Book Blast: The Fallen by Lee French and Erik Kort

 
 
No one keeps secrets from her…
 
 
The Fallen
by Lee French and Erik Kort


Publication Date: January 26, 2014Series: The Greatest Sin #1

Genre: Fantasy

 

For hundreds of years, the Blaukenev clan has wandered across Tilzam, from one end to the other and back. Each wagon carries history, love, laughter, pain, sorrow, and secrets. Their greatest secret of all may be Chavali, the clan Seer.


Spirits 
claim 
use 
save 
damn her.  

With her gift/curse, nothing surprises her anymore, no one keeps secrets from her. She, on the other hand, has more than enough secrets to keep. Secrets of her own, secrets of her clan, secrets of the world, secrets she even keeps from herself. 

There are always people who want secrets. 
Some will do anything to get what they want.  

The Fallen is the foundation of the story of The Greatest Sin, of a world adrift from its God that desperately wants Her back. Chavali’s comfortable, predictable life will be ripped apart and burnt to ashes as she’s forced into the middle of that struggle. Change, she hates it passionately. It hates her right back. 




About Lee French and Erik Kort
 
Lee French lives in Worcester, MA with two kids, two mice, two bicycles, and too much stuff. She is an avid gamer and active member of the Myth-Weavers online RPG community, where she is known for her fondness for Angry Ninja Squirrels of Doom. In addition to spending much time there, she also trains year-round for the one-week of glorious madness that is RAGBRAI, has a nice flower garden with absolutely no lawn gnomes, and tries in vain every year to grow vegetables that don’t get devoured by neighborhood wildlife.
 
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Erik Kort abides in the glorious Pacific Northwest, otherwise known as Mirkwood-Without-The-Giant-Spiders. Though the spiders often grow too numerous for his comfort. He is defended from all eight-legged threats by his brave and overly tolerant wife, and is mocked by his obligatory writer’s cat. When not writing, Erik comforts the elderly, guides youths through vast wildernesses, and smuggles more books into his library of increasingly alarming size.
 

Shadows of the Past by Carmen Stefanescu

Shadows of the Past by Carmen Stefanescu(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

When Anne and Neil leave on a one-week holiday hoping to reconcile after a two-year separation, little do they know that destiny has other plans for them. Their discovery of human bones and a bejeweled cross in the hollow of a tree open the door to the supernatural realm and the anguished life of Genevieve, a nun from medieval England.

Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve her eternal rest?

The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.]

For me, this book was pretty average.  The plot was fast-paced, the premise interesting if not entirely unique and it was generally well-written.  The characters were well-developed as well.  The main problem I had with this one, however, was the dialogue.

The dialogue was pretty bad.  Everyone states exactly what they’re thinking, feeling and what their situation is in perfect English.  It’s just not realistic to say something like, “Gerard, I feel that our present situation is intolerable.  We are stuck in an automobile in the middle of nowhere in the Rocky Mountains.  I am cold and by the expression on your face and your shivers I can tell that you are as well.”  That’s my own example, but most examples of dialogue (even for the modern characters) in this book were similar and usually much longer.

Other than the dialogue, this book was fairly well-written.  I quite enjoyed the plot with all of the flashbacks to Genevieve’s life in the abbey and the premonitions of Anne in the modern day.  The descriptions were vivid and the little details are what really made the story.  I won’t speak to the historical accuracy because I don’t know enough about the period, but Shadows of the Past certainly made me feel like I was back in Medieval England.

The character development was very good.  I enjoyed Genevieve’s transformation from brow-beaten girl to happy nun to a discontent young woman yearning for love.  I also liked Anne’s slow forgiveness of Neil for his transgressions.  She didn’t forgive him right away but through their trip in the mountains they bonded at a natural rate.  I personally would never have forgiven Neil but I’m glad that the two eventually made up and solved the mystery of Genevieve’s tragic death.  The novel was more character driven than most but one thing I would have liked to see was more of a spin on the past life trope.  It would have been nice to have some sort of twist but Carmen Stefanescu played this trope straight.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing in this case but it would have been nice if the ending hadn’t been so predictable.

