Sarai Henderson's Blog, page 251

#WeeklyMenu Week 167

I love my six year old's drawings. This one is of him and his worry. Apparently, his worry is a large creature that kinda resembles a flaming turtle that holds a fire ball over his head. He looks happy though. I know my worry would be a whole lot scarier. 
This weeks worry is brought to you by hurricane force winds and record breaking rain. Fortunately, we didn't lose power or have a tree fall on our house, like so many people in our area. We survived.
Enjoy this weeks menu!  

Monday- Mozzarella Cheesesteak Stromboli
Tuesday- Cheese Steak Quesadillas 
Wednesday- Chicken with Creamy Garlic Sauce
Thursday- Slow Cooker Lo Mein 
Friday- White Pizza
Saturday- French Dip Sandwiches
Sunday- Tuna Sandwiches

Nika #BlogTour and #Giveaway By D.H. Gibbs

Nika: A Seychatka Novella
by D.H. Gibbs
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pages: 96
Release Date: March 1st 2016

Music PlaylistI don’t have a music playlist for writing but depending on my mood or If I’m painting I would listen to basically the top 100 but to mix it up I will throw in some music from the 80’s and 90’s rock as well as R&B. 

Summary from Goodreads:

Taken off the streets Nika is thrown into an unknown world where she's held captive. As an orphan, she has been on the run and must find her way out before they discover her secret. But these people held the knowledge of her family and who she is. Will she be able to find out before her secret is revealed?

After hundreds of years, Demyan has finally found the rightful ruler of his race. Unfortunately, she doesn't know who she is and is doing everything in her power to escape him. Time is running out and Demyan has to convince Nika to take her rightful place otherwise the battle will be lost and his race extinguished.

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About the Author
With an active imagination and a love of art D.H. Gibbs has chosen to combine her talents by writing and illustrating books. She writes for both the children and young adult genre, where both of her debut books has been published and is available on amazon. Her new children’s book will be coming out in 2016.

D.H. Gibbs hails from the Caribbean where in her free time she reads, paint and travel when she can.

Author Links:
Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

Blog Tour Organized by:
YA Bound Book Tours

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Brainwalker #BlogTour by Robyn Mundell & Stephan Lacast

Brainwalker
by Robyn Mundell & Stephan Lacast
Genre: YA Scifi/Fantasy
Release Date: October 1st 2016
Dualmind Publishing

Summary from Goodreads:

Fourteen year-old Bernard is full of out of the box ideas—ideas that nobody appreciates. Not his ultra-rational father, not his classmates, and definitely not his teacher, who’s fed up waiting for Bernard’s overdue science project. You’d think with a hotshot quantum physicist for a dad, the assignment would be easy as “pi”, but with his relationship with his father on rocky ground, Bernard is under more pressure than a helium atom.

And Bernard’s impulse control flies out the window when he’s stressed. So instead of turning in his project, he moons the class and gets suspended. Now his dad’s got no choice but to bring him to his work. At the Atom Smasher. It’s the chance of a lifetime for Bernard, who knows smashing atoms at the speed of light can—theoretically—make wormholes. How about that for the most mind-bending science project ever? But when he sneaks into the particle accelerator and someone hits the power button, Bernard ends up in the last place he’d ever want to be.

Inside his father’s brain.

And it’s nothing like the spongy grey mass Bernard studied at school. It’s a galaxy, infinite and alive. Like, people live there. A mysterious civilization on the brink of extinction, as unaware of their host as he is of them. But there’s zero time to process this. Bernard’s about to be caught up in an epic war between the two sides of his dad’s brain over their most precious resource:

Mental Energy.

With his father’s life at stake, Bernard must go up against the tyrannical left side of his father’s brain to save the dying, creative right side. But how the heck is he supposed to do that when he’s just a hopelessly right-brained kid himself?

