{Review} Of Silver and Beasts by Trisha Wolfe

Of Silver and Beasts
Series: Goddess Wars #1
Author: Trisha Wolfe
Release Date: April 19, 2013
Source: *a copy was provided for review purposes by the author*
Pages: 305

In the sand-covered queendom of Cavan, the goddess once saved a young Kaliope’s life, preventing the mercury her father attempted to hide in her blood from reaching her heart. Now, a cybernetic clamp filters it, but the silver streaks swirling faintly beneath her skin are a constant reminder that she’s different.

When nineteen-year-old Kaliope is chosen as head of the Nactue Guard, she becomes the sworn protector to her empress. In the midst of an invasion on a neighboring land, Kaliope is placed in charge of guarding Prince Caben, the last heir to his kingdom. But when they’re attacked by the feared Otherworlders, Caben and Kaliope are abducted and taken below to a realm where they must fight for their life in a caged arena.

Kaliope struggles to protect her princely charge, keeping him and herself alive while battling inhumanly opponents, and trying to save the stolen, sacred relic that will restore her empress’s life force and all of Cavan. And if she can somehow awaken the goddess within her, she may save what’s most important.

New Adult Dark Fantasy: Intended for readers 17 years of age and older.{Goodreads}

~Review:
  I am going to start off by saying,..Don’t ever underestimate Trisha Wolfe. It will make you feel like a fool. Now, that being said, Trisha, I have never underestimated you. No. Not one bit. With every story of hers I am blown away. She has an incredible talent that I am glad she hasn’t let go to waste. I tend ti have the nasty habit of reading a books synopsis and then completely forgetting what it is about when I start it, jumping into a book without reading the synopsis, or skimming the synopsis and totally not understanding what the book is supposed to be about. I kind of like it though. I never do it on purpose but it always turns out for the better. Ok, well maybe not always but most of the time.  Where am I going with this?

  Yes, I skimmed the synopsis and had no clue what the heck I was getting into. All I knew was the author was Trisha Wolfe and the cover was really pretty xD Was it one of those books that turned out for the better because I didn’t read the synopsis? Well I wouldn’t say because of it but yes. It had positive results. I just find that I am pleasantly surprised when I do so. I did end up going back to Goodreads and reading the synopsis…but moral of the story: I am bad with synopsis’, Trisha Wolfe is amazing so I have full trust in her amazingness to not read the synopsis, Of Silver and Beasts has a pretty cover,  and this book was really really good.

  I don’t know how she does it but Trisha can take one of the most unusual plots and turn it into something magnificient. Seriously. Where did this book come from? Who would have thought of it? Not me that’s who! I can’t express how great this author is. Just how amazing her writing and stories are, so is she. Trisha is one of my most favorite authors. She is like a buddy-‘ol pall. ;D Knowing what a great person she is gives a positive feedback for her book. No, that does not mean this review is bias. I give credit to authors as authors and authors as people separately. I may love the author but dislike the book. I have sworn to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so don’t worry your little heads. ;D

  One other thing Trisha has down pact is her tragedies. People, I can’t number the times her stories have ruined my swollen my heart with love and then completely deflated it because of her endings. She is one cruel mistress. The endings leave you wanting nothing but more and hanging on a thread because of the wait. Now, I feel as if I have been talking too much about my synopsis problems and Trisha’s book as a whole so I am going to get a bit more focused k? K.

  Of Silver and Beasts is extremely unique. It kind of had that whole “Hunger Game” feel but…better. I liked how Trisha could take a huge world-wide plot and completely make it her own. So now that I have mentioned the Hunger Games, you may as well know that things get pretty intense, thrilling, action packed, and tragic. I felt pain for the characters that didn’t have any real part in the story. There is one part in particular that killed me. It was a pairing of blood (you will get that when you read it…hopefully). The reaction of the other killed. The devastation, anger and emotion that Trisha managed to get through was tragic. Tragic. That word will pop into your head a lot when you read it.

  I can’t really say more for fear of too many spoilers but know this: Of Silver and Beasts is a spectacular book that seized my heart. I am highly anticipating book two. I think you all should read it! If you have never read anything by Mrs. Wolfe before might as well start now! The characters in this book were wonderful and I enjoyed reading from the protagonists point of view. She was a great heroine and the hero…DAMN! That boy is HOT ;D I love him to no end. Oh goodness….I can feel spoilers trying to pull themselves to the surface. I might as well go. Moral of this review: Read. Read. Read. Of Silver of Beasts and the author are amazing. There is no room for disappointment.

