Review: Lichgates by S.M. Boyce

Are you ready for another review?  I sure hope so!  I found this book while I was searching for free books on my nook.  I spend hours searching the thousands of free books.  I will admit it, I'm a freebie junkie. This one caught my attention.  The cover is compelling, the synopsis sounded interesting and let's face it, the price was right.  FREE!  You can't beat that.  I love it when I find free books that are pretty amazing.  I feel like I've discovered some buried secret treasure, which is what the Author is trying to do, but frankly I really don't care.  I'm an addict remember!


Lichgates (The Grimoire Saga, #1) by S.M. Boyce
Rating: 4 Wine Glasses

Kara is a college student, who is on vacation with her father in one of their favorite places.  Kara is an adventurer by heart and loves to hike and discover new places among the mountains.  Since her mother passed, Kara uses hiking as a retreat to run from her guilt.  During a daily hike through the familiar mountains a storm immediately strikes and Kara seeks shelter in an old abandoned library of some sort.  The next series of event leads Kara to discover the Grimoire which unlocks a world that is unimaginable.  A world filled with war and everywhere she turns she is being hunted.  Kara has been named the new Vagabond, whose purpose is to bring peace to this world, Ourea.  Can Kara follow in her successor's dreams and fulfill her destiny?  Along the way Kara meets Braeden, a young man who has been searching for the Grimoire in hopes of becoming the next Vagabond so he can escape the world of Ourea forever. Which desire will Braeden overcome, his desire for Kara or for the Grimoire?

I enjoyed this book immensely.  I found the story intriguing, full of magic and mystery, tragedy and turmoil.  The characters are likeable and relatable.  This book was easy to get lost in.

Here are the other books in the series:

Treason (The Grimoire Saga, #2)
Heritage (The Grimoire Saga, #3) To be released Fall of 2013.  Want to get an advance review copy (ARC) of Heritage? Sign up here.
Illusion (The Grimoire Saga, #4) To be released Fall of 2014.

Feature & Follow #2

The Feature & Follow is hosted by Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. The goal is to get new followers, make friends and introduce yourself to new people. This is the meet and greet of the book blog world.

This weeks Question: Book Selfie! Take a pic with your current read.

Stop by, say hi and drop a line. Make sure you leave a link to your blog so I can find you! :) 

Friday's Featured Freebie

Are you ready for this Friday's Featured Freebie?  I picked this up earlier this week and cannot wait to get started on this book.  Immediately the cover caught my attention, then after reading a little bit about the book I knew that this needed to be in my library.

 Sora's Quest (Cate's Eye Chronicles, #1) by T.L. Shreffler


This book is permanently free on Amazon, BN.com, Apple, Kobo and more!

Sora Fallcrest always dreamed of adventure, but as a member of the nobility, she learned the ways of a Lady instead. Now seventeen, she is expected to choose a husband and marry. She plots to run away, but just as she is stepping out the door, she runs into a mysterious man--and is kidnapped.

Abducted from her manor, Sora is plunged into a world of magical races, arcane jewelry and forgotten lore. She finds herself at the mercy of a dangerous assassin, haunted by an even darker past. She yearns for freedom, but he won't let her go--not when her Cat's Eye necklace is the only thing that can save his life.

But the necklace itself presents a problem. It is an ancient device from the long forgotten War of the Races, and its magic has the ability to steal souls. Can Sora learn to wield its power -- or will the power wield her? (Winner of the SKOW 2006 Best Fantasy Award)

The next books in this series:

Viper's Creed (The Cat's Eye Chronicles, #2)
Volcrian's Hunt (The Cat's Eye Chronicles, #3)

Waiting on Wednesday: Exclusive + Giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on. The below synopsis has been pre-released exclusively to The Big Book Binge by the author.

