Review: Second Nature by Elizabeth Sharp

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read Natural Selection yet, don’t read this review!

“Amelia Hoffman always knew she would be with Nathaniel Peplow forever, but after they bonded everything started to go wrong. Nate treats her like the enemy, her siblings are in danger, and an old threat grows closer. As Nate pulls away and Amelia’s burgeoning friendship with a handsome stranger blossoms, she worries she made the biggest mistake of her life. If sorting out her love life wasn’t enough, a new drug emerges that not only threatens the ones she loves, but seems to be part of something larger than she could ever imagine. Amelia’s new and old friends must work together to not only save themselves, but the whole world.”

In Second Nature, the second book in Elizabeth Sharp’s Forces of Nature series, we’re back with the gang. Sariah, Xander and Lia have been on the run and forced to hide their true identities. Finally settling down into a home, new jobs and trying to make a life for themselves after the death of their parents. New faces appear including a swoon-worthy angel named Dylan who seems to have a bit of an interest with Lia. But where's Nate? The ending of Natural Selection left them with bonded, created by a simple kiss. Since then things have not only become more complicated but hearts are all tangled up.

There is an incredible amount of action in this book that made for such an easy and enjoyable page turner. We deal with old predicaments and new ones as a new drug is on the market that's proving to be very dangerous to the human society. There is also a bigger picture we're beginning to see with the possibility of Lia being more than just the average Gaia.

There were a couple of things that didn’t settle well with me about this book. A minor detail is that there were a few typos. I can handle this, especially reading indie books it’s going to happen. While I didn’t think too much of those errors while reading, there were enough that I felt the need to make a comment. Secondly there is the immersion of a new drug. Knowing that I read the Gwen Sparks series not too long ago by Stephanie Nelson there were some overlaps between this series and the other. Checking the publication dates, they were published a week apart from each other and I also know that they run in the same circle. 

Everyone knows that nothing is original. Every storyline is inspired by another and always will be. All you can do is try and twist everything to form into your own story. I’m simply stating that I found the similarities hard to ignore, especially knowing their connection.

Yet without a doubt, I still rate this book a 

Because no matter the similarities, I still had to know what happened next and loved the growing connection between Xander, Lia and Sariah. Not to mention the variety of paranormal creatures, I definitely look forward to the release of the next book in this Forces of Nature series.

Giveaway Reminder!

I know you're about to jump start your weekend full of fun and excitement, but before you get too caught up take a second and sign up for our giveaway!

To see the full details, click here.

With our one year anniversary coming up, we wanted to do something special for you guys, the ones that keep us going. So with the simple answer to our question, your name and e-mail address you will be entered to win your choice of a Hunger Games prize pack or an Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter prize pack! We've had a few respond already but look forward to hearing more.

Winner will be selected at random on July 11th. Tell your friends and take a moment to be apart of this great opportunity!

We look forward to hearing from you,

Review: Faelorehn by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson

“Meghan Elam has been strange her entire life: her eyes have this odd habit of changing color and she sees and hears things no one else does. When the visions and voices in her head start to get worse, she is convinced that her parents will want to drag her off to another psychiatrist. That is, until the mysterious Cade MacRoich shows up out of nowhere with an explanation of his own.
Cade brings her news of another realm where goblins and gnomes are the norm, a place where whispering spirits exist in the very earth, and a world where Meghan just might find the answers she has always sought.”

Meghan has had a somewhat difficult life. She hears voices and sees things that others around her – her friends and adopted family members – can’t see or hear. And she has no one who can give her the answers that she so desperately wants to know about herself, either. Who are her real parents? Why did they give her up? And more importantly, why is she so strange, when everyone else around her is so normal? When she least expects it, a young man by the name of Cade MacRoich comes into her life and fills in some of the blanks. Come to find out, the reason that she doesn’t seem to fit in with all the “normal” humans around her is because Meghan herself is not human. She is a member of the Faelorehn, a fae race that live in a place called the Otherworld. This revelation only leads to more questions on Meghan’s part, questions that Cade can’t answer right away. And when danger suddenly befalls Cade, it’s up to Meghan to help the one person who can help her find the answers that she seeks. Faelorehn is a quick and interesting faerie tale with a twist that will leave you wanting more once you’re finished reading. 