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http://brainwalker.net/


Advance Praise:
"Excellent story with well developed characters and an awesome setting. My students are currently participating in a Growth Mindsets. Can't wait for publication. It would totally coincide with our brainology studies... I couldn't put it down." — Pam B, librarian, Wyola SD, MT
"In the novel Brainwalker, Mundell and Lacast have devised an ingenious plot using the tesseract concept found in 'A Wrinkle in Time' with the setting being the brain of the protagonist's father." — Douglas B. Educator
“This story is full of high-stakes adventure, and it often excels in its imaginative and allegorical exploration of real-world issues” — Kirkus Reviews
“The descriptions of the various locations, creatures, and residents of the Brainiverse are both fun and intelligent. Bernard is an engaging protagonist.” — Kirkus Reviews
“An imaginative adventure, ... one that clearly benefits from the great amount of thought that its authors put into it.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A fun way for kids/preteens to learn about science and the brain. The pictures are also really great and add a lot to the story” — Olivia Farr, Reviewer at Harvard Medical School
"The characters and the setting of this book are truly unique and very diverse, the plot is filled with fiction mixed with real brain concepts and puts everything into perspective from both fiction and reality" — Gabrielle Messier
"Definitely an approach to teenage urban fantasy that I’ve never seen before. I found myself quite enamored with Bernard and all his geeky questions and theories ... Underneath all the neurology, it’s really a story about connection and love and fighting for what’s important." — Kristen Canady
"'Brainwalker' is a great scientific fiction and that offers the readers a fantastic experience of the scientific adventure with the beautifully written words, the well laid out plots, and lifelike characters in the story." — Yichen Tu
"Not unlike experiencing Avatar in a 3D IMAX theater, this exciting and provocative novel includes characters and images of such dimension, the reader cannot help but feel fully invited into this fantastical storyline." — Lolly Howe
"Story starts and ends with the MOON! All will have to take a read to find out what I am talking about. This is a great Teen read revolving around young minds faced with the challenges of life." — Linda Babbs
"The world-building was pretty sublime: it was so cool to contextualize the brain in this way, and learn about it at the same time... The illustrations were all so refreshing to see - it's been too long since I've read a book that isn't afraid to support the plot line with pictures! I'm looking forward to what Mundell and Lacast have to offer in the future!" — TT turner
5 stars - "The authors have found a creative way to introduce the functions of the brain in a creative way that's full of action, adventure, and suspense. This will be a popular book in middle grades and middle school boys will enjoy this one!" — Susan Grigsby, ALA Librarian
“Teachers are always looking for ways to enhance scientific literacy and Brainwalker is the perfect vehicle to bridge the gap between exciting adventure and scientific inquiry.” — Jennifer C., Educator
"This brilliant new novel grapples with the most exciting topic possible, and invites middle school, young adults and also adult readers into the inexhaustible mystery of the universe. Take the walk." — Maureen G., Educator

About the Authors
Robyn Mundell is an award winning playwright. A graduate of New York University, she performed in dozens of plays in New York and was part of David Mamet’s Atlantic Theater Company. She studied with such theater legends as Uta Hagen, Lee Strasberg, and Stella Adler.
Robyn wrote and performed in several of her own plays including Pieces of O and Traveling Bowls of Soup, produced by Pulitzer-prize winner Beth Henley. Traveling Bowls of Soup opened at the Met theater to rave reviews and received several Drama-Logue awards. Robyn has since been selling original screenplays and TV pilots to major film companies and networks. She is the daughter of Canadian Nobel laureate Robert A. Mundell, and is married to actor-playwright Raymond J. Barry. Together, they have four children.

French-Born Stephan Lacast likes to think of himself as a geek, which depending on your  dictionary means either “knowledgeable about computers”, or “boring social misfit.” At the age of twelve his idea of fun was building computers and programming, and by fifteen he was a contributor to a computer magazine. A graduate of Paris-Dauphine University, he holds a Bachelor in Economics, a Master in Business Administration, and a Master of Advanced Studies in Information Systems.
After teaching at Dauphine University, Stephan went on to work as a consultant and engineer for one of the top ten Information Technology services companies in Europe, before deciding to leave Paris and move to the United States.

