❀ Desert Rose ☯ Reviews: August 2013

Friday, August 23, 2013

Review
"Wolfsbane" by Andrea Cremer!
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~Rose

Slings & Arrows

~Titles~

Slings & Arrows

~By~

Julie Elizabeth Powell

~Genres~

Non-Fiction

~My Copy~

~Kindle eBook

~Self Published In~

2008

~Pages~

~Synopsis (from Goodreads)~

"Nobody expects to lose a child but when it happens what can we do? In the sea of grief that seizes the soul how can we swim against the tide? But when that loss is compounded in each minute of every day, what do we do then?

Slings and Arrows is a story about the consequences of a moment, a moment, which separates a mother and daughter in ways impossible to imagine.

It charts their parallel lives, each suffering, one knowing, one not.

It is brutally honest; an account filled with bewilderment, guilt, anger and pain yet it also holds the key to hope. That whatever happens, the bonds of love can never be broken."

~~~~~

~My Rating: 4/5 Roses~

~My Review~

While non-fiction isn't generally a genre I read very often, I do enjoy it from time to time. The heaviness of reality can be good for a person who's used to escaping into fiction and fantasy. This novella certainly gave me a good taste of reality, and for a moment, allowed me to connect to another person in a very special way.

Every mother who's lost a child would be able to relate to this story somehow. Anyone who hasn't lost a child, won't be able to relate, but can sympathize easily. Written in a way that draws the reader into every emotion and thought of this experience, this author creates a true look into a mother's pain. Sharing her experience through fear, anger, confusion, and the finality of death, she has created a story that any mother who's experienced that loss can find comfort in.

This is certainly a hard book to read, and made my heart go out to this author. Reading about her experiences and her life through this situation was heart-wrenching, but something that I'm glad I read. I would recommend reading this book to anyone who's going or gone through a similar situation, and to anyone who's read or planning on reading the author's book Gone.

*I was given an eCopy of this book, from the author, to read in exchange for an honest review.

~~~~~

~Book Links~

Goodreads ~ LibraryThing ~ Shelfari

~Purchase Links~

Amazon ~ Lulu

~Author Links~

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Website

Thursday, August 22, 2013

City of the Gods: The Descendant
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Ciao,

~Rose

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

The Dreamwalker (The Witch Lake Chronicles) Reposted

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~Rose

Saturday, August 17, 2013

The Secret of Genetic Corp X

~Title~
The Secret of Genetic Corp X

~By~

Shannon McRoberts

~Genres~

Adult Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi

~My Copy~

~Kindle eCopy

~Published~

June 27th, 2010

~Pages~

159

~Synopsis (from Goodreads)~

"Genetic Corp X is one of the world's premier tissue and organ cloning centers. Medical breakthroughs of all kinds have originated from the work done at the facility. Zarra Perez was their lead research scientist on her way to curing Alzheimer's disease--until a nearly fatal accident left her with no personal memories or sense of self.

Her father and husband want her to return to the life they say she had before her accident. However, even with no sense of personal identity, Zarra isn't content to allow others to dictate her life while she waits on her memories to come back. In her desperate search to remember show she is, Zarra uncovers the horrible truth about Genetic Corp X. Now she is faced with a moral dilemma that could result in her own death.

Join Zarra in her search for her lost memories and find out what the secret of Genetic Corp X really is!"

~~~~~

~My Rating: 3/5 Roses~

~My Review~

I mainly read this book as a companion to another book I read and reviewed for Shannon McRoberts, Verses of Athine. While it helped connect several questions in that book, this is still a great stand-alone story, explaining the past of Zara, and what had happened to her, prior to the current time of the book.

The plot was very unique- books set in the future are always interesting, and the explanation of where clones would come from was original to me. Most of the story ended up being bittersweet, but still had a sense of finality and success. With only a few main characters, the story primarily focused on Zara's immediate past, making it a quick little novella.

The writing was alright. Continually leap-frogging the story into the future, then back-tracking to explain what happened, is a style I don't particularly enjoy, but I suppose it is different from most books. It still flowed alright, but the mental whiplash of going back in forward in time took some getting used to, which is why I took a star away. This is certainly a book I'd recommend though, to any fan of clone stories, and especially for anyone who's read, or planning to read Verses of Athine.

*I was given an eCopy of this book, from the author, to read in exchange for an honest review.