I rate this book:

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was such an intriguing read that I found it rather difficult to put it down. The storyline reminded me so much of Amanda Hocking’s Trylle trilogy, which made Faelorehn all the more enjoyable for me. But what I really liked was how the author incorporated so many Celtic myths into the story. It made the book seem that much more magical and definitely added to the story a lot. I would encourage everyone to read Faelorehn. You won’t be disappointed. And once you read it, you’ll be dying for the next book to come out – I know I am. 


Jenna Elizabeth Johnson grew up and still resides on the Central Coast of California, a place she finds as magical and enchanting as the worlds she creates. She received a BA in Art Practice with a minor in Celtic Studies from the University of California at Berkeley. It was during her time in college that she decided to begin her first novel, The Legend of Oescienne - The Finding. Reading such works as Beowulf, The Mabinogi, and The Second Battle of Maige Tuired in her Scandinavian and Celtic Studies courses finally inspired her to start writing down her own tales of adventure and fantasy. She also enjoys creating the many images and maps for her various worlds. Besides writing and drawing, she is often found reading, gardening, camping, hiking and bird watching. Jenna Elizabeth Johnson is currently working on her second book in the Oescienne series entitled The Beginning. For more on the author and her books, and for contact information, visit www.oescienne.com or her blog www.jennaelizabethjohnson.com. 

One Year Anniversary Giveaway!

Hello everyone,
We have exciting news to share! July 11th will make our one year bloggerversary here at The Ink Puddle and to celebrate we're doing a giveaway all for YOU! All you have to do is answer the following questions...

What is your favorite thing about The Ink Puddle? 

a) The book reviews

b) The guest posts
c) The silly book news

d) Other, please reply below.

and...

What would you like to see more of?

If you do that, you are automatically entered into our giveaway. If you decide to follow us or are following us already and choose to comment, that's 2 enters into our giveaway! And here's the fun stuff you can win...

Prize Pack #1

The Hunger Games Book Trilogy

The Hunger Games DVD

 

Prize Pack #2

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter Book

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter Theater Tickets

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter Movie Poster

 ___________________________________

All you have to do is comment below answering the question above and let us know if you're a follower (we'll double check of course! In case you forget to say!). We'll select the winner at random (July 11th!) and whoever the lucky one is will get to choose which of the two prizes they want. So tell your friends, family, neighbors, bloggers, dogs and everyone else you like or don't like! We can't wait to hear from all of you!

Review: Echo of an Earth Angel by Sarah M. Ross

“18 year old Tessa Copeland barely survived the worst year of her life—in fact, it was a miracle. After making it through the tragedy that killed both of her parents, she’s left to pick up the pieces of her life. Combating the holes in her memory and the concern of her friends was hard enough, but a new talent threatens to destroy everything she’s trying to reclaim. David Allegri didn’t mean to ruin Tessa’s life. She was the brightest soul he’d seen in centuries and he couldn’t let her die, so the fallen angel used his abilities to heal her—only he took it too far and changed Tessa forever. Now, he has to figure out a way to explain what’s happening to Tessa and somehow protect both of them from the consequences. His choice made them targets for the Hunters, who will use any means necessary to capture their prey. Only a desperate plan can help them escape, and sacrifices will be made. Time is ticking. Will they make it, or will they be lost to the echoes of fate?”

As many of you may have noticed, I haven’t read too many books about angels. So going into Echo of an Earth Angel I didn’t have too many expectations or theories of how things “should be” as you may when coming across a book of vampires or other common supernatural creatures. I found this to be very refreshing.

How would you handle things if you woke up from being in a coma for a year and found that all of your family died in an awful tragedy? This is exactly the situation we find ourselves in with Tessa. Only when weird things begin to happen that can’t be explained by science, how do you explain them? When Tessa finds out that David transformed her life, can she be thankful or will she find herself in resentment for what her life is now destined to become?

