Book Review: The Immortality Pursuit by Jesse Roman R.

The Immortality Pursuit by Jesse Roman R.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Immortality Pursuit is the book that got me out of my reading slump. This book is well crafted when it comes to plot, characters, and readability. I enjoyed this book a great deal and would like to thank the author for trusting me to review his work.

There were many things I enjoyed about the plot, but I will only mention a few of them so that I don't include any spoilers in my review. The best thing about it was that it was a well thought out story. What I mean by that is that everything flowed very well and there where no awkward tangents that weren't really relevant to the story. Sometimes authors add to many side plots and then don't wrap them up. Not so with this book. The other thing that I enjoyed was the subject of the book. Usually when an author writes about immortality it is about vampires or werewolves. I appreciated that this was more of a scientific/action adventure story. It's also not so outlandish that it's not believable. The action in this book is spread out evenly as well. There aren't huge fights and then pages and pages of no action.

The second thing I would like to touch on is the characters. For those of you that follow my reviews, you know that the character development in the book is one of my joys or angsts. The characters in this book are well done. You learn just enough about everyone to keep your interest peaked but I don't know their shoe size, favorite color, and their mom's dog's name. What I mean is that the author didn't over develop the characters. They are superb in many ways. Jayr, Arkius, Harrison, and the gang are all just mysterious enough to keep you wanting more tidbits.

My last big thing when it comes to reviews is readability and readership. This book is a very fast read and keeps you on the edge of your seat. There aren't any sections of the book where you feel like you are trudging through until you get to the next good part. As for readership; I would say that this book would be well suited for high school and up in terms of age. As for genre, I would say anyone that likes science, action/adventure, or thrillers would be a big fan of this book.

Overall Rating: 4/5

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Spotlight On: Bled my Blood by Kellie Ojeda

"Spotlight On" will be the newest addition to my blog posts. These posts will be about books that are coming out or have come out recently. In most cases they will be books that I haven't read, due to the size of my review pile, but think are worthwhile for the book blogging community to know about. So, without further ado, here is the fist entry.

Bled My Blood 

By

Kellie Ojeda

Synopsis:

Shay and Bryan never could’ve imagined being friends with Kayla Smidgal. Yet, when Kayla is pistol-whipped and almost shot in the head attempting to save Shay’s life, Shay suddenly sees her in a whole new light.    

Kayla Smidgal is a new student at Grove South High School—a school where the Almighty Latin Kings reign. Shay Alvarez A.K.A "Brass" is the President of the L.K.’s and is notorious for his cruelty. Bryan "Rico" Stevenson is Shay's second in command, yet he wavers in his loyalty to the L.K.’s as his affection for Kayla grows. 

Circumstances beyond their control (and many within) force the three to make difficult decisions.

Bryan has known Kayla since before he joined the Latin Kings. Now that she’s in his life again, he can't help but wonder what his life could’ve been like if he’d never been separated from her. So Bryan must determine if quitting the L.K.’s, and the violence he would surely suffer as a result, is worth a relationship with Kayla.

Kayla, on the other hand, knows that a relationship with Bryan would lead her down a path she doesn’t want to go. Yet her feelings for him make her wish she could ignore the obvious.

When Shay sees Bryan pursuing Kayla he refuses to acknowledge the feelings he is developing for her. Yet, cold jealousy still twists in his gut and he knows that somehow, someway he will have Kayla Smidgal.

Then, even as Bryan is pursuing her, Kayla cuts off their relationship. This causes Bryan to react with hostility and vengeance. In so doing, he shatters any chance he ever has of winning her back. As a result, Kayla and Shay’s friendship deepens.

Yet, even as Shay and Kayla grow closer, Shay still stubbornly refuses to acknowledge his feelings for her. He protects her, he fights for her, yet he will never admit to his weakness—that he is falling in love with the auburn-haired girl.

Shay believes himself to be indomitable, yet he is about to be attacked so viciously that he may never recover.

And Shay’s attacker will strike where he is weakest.

