Sarai Henderson's Blog, page 234

Daughter of Etheron by Brandon Young #BlogTour @BrandonYoung400

Daughter of Etheron
by Brandon Young
Genre: YA Space Fantasy
Release Date: April 18th 2017
Starforged Entertainment

Summary from Goodreads:

Born the children of the ruling family.

Betrayed by the ones that swore to protect them.

IN A SHATTERED GALAXY . . .

Siblings, Elenah and Teveran are thrust into a secret war of space magicians that will decide the fate of the galaxy.

But a darkness swells in the galactic depths, magicians wielding magic not seen for millennia, and as the struggle for power grows more desperate, the children might find themselves fighting on opposite sides of the conflict.

The first book in the Saga of the Magicus Eye.

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Music Playlist (From the Author)

Thanks for having me! Now, I’ll answer this question in two parts, starting with my own writing playlist and then, let’s say, the novel’s theatrical playlist. So when I’m writing new content, I usually cycle between soundtracks, orchestral playlists on YouTube, and various albums in my own iTunes collection. What’s funny is I actually write much slower with music on, but that’s balanced by the fact it allows me to write for a longer period of time. The prog-metal band, Dream Theater, continues to serve me well: I had The Astonishing, Octavarium, and Scenes From a Memory playing often. Blind Guardian’s got some great writing music (their latest album, Beyond the Red Mirror, helped shape several tonal aspects of the novel), and what’s cool is they also have songs inspired by all sorts of fantasy books including The Lord of the Rings, The Wheel of Time, and A Song of Ice and Fire. Definitely check them out. Devin Townsend and his space opera, Ziltoid, always works. Ayreon’s 01011001 has some good lyrics which also informed a couple of things. And a newer band, Haken, provided some excellent inspiration, especially on Affinity. Also on rotation were various albums by Avantasia, Demons and Wizards, Dragonforce, Edguy, Epica, Freedom Call, Gamma Ray, Kamelot, Star One, and Symphony X. I made a playlist of all eight Star Wars film soundtracks and listened the hell out of those. Also the Fantastic Beasts soundtrack came in handy, along with soundtracks from the Final Fantasy games—which I absolutely love.

But here are ten songs that I feel had the strongest impact on Daughter of Etheron:

And Then There Was Silence – Blind GuardianThe Architect – HakenBeyond the Black Hole – Gamma RayDescent of the Archangel – KamelotThe Eternal Wayfarer – EdguyIn the Presence of Enemies I & II – Dream TheaterJourney to Arcadia – AvantasiaThe Ninth Wave – Blind GuardianThe Seven Angels – AvantasiaThe Throne – Blind Guardian

About the Author
Brandon Young is the debut author of the Saga of the Magicus Eye. He’s also a musician, gamer, and avid Star Wars fan living in Melbourne, Australia.

Author Links:
Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook




Blog Tour Organized by:
YA Bound Book Tours

#BookReview | There, There by Tim Beiser

Title: There, ThereBy: Tim BeiserGenre: Picture BookRelease Date: June 6th, 2017Publisher: Tundra Books (NY)
Summary from Goodreads: For fans of Penguin Problems and A Birthday for Bear, the story of a whiny rabbit pushing a patient bear to the end of his tether and learning a lesson in looking on the bright side. Do you ever feel like everything is terrible? Like nothing is ever right and you just want to hide under your pillow? Well Rabbit does, and he's not shy about sharing it. He whines, he complains, he moans, he grumps... until Bear has had enough and decides it's time for Rabbit to learn to appreciate what he has. Using nothing but the lowly common earthworm as an example, he teaches Rabbit a lesson about taking things for granted. Something the worm knows all about... 
Written in charming verse and featuring a delightfully domestic bear and a very surly rabbit, There, There is a fantastic tongue-in-cheek riff on the idea that -it could be worse...
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Review: This was an adorable book. I live in the Pacific Northwest and it rains a lot here. My boys are always complaining about how they never get to go out and play, and how board they are. I read this book to my three year old and he really enjoyed it. He loved the pictures and he said the bear was his favorite. The ending was funny and we both had a good laugh. Great read!

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

#BookReview | The Hidden Legacy by Christine Rees

Title: The Hidden LegacyBy: Christine ReesGenre: Urban FantasyRelease Date: December 15th, 2016Publisher: Evernight Teen
Summary from Goodreads: The curse of premonition follows Faye Lithyer, forcing her to witness death—over and over again. 
When Faye moves in with her grandmother in Astoria, Oregon, her visions grow stronger. Faye watches a new friend fall victim to a murder in the not-so-distant future and becomes obsessed with preventing it from happening. However, Faye's insecurity has her undecided whether she should tell her friend about their impending death or hunt down the murderer before it's too late. 

