Novella Review: In the Storm + Giveaway

Contest Closed!


Debut author Karen Metcalf offered me the chance to read and review her novella, In the Storm. Carly finds herself in a new world when just moments before, she was in her normal one. The one where she lives with her sweet little brother and evil stepfather. They don’t exist in this new world… just Morgan, a boy Carly instant falls for.

I found a few things confusing at first, but Karen did a wonderful job of pulling everything together. This is one of the most unique stories I’ve read in a while. It’s young adult urban fantasy, so if you like the genre, I’m sure you’ll like this. And it’s a nice break from vampires and werewolves.

Synopsis:

Abandoned by the world around her, Carly believes she is fated to a life of torment at the hands of her stepfather and is desperate for an escape. When she can bear the abuse no longer and gives in to a thunderous rage, she suddenly finds herself in an unfamiliar, yet beautiful, storm world. This limbo between dimensions appears to be her private sanctuary, but it may just be her purgatory. 

No one escapes fate without sacrifice, but is the price more than Carly is willing to pay? 

Giveaway!

The lovely Karen has given me three digital copies to give away to interested readers. If you’re interested, please fill out this form. Must be 13 to enter. Contest ends: 3/31

Book Giveaway: Pretty Souls

Contest Closed!


I decided to try something different for this giveaway. I’ve done so many, but this time I’m going to make you all work for it. Here is the cover of Pretty Souls by Julie Particka.

And here is the synopsis: My life followed a simple pattern. Run to keep my inner wolf asleep. Make sure my blood-sucking foster sister, Cass, feeds. Hunt for supernatural trouble when we should be sleeping. Keep my grades up and my head down. It was mostly a game. Until people started wandering around like living zombies. Until people I care about started getting hurt. Until the menace came knocking on my front door. Game’s over. Time for the soul-stealer to realize just because he’s hunting something doesn’t make it prey. Cass and I bite back. ~The Paranormal Response Team~ Saving the World Before Breakfast.

I got the honor of getting to blurb this book. It’s the first time I’ve ever done it, so I was probably more excited than I should be. Haha!

And a close-up picture.

So… what do you need to do to win? I’m holding a recreate the cover contest. Post a reply to this thread with a link to your cover and an email address so I can reach you if you win. I’ll choose a winner (possibly with the help of some friends) on March 31, 2011 at 10 PM EST. So make sure you get it in my then. You have two weeks. Good luck!

Cover Love: Beautiful Chaos

The cover of Beautiful Chaos was recently revealed. What do you think? Personally, I love it. I think it’s my favorite cover of the three. Not sure how I feel about the gold font, but the image is gorgeous.

Book vs. Movie: I Am Number Four

I bought I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore several weeks ago, so I could see the movie on opening night. It took me a while to finally pick it up. I read it in only three days. I had heard complaints of it being slow. It kind of was… for a sci-fi/fantasy. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. Four becomes John, when he and Henri run to a new town: Paradise, Ohio. Trying to fit in, he goes to school, tries to make friends, and stay under the radar so the Mogadorians don’t come after him.

Slowly, John’s Legacies (powers) come into fruition, and he begins training. He needs to learn to control them so he can save his life, defeat the Mogadorians, and one day return to his home planet of Lorien. While he trains with Henri, he gets close to a girl at school and finds a friend in Sam. I loved the relationships in this book and the mild drama. I also loved the back story of the planet Lorien.

Normally, for me, the action sequences are some of my favorite. Not so here. The action begins less than 100 pages from the end. I’m not sure if I just didn’t like the writing of the action or if it was the actions of the characters. Probably a combination. There were, I will say, a number of instances where I rolled my eyes or gritted my teeth because I thought their actions weren’t so bright.

The book was pretty good. I have higher hopes for, The Power of Six. It looks like we’re getting a new point-of-view for book two, but I think our characters from book one will make an appearance.

A note about the movie tie-in edition of the book. In the back is a preview of the sequel and the Lorien horoscope. What would your powers be?

Synopsis:

We may be walking past you right now.

We are watching as you read this.

We may be in your city, your town.

We are living anonymously.

We are waiting for the day when

We will find each other.

We will make our last stand together—if

We win,

We are saved, and

You are saved as well.

If we lose, all is lost.

I did see the movie; the day after I finished the book. I’m not sure which I liked more. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with both. But I also think that it was mostly due to the hype. Most of the stuff that I loved from the book were either skipped over or rushed so much that they weren’t very enjoyable. That being said, the action sequences were awesome. A lot of the action stuff in the book that I found repetitive and… just bad… was not in the movie.

There were some things that irritated me, and one that really peeved me. But, still, I plan on grabbing it once it’s available on DVD. Also, the movie has a great soundtrack… if it had one. I can’t find it anywhere, but the music in the movie was great, and I’ve been looking for it.

I recommend both the book and movie, but… don’t expect one to resemble the other. If you go into the movie expecting it to look like the book, you’ll likely be disappointed. My recommendation: appreciate them for what they are. They are two different things, both good, just different.