Review for "Veil Between Worlds"

"Veil Between Worlds" is highly acclaimed wiccan author Sally Dubats first foray into the world of fiction and the first book in "The Grimoire Chronicles".

 








A young woman with cascading fiery red hair hangs limply in the arms of a faceless stranger. Against the black backdrop it almost looks like she's levitating...almost except for that hand on her white dress.
Cassie has a host of normal teenage problems, her best friend moving away, the popular kids snickering behind their hands, and a boatload of homework, she also has more than a few less than normal problems. See, Cassie is a witch. Not the float on your broomstick, throw firebolts kind of witch but the more normal down to earth Wiccan variety. But when an astral projection goes awry Cassie finds herself in the midst of something much more dangerous and ancient than even the old ways can foretell.

What I liked

• I am all for an accurate and positive viewpoint on Wicca. This book manages to both intrigue and educate the reader before it goes firmly over the deep end of fantasy.
• The moral story of not judging and labeling others is something that any teen can and should relate to.
• Absolutely beautiful depiction of the God and the Goddess. Gorgeous and life affirming.
• Spoiler: Vampires are all the rage but it gets tiresome to read about them over and over and over again. But the idea of energy vampires, by a different name of course, is slightly newer and more interesting. The symbiotic relationship between the hunter and the prey is a whole unique spin that I actually enjoyed. Though I can't help but think that the author would have been better served to call them Muses instead of Sirens.

What I disliked

• First off, Jean-Luc's atrocious accent. I get it he's french. Stop forcing it down my throat with horribly misspelled words that you actually have to sound out to understand. It's too much. Way way too much.
• Again with the immediate destiny bond between our love interests. Can't a romance bloom on its own terms without being forced down an unnatural road? It's fine if destiny lends a tug but not the whole freaking thing.
• Twilighty...very twilighty.
• The laissez–faire way sex is approached in the book, thankfully our characters don't actually cross that line.
• Another Spoiler: Why does Trenton save her memories only to erase them later on. I mean really was that whole extra chapter really necessary in between?

As I finished the book the author's name rang a bell. I tumbled it over and over in my mind and then went to my very dusty hasn't been touched in over a year 'special' bookshelf. Hey lookie there. I have her non-fiction book. Don't remember if I ever got around to reading it, but it's there. "Veil Between Worlds" is an excellent fantasy book for those already acquainted with Wicca, but I can't help but feel that the kinda outlandish situation Cassie finds herself in doesn't lend itself to a real life understanding of the Craft to someone who doesn't already understand the lines between fact and fiction. But in between the fantasy there are some real life kernels of magick. "Veil Between Worlds" is currently available for the Kindle for $2.99. The second book in the series 'Winter Shock' is also available for $2.99. You can find out more about the series and the author at www.sallydubats.com

4 out of 5 crowns

Recommended for young adult Wiccan readers. Adult Wiccan readers may also enjoy the book. Please keep in mind when considering this selection for younger readers that this is definitely a romance book. And if you already have fears about astral travel this one might be one to skip.


Synopsis:"We’ll have to make her death look like an accident.”
Cassie’s neighbors have secrets -- and she is one of them.
17-year-old Cassie is a Witch who caught the eye of her mysterious new neighbors. They’re elegant and deadly, and renovating an abandoned resort to open a school for gifted teens. Cassie is the only one who knows the whereabouts of their missing and gorgeous son, Trenton. The problem is that he's not in this dimension, and the mysterious neighbors have given Cassie an ultimatum: Find Trenton or die.
Witchcraft is second nature to Cassie, but protection charms and Drink and Know spells create a world Cassie never dreamed of, a world where Love and Disaster are intimate partners, and Cassie finds out who - and what - Trenton really is."

Review for "Memory's Wake"

"Memory's Wake" is the first book in Selina Fenech's trilogy by the same name.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A young girl stares defiantly out at the reader. Her pale skin is only further accented by the dark fringe of her pixie cut and the smudges of too much eyeliner. She wears a punk inspired top featuring a broken heart over crossbones, layered on top of a pink and black striped long sleeve shirt. In the background a dragon rears menacingly.

With no history, no past, no memories, and no name, Memory struggles to adapt to a world she literally knows nothing about. Hunted and in pain from the first moment she awakes, Memory is forced to put her life in the hands of pale beautiful stranger with magic at her fingertips. But as Memory and her strange new friend race across the even stranger land they encounter danger and fear at every turn and learn that nothing is ever as it seems, even Memory herself.

