Siren's Curse Book Blitz - Release Date: December 5th, 2013

Title: Siren's Curse

Author: Sara Jiang

Date of Publication: December 5, 2013

Circe only has seven days to live… and time is ticking.

Long ago, Sirens were cursed to stay on the rocks. If they ever stopped eating human flesh, their horns would pierce their bodies and they would die.

Circe had a choice: stay on the Perch with her sisters, feeding off of sailors for all time, or to dive into the deep, face the unknown, and take her chance at freedom.

On her journey into the ocean Circe meets a precocious little sea dragon, a heart-throb shark, and an eel with a vengeance. She comes face to face with witches, madmen, monsters, and a mysterious, loud rumbling that seems to only be getting louder.

Can she break the curse?

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About Sara Jiang

Sara Jiang was born in 1991 and lived on a sailboat in the Caribbean for 3 years when she was younger. This exposure to the ocean influences much of her art and writing. She is currently studying for her Bachelor's in Vocal Music Education at Abilene Christian University.

Sara Jiang does commission artwork and recently won Abilene Christian University's Summit Art Contest with one of her pen and ink drawings.

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Killing Me Softly

Published:  May 7th, 2013

Chantress (Chantress Trilogy #1)

By: Amy Butler Greenfield

Margaret K. McElderry

ISBN-13:  9781442457034

Lucy, shipwrecked on an island at 8, is forbidden to sing by guardian Norrie. On All Hallows Eve 1667, at 15, she sings, and is swept into darkness. She wakes to hear powerful men hunt Chantresses who sing magic into the world. At the Invisible College she finds sanctuary, plots to overthrow the evil Lord Protector, and distrustful scientist-apprentice Nat. Only a Chantress can overcome the Protector, and Lucy is the last in England.

Review

     When Lucy was a small child, she and her Mother went on the run from people hunting their kind.  Lucy was sent to a secluded island, with only her nanny Norrie for company, to protect her.  Now that she is fifteen years old Lucy longs to see other places and meet new people.  Also, she'd like to know what became of her Mother, who she hasn't seen in seven years.  Lucy has been told one thing above all else in her time on the island - not to sing ever, no matter what happens.  The temptation proves too much and after singing on All Hallow's Eve, she finds herself back in England in the middle of a hostile environment.  It turns out that Lucy is the last of the Chantresses and it prophesied to save England from Lord Scargrave and his awful monsters called Shadowgrims.  With the help of a group of intellectuals who have dubbed themselves the Invisible College, and a mysterious, magic-hating apprentice named Nat, Lucy might be able to fulfill her destiny.  But can she stay alive long enough to infiltrate and conquer the evil threatening them all?

     I liked this book a lot.  That is the thing I need to tell all of you first, before I start pointing out the things that bothered me.  It's one of the better historical fiction books that I've read in quite awhile and I really enjoyed how well researched it was.  I may just be a complete nerd, but the historical notes on what was real and what wasn't totally enhanced my reading experience.  I like knowing the origins of things!  That said, let's get down to the nitty gritty of the book itself.  Some series books have the extraordinary power to make you forget they aren't standalone, and build their own complex story just in one part of the series - this isn't one of those books.  The whole thing is pretty mush setup for the rest of the series.  We are introduced to Lucy, Nat, Lord Scargrave, Pennybrygge (the scientist Nat is apprenticed to), Norrie and Lucy's mysterious Godmother.  There is a lot of character development, but Nat's past is pretty shrouded in mystery still.  Throughout the book, Lucy and Nat built a friendship out of initial dislike and distrust (her of his motives, him of her magic) and the tenative beginnings of romance were visible at the end.  Praise be to Ms. Greenfield for staying FAR away from the insta-love trope!  What a relief to not have that be a factor.

     Whereas a lot of the reviews that I've read about this book seem to complain about the lack of action, I feel like the world-building and character strength made up for it in spades.  I don't mind being without consistent periods of action in a book, but the plot needs to make me think a little harder and the good versus evil dynamic has to be awesome.  I felt like with the difference between Wild and Proven Magics, the Shadowgrims existence ( the supernatural elements in general), etc. that it should have been slightly more pulse pounding of a final confrontation.  The 'defeat' of Lord Scargrave was too easy and the whole thing felt really anticlimactic.  Overall, there was a lot to love about this book and I will definitely be reading the next one to get answers to the questions I still have from this one.  But beware, if slow paced novels that are chock full to the brim with detailed world-building and little action aren't your thing, you might want to avoid this one.

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Heaven Knows, Anything Goes

Published:  November 8th, 2012
Sirens (Faithful # 3)
By: Janet Fox
Speak
ISBN-13:  9780142424308

When Jo Winter’s parents send her off to live with her rich cousin on the glittering island of Manhattan, it’s to find a husband and forget about her brother Teddy’s death. But all that glitters is not gold.. 

