with Gone Girl. It was not her characters that hooked me, but her turn-by-turn storytelling and her knack for understanding human behavior. I point this out because, much like Gone Girl, Dark Places stars a case of mostly unlikeable characters. This would not be a problem if they were relatable, or even sympathetic. Libby had few redeeming qualities (if any), and Ben, while I believe readers *should* feel some empathy for him given the situation he was put into for so many years, is equally hard to connect with. The secondary cast is similar, with the sole exception of Libby’s friend from the Kill Club. I normally never “root for” an unlikely romance like that, but I was hoping his influence might make her more sympathetic to readers, and this did not happen.
Having said that… I found that the story kept me fully engaged, start to finish. The flashback storytelling was done with expert finesse, and Flynn was able to keep both the past and present in perfect timing, revealing both at a good pace as we neared the climax. Although there are hints to the answer earlier in the book, I did not pick up on them at all, and so I was utterly shocked at the ending reveal… which is a testament to her storytelling. The other thing Flynn does exceptionally well is create a bleak but vivid backdrop for all her stories, and the depressive midwest in this one was a character unto itself.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book, despite my lack of character connection. 4 stars.
Overall Collection Rating: 4.5 Stars
October 20, 2015
Myths of Midwinter is HERE!
MYTHS OF MIDWINTER, the sixth volume in the bestselling Paranormal Southern Gothic series, The House of Crimson & Clover, is now available on all major online retailers.
Amazon | BN | iTunes | Kobo | Google Play | Goodreads
Quillan Sullivan lost his twin brother two decades ago, a tragedy he never fully experienced due to his unusual ability to see and talk to Riley when no one else can. He believes this “gift” is a fluke, until the haughty, vainglorious love of his life, Estella, returns after several years abroad, and rips his world apart.
Estella Broussard loathes Quillan. He’s the last person on Earth she’d ever bless with her presence. To her great dismay, he alone holds the key to achieving her deepest desire. She will do anything to reach her aims, no matter the warnings… no matter the cost to Quillan.
Nerys guides Finn and Aleksandr on their mission to find Anasofiya and bring her home. Finn accepts her help, on the condition she keep no secrets. She relays what she knows… all except the visions her old companion has sent her, regarding a terrifying menace to the Deschanels back home: A necromancer has emerged, and this ominous knowledge has fallen into the wrong hands.
The threads of fate weave the Deschanels and Sullivans down perilous paths, as a centuries-old warning emerges: Seduction to sinners. A legacy in splinters. Beware, the myths of midwinter.
________
Need to catch up on the series first? The series prequel THE STORM AND THE DARKNESS, is on sale for $.99. This is a fantastic chance to start this bestselling paranormal series by picking up the book New York Times Bestselling author Christopher Rice calls, “modern gothic with fierce smarts.” **SALE ENDS TODAY!**
Amazon | BN | iTunes | Kobo | Google Play | Goodreads
Ana Deschanel made a terrible mistake. The only chance of protecting the other people involved is to flee New Orleans, the only home she has ever known, for the quiet solitude of Summer Island.
Summer Island, Maine (population 202) is not the tranquil escape Ana imagined. The locals are distant and cold, especially her neighbor, the reclusive veterinarian Jonathan St. Andrews. Her only lifeline is the kind but odd caretaker, Alex Whitman. Showing up at all the right moments, he warns her she is completely unprepared for a Maine winter. As the first seasonal storm approaches to whispers of an island shutdown, Ana realizes she may soon be cut off from the rest of the world.
After a surprising encounter with Jonathan’s brother, Finn, Ana finds herself braving the storm to return something to him. Unprepared for the Maine storm, she slips and falls onto the jagged rocks along the shore. The St. Andrews brothers find her in the nick of time, but she remains unconscious. As the storm worsens, the St. Andrews brothers learn there are other, more sinister forces at work closer than they ever imagined.
With no help from the outside world, they must find a way to protect themselves from both the storm, and the growing darkness that looms across the island.
Sale ends 10/20.
October 19, 2015
Last Chance to Start the House of Crimson & Clover Series for $.99
**Sale Ends 10/20!**
In anticipation of the release of Volume 6 in the House of Crimson & Clover series, MYTHS OF MIDWINTER, the series prequel, THE STORM AND THE DARKNESS, is on sale for $.99. This is a fantastic chance to start this bestselling paranormal series by picking up the book New York Times Bestselling author Christopher Rice calls, “modern gothic with fierce smarts.”
Amazon | BN | iTunes | Kobo | Google Play | Goodreads
Ana Deschanel made a terrible mistake. The only chance of protecting the other people involved is to flee New Orleans, the only home she has ever known, for the quiet solitude of Summer Island.
Summer Island, Maine (population 202) is not the tranquil escape Ana imagined. The locals are distant and cold, especially her neighbor, the reclusive veterinarian Jonathan St. Andrews. Her only lifeline is the kind but odd caretaker, Alex Whitman. Showing up at all the right moments, he warns her she is completely unprepared for a Maine winter. As the first seasonal storm approaches to whispers of an island shutdown, Ana realizes she may soon be cut off from the rest of the world.
