fantasy

Preview and Giveaway: The Collectors’ Society Encyclopedia by Heather Lyons

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I have mentioned before that I love Heather Lyons’ Collectors’ Society. It’s basically an adult themed fairy tales. Think Once Upon A Time, but much better, AND in book form. Action, adventure, romance, and all the things fairy tale. If you like adventures and romance, you must try this series. Another cool thing about this series, well at least to me, is that one of the characters is named after me. I have a bit of crazy in me. And for those who know me personally, being portrayed like that, in a book, isn’t that far off from my reality. 😉

For those previously introduced to the mysterious Collectors’ Society and its mission, eager to discover more, The Collectors’ Society Encyclopedia is the perfect full-color companion piece to the series. Within are detailed entries elaborating upon various agents and employees as well as key villains suspected of targeting and destroying Timelines. Backstories, relationships, secrets, and clues are revealed alongside a thorough bibliography of important Timelines and their designations. Profiles are also included of the Institute in New York City as well as Wonderland. Society fans and lovers of classic literature will undoubtedly delight in unraveling the secrets that lay within these pages.

Librarian Encyclopedia Introduction

CLASSIFIED MATERIAL

If you are reading this dossier, you have been granted Level Three clearance within the Collectors’ Society. Included in these pages are snippets from multiple key agent files as well as those on persons of interest. Please keep in mind that this compendium is considered highly sensitive and is illegal to share with anyone outside of your clearance. It is not to be removed from the Institute.

Happy reading!

—The Librarian

This is but a glimpse of what’s in store for you. I can’t stinkin’ wait to get my hands on a copy!!
Alice Encyclopedia Page

Be sure to go HERE and enter the rafflecopter.

The Collectors’ Society Encyclopedia
AMAZON
iBooks
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Read the entire series!
The Collectors’ Society
AMAZON
BN
iBooks
KOBO
The Hidden Library
AMAZON
BN
iBooks
KOBO
The Forgotten Mountain
AMAZON
BN
KOBO
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About Heather Lyons:

Heather Lyons writes epic, heartfelt love stories and has always had a thing for words. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. She and her husband and children live in sunny Southern California and are currently working their way through every cupcakery she can find.

Links:

Website: http://www.heatherlyons.net
Author Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/heatherlyons
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hymheather
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heatherlyonsbooks?fref=ts
THE COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22735431-the-collectors-society
THE HIDDEN LIBRARY Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24017512-the-hidden-library
THE FORGOTTEN MOUNTAIN Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25392947-the-forgotten-mountain
THE COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY ENCYCLOPEDIA Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27177530-the-collectors-society-encyclopedia

InkSlinger Blogger Final

Review: Darken the Stars by Amy Bartol

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01 dark Oh.my.gosh……I can’t…..my heart…..oh man….what do I do now?? This book has left me devastated. Amy Bartol tugs at your heartstrings with this epic and very emotional conclusion. I was in a constant state of nervousness the entire book. I had no idea this ending would leave me feeling like this. I can’t even put it in words.

This book takes place immediately after Sea of Stars and now Kyon has Kricket. He’s never going to let her go. He’s wanted her for so long and he’s not taking any chances. He’ll do anything to protect her. I was happy with this storyline, because I love Kyon. But at the same time, I’m so mad because I hate him also. He’s evil and bad, but Kricket was growing to love him, the more time she’s with him. That was a hard pill to swallow. I didn’t want to see her get closer to him.

The more I think about the story, the more my heart hurt for Kricket. She just wants to go home to Earth and get her life back. She doesn’t want to be the answer to everyone’s problems. She wants to stop feeling things for these men in her life and she wants them to stop feeling for her too. It would make her leaving that much easier on everyone. But most of all, she wants to be free. Watching her struggle, with these burdens, hurt me.

And let’s not bring up the scenes with Trey. Oh my word. Every time Trey’s emotions got the better of him, I cried. I mean, tears falling down my cheeks. He loves her so much and is doing everything in his power to get her free from Kyon and all those who would use her for their own good.

Without giving away spoilers, I will say that the ending is not what I expected, but it was needed. There’s so much more that could’ve happened. There’s so much more that I wanted to happen. I hope she surprises us with another one. I think we need it. I understand the way she ended it. I get it. I won’t say that I was cheering at the end, but I get it. I really do…

~Melpomene

Buy
Under Different Stars (The Kricket Series Book 1)
Sea of Stars (The Kricket Series Book 2)
Darken the Stars (The Kricket Series Book 3)

Review: Crystal Kingdom by Amanda Hocking

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01 cry This is the third book in the Kanin Chronicles, and I was totally taken in with this series. An epic fantasy with enough action to get your heart racing and enough romance to make your heart happy. I know this is a spin off from the Trylle books, but I haven’t read those yet. But after reading this series, I have to bump them up my tbr list.

