Sage Nestler's Blog, page 53

Box Review: Charmed Bookshelf – “Enchant” Version

Charmed Bookshelf is a brand new book subscription that sends out New Age books and items to compliment the reading materials.  There are three different subscription types to choose from – the “Enchant” box ($37 + shipping/month), the “Enlighten” box ($37 + shipping/month), or a box that sends everything from the first two boxes ($69 + shipping/month).

Purchase the box here: http://www.charmedbookshelf.com/subscribe/

The “Enchant” box is more centered on Wiccan/Pagan reading material and items, while the “Enlighten” box is more centered on crystals, chakras, yoga, etc. and it is a great plan for those who are just starting to discover New Age subjects.

The box itself arrives in a simple white box with the company’s logo on the front with the shipping label.  I absolutely love the logo, and as soon as I saw this on my doorstep, I couldn’t help but squeal with excitement.

Upon opening, the items were wrapped nicely in grey paper shreds and black tissue paper.  I could tell that the owner put great care into making sure that each item was packaging properly, and that immediately made me fall in love with the box.

The book included in this month’s Enchant box was The Book of Crystal Spells by Ember Grant.  Being a certified crystal healer myself, I was very excited to receive this book.  It is a book that I don’t already have, and I was excited to learn that it gives you different spells to use with different stones, and that it even helps you to enchant your stone jewelry for different purposes.  There were specific spells for different necessities, such as finding success or love, and I found that it was great for beginners as well as seasoned professionals.

That being said, the extra items included were of course…crystals!

The first crystal included was a full size Selenite tower.  This stone is necessary for any crystal magick, and I was happy to see it included in the box.  It is very high quality, and these towers can generally be pricey when bought separately.  That made buying this box worth it on its own.

The next stones include were 5 quarts crystals points – which are very important to go along with the book included because there is an entire section on the different meanings of crystal points.  While reading that section I was able to identify the types of crystal points that I received, and it was nice to discover what their meanings were.

The rest of the stones included were a Black Obsidian stone, Moss Agate, Rose Quartz, Red Tiger Eye, and Red Jasper.  These stones are simple tumbled stones, and they are just beautiful.  They are commonly used in the book for the different spells, and I think they are a great starter stone set.

Overall, I could tell that this box was meticulously crafted, and I liked being able to receive a book with a lot of the tools needed to use it.  If you are looking to expand your New Age book collection, then this box is the way to go!

October Go Indie Now! Excellence in Indie Literature Award

Hello Everyone!

I am happy to share with you a beautiful author who won our October Go Indie Now! Excellence in Literature Award!

E. Mellyberry is a gorgeous romance author.  Her writing is bittersweet and real, and you just fall into her stories and fall in love with her characters.  She won our literary award for her novel My Lea, and it is highly recommended.

From Our Awards Website

E. Mellyberry won the October 2016 award for her romance novel, My Lea.  Her writing is bittersweet and beautiful, and leaves the reader changed once they are done reading her work.

SCORECARD

Editing: 4/5
Originality: 5/5
Plot Structure: 5/5
Character Structure: 5/5
Message: 5/5

When Lea Amelia landed her feet in San Francisco for her overseas study, her idea of freedom was simple, like eating junk food ten times a day, sitting in front of the TV in her PJs, or going out late with her friends without the need to check in with her mother constantly. Then she met Andrew Jaya, her brothers’ best friend. A twenty-two-year-old guy whose physical appearance looked like he was crafted straight from God’s heavenly hands, but possessed a past as bleak as if it was drawn by Evil himself. A conflicted guy who wore sadness like nobody’s business beneath his mask, a perfect-looking mask she slowly peeled away. He was also the guy who hurt her. Suddenly, everything about her was no longer simple. Andrew Jaya had convinced himself that not feeling was good for him. He’d been doing it splendidly for almost his entire life. But that was before his best friend’s sister stepped into his life and ruined it. After weeks of knowing Lea, all of those warm and wonderful feelings he’d long ago denied to himself started to reappear. Problem was, the brighter the light, the bigger the shadows that came with it. His traumatic past refused to let him go. When the unthinkable happened, the easiest thing to do was to run. But life often proves that the easiest way is usually the hardest.

Author Interview

What is the first memory you have of writing?

I remember I won my first writing competition when I was eleven. Writing and reading have always been an integral part of me growing up, I honestly can’t remember a time when I wasn’t doing them. I was the nerd girl who carried books in her bag no matter where I went.

Which authors inspire you, and why?