About the Author:

Ojeda has always been interested in criminology. Her fascination with the subject has led to her first novel "Bled My Blood". A criminal justice major at Judson University and internships at the local county jail have lent Ojeda vast knowledge on the subject of criminology. Thus adding to the richness and depth of her fictional novel "Bled My Blood".

Fun fact: Ojeda interviewed a former gang member before she graduated from college. That gang member happened to be from an enemy crew of the Latin Kings. The Latin Kings are some of the main characters in "Bled My Blood". 

***Bled my Blood can be ordered on amazon, createspace, or through Barnes and Noble

Book Review: The Journeys of John and Julia: Genesis

The Journeys of John and Julia: Genesis by Aurelia
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This book was somewhat of an interesting read for me. I found myself somewhere in between really not liking it and being able to tolerate it. I think the part that made it tolerable for me was the fact that it was a really easy read.

The character development in this book is sub par at best. You get to know enough about John and Julia, but then there are a host of other characters that just don't get enough attention There is this group of 23 that you really only get to know the names of some of them. You get a gist of who's in charge of this big group, but there is next to no background on them for you to draw on. If the author did this on purpose then they accomplished their goal. It makes for a very frustrating read for me though. Some other reviewers may like that about the book, but I didn't like it at all.

The plot development was equally as sub par. I read through the entire first book and have no idea where this story is going. All I know is that there is some satellite going into space that this group of 23 is going to try and stop by using John and Julia in some way. Other than that there isn't much else going on. The entire first book was spent on getting Julia to believe that there may be such a thing as ghosts and spirits in the world. There was no action or build up that made you want to continue reading on to the next book.

It was mainly for these two reasons that I gave this book 1 star. It did nothing for me and I won't be reading on in this series. However, I would like to thank to author for sending me a copy for a review.

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Book Review: The Reckoning by Jason Morrow

The Reckoning by Jason D. Morrow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was the final book of the trilogy and I always have high hopes for the ending book and Jason did not disappoint. Not only was this book a fantastic read, but it was very very easy to ready. It flew by. I have been in a reading slump for the last few months and this book tore me right out of it.

Jason continued with his wonderful characters and rich worlds. I have loved the plot of this book from the beginning and it only got better with the third installment. Silas and his friends have finally tracked down all the medallions that are needed to bring peace to Marenon and now it is time for them to wage war against the Stuhocs to bring that peace about. Jason does a wonderful job of painting the picture of the epic war for Marenon. You feel like you are flying along with Alric or you are fighting off the soldiers of the dead. While all that is going on you are also immersed in the individual battles the Silas is having along the way. I love how the book goes back and forth from the overall war to the individual battles. Some authors struggle to make those transitions and it just turns out sloppy, but not so with Jason. He does this very well.

This book is full of twists and turns when it comes to Silas as the finisher of the reckoning and Silas the person. I guarantee you won't see the end coming. If you are a lover of the fantasy genre then this trilogy is a must read for you. I have to thank Jason for giving me the opportunity to read these books. It has been a joy for me.

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An Apology

It's been a while since I have posted anything on this blog and for that I apologize. I haven't had nearly the time that I would like to read over the summer, but hope to pick up the pace here in the coming days and weeks. Thank you for your patience and for continuing to come check out what I have to say about books!

Happy Birthday Shakespeare! (It was me that got an awesome gift however)

The fine folks at Sterling Publishing have outdone themselves again! I received an e-mail from them asking me if they could send me their new "Signature Shakespeare" series in honor of his birthday, which is today. I said sure and waited anxiously by the mailbox for it to arrive. Let me tell you that I was BLOWN AWAY by what showed up in my mailbox yesterday. Sterling has really outdone themselves this time with a beautiful product that my shelves aren't worthy of. Here are a few pictures of what I received:

 I received 4 beautiful, white hardcover books. Those aren't pictures on the front of the covers, they are actually some sort of die cut work that is outstanding. The big title jacket comes off the books, but I'm going to leave mine on because I love the way they look.