Faye will be faced with an epic choice that threatens to expose her abilities. Will she choose to save her friend from a monster or risk becoming one herself?
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Review:  I loved the concept. Kids having abilities, passed down through generations, its right up my alley. There were way to many similarities to Twilight for me to really enjoy this book as much as I would have wanted too. I also didn't get the sense of Astoria that I would have hoped, since I'm from that area and know the lay of the land. I also felt that there was this big build up to the Seeker's of Evil, but they were kind of brushed to the side to make room for a different ending. I hope they come back with a larger roll in the sequel. With that being said, I gave this book four stars for originality and content. It held me captive through the whole story and gave me goosebumps at the end.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

#BookReview | Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Title: Norse MythologyBy: Neil GaimanGenre: Mythology / Retelling Release Date: Feb 7th, 2017Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Summary from Goodreads: Introducing an instant classic—master storyteller Neil Gaiman presents a dazzling version of the great Norse myths.
Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales. In Norse Mythology, Gaiman fashions primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds; delves into the exploits of the deities, dwarves, and giants; and culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and the rebirth of a new time and people. Gaiman stays true to the myths while vividly reincarnating Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki, the son of giants, a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator. From Gaiman’s deft and witty prose emerges the gods with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to dupe others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again. 
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Review: I've been waiting for this one for a while now from the library. It was stupid of me not to request it on Netgalley when I had the chance, but here it is. 
I've been drawn to Norse mythology in recent years since my husband is 1/4 Norwegian, and my boys 1/8. I'm also a huge fan of the Thor movies from Marvel, even though I know they are not the same thing, but still a good story. 
This book was all about actual myths, told from the eye of the writer. Gaiman gave color to a seeming old world, where things have a tendency to get lost in translation. It was fun to see how Loki always caused trouble and Thor seemed like an oaf. Poor Freya always seemed to get married off to some ugly brute, and lots of people lost limbs, but that is the way of the vikings... If you like a compilation of short stories, then try out Norse Mythology. You won't be disappointed. 

#WeeklyMenu #Week 195

Happy Monday! Its may already and school is winding down. Only a few weeks left until summer vacation. 

Got all my info for the local authors book fair at the Oregon City library. Looks like there will be 36 tables and mine is right in the middle of them all. Yay! 

Seeker, the sequel to Hunter is in the editing process and my newest novel that i'm working on is up to 22k words. nearly half way there. Hopefully I will have that one done this summer and then time to start the third in the Hunter series. 

Enjoy this weeks menu. Its full of family favorites. 

Monday- Cashew Chicken
Tuesday- Taco Skillet 
Wednesday- Bruschetta Chicken
Thursday- French Onion Pork Chops
Friday- Chicken Teriyaki 
Saturday- Doritos Salad
Sunday- Tuna Sandwiches

Ensnared by Rita Stradling #Giveaway @stradling_rita @Xpressoreads

Ensnared
Rita Stradling
Publication date: May 23rd 2017
Genres: New Adult, Science Fiction

A Near Future Retelling of Beauty and the Beast
Alainn’s father is not a bad man. He’s a genius and an inventor. When he’s hired to create the robot Rose, Alainn knows taking the money is a mistake.
Rose acts like a human. She looks exactly like Alainn. But, something in her comes out wrong.
To save her father from a five year prison sentence, Alainn takes Rose’s place. She says goodbye to the sun and goes to live in a tower no human is allowed to enter. She becomes the prisoner of a man no human is allowed to see.
Believing that a life of servitude lies ahead, Alainn finds a very different fate awaits her in the company of the strange, scarred recluse.

