Gush and Gripe #2

SIGN UP HERE & TO GUSH OR GRIPE WITH US!

It’s been another awesome month both in the fictional and real world for me. So let me start by Gushing over Cheree Alsop (Shadows, Galdoni, Silver Series) and Heather Hildenbrand (The Specials, Across the Galaxy, Dirty Blood). These ladies are phenomenal and such nice people to work with. I hope they will remember us once they’ve hit it big time because we sure will.
Octavia Spencer and Christopher Plummer winning Academy Awards for their supporting roles in The Help and Beginners respectively, was such an authentic moment. When I saw the Globes where they won that category too for their roles, it was so touching how much they’ve been humbled by the recognition. I’m especially happy for Mr. Plummer because for someone who’s been acting for most of his life, to win an Oscar at 82 must mean more to him than anyone else in that room. It’s the completion of his life’s work and you can really tell the joy he felt on his acceptance speeches.
On the flip side, if you’ve been following our Facebook page you’d have an idea about what I’ll Gripe about. TWILIGHT.
First of all I don’t have anything per se about the series, like most people who read we are all critics in our own way. As for Stephenie Meyer’s 401k aka Twilight, I love Jacob Black and his pack of wolves she got those magnificent beings down to a pat. The Volturri are a terrifying coven to go up against and Carlisle and Esme are such darlings. I never liked Bella and Edward. The former has no regard for her father the entire time she was in Forks, would run off and do whatever she wants not taking into consideration what her father and friends would feel. Edward is an enabler and should know better living for more than a century. 
I love reading YA and I find it a slight in behalf of upcoming or current YA authors who’s works are compared to Twilight. Plot-wise Meyer’s story is not all that, Bella’s attitude is not something I’d want my kids to mimic in real life. If it’s success they want, they should aspire to reach J.K. Rowling heights.
Why can’t a book just be a book or if they want to compare it with something, why not with a proven classic? It’s too early to say that Twilight will reach classic status like Austen, Stoker, Hemingway or Fitzgerald, whose writing and brilliance are taught in schools across the world and is set as an example for future writers to exemplify. Or compare it with something that it’s similar with.

So why is Twilight the benchmark? And if these critics and editors aim to make a lateral comparison then at least compare it with a book who has similar characters and not with a story that doesn’t have any trace of Vampires or Werewolves in it to begin with.

So drop the comparison, dear Editors and publishers and just say it like it is because most likely, the succeeding YA series will be nothing like Twilight, it will be BETTER.
So before I have a conniption, I’ll end my bit here and ponder on what Bram Stoker would say about vampires that sparkle in the sun.
Braine



Gush and Gripe #2

SIGN UP HERE & TO GUSH OR GRIPE WITH US!

It’s been another awesome month both in the fictional and real world for me. So let me start by Gushing over Cheree Alsop (Shadows, Galdoni, Silver Series) and Heather Hildenbrand (The Specials, Across the Galaxy, Dirty Blood). These ladies are phenomenal and such nice people to work with. I hope they will remember us once they’ve hit it big time because we sure will.
Octavia Spencer and Christopher Plummer winning Academy Awards for their supporting roles in The Help and Beginners respectively, was such an authentic moment. When I saw the Globes where they won that category too for their roles, it was so touching how much they’ve been humbled by the recognition. I’m especially happy for Mr. Plummer because for someone who’s been acting for most of his life, to win an Oscar at 82 must mean more to him than anyone else in that room. It’s the completion of his life’s work and you can really tell the joy he felt on his acceptance speeches.
On the flip side, if you’ve been following our Facebook page you’d have an idea about what I’ll Gripe about. TWILIGHT.
First of all I don’t have anything per se about the series, like most people who read we are all critics in our own way. As for Stephenie Meyer’s 401k aka Twilight, I love Jacob Black and his pack of wolves she got those magnificent beings down to a pat. The Volturri are a terrifying coven to go up against and Carlisle and Esme are such darlings. I never liked Bella and Edward. The former has no regard for her father the entire time she was in Forks, would run off and do whatever she wants not taking into consideration what her father and friends would feel. Edward is an enabler and should know better living for more than a century. 
I love reading YA and I find it a slight in behalf of upcoming or current YA authors who’s works are compared to Twilight. Plot-wise Meyer’s story is not all that, Bella’s attitude is not something I’d want my kids to mimic in real life. If it’s success they want, they should aspire to reach J.K. Rowling heights.
Why can’t a book just be a book or if they want to compare it with something, why not with a proven classic? It’s too early to say that Twilight will reach classic status like Austen, Stoker, Hemingway or Fitzgerald, whose writing and brilliance are taught in schools across the world and is set as an example for future writers to exemplify. Or compare it with something that it’s similar with.