When I was a kid, it was Enid Blyton with her Famous Five series. I love how she was able to write heart-racing adventures, and at the same time mesmerized me with the sibling love among her characters. I always felt like I belonged to Julian, Dick, Anne, George, and Timmy’s family.

I love J.K. Rowling (who hasn’t?) and J.R.R. Tolkien. Fantasy is a genre I love, love, love. It’s also the toughest genre to write. Anyone who could write an epic High Fantasy deserves my undying love and admiration.

As I took my writing more seriously, I became more aware of the existence of indie authors and their books. One who stands out is Colleen Hoover. She’s such an amazing person and author. She inspires me—and millions other young writers—with her magical and amazing writing journey. She makes me believe in my dream. She makes me believe I can do more with my stories, that I shouldn’t be afraid to try. She is the true Cinderella in our book universe.

What is your favorite genre to read, and why?

It’s always between Fantasy and Contemporary. I connect the best with these two. But to be frank, I read literally everything, as long as it’s not horror and Sci-Fi.

What is your favorite genre to write, and why?

It has to be Contemporary. I love capturing emotions and writing about them. Presenting conflict is my addiction, and I think I work best when I’m not distracted by, let’s say, the world building and magical elements in Fantasy or Paranormal genres. Every fiction I write carries the truth of what we have in real life. My characters and their personalities are compilations of many real people—family, friends, acquaintances, friends of friends, strangers—I met in my life. Writing can be very emotional for me because I see the real faces behind my characters.

What are you currently working on?

I’m now in the final editing stage of my Young Adult manuscript, FLY. It’s a diverse, interracial love story about a geeky Hong Kong boy and an Indian teen model. Hopefully I can share it with the world before summer 2017.

Author Bio

Melly has been writing stories for as long as she can remember, but not until 2011 did she publish her works. She writes children’s books under the name mellyberry, and novels under e. mellyberry. She used to work in school and is very passionate about education.

Melly was born in Indonesia and grew up in a multi-language environment. When she talked, she could accidentally string words from different languages into one sentence. When she does that, simply reminds her to speak properly.

Her ideal vacation always involves a beach; usually it’s the Nusa Dua beach, Bali. She spent a few years in Singapore and USA to complete her Master degree. It was during that time she’d fallen madly in love with San Francisco and the Bay Area.

How to connect with E. Mellyberry

Facebook    Twitter    Instagram    Blog    Goodreads    Website

In May, one of our authors will win the yearly title of “Standout Author of 2016”.  To vote for your favorite author, simply like their post on this website.  The author with the most likes will win the award.

Go Indie Now! Black Friday Sale

Hi, Everyone!

Today begins our biggest sale of the year at Go Indie Now! Since Saturday is Small Business Saturday, we are also extending our sale throughout the weekend.

Order Here

For new subscribers, we are offering free shipping on ANY plan, worldwide! Use coupon”FREESHIPPING” at checkout.

We are also giving current subscribers an exclusive item in their next box that is only available through us, on top of 10% off of their next renewal if they don’t already have a coupon on their account.

All of our past boxes are also 15% off when using the coupon “SMALLBUSINESS”

 

Thank you all for supporting my small business, and helping indie authors be seen through our box!

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Much love,

Ashley Nestler

CEO of Go Indie Now

Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics

Title: Daughters Unto Devils

Author: Amy Lukavics

Review: 3/5

SPOILER WARNING

Synopsis:

God bless the little children 

When sixteen-year-old Amanda Verner’s family decides to move from their small mountain cabin to the vast prairie, she hopes it is her chance for a fresh start. She can leave behind the memory of the past winter; of her sickly Ma giving birth to a baby sister who cries endlessly; of the terrifying visions she saw as her sanity began to slip, the victim of cabin fever; and most of all, the memories of the boy she has been secretly meeting with as a distraction from her pain. The boy whose baby she now carries.

When the Verners arrive at their new home, a large cabin abandoned by its previous owners, they discover the inside covered in blood. And as the days pass, it is obvious to Amanda that something isn’t right on the prairie. She’s heard stories of lands being tainted by evil, of men losing their minds and killing their families, and there is something strange about the doctor and his son who live in the woods on the edge of the prairie. But with the guilt and shame of her sins weighing on her, Amanda can’t be sure if the true evil lies in the land, or deep within her soul.

Review:

“Still, the question awakened memories of last winter unmercifully, the ones that were too painful to bear, the ones that ended up causing all sixteen years of my life to slip away from me like water through open fingers.”