One of the common themes in the book is that everyone has a time and that no one can mess with that time. When you’re supposed to die, it’s for a reason and it’s meant to set off an important chain of events that will lead the world into its overall destiny. But who has the right to decide who lives and who dies? God? Angels? After much soul searching David comes to believe that this isn’t right, isn’t fair. This idea and the wrestling of “morals” Sarah Ross presents to us not only makes for a great fictional storyline but points out the inner struggle and wonder we have as humans as to why things happen to good people. Why the drunk driver lives when the person they hit who was completely sober and an innocent person died in an accident. Whether you’re religious or not, whether you believe in a god or not, these are questions we all ask ourselves from one point in time or another, and Sarah does a great job in challenging both sides of the belief system.

Something else I loved about this book was the relationships that were formed. Tessa and Morgan’s is one that you could easily compare yourself to with your own best friend; as the romance between Tessa and David is pure and sweet as ever.  Morgan said it best herself, “It means you finally get it. Love doesn’t let you pick who, when, or how. It throws the person in your face and says ‘deal with it’. It’s learning how to love that’s the hardship, and that’s where so many people screw up. They don’t want to put in the work necessary and are foolish not to realize true love is worth it. They settle for like or lust. But love, real all-encompassing love, doesn’t fit into your nice mold of who you thought you would end up with. Instead, you get the odd-shaped and lumpy pancake most others would throw away. But you can’t, because you know that’s the one with the sweetest flavor” (quote directly from novel). Come on, you know this moment. J

Lastly, the ending of the book was one that really threw me off, but in a good way. The people who we look to as good and evil and assume that everything is black and white and set in stone aren’t necessarily that way. I won’t give you any spoilers but I will say that sometimes, the people you think you can trust… you can’t.

My Rating for this Book:

You’ll want to pick this one up, although Awaken had my heart just a little bit more than this one, Sarah Ross proves once again that she can not only write well, but write stories that will stay with you.

Guest Post: Peter Dawes

Today, we have Peter Dawes here with us to talk with us about his book, Eyes of the Seer!

The Hero Nobody Asked For

“I belong to no one now, so I can convince neither camp of my fidelity.” – Flynn, Rebirth of the Seer

Most great men come heralded with some sort of fanfare – be it a prophecy or a revelation – to accompany their arrival. In many fantasy novels, kings are given parades and, with each venture into their kingdom, the standard train of pomp and circumstance follows in their wake. Heroes are set apart from their peers and every soothsayer and sorcerer who crosses their paths knows the triumphs they are destined to accomplish.

But what happens when the only marker of your potential is the color of your eyes?

Throughout Eyes of the Seer, the vampire Flynn experiences the fall even before the mythical cross is placed upon his shoulders. The man who crawls out from the rubble is more villain than hero, thrust into power for which even his dark and selfish desires have no use and placed on a game board he would have sooner avoided. His first brush with temptation comes at the capricious hand of his maker, Sabrina, and by the culmination of the story, he has barely managed to make right all of the wrongs he committed when first turned immortal.

In Rebirth of the Seer, however, a villain tries to be a hero. The penitent vampire reluctantly accepts the tasks he was given by The Fates. His past prevents him from receiving the fanfare of a hero, though; no matter how many times his ethereal eyes are referenced as a mark of distinction, he still has blood on his hands. Sometimes, the trust of another is not so easily won and sometimes the pilgrim on the path of redemption is viewed with skepticism, no matter how earnest his pursuit. The fact is Flynn was never the ‘one who was promised’. And the world doesn’t know what to do with him as a result.

The place he once called home is no longer an alcove. The society which should be a haven has already condemned him. His only ally is a sorceress named Monica, who has wagered against the odds and thrown in her chips with a long shot. Flynn is not completely immune to the charms of darkness or the depravity of his nature, a fact he comes to terms with through each twist and turn along the road.