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order—EXCERPT:December 2, 2026Alainn woke knowing someone was in her room.
Whoever it was sat behind her. Quiet, even breaths rasped through the air. Alainn’s eyelids peeked open. Moonlight cast a grayish glow, cutting deep shadows into the space around her bed.
“Good morning, Alainn,” Rose said in a quiet voice. When Alainn didn’t respond, Rose said, “I can tell from the change in your breathing pattern that you are awake.”
“Rose?” she whispered, not quite ready to let out a sigh of relief. Alainn twisted to look at her. “What are you doing here? Did you break my lock?”
“I picked it,” she said. “It is now locked again.”
“Oh, uh—” Her heart pounded in her chest; she sat up and faced the robot. “Why—why would you do that?”
The moonlight lit half of Rose’s face as she watched Alainn, expressionless. “Do not be alarmed. You are obviously having a fear reaction, but I was simply waiting for you to wake up.”
“Don’t you need to sleep—recharge?”
Now that Alainn faced Rose, she smelled the faint odor of her exhaust. Rose continuously exhaled the lightest tang of something sweet and acidic. The air in the room felt used, like a plane cabin after a cross-country flight.
“I was not completely forthcoming with you today. While what I said was true, I have for a time now believed that having Father imprisoned would impede my potential. While I have far surpassed his skills in software, there are times when I need assistance. I am limited by my need to stay near my charging station. Your brother is often absent for days at a time—and you, months.”
“Okay, wait—you’re going to go tomorrow?” Alainn scooted forward on the bed. A dormant hope resurged through her. Alainn would do anything—she’d worship at the robot’s feet if Rose agreed to go.
“No, you are going to go tomorrow.”
Alainn froze, staring at Rose. “What?” she whispered.
“I have calculated one way in which all parties can achieve their desires.”
“I’m sorry—I’m not understanding.” Alainn shook her head. A hard knot formed in her stomach.
“I am not surprised.” Rose reached out to pat Alainn’s hand. “You are not as intelligent as the rest of your family.”
“Spell it out in really simple terms, then.” She just managed to not growl the words at Rose.
Slowly, Rose looked up to the ceiling, moonlight slashing up the curve of her neck, her chin, and the line of her nose. “Earlier tonight, I arranged for you to be picked up by Mr. Garbhan through e-mail, writing as if I was Father. In one hour, a car will arrive outside to take you to his building. I have designed and created hardware for your body. If you are scanned, a chip in the hardware will communicate to the scanners that you have an organic circuitry system rather than a human brain.”
Alainn shook her head, hoping to dislodge some of the grogginess there. “I’m still not following—you’re saying you want me to pretend to be you and turn myself over? That you already arranged it?”
“Yes, you are following. That is exactly what I am saying.”
“I—I—” Alainn shook her head again. The air thinned around her.
“I have a working plan for the transplanting. You can assimilate easily into a life of servitude as you are already accustomed to the labor you will be asked to perform.” Rose lifted a hand, ghostly gray in the low light, and ticked off the chores on her fingers. “Cooking, housekeeping, and bookkeeping. Unless . . . is your concern that he might use you for sexual gratification?”
“What? No.”
“I believe that this would be a particular concern of yours.”
“I never even considered that he would do that to you—I, of all people, would never have tried to push you into going if I thought you’d be used that way.” Alainn blinked furiously. “Rose, do you really think that I would have let myself be the model when my dad printed your face and body if I thought Mr. Garbhan was going to do that to you?”
“It is highly unlikely that I was designed for this function. I have also been assured that there were documents signed to that effect addressed to Father.”
Alainn held out her palms to Rose. “Rose, it’s not just that. I can’t take your place. There’s no way that would work . . . and I can’t live in that tower for the rest of my life. I’m a human. I know that probably sounds callous to you, but you were created to not need sunshine and fresh air. And you don’t need exercise. Humans need those things, me especially. Everything I am,” she touched her chest, “is centered on being in the outdoors.”
“The duration will be seven to fourteen days, no longer.” Her head swung down, causing shadows to swallow her eyes. Two black hollows focused on Alainn. “When Mr. Garbhan pays Father, he and I will make the Rosette model; this process should only take a week, unless there are complications. And then I will devise a way to switch you with the new model.”

Author Bio:
Rita Stradling is the author of The Deception Dance series, the Dakota Kekoa series and The Fourteen Day Soul Detox Novella Serial. She has a BA in Art History and a particular love for modern and medieval art.
Rita lives with her husband and son in Northern California.
She has an insatiable novel addiction and mostly reads young adult and adult: romance, paranormal, urban fantasy and high fantasy.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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Colorless by Rita Stradling @stradling_rita @Xpressoreads

Colorless
Rita Stradling
Publication date: August 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