So why is Twilight the benchmark? And if these critics and editors aim to make a lateral comparison then at least compare it with a book who has similar characters and not with a story that doesn’t have any trace of Vampires or Werewolves in it to begin with.

So drop the comparison, dear Editors and publishers and just say it like it is because most likely, the succeeding YA series will be nothing like Twilight, it will be BETTER.
So before I have a conniption, I’ll end my bit here and ponder on what Bram Stoker would say about vampires that sparkle in the sun.
Braine



Leap Into Books Giveaway Hop (Int)

First of all Thank you for stopping by our blog! The Leap Into Books Giveaway Hop is being hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Jinky is Reading

So what’s up for grabs?
The prize is $10 in books from The Book Depository!
Contest is OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!
So if The Book Depository ships to your country, you can enter!

Rules:

  • Winner will be chosen at Random. 
  • Follow Rafflecopter below.
  • Winners will be announced on Talk SupeFacebook & Twitter.
  • Giveaway ends midnight on March 5th.

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    CLICK READ MORE TO VIEW A LIST OF ALL THE OTHER BLOGS 
    PARTICIPATING IN THE GIVEAWAY HOP

    Galdoni and Shadows Giveaway Winners

    And the lucky winners are

    /*{literal}{/literal}*/ a Rafflecopter giveaway<a href=”http://rafl.es/enable-js”>You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway</a>.

    Thank you for joining and I hope that you’ll enjoy Cheree’s world as much as I did.
    In behalf of Cheree, I’d like to ask you to rate or review Galdoni and Shadows on one or all of the following

    Writer Wrangler: Cheree Alsop

    Cheree Alsop
    author of

    and YA Werewolf series
    more info here
    and she’s here today for a chat.

    I noticed your music playlists are leaning towards rock, does that have an influence on your books in terms of the theme and characterization?

    Music is my muse. I find that rock music in particular calls to me because of the broad range of emotion it can evoke. Before I write a book, I create a playlist that describes the variety of emotions I want to capture through my writing. Heartache, pain, love, betrayal, joy, and fear among so many other feelings are echoed in the music I listen to when I drive, cook, work out, or relax, and I find that the best parts of my stories come to me while I listen to music.

    I might listen to a song a hundred times while I work on one particular scene in a book, and if I read it again and feel the same emotion, I know I’ve captured what I wanted to for that part of the story. My books aren’t light and fluffy; the characters go through real trials and feel the agony of loss, of pain, and the joy of triumph. If it wasn’t for the music I listen to, I feel that parts of the stories would be missing the depth that makes them stand out.

    What/who were your influences as far as your writing is concerned?

    My favorite books are The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas, Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith, The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It’s a broad range of styles and themes, but what I cherish the most from each of these authors is the way they write a character so believably you feel that by the end of the story you know them and could meet them on the street.

    I love watching a characters develop and grow through the trials in their stories. I also love the detail of the world the characters live in, and the ability to see it differently through each of their eyes. I love to read, and I feel I learn something from each author. Everyone has a different style and way of capturing their world, and I love to get immersed in those worlds. It’s something I hope readers can relate to in my stories as well, the ability to escape into a different world we might otherwise not have the chance to experience.

    There seems to be an underlying theme in both Galdoni and Shadows and that is captivity, can you tell us more about that?

    I feel that each of us experience captivity in one way or another. We may not live in chains or fight for our lives against cannibalistic creatures, but we face bonds through the circumstances of our lives, whether we feel stuck and can’t find a way free, or we can’t find a way to surmount the trials we face. I feel that each of us can relate to Nexa or Kale because we each face our own type of captivity that we are fighting overcome.

    On Shadows, how did the idea of Duskies and Sathen came about, and such interesting names I might add?

