Book Tour Review & Giveaway ($25 Amazon GC): The Silver Sickle by Ellie Ann

The Silver Sickle by Ellie Ann
Published by: Stonehouse Ink
Publication date: July 2013
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Synopsis:
THE SILVER SICKLE is for fans of steampunk, cyberpunk, Veronica Roth, Scott Westerfield, and Allie Condie.

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
The end of humanity will come through the Silver Sickle . . .

Farissa lives every moment with reckless abandon, for it may be her last. Any day now, the alien goddesses will harvest her and take her to the mysterious Silver Sickle, never to return. She’s accepted that. What she can’t accept is this new idea of freedom Zel has planted in her head. She’d give almost anything to be with Zel, but how can she run from her destiny if it means putting the whole kingdom in danger?

Everyone in the desert kingdom believes the goddesses are immortal, but Zel has invented a way to kill them. Now all he has to do is convince Farissa to run away with him and plant a seed of hope in her heart that she’s not destined to die. Little does he know that one seed of hope could change the course of the future.

Goodreads
Amazon
B&N

*** 4 Stars ***
Beautiful and wily Farissa has been one a leash all of her life as one the Consecrated. Her city’s king and kingdom worship the humanoid aliens that rule and live side by side humans. Deadly and having built the combined cultures of human worship with some tune of human freewill, the aliens keep the charade of living cohesively while planning the end of humanity. After a terrible fight and loss, Farissa is taken into the human King’s harem with the other virgin and beautiful Consecrated girls. There sole purpose is to please the king and one day be harvested by the aliens, dragged to the Silver Sickle where no one ever returns. Farissa’s love, Zel, is in the background, recreating a weapon that can kill the aliens. With help from the Cogmen (robotic, intellectual, and deadly strong) Zel hurries to recreate the weapon that was destroyed and try to free his love.

It comes down to a final blow in the temple and the alien’s true intentions are revealed. Origins of many are discovered. The horrid way humans are sacrificed for alien purpose is revealed. Will the Silver Sickle be the end of humanity, or can humanity and it’s variety of allies survive?
Super fun sci-fi/steam punk/romance/mystery/young adult… I think I could go on adding genres as this book touches on many. The characters were well developed and it was fun reading of a world similar to ours, but oh so different. Human deceit, lust, and jealously is very rampant. The Cogsmen are an amazing add in of engineered humanity that can play the political game to help those they care for. The aliens are just plain creepy, strong, and deceitful. I rooted for their downfall and for Zel and Farissa to finally be free to love each other.

Ellie Ann is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of science fiction, comics, and thrillers.

I was born in the jungles of Thailand, was raised in a small farming village in Iowa, lived in the middle of a Texan desert, and now abide in the Ozarks.
I like writing fairy tales, tall tales, thrillers, science fiction, and am seriously interested in transmedia storytelling.

I’m a creative editor for Stonehouse Ink. I’m a producer of interactive books at Noble Beast.

Come say hi! I don’t bite. Unless I’ve been turned into a zombie.

Author Links:

http://ellieann.net/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6423277.Ellie_Ann

https://www.facebook.com/EllieAnnAuthor

https://twitter.com/elliesoderstrom

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour & Review: Branded by Abi Ketner and Melissa Kalicicki

Are you ready to be Branded?

I feel like I've hit the dystopian jackpot! Out of all the dystopian books I've read this book is tied for the number one spot. The authors spare no details when it comes to describing this dictator ruled society where people are accused of crimes and sent to the Hole. The judicial system as we see it is no more and the Hole is a place for all accused sinners whether they are guilty or not. Lexi's father was a huge advocate in trying to end the rule of the Commander. What I thought was a simple cut and dry story turned out to be this complex riddle just waiting to unfold. I'm usually good at spotting the plot twists before they happen but I went into it blind. Very rarely do I love every single character...even the villains. These characters were on point! I've always said that it takes a really talented author to kill off a character and I was not disappointed. I cried along with them. Their writing had this way of bringing out such raw emotion that I had to take a break in between to recompose myself. OH and can I tell you you that I love gore? I live for it. Thank you for making this as realistic as possible.