 

Broken (Ancients of Light, #3)

by Heather Fleener
Release Date: August 27th 2013

The Light’s Duty to Protect 

A war over the fate of mankind sparked the creation of the Ancients - Light and Dark - one divinely-created guardians, the other hell-spawned killers. The conflict raged within the Realm for millennia, neither faction triumphant in its purpose. In recent history the Darks have adopted a more surreptitious path - the boom of technology allowing the Dark One to insinuate himself into the midst of those he would most like to destroy. Tragic consequences result when the Ancients of Light pursue the Darkness into the Outer Realm. The Prophecy continues…

Darkness Claimed Her Soul 

The adversity of Kylie’s youth forged an indomitable spirit. A vibrant and strong woman determined to plot the course of her life with room for nothing beyond the next measure of success, Kylie believed in only herself, and most certainly neither destiny nor love. All those tenants were derailed with a single encounter, but the same man that tempted her to live again drew her into the middle of an aged war, the consequence being her own destruction, plummeting her into a hellish existence.

A Warrior Haunted by His Failure 

Sayer’s mission was only to foil the latest plan of the Darks in the Outer Realm and return a few Vampire to Hell. Finding a perfect mortal that tempted him beyond all reason was unforeseen complication. Just when Sayer realizes that his eternity is meant for one alone, Kylie is destroyed by the Darks, and the loss drives him to the pits of despair, revealing events of the past that would best be long forgotten.

Tragedy will Reveal Those of Divine Purpose 

Sayer’s appearance in her life was the catalyst to fulfilling a destiny that has existed since Kylie’s creation. Their fate thwarted by Darkness, both shattered by tragedy, Kylie and Sayer must return to the love that once was while finding absolution and seeking forgiveness, or perish apart. Only once all that was broken is returned to unblemished will God’s own Warriors rise. The beginning of the beginning…

*****

Ever since I finished Chosen and Forsaken by Heather Fleener, I have been anticipating the release of the 3rd book in the Ancients of Light series, Broken. This has been one of those series that has completely caught me off guard.

#1 because they are paranormal romance novels and they contain a little "steam" which can be a shocker when compared to my Twilight days, but it is all written tastefully.

#2 because I usually associated romance novels with not having a story line but Fleener pays as much attention to her character development and plot as she does to the sexual tension between the lead protagonists.

#3 because over the span of a couple weeks I have become completely and utterly addicted to this series.

This thirteen book installment is set in the Realm, where vampires and witches are constantly battling in a war between the forces of good and evil. Each book follows a different lead female and male pair.

Make sure to check out the Author's Giveaway before it ends. Enter and you have a chance to win 1 of 23 prizes including Amazon gift cards, B&N gift cards, signed copies of Chosen and Forsaken, ecopies of Broken and some other sweet swag. 

What are you waiting on this Wednesday? Post your link below so I can visit you.

Top Ten Things That Make Our Life As Readers and Book Bloggers Easier

This is our Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish.

This week's topic: Top Ten Seven Things That Make Our Life As Readers and Book Bloggers Easier

1. Goodreads - This is a must have for any reader or blogger. I use it to see what other's are reading, view book ratings, follow author's blogs, watch for new releases, update my reading status, keep track of what I want to read and what I have read. I love its features to compare books, recommended books, set goals, create lists, enter in giveaways, ect. 

2. Our eReaders - Melissa is a Nook girl. I am indecisive so instead of picking a Nook or Kindle, I decided not to decide by purchasing a Samsung Galaxy Tablet thus having the best of both worlds with Nook and Kindle apps. And Melissa now has a Kindle app on her Nook so we are both serious offender of free book downloads on Amazon and B&N.

3. Local Library - The library is my home away from home. I wouldn't be as well read if it wasn't for public libraries since about 2/3 of the books I read are from the library.

4. Bloglovin' - My bloglovin' feed gives me quick access to what my fellow bloggers are posting, reading and reviewing. It allows me to see more of my friend's blogs in less time so I can spend more time reading.  It is a win-win!

5. Book club - Book clubs give me a excuse to read books, drink wine and have a girl's night. Not that I need an excuse. They also introduce me to books I might have not discovered on my own.

6. Other Blogs - I love to explore fellow blogger's pages and find new books that need to be added to my TBR list. I also enjoy seeing the diversity in reviews, blog templates and posts. 