After a surprising encounter with Jonathan’s brother, Finn, Ana finds herself braving the storm to return something to him. Unprepared for the Maine storm, she slips and falls onto the jagged rocks along the shore. The St. Andrews brothers find her in the nick of time, but she remains unconscious. As the storm worsens, the St. Andrews brothers learn there are other, more sinister forces at work closer than they ever imagined.
With no help from the outside world, they must find a way to protect themselves from both the storm, and the growing darkness that looms across the island.
Sale ends 10/20.
October 18, 2015
Sarah’s 10 Point Reviews: Crimson Peak (Movie)
Guillermo Del Toro’s command of cinema is unparalleled. From the opening shot, I’m already giddy.
Who do I have to bribe to be in the Tom Hiddleston/Charlie Hunnam sandwich?
No, that was a serious question. Please tell me.
Allerdale Hall. I wanted to make comparisons to Thornfield Hall, or Manderley. Hell, I half-expected Miss Havisham to come wandering out in her mouldering wedding gown. But truly, Allerdale Hall stands on its own. The red clay (everywhere) adds an element that borders on heavy-handed but lands on evocative.
Jessica Chastain commands the role of Lucille like its her job. Which it is. And she should be getting a raise for this performance. Stole every moment she was on screen.
A+ casting all around. Mia Wacaneverspellherlastname was mesmerizing. Her hair alone deserves an Oscar. Hiddles did a great job playing the divided, tormented lead. And I enjoyed seeing Charlie Hunnam play a rather benign fellow just looking for a little love, dangit.
Touted as horror, but I felt the strong waves of gothic romance. From the lyrical, almost poetic dialogue, to the rotting Victorian England backdrop. Dark, depressing, unrelenting. Right up my alley!
Dammit all to hell. I wish I’d written this book. The lovely dialogue, the delicious, twisted deceptions. Jealous writer syndrome over here.
Speaking of not really horror: there were no “jump out of my seat” moments, but my heart raced the entire film. See next point.
One (of many) things I love about Del Toro is his cinematic insistence that the greatest evil is not the ghosts or monsters outside, but the ones within.
Film Score: A
____________________
I read. I watch original cable shows. I take in a movie from time to time. And most of what I absorb can be described in ten bullet points. Thus, Sarah’s 10 Point Reviews was born. You’ll find no rhyme or reason to what and when I review something. My motivations tend to as random as my reviews. You’re welcome to add your own ten bullets in the comments, if the mood strikes. Enjoy!
October 16, 2015
Book Review: The Martian by Andy Weir
Naturally, I had to know what all the fuss was about.
I have a love-hate relationship with sci-fi. Often it’s too technical with not enough story, or has a great story but the science holds no water. The Martian had a great balance of both. Weir’s love of his subject matter came through with such passion, as the hero, Mark Watney, has to keep his cool (not literally; Mars is quite cold), stranded on Mars, by figuring out creative ways to manipulate his environment and the variables within. Watney’s ability to see and inject humor into his situation helps him as much as knowing how to work with hydrogen and plutonium without blowing himself back into orbit. Even if the science isn’t your thing, you’ll get excited right alongside Mark as he MacGuyver’s all the tools at his disposal. The dialogue, both in Mark’s journal and as he corresponds with NASA, had me roaring. Fantastic read that will easily be found among the sci-fi classics in the future.
Overall Rating: 5 Stars
October 15, 2015
#BadMoonOnTheRise Day 15 The Storm and the Darkness by Sarah M. Cradit @thewritersarah #books #thrillers
The wonderful Teri Polen interviewed me for her Halloween series, Bad Moon on the Rise.
Originally posted on Books & Such:
Welcome to Day 15 with Sarah M. Cradit! Although Sarah is known primarily for her paranormal series, The House of Crimson and Clover of which this book is a prequel, The Storm and the Darkness is heavier on the thriller/suspense than paranormal. I’ve read all but one of the books in this series and can’t say enough about them – what are you waiting for?
Ana Deschanel made a terrible mistake. The only chance of protecting the other people involved is to flee New Orleans, the only home she has ever known, for the quiet solitude of Summer Island.
Summer Island, Maine (population 202) is not the tranquil escape Ana imagined. The locals are distant and cold, especially her neighbor, the reclusive veterinarian Jonathan St. Andrews. Her only lifeline is the kind but odd caretaker, Alex Whitman. Showing up at all the right moments, he warns her she is completely…
View original 768 more words
October 14, 2015
Book Review: Wayward Pines Trilogy by Blake Crouch
I often ask for great horror and thriller recommendations on my social media pages. After Blake Crouch came up a few times, I decided to see what the fuss was about. Wayward Pines was everything I thought it would be, and nothing I thought it would be. I’m a notoriously slow reader, and I finished the series in two nights.
My reviews of the individual titles are below.