“There is a chess match for my soul, it seems.” – Flynn, Rebirth of the Seer

But The Fates have called a champion anyway – without any signs and wonders – trusting that a villain can be changed and from the ashes, a warrior might rise. It is the thing of legends in a time of cynicism and what remains to be seen is who might be right – the ones who remember the murderous assassin, or the few who believe in a heart that can be molded into a hero. A destiny trails him, but so does the realization that he has become a country without affiliation, about to be presented with an offer too enticing for him to refuse.

“You belong to me,” she said. “And I know you too well by now to doubt you. There have been many times throughout all of this that you looked ready to buckle and brought yourself back to your feet”

“Damn quixotic woman. How did I wind up with a watcher whose singular ability is to trouble me?” – Monica & Flynn, Rebirth of the Seer

Where would your wager lie?

***

Peter Dawes is the author of The Vampire Flynn Trilogy. The first book – Eyes of the Seer – is available through Amazon.com in both print and ebook formats. The second book – Rebirth of the Seer – is scheduled for release on July 25, 2012 and will also be available on Amazon.com.

Thank you to The Ink Puddle for allowing me to guest post on your blog. It has been an honor. 

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Thank you so much for stopping by Peter! Be sure to check out Eyes of the Seer. Click here for a review of the book.  

Review: The Iron Daughter By Julie Kagawa

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her. Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

Ash kept his end of the deal so Meghan now has to keep hers. Although they defeated the Iron King and rescued Ethan she is now stuck in the winter court as prisoner. And even though she defeated the Iron King the iron fey are still causing mayhem amongst the other fey and the winter and summer courts are close to going head to head in war. Her faery powers no longer seem to work either so she stuck amongst the cruel winter fey with little more than human strength to get her by and without Ash by her side she not even sure if she'll ever get out of the winter courts. The Iron Daughter is the fabulous sequel to Julie Kagawa's Iron King book. It has action, adventure, romance, heartbreak, and humore that keep you from putting the book down until it is finished, and then you still might not.

I really liked that in this book we got to see the winter courts. While they are all faeries there is a major difference between winter and summer just like the seasons themselves. While the summer faeries could be cruel, the winter faeries take it to a whole new level, especially Queen Mab and her icy sons. Ash becomes a whole new person while amongst the winter courts. He is much more how I pictured he would be before the happenings of the Iron King. 

Grim, my favorite character, stole the show for me. Although I am NOT a cat person at all, they freak me out, I love Grim. There’s an air of smart assness while still being completely serious that I find hilarious. Between his know it all attitude and always showing up an exactly the right moment in a lot of ways he is the hero of these books. Also, he reminds of the chesser cat in Alice and Wonderland.

I like that we get introduced to a few new characters in this book. Lea, in particular, is one of my favorites. She is powerful as all get out and for that reason she has been cast out of NeverNever to life in exile by the summer Queen. But even so she still helps Meghan a great deal in this book and although she is a complete pain in the butt I really like her. You also get to meet Mab, who I love to hate, and her other two winter sons Sage and Rowan. I didn’t mind Sage so much but Rowan is not my favorite winter guy.

The Iron Fey in this book intrigue me as well.  I would have thought that after there king had been defeated that they would have went back into hiding and minding there own business.  I guess if they had then there wouldn't be a second book but I like that there motives are a complete mystery.  I also like that some of the iron fey look like some of the regular fey.

I loved the ending to this book as well. But I obviously can’t tell you about it ;] So you’ll just have to read it.

The Iron Fey series is written by Julie Kagawa. She lives in Louisville, Ky with her husband, two dogs, and two cats. She participates in kung fu. Her other works are The Immortal Rule, which came out this past spring, Iron Fey mini books, and coming soon a new Iron Fey series.

Guest Post: Ada Adams

Today, we have Ada Adams here with us to talk about the unique characters in her book, ReVamped!  

The Born in ReVamped
The vampires in ReVamped's universe exist in two varieties—The Born and The Made. 