Bellamy and the Brute #BlogTour by Alicia Michaels @fantasybyalicia

BOOK & AUTHOR INFO:
Bellamy and The Brute
by Alicia Michaels
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: March 13th 2017
Genres: Fairy Tales, Retelling, Young Adult
Synopsis:
When Bellamy McGuire is offered a summer job babysitting for the wealthy Baldwin family, she’s reluctant to accept. After all, everyone in town knows about the mysterious happenings at the mansion on the hill—including the sudden disappearance of the Baldwin’s eldest son, Tate. The former football star and Golden Boy of Wellhollow Springs became a hermit at the age of sixteen, and no one has seen or heard from him since. Rumors abound as to why, with whisperings about a strange illness that has caused deformity…turned him into a real-life monster. Bellamy wants to dismiss these rumors as gossip, but when she’s told that if she takes the job she must promise to never, ever visit the 3rd floor of the mansion, she begins to wonder if there really is some dark truth being hidden there.
Tate’s condition may not be the only secret being kept at Baldwin House. There are gaps in the family’s financial history that don’t add up, and surprising connections with unscrupulous characters. At night there are strange noises, unexplained cold drafts, and the electricity cuts out. And then there are the rose petals on the staircase. The rose petals that no one but Bellamy seems to be able to see. The rose petals that form a trail leading right up to the 3rd floor, past the portrait of a handsome young man, and down a dark hallway where she promised she would never, ever go…
As Bellamy works to unravel the mysteries of Baldwin House and uncover the truth about Tate, she realizes that she is in way over her head, in more ways than one. Can her bravery and determination help to right the wrongs of the past and free the young man whose story has captured her heart?Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32419641-bellamy-and-the-brute?ac=1&from_search=true

AUTHOR BIO:Ever since she first read books like Chronicles of Narnia or Goosebumps, Alicia has been a lover of mind-bending fiction. Wherever imagination takes her, she is more than happy to call that place her home. With several Fantasy and Science Fiction titles under her belt, Alicia strives to write multicultural characters and stories that touch the heart. V-Card, the first book of the Sharing Spaces series, was her first Contemporary Romance.
The mother of three and wife to a soldier, she loves chocolate, coffee, and of course good books. When not writing, you can usually find her with her nose in a book, shopping for shoes and fabulous jewelry, or spending time with her loving family.
Author Links:http://www.fantasybyalicia.com/https://www.facebook.com/fantasybyaliciahttps://twitter.com/fantasybyaliciahttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6469080.Alicia_Michaels

ECHO Campaign #BlogTour by Taylor Brooke

BOOK & AUTHOR INFO:
ECHO Campaign
by Taylor Brooke
(Isolation #2)
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: November 1st 2016
Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Synopsis:Brooklyn Harper’s worst nightmare has become her reality. She has been captured by Isolation…
Trapped in a white-walled labyrinth by Juneau Malloy, Brooklyn is faced with the horrors of Isolation’s finest training yet. The skills she learned as an Omen Operative in Camp Number Eleven are put to the test in the form of brutal assessments of her strength, skills, and fortitude. Confused and disheartened, Brooklyn and the group of renegade Omens prepare for whatever trials Isolation has in store for them.
Juneau has caged her once again, but Brooklyn is far from broken…
When Brooklyn finds out her best friend Gabriel is alive, she goes on a violent rampage in search of her, but instead earns herself a stint in solitary confinement. Juneau attempts to tame Brooklyn through grueling exercises before offering her one radical choice. Brooklyn must hand over her freedom in order to spare her friends. She’ll become a showpiece Juneau will auction off to the highest bidder for her skills in assassination, defense, and combat.
There must be a way out, and the renegade Omens have to find it…
Brooklyn has no intention of becoming Juneau’s latest achievement. During a mind-warping training simulation, Brooklyn uncovers Isolation’s greatest secret and their darkest mistake. Juneau Malloy has created something far more sinister than the Omens, and it’s ready to eat the world alive.
As the battle with Isolation intensifies, Brooklyn is faced with her most dangerous choice yet…
Save her friends—or save humanity.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31309216-echo-campaign?ac=1&from_search=true
Purchase book 1: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AKKLKT4/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