SYNOPSIS
Bryn must decide: follow her head or her heart.

Thrown into a world of suspense and intrigue, Bryn has to fight to clear her name. But she’s not alone. With help from the Trylle – including Finn Holmes – she’s on a quest to discover the truth.

With her life and her world on the line, will Bryn be able to risk it all?

Bryn has to make some very difficult choices in this final book. She is an outlaw, and must rely on some unlikely alliances if she wants to clear name and find out who’s behind all this trouble. Her heart was pulled in so many different directions, I felt so bad for her. I wanted her to find happiness, but not at the expense of all that she, and her loved ones, had to endure. Just when things were looking up, the rug was pulled out from underneath her. So many times….

I loved all these characters. Konstantin was so bad, and yet not really. He was a wild card, and I love him. I wanted only good things for him. Ridley was amazing. He endured so much for her. The pain he went through was insane. But for Brynn, he would do that and so much more. I was glad to see many of the Trylle characters in this story. They seem to have a great story to tell. Like I said already, that series is getting bumped up. I need to know how they came to be.

Brynn was so used to doing a job and not thinking of love, that she missed out on so much. She was all about the job and never understood why so many of her friends were choosing love. By then end, she knew. Without feeling love for others, this battle was pointless. But perhaps now, she’ll be able to move on to bigger and better things knowing that there’s more to this life now.

All in all, a fabulous conclusion. Mind you, there were quite a few scenes in which I yelled, “NO!!!” and my heart was crushed and ripped out a few times, but I was left satisfied. The last chapter wrapped everything up, with a nice little bow. I wish we were able to see a wee bit more of Brynn’s future, but perhaps we’ll get a surprise novella later. That would make me happy.

~Melpomene

Release Date: Aug 4, 2015
Buy Crystal Kingdom (The Kanin Chronicles)

First you must get caught up.
Frostfire (The Kanin Chronicles Book 1)

Ice Kissed (The Kanin Chronicles)

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

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01court How does one put into words all these feelings I have? This book was epic. This book was fantastical. This book was magical. This book was beautiful. There are not enough stars to rate this story.

SYNOPSIS
When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

This book most definitely had the Beauty and the Beast feel, mixed with faeries. It worked perfectly. It had the feel of a Young Adult book, but it was definitely New Adult. Anyone familiar with the fae know that they are not G-rated. But that isn’t what this story was about. Was there love? Oh yes. But this story was about more than that. It was about friendship and loyalty. It was about curses and evil. It was about looking deep inside yourself and finding the courage to stand up and against the evil that’s surrounds you.

Feyre has grown up with a very hard life. She has done so much for her loved ones, but none of them do things for her. When she’s forced to live with Tamlin, she is thrust into a fight that she had no idea was going on. She has to make tough decisions that will forever change her. But she will be strong.

The men in this book were amazing!! Lucien was the BEST!! He’s the best friend and the comic relief. But he will do his job and help anyway he can. Rhysand was a mixed bag of tricks. I loved to hate him. But in the end, I find myself a bit taken with him. The verdict is still out though. Now, Tamlin was perfect. He is a protector of his people and land. He would anything for them, including dying, if only to save those he loves. The connection between him and Feyre was amazing. Swoon worthy actions and words, which made me fall for him.

“You’re exactly how I dreamed you to be, too.”

If you like fairy tales, you will love this book. I am kicking myself for not reading Sarah’s books sooner. But I plan on rectifying this soon. If her first series is half this magical, I will be a very happy muse.

Well done, Sarah!!

~Melpomene

Buy A Court of Thorns and Roses

Review: Rogue by Julie Kagawa

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01 rogue Another perfect young adult book, filled with action and adventure, and plenty of sweet romance and fantasy to keep me happy.

SYNOPSIS
Ember Hill left the dragon organization Talon to take her chances with rebel dragon Cobalt and his crew of rogues. But Ember can’t forget the sacrifice made for her by the human boy who could have killed her—Garret Xavier Sebastian, a soldier of the dragonslaying Order of St. George, the boy who saved her from a Talon assassin, knowing that by doing so, he’d signed his own death warrant.