Caught up in the swirl of her cousin’s bobbed-hair set—and the men that court them— Jo soon realizes that the talk of marriage never stops, and behind the seemingly boundless gains are illicit business endeavors, gangsters, and their molls. Jo would much rather spend time the handsome but quiet Charles, a waiter at the Algonquin Hotel, than drape herself over a bootlegger. But when she befriends a moll to one of the most powerful men in town, Jo begins to uncover secrets—secrets that threaten an empire and could secure Jo’s freedom from her family. 

Can her newfound power buy her love? Or will it ruin Jo, and everyone around her?

Review

     Jo Winter is still getting over her brother Teddy's sudden death, when her parents decide to ship her off to New York to live with her rich relatives.  All she wants is to finish high school, go to college and become a working woman - do something exciting with her life.  Jo definitely isn't ready for a husband, which is supposedly the reason her parents send her to her cousin Melody (a notorious flapper).  In reality it's to remove her from danger, because the famous gangster Danny Connor has been causing trouble for her bootlegger Father.  And it's all got something to do with Teddy...  Befriending Louise 'Lou' O'Keefe, Danny's Irish girlfriend, is either the smartest or dumbest move Jo could make.  A jealous gangster's moll is nothing to take lightly.  When she discovers Teddy's journal, the mystery behind his 'death' really begins to unfold, as she solves clues to find missing pages.  Danny Connor would do anything to get his hands on that journal as it holds some of his most closely guarded secrets.  Even committing deadly acts that Jo might never get the chance to escape from.  Can she make it out of a harsh new life of crime, booze and partying alive, or will becoming a flapper be the end of Jo?

     I expected this to be something like the Bright Young Things series by Anna Godberson - of which I am not a fan.  I was hoping for something like the Flapper series by Jillian Larkin.  What I got was neither of those things - it was book entirely it's own, shiny new take on the 1920's Prohibition, organized crime and partying phenomenon.   This was a book about a girl who actually doesn't care about being a flapper, as much as she'd like to be an independent career girl.  Also the one flapper we really get to know, her cousin Melody, has a tragic backstory of her own.  She is really only going through the motions and has something that matters more to her than partying ever could - even if she is disillusioned by life.  I liked that it went back and forth between Jo's point of view and Lou's.  They were two completely different women and it was definitely interesting to see the obvious discrepancies in the way they view the world.  Being Irish and poor in America in the early 1900's forced Lou to fend for herself or find someone to take care of her - she chose the latter, and went with Danny Connor.  Jo, from a very different background, is also learning that same lesson throughout the novel, but she chooses to fend for herself.

     Along with the romance and partying in this book, came a murder mystery.  The death of Jo's brother Teddy also was linked with a real-life political bombing that Fox used to very good affect.  Probably the major issue that I had with this book it the absolutely stupid way that Jo's parents chose to try and 'protect' her.  She gets sent to New York, and everyone is told where she's going!  Yeah, that's gonna make it hard to find her for reals Mr. and Mrs. Winter!  Also, her brother was perfect in her imaginings and remembrances.  I would have preferred to have REAL moments between them.  Especially from after Teddy returned from WWI.  He was most likely suffering from some form of shell-shock (PTSD) like many soldiers were and that kind of thing utterly fucks you up.  And if a guy goes to work for a known mobster and also gets involved what is basically a terrorist political group, he's far from some perfect knight in shining armor!  The way the actions builds toward the ending was fast-paced, but extremely cliched and I was rolling my eyes throughout.  I would have liked to have seen more about Melody.  Frankly, it might have been a better book that made tons more sense if it had been about her instead of Jo.  That said, I did enjoy it even if it's not a favorite or the best book ever.  I especially enjoyed the detailed descriptions of NY in the 1920's.  Fox has a serious gift with words.  I am going to be going back and reading the first two for sure.  Overall a good read, and if you like mysteries and 1920's settings, you should try it out.

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Don't Wake Me Up, You're Creepy

Published:  August 7th, 2012

Wake (Watersong # 1)

By: Amanda Hocking

St. Martin's Griffin

ISBN-13:  9781250008121

Gorgeous. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have caught everyone's attention—but it’s Gemma who’s attracted theirs.  She’s the one they’ve chosen to be part of their group.

Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door.  He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back.  Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever.  She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove.  They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price.  And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.