AUTHOR BIO: Taylor Brooke is the author of the sci-fi adventure trilogy The Isolation Series. She started out as a freelance makeup artist, and quickly discovered her love of elves, zombies, mermaids, kaiju, and monsters of all kinds. After receiving eight professional certifications in special effects makeup, working on countless projects, and fleshing out a multitude of fantastical creatures, she turned her imagination back to her one true love — books. Taylor has had a knack for writing since she was a little girl, and received recognition for her skills throughout grade school and junior college. When she’s not nestled in a blanket typing away on her laptop, she can be found haunting the local bookstore with a cup of steaming hot tea in her hands, scanning the shelves for new reads, or hiking one of the many mountains that surround her home in Oregon.
Author Links:http://lion--ness.tumblr.com/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14777281.Taylor_Brookehttps://twitter.com/taysalion

#WeeklyMenu Week 166

I've been working hard on the sequel to HUNTER. Its coming along slowly but its there none the same. I can't wait to share it, but all of us will have to be patient, that includes me. It needs to be as perfect as it can be before I submit it to my publisher. Waiting is the hard part though.

Enjoy this weeks menu.

Monday- Ground Beef Tacos
Tuesday- Chicken Caesar Wrap
Wednesday- Taco Soup
Thursday- Crock-Pot BBQ Ribs
Friday- Chicken Parmesan Casserole 
Saturday- Cashew Chicken
Sunday
- Tuna Sandwiches

Rise #BookBlitz and #Giveaway by Luis Almonte

Book & Author Details:
Rise
by Luis Almonte
(Trifecta, #1)
Publication date: August 27th 2016
Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis:
The South Haven Academy for the Gifted and Talented (SHAGT) not only houses the exceptionally intelligent, but unknown to the normal students, a number of “gifted and talented” witches attend class with them every day.
Among the student body is fifteen-year-old Alexia Wick, a witch of the white-magic-practicing Alerium coven. Like the regular students, Alexia feels the pressure to succeed and meet her parents’ expectations, albeit with slightly different conditions. Rather than fretting about finals or college placement tests, she is in an entirely different arena—that of the Annual Trials.
In this prestigious competition among the most powerful witches in the country, Alexia must prove her magic and spell-casting abilities in order to advance in her skillset and bring triumph to Alerium. Her focus is distracted when the handsome and confident Kaleb moves to town.
Preparing for battle, falling in love—yes, Alexia is just like the other students at SHAGT. But with betrayal and death on the line, do the stakes of the competition and a romance shadowed by a dark, life-threatening secret even compare to those of a normal teenager?
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31696610-rise?ac=1&from_search=true
Purchase:Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0997894008/B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rise-luis-almonte/1124508117?ean=9780997894004Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/rise-44

AUTHOR BIO:(no author photo)Almonte is an author and poet who resides in New York with his spouse and two dogs. Rise is his debut novel, and is the first installment in the Trifecta Series, a young adult trilogy that is setting the literary world on fire!

He is an alumnus of New York University, where he studied leadership and management. In his spare time he enjoys cooking, entertaining, and reading. He is also an avid poker player. He attributes much of his success to his family, and is looking forward to writing the follow-up installment in the series.
Author links:http://www.trifectabookseries.com/https://www.facebook.com/trifectarise/https://twitter.com/Trifecta_Series

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The Glitch #BlogTour by Ramona Finn

The Glitch
by Ramona Finn
Genre: YA Dystopian
Release Date: September 5th 2016

Summary from Goodreads:

On the brink of extinction, being human means more than just surviving.

In Lib’s world, it’s dangerous to deviate from the norm. In fact, for someone who doesn’t live up to the Artificial Intelligence’s standards, it’s practically a death sentence. Lib learns this the hard way when she wakes up in a barren wasteland, with her memories erased, and only one thought lodged in her mind:

“It’s all my fault.”

Lib is a Glitch—an imperfect human component of the utopian world called the Norm. Now she’s thrown out, Lib will be forced to team up with another Glitch, Raj, and the mysterious Rogue Wolf and his clan to survive. Wolf only cares about the survival of his group, but Raj thinks they can hack the A.I. and change the Norm for the better.

Now, Lib will have to decide which path to choose—whether to go with striking loner Raj or stay with Wolf and his tight-knit group. Her heart is drawn to both, but she’s carrying a deadly secret that could jeopardize them all. Will she be able to save her newfound family and stop the A.I. before it’s too late?