Most vampires in the world are part of the Made group. The Made vampires are humans who were turned by their vampire sires through an exchange of blood in death. The only way for a human to be successfully turned is for him or her to have vampire blood coursing through the body as his/her heart stops. Because of the complex timing of this procedure, the turn is often made out of a loving gesture between the individual and his or her sire. Once a human becomes a vampire, they experience a change in strength, speed, appetite, and much more. Unless, of course, they happen to be the group of Misfits in ReVamped!
ReVamped's main character, Dawn, is very special, as she was actually born a vampire. While most vampires do not and cannot have children, in rare circumstances, a Born vampire can give birth to another Born. This child is a result of a union between the Born and a vampire she has sired with her own blood. The offspring of the couple (always a daughter) is an extremely powerful being. Only about five such vampires are born in the world in every generation. The Born vampire grows and ages much like a human child, and if she does not give birth, she continues out her lifespan and dies of old age. Upon giving birth to another Born, however, the mother is frozen in time at that particular age for all eternity. The Born are the envy of the vampire race, not just for their extreme power, but also because they have the opportunity to choose a more “human” life. They are able to experience birth and even death of old age, if they so desire. Unfortunately, the downside to a vampire giving birth is that it is a very dangerous feat and most, like Dawn's mother, lose their own life in the process of bringing forth another. 


Throughout the first Angel Creek novel, Dawn is still in the dark about the information regarding her origins and the powers that come with being a Born. We learn that Dawn's blood has a healing ability incomparable to any of the Made vampires, but it is only in ReVamped's sequel, ReAwakened, that we delve deeper into the exploration of Dawn's full potential. I'm very excited for Dawn to learn more about her strengths and grow and mature as both a vampire and a person.

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Thank you so much for stopping by Ada! Be sure to check out ReVamped to learn more about these interesting characters. Click here to read a review of the book. 

Review: A Temptation of Angels By Michelle Zink

Even angels make mistakes in this page-turning epic romance. When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting the world's past, present, and future. Unbeknownst to her, she has been trained her whole life to accept this responsibility. Now, as she finds herself torn between the angelic brothers protecting her and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who wants to destroy her, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong, because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel. Michelle Zink masterfully weaves historical fantasy with paranormal romance to create a gripping tale of love and betrayal.

When Helen Cartwright is awaken in the middle of the night my her mother and forced to hide in a secret room without no explaination, she all but panics.  When she realizes that her house is burning down and that her parents are probably dead she is forced to find her way through an underground tunnel and take refuge at with  Darius and Griffin Channing, two brothers that, with her, are the last of the keepers of the world.  As she learns about Dictata and her role in it, she also learns the cruel truth about her parents death and who had ordered it.  The balance of good, evil, and the order of all things sits in the hands of Helen, Darius, and Griffin.  A Temptations of Angels is an exciting new take on angels based around one hundred to one hundred fifty years ago in London.  The books is full of new love, friendship, magic, betrayal, and action that will keep you turning the pages.

I really like that the book was based at an earlier time period than the present.  Sometimes it’s a nice change to go to another era in a book besides the present that so many new books today are based in.  In this book you really get a feel for how people that were more well off did things and what they thought was or wasn’t proper.  I also like that now matter then century Helen is still a young adult and young adults will be just that, proper or not.

I really liked Darius’ character because you really get to see him open up.  Griffin was just automatically him and open and friendly from the get go but Darius is very much the onion of the two.  He starts off cold and mean but then you find is soft spot in a girl with bad health and then you find that he slowly, if given time and if it is earned, will respect and care for Helen like a sister.  Throughout almost the whole book you think that he is this hard, scared of nothing bad ass but then you find something that he is scared of and his character does a flip flop for a second and then he’s back to his brave bad self.  He is very much a roller coaster to follow.

The other character I really like is Raum.  He is the broken boy of this book.  He has done horrible things but when you find his reasoning you almost wonder if what he is doing is really all that bad if it’ll all be erased anyways.  He has conflicted interest between remembering being friends with Helen as children and needing to harm her now.  I don’t want to say too much but it’s very interesting how it all plays out.

Have you guys read any good books this summer?  Any angel books? Suggestions? Let us know!