So overall, despite my dislike of the dialogue I actually quite enjoyed Shadows of the Past and if it sounds interesting to you I’d definitely recommend it.

I give this book 3.5/5 stars.

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Sworn to Secrecy by Terah Edun

407f6-sworntosecrecycover-900x1350(Cover picture courtesy of Terah Edun.)

In the heart of the Imperial Courts, Ciardis Weathervane knows that death is coming for the empire. With her friends by her side and the new triad of Weathervanes, she’s in a race against time to convince the courts of the same.

She must do her best to unite kith, mages, nobles and merchants under one cause – the fight to prevent a war. Soon she is forced to keep a secret that could exonerate her mother of the Empress’s death, and is always one move away from stepping into diplomatic chaos.

Throw in a daemoni prince who is showing interest in the youngest Weathervane, a jealous prince heir, and a irritated dragon with her own designs on Ciardis, and you have an imperial court in turmoil.

This fourth novel continues the story of Ciardis Weathervane from Sworn To Conflict.

[Full disclosure: I was given a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

You could argue that Sworn to Secrecy is just a big set up for the final book Sworn to Defiance but then you’d be wrong.  There’s important stuff going on in this one and this fourth book is my favourite in the Courtlight series so far.

Let’s talk about the characters first.  Ciardis has really grown up from the overwhelmed country girl in a city, although she does occasionally get overwhelmed.  Her mother Lillian is absolutely fascinating and I love how she slowly reveals her backstory and the true events of the night the empress was killed.

I also like that Terah Edun didn’t make Ciardis and Lillian immediately fall into a happy-go-lucky mother-daughter relationship.  There’s still some lingering resentments on Ciardis’ side because of her mother’s abandonment and Lillian is still kind of awkward around her children, as if she’s unsure how to be a mother after so many years.  My favourite character other than Ciardis in this one was Thanar, the daemoni prince.  He’s the snarky type of actual bad boy that I like rather than your stereotypical bad boys with pretty much nothing to angst about.

The plot was incredibly fast-paced but not at the price of world-building and character development.  We learn so much about Ciardis’ world in this one and old plots are being slowly revealed.  There’s conspiracies going on here and they reach all the way up to the highest authority in the land: the emperor.  I was genuinely surprised at the plot twist about him but in hindsight it does make a lot of sense.

Another plot development I liked was, again surprisingly, the love triangle between Sebastien, Ciardis and Thanar.  It felt organic and I love how Ciardis is genuinely confused about whether she really has feelings for Sebastien, who constantly seems to be pushing her away.  I won’t give much more away but let’s just say it’s an interesting dynamic and it’s not your typical love triangle.

Basically, Sworn to Secrecy was a pretty awesome penultimate book to a series that keeps improving with each book.  It’s going to be hard for Terah Edun to wrap things up in the final book but with the way her writing keeps improving I have faith in her.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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Lover, Divine by A. Star

Lover Divine by A. Star(Cover picture courtesy of A Book-a-licious Story.)

Born into one of the wealthiest families in Ireland, Siobhan Law has status, privilege, and a secret: The Greek gods of Olympus and their kingdom in the clouds are real, and her family acts as one of their agents on Earth.

When the beautiful immortal celeste Liam Argyros shows up claiming to have come to Earth to deal in the affairs of the divine, Siobhan finds herself unable to resist his charms. New to the game of passion and seduction, she quickly ends up in over her head, sinking deeper with every attempt Liam makes to win her over.

But Liam’s divine mission is far more complex than she ever imagined and nothing is truly as it seems. Because Liam has a secret of his own: He is Apollo, Olympian god of the Sun, and his mission will never be complete until he has claimed Siobhan’s heart forever.

WARNING: For readers 18+ only. Contains adult language and sexual situations.

[Full disclosure: I was provided a free ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review.]

This one is a bit of a genre leap from my usual YA fare but I was more than willing to give it a try.  A. Star is actually Diantha Jones (she uses the name to write all her more ‘adult’ books) but it connects with the Oracle of Delphi series that I so love.  Basically, I figured why not?