Determined to save Garret from execution, Ember must convince Cobalt to help her break into the Order’s headquarters. With assassins after them and Ember’s own brother helping Talon with the hunt, the rogues find an unexpected ally in Garret and a new perspective on the underground battle between Talon and St. George.

A reckoning is brewing and the secrets hidden by both sides are shocking and deadly. Soon Ember must decide: Should she retreat to fight another day…or start an all-out war?

I love Cobalt. I do. Ember was driving me a little nuts, but she is 16 yrs old, so I need to cut her emotional behavior some slack. She is still torn between the soldier and the dragon. My inner teenager was very happy with this. I love that we saw a bit of his back story. It makes me wish for very bad things for Talon.

Ember has chosen to be a Rogue, but Talon won’t let her go so easily. They pull out all the stops and will stop at nothing to get her back, dead or alive.

Cobalt has lived as a rogue for some time now, but his safe houses are being targeted. So he must find out who’s behind all of this. I’m a bit fearful, that once this is discovered, I will not be with the outcome. But I hope I’m wrong. Again, I say, I LOVED Cobalt. He knows who and what he wants, and he will do everything he can to get it and defend it. I’m pulling for him.

Garret made his decision and now he must pay for it. St. George won’t let him just walk away. So no matter what, he’s on his own. I kinda fell for him, too. But he’s human, which means he’s bad for the dragons. Tough break for him.

I did enjoy the many points of view we had. It was nice to be in everyone’s head. But sometimes the heartache made me sad. But these people chose their paths and now they must defend their actions, no matter if it takes their life.

~Melpomene

Buy Rogue (The Talon Saga Book 2)

Get caught up with Talon (The Talon Saga Book 1) first.

Review: Defy by Sarah B. Larson

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17406847 This book is labeled as a YA fantasy book which had me excited as soon as I read the blurb about it. But the blurb also had me conflicted from the get go because it mentioned a a love triangle which is a tricky thing in any genre but is particularly tricky for me in a YA genre right now because it’s been done to death. On top of that is that while I love the cover because it’s just very pretty but it reminded me right away of another YA fantasy book I loved – Graceling. I just don’t love that books in a similar genre have such similar covers. 3236307

Alexa was forced to disguise herself as a boy as a child and was trained to become part of the Royal Guard defending Prince Damian. She doesn’t have almost anyone to confide in and is pretty miserable keeping her secrets. Meanwhile, the Royal Guard is busy trying to keep magic and sorcery out of their realm. When Alexa is assigned to protect Damian personally she discovers some of his own secrets and she comes to realize that the Prince she took as a lazy, snobby boy has a completely different side. At the same time her steady friend, Rylan, revelas that her secret may not be so secret after all and things become even more complicated for Alexa.

I was drawn into this world pretty easily and thought the author did a good job of building the world. I was horrified at the parts of the world that were meant to be horrifying. However the love triangle was a little forced. There was definitely some insta-love that seems to plague YA books and the part of the triangle that would have been the more natural part is of course the person that is not actually fallen for.

There was a lot of potential in the book and it’s possible that other people don’t have the same irritations I do with these kind of books. Try it out for yourself and see. It is well written and I liked both the premise and the main character.

3 stars.

~ Clio

Buy it Now Defy

Review: Witch Finder by Ruth Warburton

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18039069 This amazing cover drew me in once again. How gorgeous is this girl? How amazing is this lighting? This book starts off very strong with Luke being initiated into a Brotherhood of witch hunters. His initiation includes killing a witch and that doesn’t bother him at all. He was only hoping it would be the witch that killed his parents. When that doesn’t happen and he’s assigned to kill 16 year old Rosa Greenwood who comes from a powerful witch family he thinks this will still be no big deal.

Luke goes undercover as a stable hand and the POV changes to Rosa’s and we get to glimpse inside her life. We discover that her life is not so rosy as her mother and family are depending on her to save their family from poverty. Rosa doesn’t agree with using her magic for anything bad but unfortunately for her she has to sit back and watch as her family goes against everything she believe in.

I really enjoyed this book, which turned out to have a good mix of magic and YA romance. It’s not super heavy on either, and has a decent amount of action in the mix as well. The last third of the book was pretty surprising to me and definitely made me do my speed reading thing where I had to finish it all at once to know what happened right then.

I received this ARC in return for an honest review.

4 stars.