    In Shadows, Duskies are the cast-off children from two separate races. The Luminos, children of the light, are powerful during the day but helpless at night. The Nathos, children of darkness, gain their power after the sun has gone down. The Duskies aren’t as strong as the other races, but they also don’t lose their power, so they are feared and treated as slaves because the other races fear that they could overpower them. Sathen are creatures who devour everything in sight, including each other. Because the Sathen are massing together, the Luminos and Nathos are forced to rely on each other and the Duskies for protection. I came up with the name Duskie because they don’t lose their strength at dusk and dawn, the hours when both the Nathos and Luminos need protection. The Duskies are treated as inferior, but they are feared because the Nathos and Luminos know how much they need them. The Sathen are a seething horde of red-scaled, serrated-toothed, razor-clawed creatures that mass together, especially in the desert, and prey upon any unable to defend themselves. The origin of the Sathen and more details into the lives of Nathos and Luminos are tied into the next book, Mist.

    I have been so fascinated by the world you created in Shadows, do you have pictures of this world that you can share?

    When I began writing, all I saw in my mind were these people of light and people of darkness who didn’t trust each other, but had to work together because of the Sathen. The Duskies got stuck in the middle, and, well, you saw what happened!

    original Shadows cover

    I am the world’s worst artist. I draw pictures on my daughter’s lunch bag in the mornings for school and I think all of her friends laugh at them. I asked her if she wants me to stop, but then she said that her friends trade her brownies and stuff so they can keep them. How embarrassing! I would love to draw the world of Shadows, but black and white stick figures would probably leave people even more confused than before.

    I really wanted to do a cover for Shadows the way I did for the Silver Series and Galdoni, but I couldn’t find anything that captured the world. A girl who read a rough copy did the drawing for me, but I’ve had a bit of a struggle with the cover art. I don’t know if anything could really capture that world like I have it in my mind!

    I’m so glad that you liked the story, that you could see the caves and the kingdoms. I’m also really glad that you liked Nexa and Axon’s relationship (sorry about missing out on the whole Mother-in-law drama! That would have been a great idea….)

    Cheree: Monster-in-law novella?! lol

    How many books do you plan to write for the Shadow series?

    The Shadow Series will be at least five books long. I’m halfway through the second book, Mist, and I’m excited to begin working on the third.

    Can you tell us a little bit what the next book in the Shadow series will be? Release date?

    I am 148 pages into the next book in the Shadow Series which I’ve named Mist. I’ll be releasing the next book in my werewolf series (book 4, Violet) the end of this month/early next month, and then I’m hoping to release Mist the end of March. It’s been quite the ride, but I love the world of Shadows and I predict there are going to be at least five books in the series, and possibly a branch off depending on how things work out.

    What are you up to now?

    I love to write, and my goal is to release a book every month or two. I have four more books in The Silver Series, my werewolf series, waiting to be released. I have the second book of Galdoni waiting in my mind to be written, and there’s also a book about Shifters called Stolen that’s almost ready to be published and will herald a new series of its own.

    Thanks Cheree for letting me pick your brain. So wonderful working with you, I feel like we really bonded over this amateur enterprise.

    Our blog is open to you and your world anytime and I’m looking forward to Mist. 

    All of Cheree’s books are available in Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords. 
    For more information and updates, please visit

    Writer Wrangler: Cheree Alsop

    Cheree Alsop
    author of

    and YA Werewolf series
    more info here
    and she’s here today for a chat.

    I noticed your music playlists are leaning towards rock, does that have an influence on your books in terms of the theme and characterization?

    Music is my muse. I find that rock music in particular calls to me because of the broad range of emotion it can evoke. Before I write a book, I create a playlist that describes the variety of emotions I want to capture through my writing. Heartache, pain, love, betrayal, joy, and fear among so many other feelings are echoed in the music I listen to when I drive, cook, work out, or relax, and I find that the best parts of my stories come to me while I listen to music.

    I might listen to a song a hundred times while I work on one particular scene in a book, and if I read it again and feel the same emotion, I know I’ve captured what I wanted to for that part of the story. My books aren’t light and fluffy; the characters go through real trials and feel the agony of loss, of pain, and the joy of triumph. If it wasn’t for the music I listen to, I feel that parts of the stories would be missing the depth that makes them stand out.

    What/who were your influences as far as your writing is concerned?

    My favorite books are The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas, Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith, The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It’s a broad range of styles and themes, but what I cherish the most from each of these authors is the way they write a character so believably you feel that by the end of the story you know them and could meet them on the street.