These two picture are from the inside of the "Hamlet" book. They are layered paper cutouts that lay over one another to form a picture. The craftsmanship of the books is unreal.

 These final two photos are just examples of what some of the pages look like inside the books.

If you are a fan of Shakespeare, or just a fan of beautiful books, then you need to head over to the Sterling website (click here) and pick these books up. They are a wonderful collection piece and you won't want to miss out on getting them. Please, do yourself a favor and pick these up. You will regret it if you don't.

Book Review: Tube Riders by Chris Ward

The Tube Riders by Chris Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Tube Riders by Chris Ward was one of the best books that I have read in a very long time. I don't say this often because I hate movie adaptations of books, but I think this book would make an amazing movie. Chris is one of the best "builders" I have come across. Allow me to explain what I mean: the world that the tube riders live in is so rich in detail that I can totally see myself running alongside them as they are running from the government. I can feel myself hanging off the side of subway trains with them as they are rushing through the tunnels. The characters are well developed and easily loved or hated depending on whose side you are one. I love the internal struggles that some of them have throughout the book.

This book was great for me on other levels as well. I have a degree in psychology and I loved watching the interactions of the protagonists and the antagonists. I loved the fact that Chris let us into the minds of his characters. I think that adds so much to a book.

The plot is well developed and keeps you wanting more. I read some other reviews that called the book "gritty and rough", which I think is a great way to put it. There aren't a lot of frills, but man does this book keep you wanting more. I'm sometimes put off buy 500+ page books, but this one was well worth the time that went into reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone that has a love for reading. I don't care what genre you like, this book is well written and you will love the depth of the plot and the characters that you encounter. Give this book a try. You won't be sorry that you did.

Overall Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: Broken by Jonathon Fisk

Broken: 7 “Christian” Rules That Every Christian Ought to Break as Often as Possible by Jonathan Fisk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really liked the content of this book. Pastor Fisk does a fantastic job of identifying what is going wrong in the church right now. It causes you to take a hard look at yourself and make sure that you keep yourself in check and rely totally on God and his promises for you in the Bible. The reason I only gave this book 4 stars is because the writing style was tough for me. He used different fonts, sizes, he bolded random words, there were a ton of pictures in the background and margins of pages. It was just kind of hard for me to stay focused so it took me a little bit longer to read then a traditional book. That was my only criticism. Otherwise, this is a fantastic book that is worth the read.

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Blog Tour: Queen and Commander by Janine Southard

 Title: Queen and Commander  
Author: Janine Southard
Summary: On a world where high school test scores determine your future career, six students rebel. A pair of star-crossed lovers plot to stay together, rather than be separated by the system's college plans. A former off-worlder instigates: there's a ship in orbit, he says. We could take it and run away. But to take the ship, the three conspirators need more friends. Enter Rhiannon, the girl who set herself up for the ultimate success on this planet. She made sure her test would give the desired result: Queen. But her best friend begs her to take control of this plan to run away. So she drafts a would-be doctor who believes in following his Queen with all his heart. She finds a genius who can't seem to make the system work for him. And then she gets them qualified for the ship in orbit. The ship to freedom. Now what will they do with it? And was freedom what they really wanted? Check out the UK cover!

ExcerptWinning a ship means surpassing the competition. The three competing Queens swiveled their heads, hare-quick, to home in on new prey. They’d ignored her until she’d made that noise. Now they had the scent of fresh insecurity and would peck away until they laid her meager confidence bare for the massacre. “What a sweet little girl,” gushed the one in red. “Where’s your mother?” Dead, actually. Well, if this Queen planned to come after her for her age, she’d show her appreciation in the way only a younger person could. She raised her eye­brows and furrowed them down the middle, then pulled her head back onto her neck as though repulsed or doing a proper sit-up. From the way the older woman cringed back, Rhiannon knew she’d succeeded in making the derisive Did you seriously just say that to me? face that she’d seen on her more critical peers. A teenager can out bitch-face you any time, Queenie. Don’t try that tactic with me. The eldest cocked her head, more curious than cruel. Perhaps she found it as difficult to gauge Rhian­non’s age as the other way around. As far as Rhiannon knew, this woman had been one of Dyfed’s first Queens, self-made and just as untrained as herself. “Why do you think you deserve Ceridwen’s Cauldron?”