My favorite characters always wind up being the dog. Zeus is such a goofball and totally overprotective...maybe even a little crazy. Maybe he gets it from his owner. Cole, Lexi's guard. It's like a star-crossed lovers kinda thing. The complexity of Branded just rocked my world and then some. I can't believe I have to wait for books two. They're lucky that it didn't end in a huge cliffhanger or some fighting would be had!

I turn on the faucet for a long while only to discover ice-cold water rushing out. The water never warms and I begin to understand. The Commander thinks he can wash away my soul by freezing me to death. He thinks he can destroy me by stripping away my possessions. But he can’t and I won’t let him take my memories, my ambition, and my pride. He thinks I’m so easily broken. The Commander doesn’t know anything about me, what I grew up with, what I endured—the father I lost, the mother I hate, the brother who walked out of my life, and the stepfather I was forced to accept. He thinks since I was rich, making me poor will cause me to give up. What he doesn’t understand is that, after my father passed away, I grew up behind walls of hatred. I had nothing, but had everything at the same time. I owned expensive clothes, enjoyed good schooling, and lived in a nice home. But my body was just a shell protecting an empty, desperate heart. My life was a colorful façade. I had so much time to sit and think. I spent the majority of my life between four walls. I was abandoned, neglected, starved, betrayed, and abused. I’ve already been treated like the scum of the earth, so the Hole is nothing new. He wants to erase every sign of my existence on this earth, but I won’t let that happen. He can strip me naked, but he’ll never reach my soul. It’s personal, completely personal.

Purchase

And these teasers....LOVE THEM!!!

About Abi and Missy

Abi and Missy met in the summer of 1999 at college orientation and have been best friends ever since. After college, they added jobs, husbands and kids to their lives, but they still found time for their friendship. Instead of hanging out on weekends, they went to dinner once a month and reviewed books. What started out as an enjoyable hobby has now become an incredible adventure.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Abi's Goodreads / Missy's Goodreads

Bestie Review: Evolution: SAGE by S.A. Huchton

S. A. Huchton does it again with "Evolution: SAGE"! In book #2 of the series, we meet up with Candace again, but this time she isn't the same. In the begining we meet a shattered "Candy Cane" that believes everyone is afraid of her because of her ability, but truth is she's more afraid of herself than everyone else is. With the help of "Jackass" Jackson she starts to get back to her old self. I couldn't help myself but to be captivated by the story line of the ANGELS getting super charged with a second round of DNA manipulators. Why be a super hero when you can be a super super hero? Along with the new dose comes a second round of extreme hormones, and this time Candace falls madly in love even though she tries not to. The sexual content had me a little on, to be honest, because the descriptions had my mind visualizing myself as Candace. I only hope that the Author would write the series again, but in the perspective of a different character, maybe as Jackson, so we can feel what another character feels. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves a great read, but I would tell them they must read "Evolution: ANGEL" first. I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars because as we all know I hate cliff hangers.

A geek of all trades, Starla Huchton has been crafting stories in various genres since 2007. Her first novel, The Dreamer’s Thread was released as a full cast audiobook podcast, becoming a double-nominee and finalist for the 2010 Parsec Awards. After releasing short fiction of steampunk, noir fantasy, and other varieties, she released the first three books of the Sci-Fi Romance Endure series in 2013. All three books of the Evolution series will be released in 2014, as well as a Steampunk Fantasy novel, Master of Myth (the Antigone’s Wrath series, book 1), which was the first place winner of the Crested Butte Writers’ contest, The Sandy, in 2012.

When not writing, Starla trains three Minions, a black lab, and a military husband whilst designing book covers for independent authors and publishers at Designed By Starla.

http://www.starlahuchton.com

https://twitter.com/riznphnx

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dreamers-Thread/293564928741

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4348137.Starla_Huchton

Review: Broken Skies by Theresa Kay

"I'm going on an adventure!" I feel like Bilbo! Jax's brother Jace is taken by the E'rikon's, an alien race, and leaving behind one of their own, Lir. What I thought would be a simple human versus alien story turns into this complex, dystopian/sci-fi world that's nothing short of spectacular. Jax sets out on this quest to save her brother from the alien city with the help of Lir. What an adventure it was. I'm left reeling and what could only be described as emotional whiplash.