~ Clio

Buy it Now Witch Finder

Review: The Happy Endings Book Club by Jane Tara

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20131222-104759.jpg This book is weird. That’s my opinion, and it’s not to say the book is bad, because it’s not. The book is well written and clever; it’s just the quirkiest, oddest book I’ve ever read. I was slogging through it, not enjoying it at all, when all of a sudden at 75% of the way through, I got it. I understood. And I burst into tears as all the problems of all the characters met inside my mind and exploded there. I’m not sure if that made me ENJOY the book any more than before, but I sure do appreciate it now.

The Happy Endings Book Club is a group of women who need a little encouragement and uplifting. They’re fading into the background of life and need some verve. Some of the women find “life” in reality, and some find it in fantasy: fairly lands and magic.

The fantasy world in the novel isn’t isolated like Hogwarts in Harry Potter. Instead, it’s part of the regular world… More like fantastical beings existing with all their powers in the mortal world. And while that allows great freedom in the plot, it also confuses a linear realist like me!

I liked the characters, the plot lines, the endings and new beginnings. I had a tough time with the magic, the fairyland, and the special powers…. but only because those are out of my comfort zone. This clever novel opened my eyes and gave me a lot to think about.

–Calliope

Buy it now The Happy Endings Book Club

Review: Under Different Stars (Kricket#1), by Amy Bartol

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“You cannot thrive under the wrong stars, Kricket.”

I have loved Amy Bartol, since I first read her Premonition series. So when I found out she was writing another series, I was excited to read it. When I saw the cover, I knew it was going to be different. And I was correct. I will admit that for the first 25% I was confused with all the names and titles of things. Since this takes place on another planet, everything is different. I highlighted a ton and kept going back for reviewing. 🙂 Eventually I forgot about the names and just followed the story.

17 yr old Kricket has always wanted a home and family. After growing up in the foster care system, she decides to break out of it and find her own way. She’s been doing that for two years and she just wants to get to her 18th birthday, so she can quite looking over she shoulder.

Trey Allairis is a soldier, sent from her planet, along with his friends, Wayra and Jax, to bring her back. She doesn’t want to go, but she doesn’t have a choice. And as they make their way to her real home, he realizes that she is more than just a mission. He also discovers that she isn’t a timid little flower and can stand up for herself against big strong soldiers. Slowly she wraps them around her little finger.

Kricket learns that she has powers, with the potential for many more, and that makes her a hot commodity. She just wants to go back to Earth, but there is no escaping. She must learn how to conform to her current situation, while holding herself together. When all the five houses of Ethar start vying for her, she must make some difficult decisions and rely on Trey to help her.

Kyon knows about Kricket, and her potential powers, and wants her for himself. And he will do anything to get her. No matter what Kricket does to dissuade him, he will not back down. Either he will have her, or no one will.

Slowly, but surely Trey realizes his feelings for her and decides he would do anything to protect her, even if it means to let her go to an enemy. As long as she’s alive, he can move on.

“If I touch her, she’ll have my soul”

I can’t wait til the next book comes out. I know I have long to wait, but it’ll be worth it. I must know what happens!! Will Kricket be able to be with Trey, without fear?? What happened to Kyon?? I MUST KNOW!!!

~Melpomene

Buy it now Under Different Stars (The Kricket Series)

New Releases for October 15, 2013

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Well, it’s that time again. New release day!! I, for one, am super excited to tell you about a few of these books.

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The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon
For those of you who LOVE all things Amazon, this is right up your alley. 🙂 I must admit, I’m intrigued, myself.

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Naked Sushi
I’m currently reading this book. I’m in the beginning and so far, I’m quite enjoying it. These Cosmo Red Hot Reads have been fun.

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Everything You Need to Know
And here’s another Cosmo Red Hot Read. It was a quick and fun book. I hope they come out with more of these.

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The Wolves of Midwinter: The Wolf Gift Chronicles
This is the second book in The Wolf Gift Chronicles. I, myself, am a bit afraid of Ms. Rice books. One of these days, I’ll take a chance and try one. 🙂
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UnSouled (Unwind Dystology)
This is third book in the Unwind Dystology series. I am adding this one to my tbr list. I love dystopian books!!

18589060Holding Out for a Hero
This is another book that has caught my attention. One of the Muses has already read it and will post a review tomorrow. Here is the link

17284874Bold Tricks (The Artists Trilogy)
The Artists trilogy is another series I’m dying to read. I’m glad I waited til the third book is out, though. Now I can read in peace. 🙂

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Finding It (Losing It)
This is the third book in the Losing It series. I’ve enjoyed these a lot. My review, for this one, will be posted later today. I’ll link it HERE.

I hope you enjoy all of your new releases.

~Melpomene