Book Review: Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare (The Dark Artifices #1)

Title: Lady Midnight

Author: Cassandra Clare

Series: The Dark Artifices #1

Publication Date: 8 March 2016

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

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Book Review: Nevermore by Kelly Creagh (Nevermore #1)

Title: Nevermore

Author: Kelly Creagh

Series: Nevermore #1

Publication Date: 31 August 2010

Publisher: Atheneum Books

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Book Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Megan Spooner (Starbound #1)

Title: These Broken Stars

Author: Amie Kaufman & Megan Spooner

Series: Starbound #1

Publication Date: 10 December 2013

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

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Book Blitz: Doppelgänger by YL Parker

Title: Doppelgänger

Author: YL Parker

Release Date: 17 April 2017

Goodreads | Amazon 

Summary: 

Logline: Fighting and curing deadly strains of bacteria can be tougher that even when you have to time travel in order to do so. Kristin is a tireless physician who spends her day and nights diagnosing bacteria. The alluring twenty-three-year-old and her mate Peter, who holds the cure to these strains, are separated by time, making them almost impossible to remedy. Peter is an altruistic nomad, a doctor with a fantastic smile and gentle heart. He often falls through time landing at a point where he must create a cure to one deadly strain of bacteria that threatens to destroy all of mankind. When Sandy Island, lying in the South Pacific, began to sink into the ocean, engineers found a way to save it with a shift in time every few years. Its happy residents were content with their lives until elite scientist, Adam Grigori, searched the sea for a serum to thwart time & induce immortality. His find, harvested from sea animals, is the same serum Adam used on his daughter Dr. Kristin Grigori and medical assistant Dr. Peter Grayson. Kristin and Peter learn all too late that her father infused the serum with a Time Matrix which is illegal and introduces bacteria into the world.

~ Teaser ~

Sandy Island The Calderans were sweet romantic people. They sat in their huts and played their banjos and harmonicas. The Sandy Island inhabitants entertained themselves with simple things. Until one day the water came and the island began to sink, the engineers built high-rises and tunnels to the ocean floor to stabilize the island. The land on the surface was uninhabitable. Fifty years would pass then another fifty years; the water would rise ever higher. It was the most beautiful place to live on Earth, and it frequently shifted in and out of time.  The last time the island was seen on Earth was in 1989. It disappeared from the maps of the land dwellers, and the people of Sandy Island were glad.  Sandy Island was made of cliffs, waterfalls, and grottos.  The surface was covered with waterfalls. The Calderans created skyscrapers out of rock and titanium that stretched to the rocks below the land. Some lived in high rises above the island that reached to the sky, while others lived in caves, caverns and grottos beneath the ground. The winds and the weather were harsh and unpredictable. It rained for days and weeks, when the Time Shift came, and they found themselves thrown into another land full of dry wastelands and barren deserts. It was only for a moment but it felt like a lifetime. The thirst hung in their mouths and they could not escape it. Some called it a curse, and tied them to this unique island nation. Some could not and would not leave. None ever tried to leave, for fear of what might happen. There were stories of those who tried to leave their island country. Dried and brittle, skeletons were found on nearby islands.  Their fate outside their world was the ever-yielding thirst. Scientists researched the animals of the sea to find a link that would help them weather the Time Shift that plagued their land and their people. The elite looked to the creatures of the island for immortality. The Nautalum invited the Calderans into their lives with open arms. Until one day, the cuddly race of sea creatures saw into the future how the Calderans would repay them. The Nautalum made the thirst part of them. So they would never forget. When the water came in full force, the Calderan scientists searched for another weapon, they devised one, time travel to control those fifty years, and they stood ready to use it.

Find out what happens next by getting your copy @  Amazon 

 ~ About the Author ~

YL Parker was born and resides in  North Carolina. She has been a teacher for over 18 years.She was a Lecturer online at King Khalid University in Languages and Translations in 2013. She began working on her doctorate in Transformation Leadership. She is currently an engineering entrepreneur developing projects in energy, media, and healthcare. She has always loved stories ever since she was a young girl. She wrote screenplays for ten years and now has brought her storytelling to books. She has BA in English and a MA in Teaching and Learning with Technology. 

Find more about her @ Website

~ Other Books by This Author ~

Title: Archangel Love 

Author: YL Parker 

Series: Archangel #1 

Release Date: 5 June 2016 

Goodreads - Amazon 

Summary:  

Diana Deluna comes to Rome to finish her last year in high school at St. Clare’s High. Diana’s father is called to investigate the disappearance of The Shroud of Turin from a museum in central Rome. The archangel Michael has taken the image of a man and tracked the shroud and other ancient relics to the shores of Italy. Michael stumbles upon one of several keys that have opened the cells to some of the most dangerous dark archangels of all time. Michael summons the seven archangels of light to help him bring the fallen he imprisoned back to justice. Michael saves Diana from a demonic attack. Diana Deluna finds herself in a world of angels and demons forced to survive while loving a man who isn’t human.   