I liked how strong Jax was despite her need for an emotional crutch. And what can I say about Lir... I kinda love and despise him right now. My mind is still trying to grasp the everything that was thrown at me. :::I can't even:::

Broken Skies has easily taken top spot for my favorite alien book... And that's saying something since the Lux series was holding strong for the longest time. It also ends in a cliffy! Boy I love those cliffhangers. I'm so excited to find out what's next for the crew.

The only person she knows who had a subscription to Writer's Digest at eleven and was always excited to write research papers, Theresa has been putting words to paper since a young age. She writes predominantly in the sci-fi and urban fantasy genres. Residing in central Virginia, she juggles two kids, a husband and a full-time job in addition to her writing and in her free time she reads almost anything she can get her hands on.

Ok, enough talking about myself in the third person… I love interacting with readers, so if you want to shoot me a line, you can connect with me on Facebook and Tumblr Even if it’s not about my books, I like chatting about my (many) fandoms, books and reading in general, or just about anything really.

Double Review: Evolution: ANGEL by S.A. Huchton

This book was recommended to me by my soul twin, Christy Lynn Foster. I love anything about superheros and adding romance to the mix makes me one happy camper. This wasn't your usual cookie cutter romance either. I would say is was more 70% story and 30% romance. Candace has been wanting to be an ANGEL for her whole high school career. Her cousin Gabe was accepted the year prior and she was anxiously awaiting her acceptance. ANGELS, or AdvaNced Genetic EvoLution, are people that have been genetically altered with a serum to heighten certain parts of their DNA, essentially giving them super powers. I love how everything is explained in such detail that I felt like I was there watching it unfold. Candace surely is one of a kind. I was so tired of female characters being weak and whiny. She is stubborn, strong, and hilarious.

Here is my favorite quote from the book:

Candace scowled at him. "Why are you still here? Don't you have books to torture or puppies to kick or souls to eat somewhere?"

I was like a highlighting fiend! There were so many lines that were gut busters. Now, onto my favorite character, the person of Candace's frustration in the quote above, Jackass Jackson! I feel like there was so much that we don't know about him, yet you get little snippets. He's not that bad of a guy even though I'd like to gut him for dog-earing a book. I feel like something big is coming in book two.

My bestie here hates cliffys, but I love them. I was saddened by the outcome but it had to be done. I'm at war with myself trying to decide if it was for the greater good or if the author just likes killing peoples puppies. In the end you're left with a truly awe inspiring tale that will leave your heart in shambles.

In S. A. Huchton's "Evolution: ANGEL" you are taken on a rollercoaster ride of emotions as you engulf your brain with the thoughts and feelings of, the main character, Candace. Candace has spent her whole life reading comic books and dreaming of becoming a super hero, and after high school her dream becomes reality after she is accepted into the ANGEL program. In the ANGEL program, Candace discovers her super powers, and falls in love with another ANGEL trainee. This was truly a page turner, and in a way I wished the ANGEL program was real. I mean, how awesome would it be if you can go through a program that would make you into a super human? Granted there would probably be some horrible side effects, like what Bruce Banner goes through being the Hulk, but you could use your powers to do good. The author brings every moment to life with her very detailed descriptions of Candace's daily interactions. Page after page I was on the edge of my seat because I couldn't wait to read what was going to happen next. I, personally, enjoyed this book and hope to read the continuation. The only issue I have with the book is the end, which I will not give away, because it made me cry a little. I was so caught up in the moment that I allowed myself to feel the emotions of the characters. I would recommend "Evolution: ANGEL" to those of you that enjoy reading science fiction with some sexual content. I give this book 4.5 stars because I loved it, but I despise cliff hangers.

A geek of all trades, Starla Huchton has been crafting stories in various genres since 2007. Her first novel, The Dreamer’s Thread was released as a full cast audiobook podcast, becoming a double-nominee and finalist for the 2010 Parsec Awards. After releasing short fiction of steampunk, noir fantasy, and other varieties, she released the first three books of the Sci-Fi Romance Endure series in 2013. All three books of the Evolution series will be released in 2014, as well as a Steampunk Fantasy novel, Master of Myth (the Antigone’s Wrath series, book 1), which was the first place winner of the Crested Butte Writers’ contest, The Sandy, in 2012.