About the Author

Janine A. Southard writes speculative fiction and videogame dialogue from her home in Seattle, WA. She sings with a Celtic band and is working on the next book in the Hive Queen universe. She’s also been known to read aloud to her cat. The cat appreciates all of these things. Maybe. Website Twitter Goodreads Amazon - US UK B&N Nook- US UK iTunes- US UK Kobo- US UK

Blog Tour: Innovera Yakov by Kia Garriques

Title: Innovera Yakov By: Kia Garriques Summary: Innovera Yakov is a beautiful world of crystals that turns under five moons and two brilliant suns that never set. Flitters take care of domestic chores while Starbirds and Starflies soar through the never-ending sunlight of this crystalline world. The Circle of Knowing decides their fate; the forbidden forests of the Dimmer Zone swallow trespassers. And at the very edges of Innovera Yakov there is the terrifying watery darkness of Verheer. We meet Ayana, the healer and lonely outcast with her scarred face; Vinton, her protector (or is he her imaginary friend?); Gamma and Blu Tara, the beautiful, fiery twins who can kill with one look. These twins are important characters in the book. They could hardly be more different from each other. Krave, beloved by Gamma, hated by Blu Tara, ‘tall and upright as a polished spear with a beautiful crop of golden hair that cascaded down his back in waves’; his ‘brother’ Skylar, pure trouble with ‘muscles on his arms and legs that stood out in lumps’; Ryder with his crystal spear, forever seeking Ayana’s approval although she, refusing to believe she's worth it, can only wonder, ‘What does he see in me?’ And Ice, mysterious, dangerous, murderous with eyes like bright furnaces who feeds on Innoverans. These young Innoverans are often haunted by a forgotten past recalled only in strange dreams. They form friendships, make enemies and face constant physical and emotional challenges that test them to their limits. They have amazing powers; they can fly, they can communicate through 'thought-words', their minds can travel to other worlds. They harbour secrets. But life is not easy on Innovera Yakov and the young Beings must live in constant fear of Blu Tara; ‘What I want, I have. What I can’t have, I destroy.’ They find that the great powers they are gifted with are nothing compared to the dangers they face. They must shelter from Solar-storms. To fall in love is dangerous. Lovers long to combine to become stronger, better Beings but it can go terribly wrong and when that happens they perish. Their survival is further threatened by Ice, who consumes Innoverans and holds both Blu Tara and Ayana in his control. Everyone seeks a partner with whom they can ‘merge.’ This desire to ease the passage through life by joining forces with a true companion, is one of the main themes of the story. Love for Blu Tara, is a terrible thing. She tells her sister, ‘It is a curse. You will scoop out your core and abandon it just to have the Being that you love... You will steal another person’s life force if it makes it easier to get it. You will kill or die for it. And you’ll hate yourself for the weakness that it brings on you.' They are told that they must embark on 'The Journey', this journey will be more terrifying than any of them could imagine and a strong leader must be elected from their midst. They are shocked to discover who that leader is, none more so than the chosen one herself. Many of them will perish as they make their way through the watery darkness of Verheer while battling the army of underworld warriors bent on destroying and consuming them. Finally, diminished in strength and numbers, they reach their journey’s end only to learn the final brutal truth.