In Domengrad, there are rules all must live by: Fear the Gods. Worship the Magicians. Forsake the Iconoclasts.
To Annabelle Klein, the rules laid down by the Magicians are the mere ramblings of stuffy old men. As far as she’s concerned, the historic Iconoclasts, heretics who nearly destroyed the Magicians so long ago, are nothing but myth. She has much more important matters to worry about.
Heiress to a manor mortgaged down to its candlesticks and betrothed to her loathsome, lecherous cousin, sixteen-year-old Annabelle doubts the gods could forsake her more.
Then Annabelle is informed of her parents’ sudden and simultaneous deaths, and all of the pigment drips out of her skin and hair, leaving her colorless. Within moments, Annabelle is invisible and forgotten by all who know her.
Living like a wraith in her own home, Annabelle discovers that to regain her color she must solve the mystery behind her parents’ murders and her strange transformation.
Meanwhile, hundreds of the Magicians’ monks, with their all-black eyes and conjoined minds, have usurped control of Annabelle’s family manor. An Iconoclast is rumored to be about—a person who they claim goes unseen, unheard, and lost to memory, yet is the greatest threat to all of Domengrad. For the first time in a hundred years, the monks plan to unleash the dire wolves of old.
Their only target: Annabelle.

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Author Bio:
Rita Stradling is the author of The Deception Dance series, the Dakota Kekoa series and The Fourteen Day Soul Detox Novella Serial. She has a BA in Art History and a particular love for modern and medieval art.
Rita lives with her husband and son in Northern California.
She has an insatiable novel addiction and mostly reads young adult and adult: romance, paranormal, urban fantasy and high fantasy.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

April 2017 Reads

Another sixteen books this month. I marked a few off my TBR list, read a couple picture books with my boys and got into graphic novels. Here they all are in no particular order and don't forget to read my reviews for these books. You can find them on the left side of the page under the post list. Happy April...
Moon Called - Patricia BriggsIs a Worry Worrying You? - Ferida Wolff

Ivy in Bloom - Vanita OelschlagerWe Were Liars - E. Lockhart

Magic Words - UnknownRoyal Bastards - Andrew Shvarts

Red Sister - Mark LawrenceThe Wonder - Emma Donoghue

Mask of Shadows - Linsey MillerArena - Holly Jennings

Gauntlet - Holly JenningsThe Radium Girls - Kate Moore

Who Killed Superwoman? - Phil JimenezDeadman - Sarah Vaughn

Under-The-Bed Fred - Colin JackWho She Was - Stormy Smith

#BookReview | Red Sister by Mark Lawrence

Title: Red SisterBy: Mark LawrenceGenre: FantasyRelease Date: April 4th, 2017Publisher: Ace
Summary from Goodreads: I was born for killing – the gods made me to ruin.
At the Convent of Sweet Mercy young girls are raised to be killers. In a few the old bloods show, gifting talents rarely seen since the tribes beached their ships on Abeth. Sweet Mercy hones its novices’ skills to deadly effect: it takes ten years to educate a Red Sister in the ways of blade and fist.

But even the mistresses of sword and shadow don’t truly understand what they have purchased when Nona Grey is brought to their halls as a bloodstained child of eight, falsely accused of murder: guilty of worse.

Stolen from the shadow of the noose, Nona is sought by powerful enemies, and for good reason. Despite the security and isolation of the convent her secret and violent past will find her out. Beneath a dying sun that shines upon a crumbling empire, Nona Grey must come to terms with her demons and learn to become a deadly assassin if she is to survive… 
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Review: I've heard it said that Red Sister is the adult version of Harry Potter, but I didn't see that correlation here. In fact, this book was much better written and the story was its own. The only common factor the two stories has is that the young girls are trained in a school like setting to use magic. 
I enjoyed this world. It was full of mystery and darkness. The sisters of the convent were strong and full of power and I loved each and everyone of them. I do admit that I was a little lost some times with the progression of the story, but I quickly caught up.
Mark Lawrence has come up with an epic tale of magic and wonder and I can't wait for the sequel.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

#BookReview | Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love by Sarah Vaughn

Title: Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden LoveBy: Sarah VaughnGenre: Graphic NovelRelease Date: October 5th, 2016Publisher: DC Comics
Summary from Goodreads: Trapped inside an old gothic mansion, Deadman must battle the forces of darkness alongside Berenice, a young woman with a complicated love life who is gifted-or cursed-with the ability to communicate with the dead. Romance, mystery, and evil await in the new, bimonthly miniseries DEADMAN: DARK MANSION OF FORBIDDEN LOVE, by Sarah Vaughn (Alex + Ada) and Lan Medina (FABLES)!
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Review: What really drew me to this read was the name. I've never heard of Darkman, and the Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love just sounds so strange. I love it. The story started out a little slow for me, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. 
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.