Excerpt 4
The next day I go out with Raj, but we don’t go out alone. Bobcat and several other Rogues go with us. I don’t know their names and no one bothered to tell them to me. Wolf isn’t with us. When I ask Bobcat why, she says, “He can’t be expected to hold your hand every day.”
My face heats. “Did I ask for that?”
I turn away and head over to Raj’s AT. His bruises yellow his skin and his moves are stiff, but he smiles at me. “I’ll hold your hand.”
My face warms again. I shake my head and swing a leg over the AT. We ride the small ones, and I wrap my arms around Raj. He flinches and gives a groan. I loosen my grip. “Still hurts?”
“Only when I laugh,” he mutters.
Bobcat gets on her AT with another Rogue. She leads the way. We follow her for several miles, winding through dusty canyons until the cliffs open up into an almost grassy area. The grass is thin and grows in clumps, but it looks like the grass Wolf showed me how to eat.
Bobcat slows and comes to a stop. I glance around, remembering what Wolf said. I close my eyes and listen and smell. I can smell faint traces of oil, and I hear wind whistling through metal. Opening my eyes, I see a platform buried by sand.
I get off the AT and head over to the platform. It’s in worse shape than any I have seen. But it must be connected still. My hands are clammy, my nerves eating at me. I don’t want to explain why I don’t want to connect.
Raj goes down on his knees and brushes away the sand. He exposes a railing. The platform fell on its side—half is buried, but the railing is near the top. He grins. “The more obscure, the less likely the AI will be monitoring this platform. We still have to be careful. The sentinels still patrol every connect.”
I nod but don’t step any closer to the platform. I don’t want to go in. I never want to go in again. If I go in, will Conie let me out? Will Conie tell me things I don’t want to hear? Will I be reminded of my purpose?
I rub the sweat from my palms on my pants. The back of my neck is tingling and I want to rub it, too, but that would make it obvious how nervous I am.
Raj waves me forward, but I hesitate.
My hands are shaking. My heart pounds and my breath is fast and uneven. I am scared of going in there. I can still remember the AI and… and I don’t know why she helped me or why she had my mother’s face. For all I know, she has my mother somewhere in the Norm. Maybe she holds my mother hostage to use to force me to do what Conie wants. These are things I’m not ready to deal with yet, but I don’t have a choice. I can’t tell Raj about any of this—certainly not with Bobcat and the other Rogues watching us and watching the skies.
“Hurry,” Raj says. A flicker of irritation grates his voice. “You want to wait here until a drone flies by?”
I have no way out. I force myself to walk three steps forward, my heart pounding so loudly I am certain everyone can hear it. I stand beside Raj. The wind hums through the rustled metal. Maybe it will be fine. Maybe there is no power to this platform anymore. Maybe it is nonfunctional and nothing will happen when I try a connect.
Maybe I am dreaming.
Raj gives a tight nod. “Connect. I’ll let you know what we’re looking for once we’re inside.”
Before I can agree or disagree, he places his hand on the railing. His eyes glaze over, unfocused and distant, until it seems as if his body is an empty shell. I hadn’t thought about how a connect must look to others, but now I glance at the Rogues. They look away and shift uneasily. It must seem to them that Raj isn’t really out here anymore. Which is true. His mind is tucked inside a vast computer right now, floating in an endless flow of data.

I can’t leave him there on his own. He might encounter sentinels. Or Conie.



BUY LINK: Amazon

About the AuthorRamona Finn writes about courageous characters who fight to live in broken, dystopian worlds. She believes a person's true characters is often revealed in times of crisis, and there is no greater crisis than the worlds that she drops her characters into! 
She grew up sitting cross-legged on her town's library floor--completely engrossed in science fiction books. It was always the futuristic world or the universe-on-the-brink-of-extinction plotlines that drew her in, but it was the brave characters who chose to fight back that kept her turning the pages. 
Her books create deep, intricate worlds with bold characters determined to fight for their survival in their dystopian worlds--with a little help from their friends. And, of course, romance is never out of the question ;)
Author Links:

Book Heist #BlogTour and #Giveaway

Young Adult books come in all shapes and sizes. Some star werewolves or vampires. Some feature magic. Sometimes the world is new. Sometimes it’s a twist on everything you know. There is family. Friendship shows up in spades. Most of the time, you can be sure you’ll fall in love. 
It’s a world of literature that so many miss out on because they think the name describes the reader’s age. In reality, YA books are for those who appreciate the wonders of youth. They strive for the optimism and the courage in the face of danger. Yes, teens read these stories in droves, but they aren’t the only ones who can learn from the perpetual hope these characters see. To see the world through the eyes of someone who wants to make it better is an astounding thing. 
Nineteen young adult authors have banded together to show their little corners of the world, their hope and courage and optimism. It is shown through the actions of teenagers who are ever changing. They love with the same fierceness that they hate and forgive easily. They believe they can do anything. Who doesn’t want a piece of that? 
When you enter our giveaway, you not only have a chance to win a Kindle Paperwhite, but so many more prizes from paperbacks to swag. Every entrant will also receive five FREE eBooks. You can sign up nineteen different ways. 
By entering, you are also helping each author donate books to The Lisa Libraries. It’s an organization that provides books to people in underserved communities who may not otherwise have them. They supply youth centers, women’s shelters, and so much more. 
Like our Facebook page where you can learn more about us and where we’ll announce our winners throughout the giveaway! https://www.facebook.com/Book-Heist-Kindle-giveaway-607276049397351/
Introducing our mixed bag of authors! 
Michelle Lynn – Dystopian Rebecca Jaycox - Fantasy Michelle Bryan - Dystopian Gina Azzi – Contemporary Romance Melissa Craven - Paranormal Kelly St. Clare - Fantasy Susan Faw - Fantasy G.K. DeRosa - Paranormal T.D. Shields - Dystopian Patrick Hodges - Contemporary Amalie Jahn – Science Fiction Claire Luana - Fantasy K.J. McPike - Paranormal Michael Bailey - Super Heroes J.A. Culican - Fantasy Elysabeth Eldering – Paranormal Mystery Rita Goldner – Children’s K.R. Conway - Paranormal T.L. McDonald - Fantasy



GIVEAWAY:Book Heist: Kindle Giveaway


Book Blitz Organized by:

Amber Sky #Review and #BlogTour by Amy Braun @amybraunauthor

Title: Amber SkyBy: Amy BraunGenre: Dystopian - Steam Punk Release Date: October 4th, 2016Publisher: Amy Braun
Summary from Goodreads:Press-ganged into servitude by a ruthless band of marauders who survived the devastating Storm, Nash has grown tired of his career– the young, undefeated champion of the Stray Dog fighting pits. All he longs for is a place to live where his family is not his enemy.

When his captain gives him an assignment to embed him deeper into the crew, Nash attempts to refuse, until the life of his friend is threatened. Determined to save her, Nash embarks on the mission to subjugate and control a supplier. But the supplier has other clients, one of which could be the son of the most feared pirate captain in all of Westraven.

And if Nash plays his cards right, the key to his deeply desired freedom, if he can live with the consequences of his choice…

Set two years before the events of CRIMSON SKY, this prequel novella tells the story of how Nash and Sawyer crossed paths– and fists. While best enjoyed before reading CRIMSON SKY, this bonus story can be read at any time or enjoyed as a standalone.
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Review:I've recently had the chance to get to know this amazing author and read her novella, Amber Sky, a prequel to her Dark Sky series. Although, I haven't been able to read the rest of the series yet, this prequel can be read on its own or anytime during the series.

It starts off following Nash, who has had a tragic life. His whole family has been killed by the Hellions and he's been forced to fight in the crater for the enjoyment of the Stray Dogs. When an unfortunate relative of two ruthless pirates (Sawyer) is captured by the Stray Dogs, Nash uses it as an opportunity to escape. A bond of trust is formed by the two main characters through struggle and near death experiences. I can't wait to see what these two have in store for me in the next installment.

 I absolutely loved the characters in this book. It kept me on edge the whole time and although it was a quick read, I got the sense of fulfillment when the book ended. Amy Braun has a beautiful way of creating a colorful world. One where there is struggle but also hope. I'm going to give this read five stars.


I received this book by the author for an honest review.