Excerpt

Blu Tara stared her sister in the face. ‘Let me tell you what you don't know about love, Gamma. It is a curse. You will scoop out your core and abandon it just to have the Being that you love. You will steal another person's life force if it makes it easier to get it. You will abandon the world you have been cradled in, betray everything and everyone you care for. You’ll give up your name for it.’ Blu Tara's voice went soft and dreamy. ‘You will gladly close your eyes and embrace the world of darkness. You will kill or die for it. And you will hate yourself for the weakness that it brings on you. So don’t talk to me about love.’ Gamma shook her head. ‘You're not making sense,’ Blu Tara. ‘You talk as if... I’m the one who should be upset about all this.’ Blu Tara lifted her hand dismissively. She pointed a hot finger at Gamma. ‘Anyway don’t forget what we are.’ 'And what are we?’ Gamma glared at her.. 'Different. Strange. Something to be frightened of. Two Beings that can fuse and burn everything to ashes. That's the way they all see us down there. That's what the Stardog wants from you - the powers you possess. ‘I hate them all. With their suspicious, shiny faces and their empty games. I hate that Voice which drones on and on at us in the Learning Dome as soon as we've finished resting. Innoverans! All those perfect, pretty Beings; they remember nothing — it’s the curse of this shallow, shining world. Tell me, Gamma - what do you remember of the world we come from before your Odors Apeno dumped us here?’ Gamma swung around to face her sister fully. ‘Blu Tara! What's got into you? Where’s all that coming from? I've never heard you speak like that before. This is about Krave and I- not you!’ Krave and you - don't make me laugh. And, oh! Here’s a big difference — between you and I this time, Twin Sister. It’s the answer to your question that you brought me up here to ask.’ Blu Tara mimicked Gamma's soft and musical voice, Why do you want to kill Krave? Here's the answer, Gamma. I will do whatever I have to do to save myself. I'm the half of you that's not like you. I don't have a weeping heart. Now I'm out of here. I need my Rest.

  Reviewers Wanted: Review Innovera Yakov on amazon for your chance to Win A Kindle Fire. Love reading and reviewing books? Want the chance to win a Kindle Fire? Kia Garriques’ Innovera Yakov fantasy series launches today on Amazon with The Journey of a Thousand Eyes. This story is an action-packed fantasy drama where characters with powers of healing and destruction live, love, compete and disappear without a trace while they are being prepared for the Journey. To celebrate the launch of ‘Innovera Yakov: The Journey of a Thousand Eyes’, Kia is giving away a Kindle Fire to one lucky winner, as well as the chance of having their work promoted by Kia herself across her website and social media. To enter the competition, simply follow these instructions below: 1.Write a short review on Amazon about your favourite scene from the book, who your favourite is and why, and what you think the main message of the book is 2.Then, send an email to competitions@kiagarriques.com including a link back to your review on Amazon, in order to be entered into the competition. Put the title ‘Innovera Yakov Kindle Competition’ in the subject line of the email. The winning entry will be the most creative and original response to the book and will be chosen by Kia Garriques herself. In addition, the top ten inspiring entries will have their work promoted in a blog which Kia is currently working on, called ‘Up and Coming Writers to Watch in 2013’. In recognition of their creativity, Kia will be turning the spotlight on these writers by presenting their biographies and a link to their current work. RULES: 1:This competition will run from the launch of ‘Innovera Yakov: The Journey of a Thousand Eyes’ on today and is open to entrants from any country 2: Anyone may enter, but entries are limited to one per person 3: The winner will be selected by Kia Garriques after the first 250 reviews have been received. Make sure to get your entry in early to stand the best possible chance of being entered into the competition and winning your very own Kindle. If you send your review of Innovera Yakov: The Journey of a Thousand Eyes before March 31st 2013, then you will be eligible to win a $20 amazon gift card. Be sure to send on your review via email to competitions@kiagarriques.com to claim this exclusive offer or leave a link to your amazon review in Kia’s Wattpad comment section. So, what are you waiting for? Get ‘Innovera Yakov: The Journey of a Thousand Eyes’ now and prepare to enter a whole new world of magic and mystery, danger and adventure. Click here to get the ebook on amazon now. Author Links Twitter Goodreads Facebook Tumblr Wattpad Pinterest Website Audio Link to listen to the first chapter of the book. Read the first chapter of the book here Author Bio Kia Garriques studied writing and English literature at University and has been a published short story writer since 2009. Her first story “The Invisible Alien Watcher” was published by Micro Horror in 2009 and reprinted by Pill Hill Press in 2011. Innovera Yakov: The Journey of a Thousand Eyes – is her first novel in the ‘Worlds’ series and will be out on amazon mid February. visit www.kiagarriques.com/books to read the first chapter. Book Blurb: Innovera Yakov – The Journey of A Thousand Eyes takes you into a world of excitement and danger where thoughts and feelings are overheard and minds can travel to other worlds. Be prepared to immerse yourself in a world where falling in love could cost you your life and nothing is as it seems. Innovera Yakov – The Journey of A Thousand Eyes is the first book in an action-packed fantasy drama series where characters with powers of healing and destruction live, love, compete and disappear without a trace while they are being prepared for the Journey.

