Friday, August 30, 2013

New Release: The Underlighters by Michelle Browne


August 30th: the Dust is here! Now available exclusively on Kindle and in print—The Underlighters!
Buy from Michelle Browne’s author page here: http://www.amazon.com/Michelle-Browne/e/B00BGWZRCW

 
 

The Underlighters

 Nightmares are bleeding into her waking world. Children are going missing. To save them, she must overcome her wreck of a personal life and a closet full of skeletons. She doesn’t know if the horrors in the shadows are real...or if she is going mad. 

 18-year-old Janelle Cohen is an electrician in an underground city. The world above has been swal-lowed by mind-destroying Dust. Her small life changes forever when a dragon attacks her on the way home from work. 

 Her friends worry that she has the Fever, Dust-induced insanity. As more monsters strike down citizens, they change their minds. A terrifying trip to the surface of the world, the ancient and abandoned Up, deepens the nightmare. With no world left above, she and the other Crows cannot afford to fail… 

 5 stars: “…You will be rewarded with a dive into the depths of imagination that may leave you questioning, breathless and inspired.” –www.TracingTheStars.com

 5 stars: “… Engaging, ground breaking prose that is not afraid to test the reader’s boundaries. “—Sara Celi

 5 stars: “…A wonderful read that is full of life, nightmares, fear, and dreams.” –Casey Peeler

 Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for an exclusive chance to win a very exclusive prize pack! Three winners will be selected…don’t miss out!

 

Art by Kit Foster, © 2013. used with permission of the artist. http://www.kitfosterdesign.com/

 

*****

Thanks for dropping by the nest once again. Don't miss any of the phuquerie. Find Michelle on TwitterFacebook, and on Tumblr. More interviews and witty commentaries are coming. Keep checking back to see those surprise posts, too. This is your darling SciFiMagpie, over and out! 

 

 

 

 


Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Book Review: Joyland by Stephen King

Blurb: Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever.
 
I give it 4 stars
 
My Review:
 
There is a lot of jumping back and forth between different timelines in this book, and I'm not talking about just two different points in time either. I always find this a little jarring and confusing. However, it does suit the tone of the story, which is being told by an old man recalling something that happened to him in his youth.
Joyland is rather short for a King novel, but it's equally as entertaining as any of his longer works. There's plenty of emotion in this book, along with a few ghosts and a murder mystery. As always, King paints a fascinating portrait of humanity and while Joyland is not as intense as some of his other books, it stills packs a punch. I know I cried at the end and for me tears are always a good sign of fine writing.
 
 

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Book Giveaway: DragonStar by Kyra Dune

To celebrate the release of my newest YA fantasy novel, DragonStar, I'll be giving away one free pdf copy of the book. See the end of the post for a chance to enter.

Blurb: Dagen is a thief and a good one, at least in his humble opinion. But he has more in mind for his future than picking pockets, and when he comes across the haul of a lifetime, he finally sees a way to impress the boss of his crew, maybe even enough to be made partner.
But things don't go the way Dagen had planned and soon he finds himself on the run with a sack full of stolen jewels, and more, for unknown to him, one of those jewels is the fabled Dragonstar, created in times long past by a powerful sorcerer.
The plan is to head for the port city of Braack, but the Dragonstar has other ideas. From the secret city of thieves, to the ruins of a castle, to the last stronghold of the elves, Dagen's whole life is flipped upside down by visions, haunts, strange beasts, and the looming possibility that one day he just might have to kill a god.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dragonstar-ebook/dp/B00EPQT0DI/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377453994&sr=1-1&keywords=dragonstar+by+kyra+dune

YouTube: Video Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lptol4BTP4g




 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Book Review: Runaway by Stephen Gresham



Blurb: Lost Boys
Mark Blackwood was only thirteen, but he was old enough to know his parents didn't need him around. They were too busy with their high-powered careers. And he was old enough to run away from home and find refuge in a place called Redemption House, a shelter for kids just like him. Kids who were lost, alone, and helpless...

Lost Souls
Reverend Robert W Eversfield, known to his boys as Brother Bob, was proud of his home for runaways. They were one big happy family. That is, as long as they obeyed the rules. For those who broke the rules, Brother Bob was particularly ingenious at devising suitable punishments. Punishments that ensured they would never fail him again. And for those who tried to escape Redemption House, Brother Bob reserved the most horrifying fate of all...