    I love watching a characters develop and grow through the trials in their stories. I also love the detail of the world the characters live in, and the ability to see it differently through each of their eyes. I love to read, and I feel I learn something from each author. Everyone has a different style and way of capturing their world, and I love to get immersed in those worlds. It’s something I hope readers can relate to in my stories as well, the ability to escape into a different world we might otherwise not have the chance to experience.

    There seems to be an underlying theme in both Galdoni and Shadows and that is captivity, can you tell us more about that?

    I feel that each of us experience captivity in one way or another. We may not live in chains or fight for our lives against cannibalistic creatures, but we face bonds through the circumstances of our lives, whether we feel stuck and can’t find a way free, or we can’t find a way to surmount the trials we face. I feel that each of us can relate to Nexa or Kale because we each face our own type of captivity that we are fighting overcome.

    On Shadows, how did the idea of Duskies and Sathen came about, and such interesting names I might add?

    In Shadows, Duskies are the cast-off children from two separate races. The Luminos, children of the light, are powerful during the day but helpless at night. The Nathos, children of darkness, gain their power after the sun has gone down. The Duskies aren’t as strong as the other races, but they also don’t lose their power, so they are feared and treated as slaves because the other races fear that they could overpower them. Sathen are creatures who devour everything in sight, including each other. Because the Sathen are massing together, the Luminos and Nathos are forced to rely on each other and the Duskies for protection. I came up with the name Duskie because they don’t lose their strength at dusk and dawn, the hours when both the Nathos and Luminos need protection. The Duskies are treated as inferior, but they are feared because the Nathos and Luminos know how much they need them. The Sathen are a seething horde of red-scaled, serrated-toothed, razor-clawed creatures that mass together, especially in the desert, and prey upon any unable to defend themselves. The origin of the Sathen and more details into the lives of Nathos and Luminos are tied into the next book, Mist.

    I have been so fascinated by the world you created in Shadows, do you have pictures of this world that you can share?

    When I began writing, all I saw in my mind were these people of light and people of darkness who didn’t trust each other, but had to work together because of the Sathen. The Duskies got stuck in the middle, and, well, you saw what happened!

    original Shadows cover

    I am the world’s worst artist. I draw pictures on my daughter’s lunch bag in the mornings for school and I think all of her friends laugh at them. I asked her if she wants me to stop, but then she said that her friends trade her brownies and stuff so they can keep them. How embarrassing! I would love to draw the world of Shadows, but black and white stick figures would probably leave people even more confused than before.

    I really wanted to do a cover for Shadows the way I did for the Silver Series and Galdoni, but I couldn’t find anything that captured the world. A girl who read a rough copy did the drawing for me, but I’ve had a bit of a struggle with the cover art. I don’t know if anything could really capture that world like I have it in my mind!

    I’m so glad that you liked the story, that you could see the caves and the kingdoms. I’m also really glad that you liked Nexa and Axon’s relationship (sorry about missing out on the whole Mother-in-law drama! That would have been a great idea….)

    Cheree: Monster-in-law novella?! lol

    How many books do you plan to write for the Shadow series?

    The Shadow Series will be at least five books long. I’m halfway through the second book, Mist, and I’m excited to begin working on the third.

    Can you tell us a little bit what the next book in the Shadow series will be? Release date?

    I am 148 pages into the next book in the Shadow Series which I’ve named Mist. I’ll be releasing the next book in my werewolf series (book 4, Violet) the end of this month/early next month, and then I’m hoping to release Mist the end of March. It’s been quite the ride, but I love the world of Shadows and I predict there are going to be at least five books in the series, and possibly a branch off depending on how things work out.

    What are you up to now?

    I love to write, and my goal is to release a book every month or two. I have four more books in The Silver Series, my werewolf series, waiting to be released. I have the second book of Galdoni waiting in my mind to be written, and there’s also a book about Shifters called Stolen that’s almost ready to be published and will herald a new series of its own.

    Thanks Cheree for letting me pick your brain. So wonderful working with you, I feel like we really bonded over this amateur enterprise.

    Our blog is open to you and your world anytime and I’m looking forward to Mist. 

    All of Cheree’s books are available in Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords. 
    For more information and updates, please visit

    Girl Crush Mondays: Sookie Stackhouse

    Sookie Stackhouse

    Barmaid by day, telepath for hire at night.
    Part fairy which makes her blood tasty to Vampires.
    Caught in complicated love entanglements with Werewolves and Vampires.
    Dated a Weretiger named Quinn.
    Has gone through many life threatening situations.
    Bill sounds really cool when he says her name…”Sookeh!”