Pines
Wayward Pines is everything I expected, and nothing like what I expected. The cross of multiple genres- thriller, horror, sci-fi, dystopian- is so finely woven together that you never get genre whiplash. The narrative moves quickly- so quickly I read it over one evening and a short plane ride. And while this particular theory/idea has been tackled before, Crouch adds his own unique spins and twists so that Wayward Pines stands well on its own. Quick, thrilling, and well-spun. I immediately picked up the second book.
Wayward
Fantastic second book in the trilogy. Not a moment of downtime from a racing heartbeat, and a sense of anxious anticipation. I had no idea how it was going to go, or end, possibly because of Crouch’s ability to keep the reader in the NOW. Getting ready to dig into the third book tonight. I haven’t been this riveted to the page in a long time.
The Last Town
Overall, I really enjoyed this series. Read all three books in three days, which is quick for me. I stayed up late into the night, all three nights. and immediately picked up a few more of Crouch’s books. As a series, I would score it a 4.5, but am giving this book 4, largely because it has the designation of the book that either resolves things, or doesn’t. Having read on Crouch’s website that he doesn’t plan to write a fourth book, I have to assume this is where the story ends.
Problem areas for me:
–> The story was too short for so much ground that needed to be covered. A lot of that page time felt wasted by unnecessary flashbacks (telling us things we already know), and a very long battle sequence that could have been cut in half– or the story elongated.
–> Dialogue, for some reason, leaned on the cheesy side, especially the conversations where the love triangle elements were involved. In another book I might not have noticed, but Crouch’s writing is so strong otherwise that some of the exchanges took me out of the story momentarily. I also couldn’t help but feeling a second love triangle was unnecessary, given all the other odds and threads, but it did at least serve the purpose of explaining how Ethan got there in the first place.
–> Some missed opportunities: Adam’s experiences, while teased at being the key to their survival as a race, ended up being a red herring. More emphasis should have been given to the fact, though, that a dude survived four years beyond the gate!
Like the other books, The Last Town was fast-paced and I imagine some will disagree, but I liked the ending. I actually didn’t guess that was Ethan’s intention until the moment was upon me, and, given this is the last book, this is probably the best choice for where to leave it. And kudos for the shortest epilogue I’ve ever read in a book. It’s technically a cliffhanger, though, given the implications nearing the final pages, it could also be seen as a great conclusion.
Overall Collection Rating: 5 Stars
October 12, 2015
Start the House of Crimson & Clover Series for $.99
In anticipation of the release of Volume 6 in the House of Crimson & Clover series, MYTHS OF MIDWINTER, the series prequel, THE STORM AND THE DARKNESS, is on sale for $.99. This is a fantastic chance to start this bestselling paranormal series by picking up the book New York Times Bestselling author Christopher Rice calls, “modern gothic with fierce smarts.”
Amazon | BN | iTunes | Kobo | Google Play | Goodreads
Ana Deschanel made a terrible mistake. The only chance of protecting the other people involved is to flee New Orleans, the only home she has ever known, for the quiet solitude of Summer Island.
Summer Island, Maine (population 202) is not the tranquil escape Ana imagined. The locals are distant and cold, especially her neighbor, the reclusive veterinarian Jonathan St. Andrews. Her only lifeline is the kind but odd caretaker, Alex Whitman. Showing up at all the right moments, he warns her she is completely unprepared for a Maine winter. As the first seasonal storm approaches to whispers of an island shutdown, Ana realizes she may soon be cut off from the rest of the world.
After a surprising encounter with Jonathan’s brother, Finn, Ana finds herself braving the storm to return something to him. Unprepared for the Maine storm, she slips and falls onto the jagged rocks along the shore. The St. Andrews brothers find her in the nick of time, but she remains unconscious. As the storm worsens, the St. Andrews brothers learn there are other, more sinister forces at work closer than they ever imagined.
With no help from the outside world, they must find a way to protect themselves from both the storm, and the growing darkness that looms across the island.
Sale ends 10/20.
October 11, 2015
Sarah’s 10 Point Reviews- “American Horror Story Hotel: Checking In” (TV)
There’s no halfway camp about this season so far. They’re committed, and I love it.
Sarah Paulson’s character intrigues me in the way no character has since the Murder House season.
Denis O’Hare makes a fabulous drag queen.
Lady Gaga knows how to make an entrance. Flawfree queen.
Ditto for Matt Bomer’s ass.
VAMPIRES! WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME THERE WOULD BE VAMPIRES?!
Soundtrack: On point.
Did I mention the flawlessness of the goddess Gaga?
Acting and dialogue is so much better this season. I didn’t spend the entire episode trying to rewrite it.
Research the hotel that inspired the Cortez: the Cecil. Crazy stuff.
Almost gave up on AHS after the last two seasons. Hotel is, so far, shaping up to be the loyalty payoff.
Episode Score: B+
____________________
I read. I watch original cable shows. I take in a movie from time to time. And most of what I absorb can be described in ten bullet points. Thus, Sarah’s 10 Point Reviews was born. You’ll find no rhyme or reason to what and when I review something. My motivations tend to as random as my reviews. You’re welcome to add your own ten bullets in the comments, if the mood strikes. Enjoy!