Title: Hillary Hermes: 

Vampires vs Witches 

Release Date: 14 March 2013 

Goodreads - Amazon 

Summary:  

This novel is set in San Juan County, Washington. Hillary Hermes was once the most feared alchemist of her time. She awakens in this time as Hillary Somers, her memory is gone, and all of her inherited powers are trapped inside the body of a frail, timid, teenager who’s filled with doubt. Time has transported her through the line of the Somers Witches.Lovers are caught in the war between vampires and witches.    

Title: Don't Make Me Angry 

Release Date: 17 February 2013 

Goodreads  

Summary:  

A sheriff leaves her native Oklahoma to join the police force in big City Seattle. She uses her multiple personality to help her fight crime.

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Mini Book Review: The Goddess Hunt by Aimee Carter (The Goddess Test #1.5)

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title: The Goddess Hunt

Author: Aimee Carter

Publication Date: 1 March 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Goodreads – Amazon – Barnes & Noble

Summary:

A vacation in Greece sounds like the perfect way for Kate Winters to spend her first sabbatical away from the Underworld...until she gets caught up in an immortal feud going back millennia. Castor and Pollux have been on the run from Zeus and Hades' wrath for centuries, hiding from the gods who hunt them. The last person they trust is Kate, the new Queen of the Underworld. Nevertheless, she is determined to help their cause. But when it comes to dealing with immortals, Kate still has a lot to learn....

My Thoughts:

Do you remember last 2 week’s Friday issue? Yup, I’m continuing with Aimee Carter’s Goddess Test series. And actually I’m putting it in mini review section, as it is a really small novella. I doubted if I should write the review, but I thought it would be good, so here it is.

The book is a small adventure of Kate’s and James’s while she went on her trip to Greece, yes, the book starts nearly right after the events in Goddess Test, so if you haven’t read the book yet, go and read it first, otherwise I’ll spoil a lot of fun for you. Ah, did I just loose a big part of readers right now? *sobs. But anyway, thank you the ones who stayed. Well, I expected a bit more from this novella, it’s not that tt was not interesting it’s just that it was too random and out of it. I would have liked to read more about the Greece itself rather then be again remained about Greek Gods idiotic rules and behaviours. However, the book again shows Kate from a very good side and you’ll love her very much. You’ll even have a respect for Henry for what he has done for her. So do you want to know what has happened during the very first 6 months with Kate? If yes, that’s your chance!

Enjoy it to its fullest and don’t forget to share your thoughts below! Stay tuned for more review as well as promos. Don’t miss your next favourite book or manga! Happy reading!

XOXO

Katie

My Rating:

Book Review: Aberrant by Ruth Silver (Aberrant #1)

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title: Aberrant 

Author: Ruth Silver

Publication Date: 16 April 2013

Publisher: LazyDay Publishing

Goodreads – Amazon – Barnes & Noble

Summary:

In the future Dystopian society of Cabal, the government instills equality for all and offers its citizens the perfect system. There is food, shelter and jobs for everyone. The one requirement is to follow the rules without question, including the government's match in marriage and "The Day of the Chosen", a lottery that randomly selects families to conceive children as natural means hasn't existed in generations. Following her eighteenth birthday, Olivia Parker accepts her requirement to marry her childhood best friend, Joshua Warren, and is eager to start her work assignment and new life when it all comes abruptly to an end as she's arrested and thrown in prison. The only crime committed, her existence. Olivia is unlike the rest of the world born not from "The Day of the Chosen." The truth haunts the government and puts her life in grave danger as one simple fact would destroy the perfect system. 

With Joshua's help, Olivia breaks free of prison and is forced on the run. Together they set out to find the promised rebel town in search of a new home and new life together. Their situation seems less than promising as they reach the town of Haven. New rules and customs must be adhered to in order to stay. Leaving would mean most certain death in the large expanse of the Gravelands. Time is running out as the government mounts an attack to destroy Olivia and bury her secret with her. Thrown into a world unlike their own, they must quickly adapt to survive.

My Thoughts:

Hello everyone and welcome back to Katie’s Corner!  Today I’m starting to cover a dystopian series by Ruth Silver. To say the truth I got the first book via NetGallet a really long time ago. At that time I was really into the whole dystopian, post-apocalyptic world. I do not know what happened, but I didn’t start it right away, and it was by pure luck that I came across it on my phone and started reading it. How so? I wanted to do something, my ipad was out of charge, I somehow forgot my headphones at home, I was out of Wi-Fi zone and as I have no games in my phone my refuge is the kindle app. And while I was scrolling through the downloaded library there was only Aberrant that I haven’t read. So I just started it. I didn’t remember what it was about, so it was something like a mystery for me.