    Currently “married” to Eric Northman. 

    She’s a good Southern girl with great family values.
    She’s strong, independent and can stand on her own. 
    She stood up against Renee and Debbie Pelt. 
    I mean that b**** fight made us so proud of her.

    Favorite Quotes
    “Did we have sex?” he asked directly.
    For about two minutes, this might actually be fun. “Eric,” I said, “we had sex in every position I could imagine, and some I couldn’t. We had sex in every room in my house, and we had sex outdoors. You told me it was the best you’d ever had.” (At the time he couldn’t recall all the sex he’d ever had. But he’d paid me a compliment.) “Too bad you can’t remember it,” I concluded with a modest smile.
    Eric looked like I’d hit him in the forehead with a mallet. For all of thirty seconds his reaction was completely gratifying.”
    Dead as a Doornail
    “Eric was holding my hands, and I was digging my nails into him like we were doing something else. He won’t mind, I though, as I realized I’d drawn blood. And sure enough, he didn’t. “Let go,” he advised me, and I loosened my grip on his hands. “No, not of me,” he said smiling. “You can hold on to me as long as you want.”
    – Club Dead


    “Oh, God, puppy dog eyes. From a six-foot-five ancient Viking vampire.”
    – Dead to the World
    *gif from True Blood Wikia; collage from Favim

    Alpha & Omega Series by Patricia Briggs

    Patricia Briggs, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson novels, also has another series set in Mercy Thompson’s world—but with it’s own set of rules. Set in the secretive world of werewolves, Alpha & Omega series takes you back to when werewolves first emerged from the shadows. Here’s a list of the books in the series so far….


    Cry Wolf (Alpha & Omega #1) – July 2008

    Anna never knew werewolves existed, until the night she survived a violent attack… and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she’d learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. Then Charles Cornick, the enforcer- and son- of the leader of the North American werewolves, came into her life.

    Charles insists that not only is Anna his mate, but she is also a rare and valued Omega wolf. And it is Anna’s inner strength and calming presence that will prove invaluable as she and Charles go on the hunt in search of a rogue werewolf- a creature bound in magic so dark that it could threaten all of the pack.

    _____________________________________________

    Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega #2) – September 2009
    Anna Latham didn’t know how complicated life could be until she became a werewolf. And until she was mated to Charles Cornick, the son- and enforcer- of Bran, the leader of the North American werewolves, she didn’t know how dangerous it could be either…

    Anna and Charles have just been enlisted to attend a summit to present Bran’s controversial proposition: that the wolves should finally reveal themselves to humans. But the most feared Alpha in Europe is dead set against the plan — and it seems like someone else might be too. When Anna is attacked by vampires using pack magic, the kind of power only werewolves should be able to draw on, Charles and Anna must combine their talents to hunt down whoever is behind it all — or risk losing everything.

    _____________________________________________
    Fair Game (Alpha & Omega #3) – March 6, 2012

    They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.

    Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can’t afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father’s dirty work is taking a toll on Charles.
    Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston, when the FBI requests the pack’s help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves-all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer’s sights.

    _____________________________________________

    Now if you’re a fan of Patricia’s Alpha & Omega series keep an eye out for a giveaway I’m planning on doing after the release of Fair Game. Patricia will be doing a few book signings in the Tri-Cities (home of Mercedes & Adam) and I plan on grabbing a few copies to have signed by Patricia and maybe a picture or two with her. 

    REVIEW: Bound In Sin by Cynthia Eden

    Series: Bound #3
    Format: eBook
    Release Date: January 2, 2012
    Purchase: Amazon | B & N

    What’s the price of sin?

    Human Paige Sloan once loved werewolf Drake Wyler more than life, but then that life was taken away from her. Attacked by vampires, Paige was bitten, and, on a cold, dark night, the life she’d known ended. She was reborn as a vampire–a werewolf’s deadliest enemy.

    Paige ran from the vampires who attacked her, and she ran away from her lover. She didn’t want Drake to know what she’d become, and she didn’t want to face the fury of his pack. But a girl can only run for so long until the past catches up with her.

    Some sins mark your soul.