Book Review: The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

At Westish College, a small school on the shore of Lake Michigan, baseball star Henry Skrimshander seems destined for big league stardom. But when a routine throw goes disastrously off course, the fates of five people are upended.

Henry’s fight against self-doubt threatens to ruin his future. College president Guert Affenlight, a longtime bachelor, has fallen unexpectedly and helplessly in love. Owen Dunne, Henry’s gay roommate and teammate, becomes caught up in a dangerous affair. Mike Schwartz, the Harpooners’ team captain and Henry’ best friend, realizes he has guided Henry’s career at the expense of his own. And Pella Affenlight, Guert’s daughter, returns to Westish after escaping an ill-fated marriage, determined to start a new life.

As the season counts down to its climactic final game, these five are forced to confront their deepest hopes, anxieties, and secrets. In the process they forge new bonds, and help one another find their true paths. Written with boundless intelligence and filled with the tenderness of youth, The Art of Fielding is an expansive, warmhearted novel about ambition and its limits, about family and friendship and love, and about commitment—to oneself and to others.

*Summary from Goodreads

When I first started this book I thought it was going to be strictly about baseball. Some of you are probably thinking that sounds crazy with all the people that have been talking about it and reviewing it but when I know I want to read a book I make sure I don't listen to what people are saying about the book so I am surprised by it when I read it. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Now, on with the review.

Plot: The plot of this book was fantastic. I'm a sports nut. I love reading about sports, writing about sports, and playing sports. So, I loved the baseball aspect of this book, especially that the Cardinals were worked into the plot. Being born and raised in St. Louis, I'm a total homer for the Cardinals. So bonus points to Chad for that. 

The non-sports aspect of the plot was one of the best crafted plots I've read in a very, very long time. Chad does a fantastic job of weaving the stories of all the characters together. I'm not an author, but I would think that it's got to be incredibly difficult to wind some many complex stories together. Chad Harbach has crafted a gem in "The Art of Fielding". He has managed to intertwine baseball, failed relationships, new beginnings, college life, adult life, and many other things into a masterful story about baseball and growing in life. 

Characters: The characters in this book are fantastic. There is a depth and relate-ability to these characters that is hard to find in many books today. There is a character in this book that relates to everyone that reads it. I think this is the case because the characters are dealing with real world situations that are easily related to by anyone. Sometimes in the realm of fiction, the author struggles to make the character realistic enough to relate to. That's not the case in this book. This may be my favorite set of characters since I started reviewing books on this blog. 

Readership: This is one of those rare books the transcends a specific genre. Yes, it's fiction and it has sports in it, but it's also got so many more things that I don't want to post on here because it would ruin the plot for potential readers. I think this book would appeal to sports fans, fiction fans, romance fans, suspense fans, etc...Basically I'm saying that I think anyone can read this book and find joy in it. This is a book for all people that love reading. 

Overall Score: 5/5 One of the best books I've ever read.

Hey Guys

Hey guys, just a quick post to let you know that I'm still around and still reading. My wife and I had a baby 3 weeks ago, so that is consuming all of our time right now, but I promise I am still reading and there will still be book reviews coming :)