In the very beginning with the whole arranged marriages it reminded me of a book that I dropped – Matched. I actually need to finish it. The book drew me in and held my interest. Even though I started reading it on my phone, before I switched back to the tablet I have read 1/3 of it. I always enjoy reading about dystopian worlds and the new systems. And I’m always intrigued as to how the characters take it that their system is not the best out there. The idea of a vaccine that made women unable to conceive was intriguing and I was really looking forward to see how Olivia and Josh are going to explore that zone in their relationship. But that’s for the future, I hope we will get at least some glimpses.

Overall, the first book is a fantastic beginning to the series. I was really astonished by how much we saw and how much more there’s left to be seen. I was purely disgusted with Haven’s ideology, or I should say their approach to Olivia’s and Josh’s relationship. The whole: “You can choose everyone except him” made me question their brains. I mean, if it was me, I would have approached it a bit differently, with less force and more outcome. But you need to find out what is happening in the book by yourself.

Another thing that made me question everything is when Olivia and Josh meet chancellor Collins. But if I disclose that too, it won’t be fun to read anymore. So I’ll withheld the juicy parts so grab your copy now and have a fascinating ride with the greatly built characters. Enjoy it to its fullest and don’t forget to share your thoughts below! Stay tuned for more reviews as well as promo. Don’t miss your next favouirte book or manga! Happy reading!

XOXO

Katie

My Rating:

Book Tour & Review: In the Eyes of Madness by Michael Pang

Title: In the Eyes of Madness

Author: Michael Pang

Release Date: 30 April 2015

Publisher: SolaFide Publishing

Goodreads | Amazon 

Summary: 

A near tragic incident at the hands of his psychotic mother left Declan Peters alone and with so many questions.

Years later, Declan is determined to find a way to be closer to his mother and takes a job at the institution where she's being held. That fateful decision will be the impetus for a chain of events so terrifying that Declan will question his own grasp on reality.


What he finds will be more horrifying than anything he's ever experienced and more dangerous than anything he's yet known. In a place, rife with demonic possession and sadistic beings, will Declan finally be able to find the answers he's longed for before its too late or will he succumb to the evil forces that inhabit the institution and all who live there?

~ Excerpt~

As Declan approached his mother’s room, he clutched at the pendant that hung around his neck. The pendant didn’t have any expensive jewels on it or anything, just a smooth stone with a few symbols carved on it. The pendant had been one of the few articles of jewelry that Declan had found amongst his mother’s belongings soon after she had been committed. Ever since he was seven, he had worn that pendant around his neck. And whenever he thought about his mother, he would unconsciously clutch at the pendant as if trying to grasp and hold on to a time when everything had been good.

His arrival at his mother’s door broke him out of his thoughts, and he realized that he was clutching his pendant so hard that the symbols had imprinted onto his palm. He stared at the door for a while as if deciding whether or not he should turn around and leave instead. He took a deep breath. He placed his hand on the cold doorknob, and he felt goose bumps traveling up his arm. He was hesitant to open the door because he didn’t know what state of mind she would be in. Taking in another deep breath before he turned the knob, he swung the door open.

Declan’s mother greeted him with a smile. She looked healthy, rosy cheeks, fair skin, and big warm brown eyes. The same eyes that that had always given Declan peace. With a smile she said, “There’s my boy. How was your day honey?”

Declan let out the breath he realized he had been holding the whole time. “My day was fine, Mom. How are you feeling today?”

She walked over to him and gave him a long hug. “I feel great!”

Declan almost teared up as his mother embraced him. From the day that he’s just had, he was afraid that he would find his mother in a state of mind similar to that of Kyle’s. “Do you need anything? Can I get you some more water or blankets? I hear that it might get a little cooler tonight,” replied Declan as he quickly turned around so that his mother didn’t see his eyes water up. He pretended to check the thermostat in the room and adjusted it keep it at a warm 78 degree Fahrenheit.

She replied, “No worries, I’ll be fine. I had a chat with Dr. Lanier today, and he said that I might be able to come home with you soon. I can’t wait to get out of here. It’s been too long. But enough about me; you told me yesterday that Caleb came into town last night. How is he doing?”

Caleb and Declan had been best friends since the second grade. They used to do everything together, but when they graduated, Caleb went off to college, while Declan had to start working to help support his family.

“He seemed to be having the time of his life last time I spoke with him on the phone. I’m supposed to have dinner with him tonight. I guess I’ll hear all about his awesome college adventures then. Yay…” he replied sarcastically as he walked over to the window and looked out at the setting sun.

At least Keira will be there, he thought as he face started to heat up.