I had such high hopes for the novel.  The fact that it had been marketed as “Stephen King writing Little House on the Prairie” immediately grabbed me, but upon finishing the first chapter I knew that this book was going to drag on and on – and it did.

The main character, Amanda Verner, is a sixteen year old pioneer who has been sleeping with another young man and becomes pregnant.  The young man, of course, refuses to ever see her again, but she and her family move anyway, so it didn’t really matter.  She never tells her parents about the pregnancy, and instead prays for a miscarriage.  Not surprisingly, she does suffer a miscarriage and begins to wonder about the evil inside of her.

Throughout the novel we suffer through Amanda’s repetitive thoughts and fears that she might be evil – which is already blatantly obvious.  We also have to listen to her complain about how much she hates her baby sister who is blind and deaf, and how those thoughts are connected to the evil within her as well.

I expected this book to be much scarier, but it failed me.  The first 2/3 of the novel was a chore to read due to the dullness of the main character and her same thoughts being expressed over and over.  And it wasn’t until the very end of the novel that the horror actually began to happen – and it happened too fast, and all at once.

Within the last few chapters, Amanda’s baby sister gets attacked by ants, and her father takes the baby away to the doctor to see if she can be saved.  During that same period of time, Amanda’s mother becomes possessed and immediately starts spouting nasty things at Amanda.  During this time we just have to follow Amanda and her sister walking through the woods to go find their father and sister, but they eventually find out that their father and sister both died, and that the doctor sacrificed himself as well.

The ending after this is ridiculously rushed.  It is as though the author realized that she didn’t add in any horror elements and throws in as many elements as she can before the book abruptly ends as though she couldn’t wait to get the novel done and published.  I was extremely disappointed since the last chapter or so of this book are the only parts that are worth reading, and this novel would have fared much better if the author had focused more on the elements that she threw in at the end of the story.

I do not recommend this novel to horror fans.  It might be a good novel for those trying to get into horror, but I do not think that it represents the genre well.  In my opinion, it is an incomplete novel.

FOR BOOK REVIEW REQUESTS FILL OUT FORM: Book Review Request Form

IF BOOK REQUEST WEBSITE IS DOWN EMAIL: peachykeenreviews@gmail.com

Behind Broken Glass Walls Teaser #3

Hello Everyone!

It is now time to release the third teaser for my upcoming novel “Behind Broken Glass Walls”, releasing January 1.  It is going to be a great way to start off the new year, and I am excited to share it with you all.  It is the most important novel that I have written, and it does contain trigger warnings due to sexual assault and gun violence.  However, I believe that it can change the way that we think about bullying and abuse.

Synopsis

You never know how strong you are until you are forced into a situation that tests every ounce of strength that you have. This is what one mother learns as she finds out that the person who committed a shooting at her daughter’s high school was indeed her daughter. Her feelings are a mix of every emotion, but what bothers her the most is that even though she knows that her daughter took the lives of many others, she can’t help but love her as much as she ever did. It is this love that she has for her daughter that makes her feel at fault.

Learn what it means to love a child when everyone else sees her as a murderer, and experience what it feels like to love someone who you no longer understand.

What are the limits on your love?

Mark To-Read on Goodreads

If you would like an advanced copy of this novel to review, please email me at peachykeenreviews@gmail.com

Much love,

Ashley

We Need New Age Indie Authors

Hello, Everyone!

A friend of mine is running a New Age book subscription, and she is in dire need of any New Age indie authors to feature.  If you are interested in being featured in her box, please feel free to reach out to her on Facebook or through email!

“I know I have a TON of friends & followers who are New Age-type authors or know them. Charmed Bookshelf is on the hunt for indie authors in the New Age & Wiccan/Pagan genre’s. We are looking for non-fiction titles that inform, teach and expand on the many New Age modes & paths.

Our first shipment went out to our founding members on 11/15 and we have gotten some amazing feedback.

Our next shipment goes out 12/15 and is featuring Amy Leigh Mercree in our Enlighten Box. The Enchant box will be receiving Bucklands Complete book of Witchcraft.

You could be next

Author Feature – J. Ray & S. Cushaway

Today’s featured authors are J. Ray and S. Cushaway, authors of Salt in the Water!  Their novel was released on October 27, and it is now available for purchase.

There are a thousand ways to die in the desert—desperate outlaws, deadly predators, murderous elements, and betrayal. . .

Kaitar Besh, a veteran scout as legendary for his cynicism as his skills, is ordered to brave the deadly Shy’war-Anquai desert one last time. Escorting Leigh Enderi—a greenhorn Enforcer with a reputation as shady as his own—he soon realizes the ghosts of his past have come to haunt more than his nightmares.