I was actually quite satisfied with the results.  This isn’t just an erotic novel (although it is that).  There’s actually a decent story here with fully developed characters and a very real, interesting character-driven plot.  The story was wonderful and I found myself laughing out loud at the charming rake that is Apollo.  He’s really not my type, but I loved how he and Siobhan had this push-pull relationship dynamic.  Siobhan didn’t give in easily and when she did it actually felt like the two of them were in love, not just lusting after each other.

I like how Lover, Divine connects to the Oracle of Delphi series but that reading this isn’t necessary for understanding the series.  There are a few interesting new pieces of information thrown in (like how a woman became the heir to the Law family) but nothing really all that shocking if you’ve read the main series.  And if you’re totally new to the world of Mythos you’ll still be able to read this book and enjoy it.  You’ll probably get just as hooked on Mythos as I am.

The best part of the whole book was that it was completely character-driven.  Any plot twists were because of characters’ actions rather than the magical unseen hand of the author.  When characters argued there were real-life consequences; things went wrong and people got hurt.  Apollo and Siobhan’s semi-forbidden relationship had consequences, certainly.  It was nice to see how Siobhan became the woman we meet in the Oracle of Delphi and I wish this book had been longer because there are still interesting events coming up in her future.  Still, the ending was satisfying and the teaser for King, Desired was intriguing.

Definitely another hit by Diantha Jones/A. Star!

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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Before They Find Us by Michelle A. Hansen

Before They Find Us by Michelle A. Hansen(Cover picture courtesy of Nicole Sobon.)

I’m going to make you wish you were dead.

Just a text. Seventeen-year-old Rebecca Hales tries not to worry. Probably a wrong number. Not really meant for her, and definitely not related to the crime she witnessed six years ago. Right?

Then two states away, a bomb goes off in her best friend’s locker. Soon Ryan is labeled a terrorist and runs to the safest place he knows—Rebecca’s house in small-town Wyoming. It doesn’t take long for the FBI to show up asking questions. Rebecca lies, of course, and says she hasn’t seen him.

Now she’s neck-deep in it with him, whatever “it” is. The only way out is to return to Vegas, where Ryan is a wanted man. The city of lies and illusion tests Rebecca’s wits as she struggles to find the person who framed Ryan and why.

Is Rebecca’s text linked to the bombing? And what does it have to do with a six year old murder? Rebecca needs to find out before she loses Ryan—and her own life.

[Full disclosure: This was a free gift to me from Michelle A. Hansen as a token of her appreciation and a review was not expected so of course, as always, this review is honest.]

There were more than a fair amount of clichés in Before They Find Us that any action movie fan will recognize, but overall I actually enjoyed this book.

The main strength of Michelle A. Hansen’s writing is her characters.  Rebecca is definitely well-rounded and you really feel that she has some psychological problems as a result of her witnessing a murder at the age of 11.  I like how her backstory is slowly revealed because it adds more depth to her character and it’s revealed at a more natural rate than if there was a huge info-dump at the beginning.  At first I was a little confused about her relationship to Ryan but then things sorted themselves out and I felt like I knew each character intimately.

I definitely liked the plot twists in this one.  There’s just twist after twist and the plot is so fast-paced that I couldn’t stop reading even for a moment.  Just when you think it’s all over and the plot is going to wind down for the conclusion Michelle Hansen springs another surprise on you.  Yes, there were some twists I could predict because I watch a lot of action movies, but for the main part I was pleasantly surprised at the plot twists.  They felt more organic than forced.

The only thing I’m sort of ambivalent about is the premise/clichés.  There wasn’t really anything completely unique in the novel and there was a heavy reliance on action/thriller clichés.  I would have liked to see some new twists on old tropes but there wasn’t really any of that within the story.  It was a good book, but with a few modifications it could have been a great book.

Still, if it sounds interesting to you I’d recommend giving it a try.  It’s a heart-stopping read!

I give this book 4/5 stars.

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