~Rating:

4 of 5 stars!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!
Have an absolutely wonderful day!! :D
~Jaiden

{Interview & Giveaway} Francis Knight, author of Fade to Black

Welcome to Francis Knight!!

We have an awesome interview laid out ahead and one sweet giveaway!!

Ready?

Set?

GO!!!! ;P

~The Author:

Francis Knight was born and lives in Sussex, England. When not living in her own head, she enjoys SF&F geekery, WWE geekery, teaching her children Monty Python quotes, and boldly going and seeking out new civilizations.

Find her at: ~Website~Amazon~Twitter~Facebook~ 

~The Interview:

1. What, in your opinion, is the hardest thing about being a writer?  

A couple of things – firstly getting myself to sit down and write! I’m fine once I get started, but I have a tendency to say ‘I’ll just do this first…’ and well, and then an hour later I still haven’t got any words in. Procrastination is a terrible thing. The second is when it comes to actually showing it to anyone else. Utterly nerve-wracking.    

2. How did your writing process for Fade To Black go?  

It was very different to all my other books, to be honest. I started it as a Nano project (a challenge to write 50k of a novel in a month). I duly did the 50K, but then got sidetracked with other projects, and only came back to it every now and again. Finally, in 2011 I decided it was about time I finished it and subbed it! So in total, it took me five months to write, but that was spread over three years.   

3. How much planning and premeditated thought went into the city of Mahal?  

Planning in advance, almost none. I was thinking of Bladerunner, and the hive cities of Warhammer while I wrote, and they influenced me. But mostly it grew as I was writing. The ‘planning’ – that is making sure it all worked – came afterwards.   

4. Fade To Black is reformat in a planned trilogy. Did you know where you wanted the series to go and how it would end from the beginning?  

I had a vague idea once I’d finished the first, but as to how it actually ends…that came to me just as I was finishing book 2. I tend not to plan very much in advance – as I write, I find the actual process gives me more ideas, so any plans go out of the window! Although once I’d figured out the end, while it changed, the basic set up of it gave me something to aim towards.  

5. When did you know that writing fiction is what you wanted to do with your life?  

Oh, that’s tricky. I started dabbling quite a while ago – I was laid up with ME for a long time, and it was either watch daytime TV, or give this writing malarkey a go. So I tried it, and dabbled on and off for a while. It was only when I showed what I’d done to a couple of extremely-well-read friends, and they said they thought I should give it a go, that I decided to become serious. I sold my first romance six months later (I write under another name in romance, though Fade to Black is my first fantasy), but it was still a hobby, almost. One that I got paid for. It’s only when I got an agent for Fade to Black I thought perhaps I should really concentrate on it.   

6. How often do you write?  

Barring illness and emergencies, every day. Not always at the same time, but my aim is to get at least 1500 words in every day. Sometimes it’s a little less, more often it’s more. But pretty much every day. If I leave it longer, it just makes it harder to get back into a story!  

7. Who has been your main supporters in writing your debut? Inspirations?   

Well, my family have been very supportive. My husband hardly ever complains if I spend the evening writing. This could be because I tell him to go to the pub :). My kids think it’s fantastic too. Inspirations…the woman who made me want to write is CJ Cherryh. I loved her stuff growing up, and I wanted to be able to evoke the same feelings in others. Whether I manage it is another matter entirely. 

~The Book(s):

Fade to Black

Series: Rojan Dizon Trilogy #1

Release Date: February 26, 2013

by, Orbit

Buy: ~Amazon~

From the depths of a valley rises the city of Mahala.  

It’s a city built upwards, not across—where streets are built upon streets, buildings upon buildings. A city that the Ministry rules from the sunlit summit, and where the forsaken lurk in the darkness of Under.

Rojan Dizon doesn’t mind staying in the shadows, because he’s got things to hide. Things like being a pain-mage, with the forbidden power to draw magic from pain. But he can’t hide for ever.  

Because when Rojan stumbles upon the secrets lurking in the depths of the Pit, the fate of Mahala will depend on him using his magic. And unlucky for Rojan—this is going to hurt.{Goodreads}

The rest of the series (coming soon)...