I give it 3 stars

My Review:

At first, I didn't like this book at all. The writing was mediocre at best, there was way too much telling, and I couldn't connect to the main character. The book does get better as it goes along, though. Not in the quality of writing, but in the story.
I liked seeing the story from the point of view of Mark and Brother Bob. But I could have done without all the head hopping. I can see how at certain points seeing through the eyes of the other children trapped at Redemption House was needed, but I really don't understand the point in even having the characters of Mike McCarty (or sometimes McCarthy, the spelling of the name kept switching) or Gentry Thompson, the two adult 'good guys'. They didn't add anything to the story that I could see. I found getting dragged into their viewpoints jarring, because it pulled me away from the heart of the story, the plight of the kids.
There are some ghosts in this book, but like the two characters mentioned above, they don't do much. It almost feels as if the author simply threw them in for the sole purpose of adding a supernatural element to the story rather than advancing the plot.
The only thing that saves this book from being a total loss is Mark and the other children of Redemption House. At first, they all seemed a little wooden and depthless, but as the story progressed, I found myself drawn into their plight and even sharing their despair as repeated attempts to flee the horror of Redemption House fail. By the end of the book, I was rooting for each and every one of them to survive.
There is a good, engrossing story here. Sadly, it gets derailed by several pointless side stories and unnecessary characters.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Runaway-Stephen-Gresham/dp/B000NBM2YI/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377388912&sr=1-1&keywords=runaway+by+stephen+gresham

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Cover Reveal: DragonStar by Kyra Dune

This is the cover for my soon to be released YA fantasy novel, DragonStar.
Blurb:
Dagen is a thief and a good one, at least in his humble opinion. But he has more in mind for his future than picking pockets, and when he comes across the haul of a lifetime, he finally sees a way to impress the boss of his crew, maybe even enough to be made partner.
But things don't go the way Dagen had planned and soon he finds himself on the run with a sack full of stolen jewels, and more, for unknown to him, one of those jewels is the fabled Dragonstar, created in times long past by a powerful sorcerer.
 
The plan is to head for the port city of Braack, but the Dragonstar has other ideas. From the secret city of thieves, to the ruins of a castle, to the last stronghold of the elves, Dagen's whole life is flipped upside down by visions, haunts, strange beasts, and the looming possibility that one day, he just might have to kill a god.


Keep checking back for updates on the release date and a video book trailer.

 


 

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Book review: Under the Dome by Stephen King

Blurb: On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener's hand is severed as "the dome" comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when -- or if -- it will go away.
Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens -- town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician's assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing -- even murder -- to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn't just short. It's running out.

I give it 5 stars

My Review: Stephen King knocks it out of the park again with another stunning work of fiction. Under the Dome is a picture of small town life gone horribly wrong as a mysterious force cuts the inhabitants of Chester's Mill off from the rest of the world.
This is a powerful story about how quickly things can go bad in the face of an unthinkable catastrophe. Especially when the wrong man has all the power. Most importantly, it's a story about people. That's one of the best things about this book, the characters come alive on the page. You'll love them. You'll hate them. You'll root for their survival, or hope for their demise. You'll ride the rollercoaster of emotion as things grow worse Under the Dome with each passing day. And the end, you'll feel as if you were right there with them through the triumph and the tragedy. Because that's the power of a well crafted story, and nobody does it better than King.

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Under-the-Dome-ebook/dp/B0030H7UIU/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377110811&sr=1-1&keywords=under+the+dome

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Cover Reveal: Upcoming YA fantasy novel

Here it is, the cover for my newest fantasy book, Web of Light. This book is set to be released in October, with it's sequel coming out either in December or January. Web of Light is a YA fantasy about a young woman who finds herself in possession of a powerful magic she cannot even begin to understand. Check out my website to read the blurb and see what other books I already have on the virtual shelves. www.kyradune.weebly.com





Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Book Review: Rebekka Moon by Michele Spence

Blurb: The Branch: a quiet place, a sleepy Nebraska town, a place where nothing had happened - not for decades. Until it began...
First it was the children - their "innocent" pranks, their "childish" cruelties, transformed overnight into unspeakable acts of torture, madness, and sudden, hideous death.
Then it was more...much more. The town was swept into a current of irresistible evil...a tide of darkness that swirled around the solitary figure of a frail sixteen year old girl.
Could she control their bodies? Possess their minds? Could anyone grasp her secret and stop...Rebekka Moon

I give it 3 stars.


My review:

This book reminded of something Stephen King would write. It wasn't as good as a King book, though. Sometimes the transitions between scenes were too abrupt and occasional random head hopping left me confused about whose POV I was reading a few times. Still, it's not a bad book. The parts where the story is told from the title character's point of view were eerie. I think the writer did a fine job of carrying the reader into the mind of a sociopathic teenaged girl. If you like Stephen King, you might want to give this one a try.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rebekka-Moon-Michele-Spence/dp/0450056953/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375792432&sr=1-1&keywords=rebekka+moon+by+michele+spence

Monday, August 5, 2013

New Release: City of Magic

The exciting conclusion to the Elfblood Trilogy, City of Magic has been released. So, if you like a good YA fantasy with plenty of magic, elves, danger, excitement, romance, and a few dragons, check the trilogy out on my website http://kyradune.weebly.com/elfblood-trilogy.html  















Friday, August 2, 2013

Book Giveaway

City of Magic, the final book in the YA fantasy Elfblood Trilogy, will be released August 5th. To celebrate, I'm giving away to one lucky winner, a free pdf copy of each of the first two books in the trilogy. Enter below to win.