7. Fotor - This is a site I found that you can do picture collages and stitching. I especially like this when I have big hauls or large showcases. I haven't played around with it too much, but out of all the site I found this one has worked the best. Here is a quick example of what you can do on Fotor.

What other things make your life easier as a reader/book blogger? What was on your top ten this week?

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)
by Marissa Meyer
Rating: 3 wine glasses

At the spot where the world of fantasy and science fiction collide is where the story of Cinder begins. Cinder is a unique spin on the classic fairy tale of Cinderella. The story unfolds in New Beijing 120 years after World War IV. The world has changed quite a bit over the years. The moon has been colonized by humans and over the centuries the lunar human race has evolved and developed special abilities which allows them to alter a person’s thoughts or the way they appear to others.

“People said Lunars could alter a person’s brain – make you see things you shouldn’t see, feel things you shouldn’t feel, do thing you didn’t want to do. Their unnatural power had made them a greedy and violent race, and Queen Levana was the worst of the worst of all of them.”

Queen Levana is suspected of murdering her older sister, husband and niece in order to inherit and secure her position on the Lunar throne. She will stop at nothing to maintain control and increase her power.

The story follows the life of Cinder, a cyborg mechanic. If Cinder didn’t already feel like a second class citizen living as ward under her step-mother’s care, it is about to get worse as Cinder’s mysterious pre-cyborg past is about to be unraveled.

Like Cinder’s character, this book is more than meets the eye. Marissa Meyer has crafted a unique and at times peculiar retelling of the fairy tale favorite, Cinderella. Her distinct attention to detail has created a world that is just as much science fiction as it is fantasy. At times, the mechanic scenes got a little too technology savvy for my personal taste, but some sci-fic readers might find it an enhancing quality to Meyer’s unique skill to drop a fairy tale in a scientifically futuristic world.

I appreciated that the story is set in China where the story of Cinderella was originally believed to have been first recorded. I also enjoyed Cinder’s character, but even more so at times I liked her cyborg abilities such as how an orange light will appear in her vision to indicate when she is being lied to. I adored Iko, an android with a programming glitch that leaves her with smart mouth, a nose for fashion and a mad crush on the young prince, Kaito.

I was surprised by Meyer’s willingness to kill off characters this early in the series. It is rarity in the young adult genre to see authors kill off characters in the first book of a series. I found this refreshing in the aspect that some events didn’t occur exactly how I predicted, however, the big shocker at the end of the book was something I foresaw about 20% of the way into the book.

In all, it was an interesting read and was unlike any other fairy tale retelling I have encountered. I definitely think this a great pick if you like science-fiction as much as fantasy. And if you prefer fantasy and romance like me than it is worth giving it a shot because if nothing else it will challenge your concept of fairy tales, being human and love.

Showcase Sunday #3

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits and Tea where you show what books you've purchased, borrowed, checked out from the library, received from giveaway, ect. Here is our showcase for this week. 

Purchased: 

Melissa purchased Wake (Watersong Series #1) by Amanda Hocking and The Complete Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan. We are huge fans of the Percy Jackson series and The Heroes of Olympus series by Riordan so hopefully the Kane Chronicles is just as amazing. I have always been interested in Egyptian history and gods. However, I don't have a vast knowledge in Egyptian gods other than what I learned from the Mummy movies so I am interested to see how in depth Riordan goes.

For Review:
We received our first book for review: Oath of Servitude by C.E. Wilson. One of the main characters is a pixie - which will be a first for me.

Freebies:

Melissa and I went a little freebie crazy this week on Amazon and B&N. I haven't heard anything about these from other reviewers but they look interesting. 

Melissa's Finds- 

 Tegan's Blood by L.H. Cosway, Everblue by Brenda Pando, Sora's Quest by T.L. Shreffler and The Soulkeeper by G.P. Ching

Rachel's Finds- 

Invisible by Cecily Paterson , Cornerstone by Kelly Walker, The Viking's Witch by Kelli A. Wilkins, Evangeline by Alexia Purdy and Brightest Kind of Darkness by P.T. Michelle

What books did you find this week? What is on your showcase?