~~~~~

~Book Links~

Goodreads ~ Shelfari ~ LibraryThing

~Purchase Links~

Amazon ~ B&N ~ Smashwords

~Author Links~

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ LibraryThing ~ Website

Verses of Athine

Verses of Athine: The Daughter of Ares Chronicles

~By~

Shannon McRoberts

~Genres~

Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology

~My Copy~

~Kindle eBook

~Published~

April 25th, 2013

~Pages~

358

~Synopsis (from Goodreads)~

"Take what you know about mythology and throw it out the window...

Do you have any idea what Zeus, Odin, Pandora's Box, Atlantis, Machu Picchu, Hera, Nike, Dragons, Vlad, Clones*, and Vampires have in common? Athine does!

The Daughter of Ares Chronicles follows Athine as she uncovers the secrets of her destiny while interacting with key figures from many mythologies. Athine is not your ordinary immortal born goddess. Learn of her mysterious origins, learn why Zeus hates her so much, find out where vampires come from, and learn what really happened to the dragons.

Contains books 1-4 at one incredible price! This allows you to catch up on all the action in preparation for the next book Cursed Bloods (2015ish). (This book is a totally overhauled version of all 4 stories that are available. It replaced The Daughter of Ares Trilogy, The Narkurru, The Blood Sisters, and Worlds Collide. Athine Verses: The Beginning is also included in this edition, but it remains perma-free for those that would like to pick it up. It also was updated with new material and editing.)

*Clones-for a full understanding of this also pick up The Secret of Genetic Corp X."

~~~~~

~My Rating: 4/5 Roses~

~My Review~

Being a collection of all four parts in The Daughter of Ares series, this is not a short read. Luckily, it's interesting and full of great characters, making this a wonderful fantasy book.

Mixing Norse and Greek Mythology is certain to make for an epic plot. With rich histories and backgrounds plunging into both areas of myth, Shannon McRoberts does a fantastic job of creating a new story out of old legends. Full of mystery, secrets, suspense, and quick adventure, this story keeps you second guessing an on your toes.

This book follows Athine, daughter of Ares, and tells her story, from her childhood, to her connection with our world. We meet a wide range of characters, including the descendants of humans with dragon blood, descendants of dragons themselves, mermaids, most of the famous Greek gods, several Norse gods, vampires, and many humans. Watching history unfold in this magical realm is sure to satisfy the imagination of any fantasy fan.

The writing style took a few chapters to grow accustomed to, but is wasn't bad. Like most fantasy stories creating an alternate reality/realm/universe, there were a lot of names and places that were unique. It had a lot of dialogue and history, but still had action and adventure to keep the story flowing at good pace.

Overall, I really liked this book. With dynamic characters and extraordinary challenges, this story has done a great job of tying in the myths of Olympus and Valhalla with our own history. I would recommend this story to any fantasy fan.

*I was given an eCopy of this book, from the author, to read in exchange for an honest review.

~~~~~

~Book Links~

Goodreads ~ Shelfari ~ LibraryThing

~Purchase Links~

Amazon ~ B&N ~ Smashwords

~Author Links~

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Smashwords ~ LibraryThing

http://www.shannonmcroberts.com/

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Pure Vision

Pure Vision: The Magdalene Revelation

~By~

Perri Birney

~Genres~

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Mythology

~My Copy~

~Kindle eCopy

~Published~

April 1st, 2010

~Pages~

586

~Synopsis (from Goodreads)~

"An ancient artifact is stolen . . . A long-lost document is found . . . A mysterious and dangerous journey unfolds . . .