“As soon as I’m out of here, Declan, I promise you I’ll help financially, and you can go to college,” she said, interrupting Declan’s thoughts. “I know that it’s been hard on you and your uncle and aunt. As a matter of fact, I’ve been working on a little something. I made these during craft time. I think I can sell them as jewelry and maybe make a business out of it. Here let me show you,” she declared as she walked toward a box on her nightstand. She took out of the box a flower with a string on it. It was an orchid that had been preserved in some sort of glossy resin. The sunlight from the setting sun reflected brightly on the glossy flower, making it shine brightly.

“That’s beautiful, Mom. I bet you there will be people who would want to buy these,” responded Declan as he examined the flower while taking hold of his mother’s hands. Declan felt his hand burn and looked up when he thought he saw something move in the corner of his eye. Suddenly still, he realized his mother was staring off into the box. As calmly as he could manage, he asked, “Mom? What are you looking for? Mom?” He got no response from her, and he felt a chill go down his spine. The remainder of the setting sunlight seemed to have withdrawn from the room. A sense of panic engulfed all his senses, and suddenly she looked up, grabbing his arms.

Then she screamed, “You can stop pretending to be my son! I will never tell you!” And she grabbed Declan by the back of his shirt collar and started hulling Declan toward the bathroom in her room. Struggling to free himself from his mother, he thrashed his arms and legs around trying to grab hold of something.

Declan choked, “Stop, Mom! Please stop it! I’m your son! Can’t you remember? I’m your son! Please Mom, don’t do this!” as his collar bit into his throat.

She bashed Declan’s head against the base of the bathroom sink, and she tried to push Declan’s head into the toilet bowl. Pain exploded from the side of his head, and everything started to look blurry.

“I will drown you this time, demon child! You took everything from me! I won’t let you hurt anyone else!”

Declan pushed off with his arms and legs and slammed her against the bathroom wall opposite from the toilet. The room seemed immensely longer than it had been as he ran back to her bed to push the call button for one of her nurses. He had almost reached the button as she grabbed him by the hair to drag him back to the bathroom screaming, “Not this time! I’ve got you this time!”

Declan reached out once again to the hospital bed where the call button was, and the bed moved forward a couple of inches. Declan’s finger collided with the button. Despite, having to fight off his mother, he squeezed his eyes shut for a second as he thought he must have somehow hallucinated the hospital bed’s movement.

Within twenty seconds, three UAPs rushed in and restrained his mother. She continued to struggle and hiss, screaming, “I will get you, demon! I will kill you if it’s the last thing I do!” Declan walked out of the room. His eyes burned as tears streamed down his cheeks. He said, “Goodnight Mom, sleep tight,” as the doors closed behind him.

~ Book Trailer ~

~About the Author ~ 

Project manager by profession but modern Renaissance man by nature, Michael Pang has dabbled in many different areas in his career. From working with steam turbines to eventually switching into the world of IT, his plethora of experience highlights his personality – he’s a person always searching for more knowledge.

Michael was born in Hong Kong in 1983. His family immigrated to San Francisco when he was three and eventually landed in Florida. After graduating from high school, Michael gained his degree in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech. Despite his currently demanding work schedule, Michael is very involved in activities at his local Project Management Institute Chapter where he fulfills his passion for teaching as the Vice President of Education. But, his desire to serve and help others doesn’t end there, he’s an avid Christian and very active in his local church. He loves kids, with two daughters of his own with his lovely wife, and volunteers at children’s church in his ministry.

He speaks fluent Cantonese and Mandarin and in his free time enjoys reading, writing, eating, cooking, playing music, dancing, singing, and watching musicals. One of his mottos is “Everyday that he hasn’t learned something new is a day wasted.”

Website | Twitter | Facebook 

~ Review ~ 

When I first got this offer to review the book, I only looked at the genres and I was hooked. Then I actually read the summary and I got intrigued, and lastly when I got the book all my expectations were heightened and truthfully this was a fantastic thrilling ride!

Declan aka the main character is a fantastic character. He has seen madness and he has experienced fear and pain while seeing the madness in his mother’s eyes. But if any other person would have gone mad or become twisted, Declan is different. Instead of running away from his mom, he actually longs to be next to her. I had many times doubted his sanity on those moments, because every time I have put myself in his shoes my first instinct was to flee rather then stay and fight.

This book is truly a journey to the unknown. It intrigues you, it’s frightening in parts, but you have to reach the end by yourself! This is the first book in the trilogy, and I am looking forward to read what is going to happen next!

~ Tour Schedule ~

17 November

Fictional rendezvous Book Blog

Bedazzled by Books

Katie's Corner - Review

18 November

The Bookish Ailurophile 

My Reading Reality

Book Worm's Blog 

Lynn's Love of Books

Jazzy Book Review

Buttonholed Book Review - Interview

Books Can Take You There - Review

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