 

What I liked:

• It's hard to create a successful tale around a character with no memories and no visible backstory, but Selina Fenech manages do it not only well but beautifully. There are times that we understand and know more than Memory does but it only serves to make Memory's struggle more poignant.
• Oh ...my...god...the illustrations! So beautiful. So amazing. I wish I had as much talent for art as this woman must have in her pinky finger. I was blown away from the first beautiful illustration and looked forward to each installment with a sense of  ravenous giddiness. I wanted more, always more.
• The relations between the characters develop so naturally, nothing seems forced. 
• The pacing is perfect throughout the book. It never drags or jumps ahead of itself. Everything flows in just the way it naturally should.
• Our characters are beautiful flawed creations prone to both the best and the worst emotions that the gamut of human experience has to offer. It makes them real, and bonds you to them. 
• Even though it's a trilogy Selina Fenech managed to create a satisfactory ending that still left you wanting to see more of the characters in the future without creating that irksome left hanging sudden stop. I can't wait to find out who the true orchestrator of the whole ordeal really is.

What I disliked:

• Memory works so hard to get her own memories back only to have her goal ripped away brutally in the end. And really you hate to see her yearn for something that you as the reader know she is really better off without.

Can I say from chapter one on 'Memory's Wake' had me hooked as a reader. From the first full page illustration she had me as a fan period. I only managed to read three books this month because I wanted to make 'Memory's Wake' last forever. When I took my Kindle to the gym and opened Memory's Wake my 60 minute elliptical workout flew by so fast. So awesome to immerse myself completely in such a unique and beautiful world, which for some reason reminded me of Final Fantasy. Maybe it's the illustrative style. *shrugs* Regardless 'Memory's Wake' is currently available for the Kindle for .99 cents. And let me tell you people its a steal. Well worth your time and your pennies. The second book in the trilogy is "Hope's Reign" which is available for $4.99. The final book 'Providence Unvieled' is slated for late 2013 - early 2014. I'm eager and excited to see what beautiful art and story Ms. Fenech has created now. Although marked as young adult novel it is a worthwhile read for any fantasy reader, regardless of age. Seriously don't let the YA label throw you.  Vist www.memoryswake.com for more information about the series, the author, and the illustrations. For more information about Selina Fenech, the artist, go to www.selinafenech.com .

 

 

5 out of 5 crowns

Recommended for young adult and adult fantasy readers. Younger children and those who have spent time in a children's home may find some of Memory's backstory a little disturbing. Also recommended for fantasy art lovers due to the delicious beautiful illustrations throughout. 

 

 

Synopsis:"Lost in a world full of monstrous fairies, a troubled sixteen year old has to find out who she is and why her memories were stolen before she is found by those who want her dead.
She takes the name "Memory" and knows she has just one goal - to find her way home, wherever that is. But this land is strange. No technology to be seen, and iron is banned, thanks to a pact the humans have with the magical creatures who share their pre-industrial era world. In her t-shirt and torn jeans, Memory knows she's different, even before she performs impossible magic.

Haunted by her past, chased by a dragon, wanted by the king and stalked by the strange, handsome savage that seems to know her, everyone is after Memory, and she suspects it's not just for her eye-catching outfit. Her forgotten past holds dangerous secrets that will challenge everything she believes and risk the lives of everyone she loves."

Review for "Ethan Wright and the Curse of Silence"

"Ethan Wright: and the Curse of Silence" is the first book in the 'Ethan Wright' series by Kimbro West.

A golden scaly dragon opens its mouth in a silent roar, the folds of its serpentine body writhing in circles in the background. At first glance it looks like the dragon is spitting molten fire into the air causing the intense fiery glow that emanates around and behind it. But on closer inspection a careful onlooker will notice that the creature is not breathing fire but rather inhaling its own tail, the end becoming more and more molten as it descends into the gaping maw.
Ethan Wright is consumed by nightmares of his missing twin brother. A bloody nose, a stretched smokey hungry face. The elements of the dream haunt him only chased away be the beloved purring of his pet cat or the sunrise, whichever comes first. With a missing father, missing brother, and dead mother Ethan has little to occupy his time except wild boyish excursions with his best friend, Auren. When one of their escapades turns from strange to even stranger, Ethan may finally get the answers he's been longing for or become a pawn in a massive chess game led by creatures called Oroborus, tail-devouring serpents of unimaginable power.
What I liked:

• The author makes excellent use of foreshadowing devices without giving away too much info.
• It's been quite a while since I've heard mention of the Oroborus. It's a part of many different mythological pantheons from Egypt to Greece to the the Norse. The Oroborus typically represents rebirth and the cyclical nature of life. The story I remember as child is the one where the snake bites its own tail in order to become a wheel and roll down the hill. I think country folk refer to it as a hoop snake.At any rate it's always exciting to me to see an old legend recreated.
• The addition of alchemy instead of just magic is an interesting take.
• The time difference between the different dimensions while reminding me of Fairy type lore is also unique and offers up a pleathora of outcomes and story telling devices.