New York Times reporter Maggie Seline writes an explosive book that offers a controversial solution to the Middle East crisis. When she uncovers a radical energy scheme that threatens the oil industry, Maggie suddenly vanishes. Her disappearance sets in motion a worldwide women's march toward Jerusalem that rattles the status quo and parallels a frantic race to possess ancient talismans.

An upcoming peace conference hides the true motivation of Giovanni Mabus, outgoing president of the European Commission. In league with the clandestine pseudo-Masonic group, Propaganda Due, he devises a plan aimed at furthering political and military chaos in the Middle East. Fascinated by Hitler’s occult obsessions, Mabus is determined to procure an ancient artifact once used by the infamous leader, believing it will be a powerful tool in accomplishing his goal.

Meanwhile, Maggie secretly teams up with Dead Sea Scrolls scholar Michael Sonada in a race to thwart the sinister plot -- a race that takes them into the forbidden regions of Nepal to make an earth-shattering discovery.

PURE VISION brings together ancient myths and contemporary challenges in a provocative and inspiring thrill ride. At every turn, Perri Birney's intriguing scenario encourages a closer look at the spiritual forces that infuse the world's political battles."

~~~~~

~My Rating: 3/5 Roses~

~My Review~

Reading the synopsis of this book, my initial thoughts were pretty straight forward. I expected an adventure, lots of mystery surrounding ancient artifacts, and couldn't help but wonder how much it would end up reminding me of other books. It did have everything I was expecting, but it also had depth, a sense of reality and a seriousness I wasn't expecting.

As simple and cliche as the reference and comparison is, this book is very much like several of Dan Brown's works. The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol come to mind specifically. Not focused specifically on one person, but a group of people intertwined by Fate, this book follows the paths of many people, who all influence the unfolding events and circumstances. Running on adrenaline and caffeine, several people around the world work separately toward a common goal- world peace. In the shadows, a few work seemingly effortlessly at a common goal- world domination and chaos. With hidden artifacts, secret groups pulling the strings behind closed doors, and governments riddled with corrupt, greedy politicians, this book is a treasure trove of mystery, adventure and danger.

Intertwining spiritual and political challenges, Perri Birney crafts a suspenseful scenario, pulling back a veil on today's world, and takes a “what if” look on the future. With adamant urges to end the fighting in the Middle East, and calling on feminism for peace, Birney creates a well written story that takes her readers on a personal and spiritual journey.

It's a curious thing, mixing fiction with so many well known conspiracy-theory ideas, myths, and legends. By putting words in the mouths of people who actually existed, the author gives credibility to fiction, while at the same time, blurring lines of reality. Because of those elements, my feelings on this book are very mixed. On a personal level, I disagree with several of the fundamental ideas that propel this story, and some of the assumptions made of historical figures. However, it was a thrilling story, and if I don't put my personal feelings into it, it was a good fiction book. I applaud Mrs. Birney for putting so much effort and research into writing this book, and raising questions and ideas on issues people generally just want to ignore.

Overall, this novel is definitely not a leisure read, and makes your brain work to keep up. It's apparent that a lot of time and research went into this book, but I think many of the references would be lost on most people. While I've studied the majority of the topics in this novel on my own, I don't personally know many people who would be able to keep up and understand everything. You certainly need to be familiar with world geography, world politics, world history, the major world religions and spirituality, diverse myths and legends, while still being open minded enough to appreciate the plot and story itself.

All that being said, I think this is a good novel, and if it looks interesting to you, it's well worth the read. I would recommend this book to any fan of conspiracy-theories, feminism, or Dan Brown.

*I was given an eCopy of this book, from the author, to read in exchange for an honest review.

~~~~~

~Book Links~

Goodreads ~ Shelfari ~ LibraryThing

~Author Links~

Goodreads ~ LibraryThing ~ Amazon ~ Website

~Purchase Links~

Amazon ~ B&N