    When Paige learns that Drake is being targeted for death, she knows that she can’t hide in the shadows any longer. She has to return to him, and she will do anything–anything–in order to make sure that he keeps living. The vampires might have destroyed her chance to live and love Drake, but they won’t take him. Not over her undead body. She’ll slay them all…and maybe, just maybe…she’ll even have the chance to sin–one more time–with the werewolf who’d marked her as his mate.
    Some sins are worth dying for…

    This is a sexy paranormal novella. As such, it contains hot vampires, sexy werewolves, graphic language, and adult good times. Consider yourself warned.

    Now who doesn’t love a love story between a vampire and werewolf? Forbidden love always makes for the best stories and this novella brought the same amount of action, passion and tension that a full novel contains. The plot is chock full of love, lies, betrayals, pain and steamy love scenes. The heroine, Paige, was fiercely determined to protect and save her lost love even if it meant putting her own life in danger. The story as to how and why she became a vampire was heartbreaking and made you want her to kick more vampire a**. Our hero, Drake, posses the typical Alpha leader characteristics: smart, sexy, primal and possessive. And even after all the years that had passed, Drake still carried a torch for Paige and was willing to fight his pack to keep her by his side. Drake and Paige had a wonderful back story and has me wishing that this was a full novel.

    Bound in Sin was one of the FREE Kindle ebooks I’d purchased from Amazon during the holiday season. The synopsis sounded interesting and knew that I couldn’t be too disappointed if I didn’t like it since it was free.  But I wasn’t left disappointed! I thoroughly enjoyed this novella and finished it in less than half and hour. It’s left me wanting more and now I’m off to download the first two novella’s in this series, Bound by Blood and Bound in Darkness.

    If you’re interested in reading this novel and the rest of Cynthia Eden’s Bound series, Amazon is offering all three novellas for 99 cents each. With the sexy, fun and adventurous paranormal romance stories that Cynthia brings, I’m sure they’ll all be worth every penny!

    When Copper Suns Fall

    Facebook Author Page for trailer, blurb & excerpt

    This is where I cry VIVA LA INDIE! and to heck with the haters!

    When Copper Suns Fall is a dystopian angel story set in 2067 in the land once called America, 50 years after the Tidal Years. In this time setting, people are aware that at one point Angels (Tainteds) and Caduceans, slayers and masters of alchemy, existed. But because of the devastation they left after The Great War, magic and any association with Caduceans and Tainteds are punishable, forbidden and their descendants are contained and medicated.

    I was 30% into the book when I realized that I’ve been on it for just an hour. This is a good indication that I was liking what I was reading and the imagery is creating a good brain buzz. I had a rush of thoughts after reading that left me clueless on where and how to start my review because I got so scrambled with KLeigh’s debut.

    KLeigh’s novel is more action/adventure than a romantic-forbidden love story. In the middle of the story is Chela Prizeon, a teenage girl who is in the cusp of her destiny. Chela has Angel blood and soon enough she found herself a sought after commodity by the Tainteds and Caduceans. Chela is a rebel of sorts, a brave and cunning girl who went through a series of betrayal, loss and the stirrings of first love. She has a brother, Micah, who in a coma but she refused to believe that it was caused by a virus and this is what started Chela’s epic story. In her quest to find a cure, she uncovers a secret that most people thought doesn’t exist anymore. Yup the Tainteds are back!

    Here’s why I got caught up, the conflict-resolution of the the story is compelling. No wonder humans don’t want anything to do with these Caduceans and Tainteds because their motives are self-serving with no regard for human collateral damage. In Chela’s quest to find justice and save her brother she finds herself in the same situation he was in and as the story unfolds, someone who she trust was the one who betrayed her and kick started this awful situation.

    KLeigh’s Angels are spectacular! They are hardly feathered but more like those warrior angels from the movie Legion (2009). This is not a Nephilim story either, KLeigh created a world of her own, she owns Corunum the same way Suzanne Collins owns Panem (Hunger Games). That’s how vivid and detailed the story is.

    One can tell that this was a well thought out and carefully written story because KLeigh created her own language, the story free flowing and the characters are as magnificent and layered as their Copper wings. Faris, Seth and the rest of the gang are not what you initially thought they’d be. They are not your stereotypical heroes and villains, rather they sort of straddle both lines. IMHO, this is a rarity in Indie debut novels. Usually only the lead is layered and the supporting characters are as bland as a gray, cloudy sky.

    If you are fond of Angel stories, Dystopia or both then this is a must-read for you.