What I disliked:

• While the writing was crisp, clear, and consise it was left wanting of anything even remotely resembling pizzaz. It becomes obvious that the author intended this particular book for younger readers fairly quickly. 
• My biggest beef with Ethan Wright is the ending. It seemed more than a little rushed and was quite unsatisfactory as far as happy endings go. In fact I repeatedly attempted to turn the virtual page thinking that there had to be more to it. 
• Next if Ethan ever does find his twin, will Issac have aged appropriately or is aging sort of suspended in this odd land?

 The Ethan Wright series appears to have the potential to become one of the many epic young adult series out there with dozens of 'Ethan Wright and's' to make up the titles. While not nearly as titillating as something like the Harry Potter series it may appeal to the same sect of readers. 'Ethan Wright and the Curse of Silence' is available for the kindle for .99 cents. The second book, 'Ethan Wright and the Alchemist's Order' is not yet available. You can find out more about the series and the author at www.kimbrowest.com

4 out of 5 crowns

Recommended for young adult readers. Younger readers may have trouble with a few of the terms/concepts but will find it enjoyable nonetheless. Older readers will probably enjoy the story too since it is a solid fantasy entry.



Synopsis: "A young boy struggles to find his twin brother who has been missing for three years. Ethan realizes he can travel to a new world through an Oroborus named Dimon where he traces the footprints of a legendary life led by his twin. Facing similar hardships and challenges bestowed before him, Ethan must learn the ways of alchemy or his journey will end in peril."

Falling into Fall

I'm so horribly late to this monthly update. It's been busy over here, but honestly there's not alot to share with you. As you have probably already figured out our Wednesday special of Art Uncovered as been put on hold. I don't know when it'll come back.
Nothing new on the weight loss front. I'm holding steady at 140 point something. Still going to the gym 2 to 3 times a week, my husband has been shooting for 3 to 4. It's getting old for both of us, harder and harder to make that trip into town. I am however definitely in a size 6 which is one size down from where I started. My mother who started going with us once a week is also down almost a size and a half. She was pushing size 16 and is now firmly in a 12. I'm proud of my family and how we've managed to overcome the obstacles set in front of us. There are as always a never ending stream of them but I'm confident that together we can overcome.
Nothing new on the writing front though I didn't expect there to be. When life gets hard,  writing gets even harder. I keep telling myself at some point and time I'm going to have push through but then a bad day hits us, and I barely want to get out of bed much less write.
This month my photography business tackled two weddings. Which means I've been pretty darn busy with editing, emails, and proofing galleries. I'm still waiting on my beautiful brides to get me their orders. That will be a very busy day indeed. I also lucked out and found my newest fairy model at lunch with a mutual friend. The girl was tagging along because she'd had a bad day. It was good to meet her. I hope we brightened her day. She will be my Cleopatra themed fairy. I've got a couple yards of fabric waiting for me to make the outfit, a gold headdress, and a gold coin hip skirt wrap. It'll be a little difficult to find somewhere in Tennessee that isn't still brightly green at the moment, but I think we can manage it. It's scheduled for next weekend.
Finally a little progress on the remodel! My husband and I finally found a new light fixture we could agree on. So so happy to get rid of the tacky gold fixture that came with the house. We replaced it with a tiffany styled lamp with two bulbs instead of five! The new lamp gives off a much softer warmer light, not to mention it actually looks like it belongs. Hopefully we'll be getting to work on the benches for the table soon.


The original light

The new light. Look at the little owl faces!

On another note.... Today is my 4th wedding anniversary! I can hardly believe it's been 4 years since that day. I woke with the crack of dawn and snuck out of the house so that he wouldn't see me. In the quite hours of the morning with the dew still thick on the grass, my grandmother and I set up the tables and chairs before my maid of honor and mother arrived to help with the decorations. I hid in my grandma's bedroom to get ready, out of breath from running to hide when he rounded the corner, laughing as he walked through the bushes and under the trellis. I remember being petrified when I came out of the house and all our friends and family turned to look at me. I seriously almost turned and ran. Until I saw him standing at the end of the aisle. Then everyone else disappeared. He cried during our vows. I am so glad he went second. I never would have made it through mine otherwise. Then in a whirlwind we headed for the airport and made my lifelong dream come true. Ireland.  *sigh*

My anniversary gifts, a coke, milano cookies, a bouquet of pink carnations, an amazon gift card, and this cute little rustic animal ornaments for our tree.

Edited to Add: Totally forgot about my book review total! I read and reviewed 4 books last month. This brings my year total to 35. I am 15 books away from my goal! Whoot, whoot. :)