When the mission breaks down in the wake of bitter hatred and mistrust, even Kaitar’s fabled skills may not be enough to bring them home again. Stranded in the red wasteland without contact, food, or water, they uncover a betrayal that could bring all they hold dear crumbling to the dust. . . and tear down the wall of lies surrounding them.

Author Information

Ray and S. Cushaway reside in the snowy wastes of northern lower Michigan. When not spending time with their daughter and two grumpy old cats, or working on writing-related projects, they enjoy dabbling in music, art, and online RPG gaming.

Purchase Now on Amazon

Author Feature – Asper Blurry

Hell0, Everyone!

Today’s author spotlight is on the brilliant Asper Blurry, author of Train to the Edge of the Moon!  Show her some love and check out her novel on Amazon today

Julia Jones – The Teenage Years by Katrina Kahler (Books 1, 2, & 3)

Title: Julia Jones – The Teenage Years

Author: Katrina Kahler 

Rating: 4/5

Julia is now a typical teenage girl but has abruptly and unexpectedly been thrown into turmoil by the forced relocation of her family back to their old home in the city. She attempts to come to terms with her dilemma by reconnecting with her old friend, Millie Spencer and also the love of her life, Blake Jansen. However, on arrival at her old house, she soon learns that circumstances have changed dramatically during the time she was away and the days that follow seem to unravel in a series of escalating drama and events. Although Julia tries to maintain control, her life seems to snowball towards an all consuming disaster which she appears powerless to prevent.

Julia finds that her choices surrounding love, friends and rebellious teenage behavior tend to result in dire consequences and repercussions of the worst kind. What is the cause of Julia’s misery and how does she deal with the challenges in her path?

This is a book filled with unexpected plot twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen next. Don’t miss out on the suspenseful journey of Julia Jones, complete with romance, drama, friendship issues and much, much more.

This fabulous book for teenage girls contains all the elements of an exciting story that girls of all ages will enjoy.

Review:

Katrina Kahler is excellent at creating children’s and young adult novels that allow readers to fall into the situations that she puts her characters into.  Her writing is aimed towards young girls to help them cope with situations that they might be in, or know what to expect in a situation that might happen to them as they get older.  Kahler’s work connects with young girls from late elementary school – high school, and I enjoyed how she asked the reader to feel as though they are a part of the story, and to consider what they might do if they were in the situations that she discussed.  Her writing is very realistic, and it doesn’t sugarcoat the young female experience.  I connected to Julia Jones even though I am well into my adult life, and I appreciated how Kahler’s writing allowed me to reflect on my own life.

One of the best parts about this three book collection was that the chapters were all very short and easy to read on a short term basis.  All of the books connected to each other seamlessly, and I found myself appalled at the different situations that Julia was put into.  I am not a fan of young adult novels that portray the teenage experience in a way that is too positive or nonchalant, and Kahler broke through that stereotype by showing the reader some of the real events that can occur to a teenager.  Julia’s story was raw and real, and I would gladly suggest it to all teenage or pre-teen girls.  Kahler’s way of teaching and empathizing with her readers is unique and something that I haven’t found in other pre-teen/teenage novels.  Pick up this series for your daughters, nieces, etc. and even read it for yourself to understand what young girls are going through in today’s world.  It is an excellent resource on today’s high school culture.

FOR BOOK REVIEW REQUESTS FILL OUT FORM: Book Review Request Form

IF BOOK REQUEST WEBSITE IS DOWN EMAIL: peachykeenreviews@gmail.com

Behind Broken Glass Walls Teaser #2

Hello Everyone!

The release date of my novel “Behind Broken Glass Walls” has been changed from November to January due to some extra editing that needs to be done.  However, here is the second teaser for the novel, and the Goodreads listing for it is live!

If you would like to review an ARC of Behind Broken Glass Walls, please email me at peachykeenreviews@gmail.com.

SYNOPSIS:

Abuse. A gun. And her daughter.

You never know how strong you are until you are forced into a situation that tests every ounce of strength that you have. This is what one mother learns as she finds out that the person who committed a shooting at her daughter’s high school was indeed her daughter. Her feelings are a mix of every emotion, but what bothers her the most is that even though she knows that her daughter took the lives of many others, she can’t help but love her as much as she ever did. It is this love that she has for her daughter that makes her feel at fault.

Learn what it means to love a child when everyone else sees her as a murderer, and experience what it feels like to love someone who you no longer understand.

What are the limits on your love?