When not writing, Starla trains three Minions, a black lab, and a military husband whilst designing book covers for independent authors and publishers at Designed By Starla.

http://www.starlahuchton.com

https://twitter.com/riznphnx

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dreamers-Thread/293564928741

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4348137.Starla_Huchton

Review: Chasers (Alone #1) by James Phelan

Chasers centers around a group of four 16 year olds that hail from different countries around the world. Jesse (our main character telling the story), Dave, Anna, and Mini survive a horrific subway crash in New York, only to surface to the end of the city... maybe the world... as they know it. Everything around them is destroyed and those left around them are thirsty. Nothing seems to satisfy them including the human blood some drink from dead bodies around them. The kids hole up and watch the city crumble around them. The story comes ends with an unresolved cliffhanger and weird, twisted ending.

I was hesitant to pick up this book due to some of the so-so reviews, but I'm glad I did. I would definitely pinpoint the audience for young adult. The language and progress of events would keep a younger audience engaged without boring them to tears with details. The gore and ick was kept at a minimum that was appropriate for the storyline, and there were a few s-word bombs. What I appreciated in this storyline was the character's real human traits and emotions. Their decision making was on par with a 16 year old trapped in a crazy, possibly bombed out city.

My only few complains was the lack of quotation makes to separate the conversations between different voices, but I sort of understand where the author was going once I read the end. The book moved fairly slow in some parts and took a while to build up, but I never felt bored reading this book. I will definitely be reading the second book to figure out what the heck is going on.

(From amazon.com): James Phelan is a Melbourne-based writer. He has studied and taught writing at a post graduate level, and has been a full-time novelist since the age of 25. His first book was the author interview collection LITERATI: Australian Contemporary Literary Figures Discuss Fear, Frustrations and Fame (John Wiley & Sons, 2005). His thriller novels featuring investigative journalist Lachlan Fox include FOX HUNT (Hachette, 2006), PATRIOT ACT (2007), BLOOD OIL (2008), LIQUID GOLD (2009), RED ICE (2010). His ALONE trilogy of Young Adult post-apocalyptic novels are titled CHASERS (Hachette, 2010), SURVIVOR (2011) and QUARANTINE (2011). James has written for a variety of newspapers and magazines, having worked at The Age from 2000-2006, and has contributed to short story anthologies and serialised novels, including: PICTURE THIS (Penguin, 2010), WATCHLIST (Vanguard, 2010), and the GET READING! anthology (2011). His latest novels are a thriller introducing a new character, Jed Walker, THE SPY (Hachette 2013), a 13-book Young Adult series THE LAST THIRTEEN (Scholastic, Sept 2013 and monthly in 2014), and several other projects. You can find James at www.jamesphelan.com

Review: Blood Healing (The Healers of Meligna #2) by K.J. Colt

Blood Healing, book two of The Healers of Meligna, delves into the intrigue and insanity of the Queen’s court. Adenine is placed in the inner circle of the court with the favored Healers and is faced with her first love, discrimination for her birthplace, and the truly wicked plans the Queens have for Meligna, its people, and the surrounding countries.

The story is woven flawlessly and Ms. Colt continues an insanely fun and multi-plotted fantasy series. Adenine is an amazingly plucky and real character that continues to survive the shocking life she is thrust into. She is resilient and her discovery will literally rewrite history. Readers will enjoy the sudden change in store for Healers and the upcoming battles and mysteries that Adenine will have to face.

Readers should be warned that some squeamish topics arise in the book and may be difficult for some to read. (For example, girls become Healers at puberty and some are made to heal at that young age through sleeping with the sick or wounded. This conflict is resolved in book two.) The author handles these topics well and it’s bearable and fits within the cultural world she has created and Adenine lives in.

I look forward to continuing the series and can’t wait to see Adenine get older and continue changing the world around her one small step at a time.

Kylie J. Colt lives on the west coast of Australia in the sprawling city of Perth and has been writing for three years. Her favourite writers are Kristin Cashore, Robin Hobb, Trudi Canavan and Maria V. Snyder. She has an honours degree in psychology and counselling, enjoys road trips, gaming (Skyrim/Civilisation/Assassin's Creed), music festivals (electronica), playing pool, yoga, bushwalking, and gobbles up anything fantasy-related. Her favourite fantasy shows include Game of Thrones and Trueblood, and she is currently reading Robin Hobb's Blood of Dragons.