~The Giveaway:

The Prizes:
1 Signed copy of Fade to Black and Before the Fall

The Details:
This giveaway is International!
You must be 13 years or older to enter!
Winner will have 48 hours to reply before a new winner is chosen!

a Rafflecopter giveaway Good luck!! Enjoy your day! :D ~Jaiden

{Review} The Legacy of the Clockwork Key by Kristin Bailey

The Legacy of the Clockwork Key
Series: The Secret Order #1
Author: Kristin Bailey
Release Date: March 5, 2013
by, Simon Pulse
Source: *a copy was provided by the author for review purposes*
Pages: 403

A teen girl unravels the mysteries of a secret society and their most dangerous invention in this adventure-swept romance set in Victorian London.When a fire consumes Meg’s home, killing her parents and destroying both her fortune and her future, all she has left is the tarnished pocket watch she rescued from the ashes. But this is no ordinary timepiece. The clock turns out to be a mechanical key—a key that only Meg can use—that unlocks a series of deadly secrets and intricate clues that Meg is compelled to follow.

Meg has uncovered evidence of an elite secret society and a dangerous invention that some will stop at nothing to protect—and that Meg alone can destroy. Together with the handsome stable hand she barely knows but hopes she can trust, Meg is swept into a hidden world of deception, betrayal, and revenge. The clockwork key has unlocked her destiny in this captivating start to a trilogy. {Goodreads}

~Trailer:

freaking awesome!!!! :D It was perfect!!! <333

~Review:
  The Legacy of the Clockwork Key is one of those other 2013 debuts that just rock your socks! I loved it to absolutely no end!! There have been about 4 books that have been released this year that have already made my top 5! This my friends, would be one of them. I absolutely love steampunk novels but I read them so rarely. So it’s one of those genres (and I am sure you have heard me mention this several different times on SEVERAL different occasions and are probably tired of it but I shall say it one more time!!) that are kind of savored. There are SO many dystopian and SO many vampire books, werewolf books, etc. that there tends to be nothing special about them. Ok, so there is a lot of special going on with them. Each author has their own way of making it unique and absolutely fantastic but what I mean to say is that..well…

  Ok, so let’s say that your favorite dessert is chocolate chip cookies but your mother (husband, wife, brother, sister, best friends…dog! Whoever is going to buy you a chocolate chip cookie!!) only buys you one per month. Are you going to savor that cookie? Yes. Why? Because it’s a rare gift. You only get it once a month. Its holds value because of its ????. Now if your friend started you getting you a cookie every day would you look forward to it as much? Again, you are still going to enjoy it because well..it’s one of your most favorite desserts! Its good. It could be great but because of that lack of rarity you don’t enjoy it as much.” Oh ya! A chocolate chip cookie. I get one of those every day…” See my point?

  Anyways!! Enough about chocolate chip cookies. This is supposed to be about Kristin Bailey, The Legacy of the Clockwork Key and Kristin Bailey’s debut of The Legacy of the Clockwork Key. I think you are beginning to see my love of steampunks and how that all goes now right? Yes, so wow. Just wow. I never could have guessed what I was going to receive after I opened Bailey’s debut. I knew it was going to be steampunk. I knew it was set in Victorian London. I knew it had something to do with a clockwork key and the legacy it withheld. I knew that more than likely it would be good. I knew that I enjoyed steampunks. What I didn't know? I didn’t know that there was going to be all sorts of genius wrapped up in ??? pages. I was blown away. Kristin Bailey has one talented hand that’s for sure! The amount of imagination and detail that went into this book is unbelievable. She has made a favorite out of me! A HUGE one I might add.

  The voice she puts into ??? is transfixing. The story flowed so well there was no way I could put it down. I didn't WANT to put it down. The characters were a joy. The mystery was very much enticing. The automatons were magical. There were times I had to remind myself that this was indeed a steampunk and not one once of fantasy or magic was a part of this book.  THAT is how amazing Kristin Bailey’s writing is. THAT is how incredible this book is. I felt as if I had jumped into the pages and joined Will and Meg on their adventure. Oh how I wish I could have! Especially just to meet Will ;D

  This book had everything. The romance was splendid. Not only did we have some romance going on between our main characters but also from the side characters. Oliver and Lucinda were just plain out adorable! You guys seriously have to try this book on for size. If you haven’t ever touched a steampunk book, start with this one, fall in love and thank later ;D I know I always say “this is a book you don’t want to miss out on”, but it’s true. When I say that line I mean it with every fiber of my body. I literally want you to understand that missing this book will be a tragic book crime. So, people, go out and get your little hands on this book ASAP. You do NOT want to miss out on the start to what I can tell is going to be a phenomenal series. (see that I changed the words up a bit ;D Same meaning though. ;P). I seriously don’t think I can wait a whole year for book two. Why do book releases have to be so tormenting ;)

~Rating:

5 of 5 stars!!!! <3

Thanks for stopping by!!

Have a wonderful day! :D

~Jaiden