Review

     So, the above summary is from Goodreads and seems like a more than adequate enough background for someone reading this review to know what the book is about (or trying to be about anyways...).  So I'm just going to bypass my normal blurb and just jump right into the actual review portion of this post.  As a young adult author who started out self-published and was picked up by a major publishing house, Amanda Hocking is totally living the dream.  And I  really admire her for her tenacity and raw talent.  But that's what it is -RAW TALENT.  This book is a lot more polished than her Trylle trilogy (the first book of which left me gagging and cross-eyed) and you can tell an editor actually made changes to it.  But not enough to tell Amanda that she needs to amp up the action and show, not tell!  I couldn't make out whether Gemma was the main character or if it was supposed to be Harper.  Plus, Gemma spent a good majority of the book swimming and going on about an Olympic future and just tossed it aside with hardly a fight when she began to transform.  Her relationship with Alex was sickly sweet and showcases her vulnerability in a way that makes her seem sixteen going on seven.  It made me want to throw the book against the wall.  I never really got a sense of the backstory for Penn, Lexi and Thea.  Yes we're told that they originated from Greek Mythology, but the girls' more recent pasts are very sketchy.  And the book's trajectory felt very iffy, especially when it tried to go from zero to 80 in two seconds flat and ended up doing a weak, school-zone thirty.  There just wasn't enough world-building and I got the same feeling her other books gave me - she's trying to write herself into a book.  With this one it wasn't as obvious until the really bad romance started because of the swimming focus, but it becomes blatantly obvious.  Ms. Hocking there is a reason that most real people do not make good book characters, in a word: BORING.  Overall a very weak book that left me feeling like I'd wasted my time.  Good for fans of Twilight though.  And she did improve as a writer, which was worth noting.

VERDICT:  2/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.*

That Evil Woman Better Change Her Evil Ways

Expected Publication: October 2nd, 2012

Sailor Twain, or The Mermaid in the Hudson

By: Mark Siegel

First Second

ISBN-13: 9781596436367

One hundred years ago. On the foggy Hudson River, a riverboat captain rescues an injured mermaid from the waters of the busiest port in the United States. A wildly popular--and notoriously reclusive--author makes a public debut. A French nobleman seeks a remedy for a curse. As three lives twine together and race to an unexpected collision, the mystery of the Mermaid of the Hudson deepens.

A mysterious and beguiling love story with elements of Poe, Twain, Hemingway, and Greek mythology, drawn in moody black-and-white charcoal, Sailor Twain is a study in romance, atmosphere, and suspense.

Review

   Twain is a riverboat captain who thinks that he has the difference between right and wrong fairly well figured out.  He's faithful to his sick wife while at sea and tries to keep a reputable ship, with a hard-working crew.  Therefore it's not such a big surprise that he's at odds with Lafayette, a French nobleman who is a passenger on his ship.  He is obsessed with having 'seven loves' at the same time.  It may not be for the reasons Twain thinks though - Lafayette has been afflicted by a mermaid's call.  He is fighting the urge to go under the water and not resurface again.  Meanwhile, Twain has saved an injured mermaid from the Hudson River and is hiding her from his crew while she recovers.  In spite of her promise never to sing to him, Twain feels himself coming under her spell just the same.  Will all be lost to the mermaid's song or will Sailor Twain be able to defeat her curse?  At first I didn't quite get what was going on (as I had missed the second part of the book's title).  I was still intrigued, so despite confusion I soldiered on.  I ended up falling in love with the illustrations in the graphic novel (which I also did not know this happened to be a GN before I began reading).  Their black and white splendor, with an almost obsessive attention to detail was beautiful.  I liked that they were cartoon style rather than realistically drawn.  It lent to the feel of the story as an American myth.  I felt as though I were reading a book written by a Victorian author and I loved every minute of it.  The characters were multi-dimensional and the story was so layered I could swim in it for days.  I loved the ending and the way the plot unfolded in general.  You could tell that Mr. Siegel has done a LOT of research and it certainly payed off.  If you are a fan of historical fiction, suspense and romance this is the book for you  - even if Graphic Novels aren't your thing you should give it chance.  You'll be pleasantly surprised.

VERDICT:  5/5  stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is October 2, 2012.*

Part of Your World

Published: October 25th, 2011
Between the Sea and Sky
By: Jaclyn Dolamore
Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
ISBN-13: 9781599904344


For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren--the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn't seen since childhood--a dashing young man named Alander, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alander band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air.

Review

   Esmerine has always felt like she was living in the shadow of her older, more beautiful sister Dosinia.  All of that is about to change, because Esmerine is about to be initiated as a siren.  Then she'll finally be equal to Dosinia (called Dosia for short) and be able to do something more with her life than just getting married to some Merman.  Than, the day after Esmerine is initiated, Dosia goes missing without a trace - not before telling Esmerine about the two human men she met on land though.  Coming to the conclusion that her sister was probably kidnapped, Esmerine is determined to get her back or at least know for sure what happened.  The only way she can think of to do this is to contact Alander, a winged boy she was friends with as a child and enlist him for help.  It's been years since they've seen one another.  Can Esmerine count on Alan to help her bring back Dosia?  This was definitely an interesting book.  It brought together the sea and the sky, plus it added in the plain old humans walking around between the two.  It WAS an adventure story and a romance, but the reality of this book was an odyssey of self-discovery.  Esmerine is trying to figure out how to satisfy her heart, what she wants to do with her life and how to make a difference.  All the while she has to decide which world she truly belongs in - the one she was born to or the one she longs for.  It was a cute book with a cute ending.  Don't pick this one up if you're expecting in-depth, major subject material.  It's light-hearted but worth it for a bit of fun.

VERDICT: 3/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*