Blurb:
Charlie is an elfblood, descended of a conquered people brought to the brink of extinction in the aftermath of a long war. Being able to pass for human gives Charlie an advantage over most of his kind. Only those who look at his record or those he chooses to tell, need ever know his secret. Growing up in an orphanage is hard enough without having to live with that stigma.

When soldiers come and haul the kids off to a prison work camp, Charlie finds himself no longer able to hide the truth of what he is. If that isn’t bad enough, the magic buried inside him is growing stronger and more out of control.  As Charlie struggles with his own problems, and with the dangers of the work camp, he finds himself swept up in a much larger struggle, one whose outcome could decide the future of the world.



Blurb:

Charlie has made his way to Kiloreen, ancestral home of the elves, in his quest to find the Silver Catacombs and the lost magic that lies hidden within. Instead, he finds a branch of the Elven Resistance Movement, a secret underground organization of elves bent on retaking Kiloreen and freeing their people.

If they're willing to stand alongside humans, the elves will be a great help in the struggle against King Richard, but there is still the matter of the lost magic. For if Charlie cannot find it, the war may be lost before ever it has begun.



a Rafflecopter giveaway






COMING AUGUST 5th


Blurb:
Charlie has finally reached the City Of Magic, where waits the lost elven magic he has been searching for. But the city is a ruin, his friends are missing, and there is a darkness known only as the Void slowly creeping over everything.

 When Charlie comes across a group of elves, he hopes they will be able to help him locate the Silver Catacombs. But everything is not as it seems. There are two groups of elves in the city, one who resists the Void and one who worships it. It’ll be up to Charlie to figure out who his true allies are. Danger lurks around every crumbling ruin and betrayal always comes from within.
 

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Guest Post: Author Michelle Brown

 
 

The Underlighters

 Nightmares are bleeding into her waking world. Children are going missing. To save them, she must overcome her wreck of a personal life and a closet full of skeletons. She doesn’t know if the horrors in the shadows are real...or if she is going mad. 

18-year-old Janelle Cohen is an electrician in an underground city. The world above has been swal-lowed by mind-destroying Dust. Her small life changes forever when a dragon attacks her on the way home from work. 

 Her friends worry that she has the Fever, Dust-induced insanity. As more monsters strike down citizens, they change their minds. A terrifying trip to the surface of the world, the ancient and abandoned Up, deepens the nightmare. With no world left above, she and the other Crows cannot afford to fail… 

 

5 stars: “…You will be rewarded with a dive into the depths of imagination that may leave you questioning, breathless and inspired.” –www.TracingTheStars.com

 5 stars: “… Engaging, ground breaking prose that is not afraid to test the reader’s boundaries. “—Sara Celi

 5 stars: “…A wonderful read that is full of life, nightmares, fear, and dreams.” –Casey Peeler

 

Janelle’s world is about to get very, very dark. Are you ready? On August 30th, nightmares are going to become a little too real for comfort.
 
 
 

Art by Bonnie Patton, © 2013. used with permission of the artist. http://bpwordeater.com/

*****

Thanks for dropping by the nest once again. Don't miss any of the phuquerie. Find Michelle on TwitterFacebook, and on Tumblr. More interviews and witty commentaries are coming. Keep checking back to see those surprise posts, too. This is your darling SciFiMagpie, over and out! 

 

 

 

Book Review: Cowboys & Aliens by Joan D. Vinge

Blurb:
1875.  New Mexico Territory.  A stranger with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution.  The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist.  What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don’t welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde. It’s a town that lives in fear.
But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky.  Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.
Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation.  As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he’s been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force.  With the help of the elusive traveler Ella, he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents—townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors—all in danger of annihilation.  United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.

I give it 3 stars

My review:

A western/science fiction which is pretty much your standard humans versus advanced aliens. I thought it was well written and there are some very nice descriptive passages. I could have done without the head hopping into minor characters and sometimes character actions and facial expressions were a little overly described. Still, not a bad read. I enjoyed it and even got a little misty eyed a couple of times.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cowboys-and-Aliens-ebook/dp/B0051OAQ6S/ref=sr_1_2_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375358996&sr=1-2&keywords=cowboys+and+aliens