BooksAce

Thanks to Netgalley.com and to Random House Publications -- Del Ray Spectra, I was approved to read this pre-released version of Clash of Eagles by Alan Smale. Now, anyone who knows me knows I'm a history nerd (hence the whole going to college for a history degree) and I love history; but, it's been a while since I've read a historical fiction book.

So, I decided to read an alternative history book.

Everyone knows the tale of the Roman Empire. Powerful empire that stretched across the European and Asian continents and ruled for a good amount of years before falling to the Turks.

But, in Clash of Eagles, Smale asks the question "What if the Romans never fell?"

And that simple question got my attention.

Smale however expanded on that question more. "What if the Romans never fell...and were the ones to land upon North America's banks?"

What if the Romans were the ones that we the first contact with the Native Americans? What if the future lands of Canada, America, and Mexico weren't cultivated and conquered by the European powers we all know; but, by the Romans?

So many questions, so little time.

Rough plot ramble. You, the reader, follow along with Gaius Publius Marcellinus (Usually just Marcellinus throughout the text) as he and the Fighting 33rd Hesperian Legion attempt to walk from the Atlantic boarder to the Pacific in the search of gold for his leader back home in Rome. It's a grueling, arduous trek. He's conquered numerous tribes and have come up empty handed with only rumors to give him motivation to continue.

Only to struck down and he finds himself alone and captured by the enemy.

And that's all I'm going to spoil, you'll need to read the book in order to find out what happens.

Now, this novel....is what I would call a niche read. Not everyone is going to like it. It's a heavy historical and military novel. There are hints of romance. There are hints of humor; but, the biggest bulk of this novel is either fighting or Marcellinus warring with himself.

Not to say that this isn't an interesting and wonderful book to read. Not at all. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and it was a wonderful read; but, I also know that out of my group of friends I'm probably the only one that would.

So, if you're a history buff like myself then pick up this book, especially if you love Roman, Native American, or Alternative history.

Overall, I give this book a 8 out of 10. This wasn't a book that I rant and rave about; but, you wouldn't hear complaints from me. It was a nice book to curl up with and read with some music in the background. I loved how Smale made the Native American tribe come to life. Their culture was obviously well researched and artfully written. I honestly feel like I learned more about Native American tribes in this story more so than I learned in my 13 years of public schooling.

Now, this book was set to be published on March 17, 2015 so it should be on shelves now and is available on Amazon.

Thanks again to Netgalley and Random House Publication to giving me a chance to read this book for free in exchange for my honest review!

Until the next page turn,

Tiffany

Last week, I reviewed Clash of Eagles which is a historical fiction.

So, this week, apparently my To-Be-Read Jar decided for me to go on the other side of the spectrum : fantasy.

And this fantasy novel has the one thing that I love and adore most all -- dragons.

I am a sucker for dragons so when I read this summary (months and months ago when I made my jar) I was excited to read it. Unfortunately (or not, matters on how you look at it), it was such a good read that I read in one complete day. Does anybody else love/hate when that happens?

Quick summary. Small spoilers afoot!  In Kindling Ashes, you follow along with two main protagonist on either side of the Dragon War. A young gold smuggler by the name of Giselle and a young boy named Corran. Giselle is a young teen just trying to survive on the streets of Tyrun after being thrown out of her house because everyone around her thought that she was processed because she talks to herself. Corran, on the other hand, is the youngest son of Lord Huwcyn who was a mighty Dragonslayer in the war. How these two's lives intertwined...well, I guess you'll just have to buy the book to find out.

Now comes the point of the review where I foam at the mouth and babble on how much I loved this novel. This book, I honestly was expecting something that I would enjoy but wouldn't fall head-over-heels for. I was wrong. I fell in love with Giselle's and her "Voice's" relationship. It was so cute and you could tell that they truly cared for each other and didn't want to part -- even though they had to. Corran, admittedly, was my hated character for the first half of this book. But, if anyone deserves a character progression reward its him. Throughout the novel, you read his struggle with his upbringings and the truths that are being presented to him. It was thoroughly interesting to watch him have to face fact and figure out how to right his wrongs at the end of the novel. There's another character that I also loved that is correlated to Corran but I don't want to spoil that part of the novel, so any other readers want to talk to me about it, comment below.

Also, I would love to give props to Harris for not making this a romance story. My biggest worry when I read the summary was that Giselle and Corran would fall in love and everything would be right in the world; but, thank goodness Harris didn't go down that path.

Overall, I (obviously) give this book a 10 out of 10. Awesome fantasy book. Breathtaking cover art. Well written characters. What else do you need?

Best part about this? This is only part one.

The second novel Fanning Flames is set to come out sometime in 2015.

I want it now!

Until the next page turn,

Tiffany

Imagine a world where water isn't accessible. Imagine a world where a few drops of it will kill you. You can't use tap water. You can't drink any outside water.

Horrible sounding, isn't it?

That is the premise of H20 by Virginia Bergin. Side Note : This book is also known as The Rain in other parts of the world. H20 is the United States title.

One day, in a small town in England, young Ruby Morris was out with her friends (and crush and possible boyfriend) in a hot tub. A few drops fell from the sky and she and her friends ran inside to escape the downpour. A few seconds later, Ruby's crush Caspar realizes that he left a few processions outside. Worried about them, he sprints back outside (against his parent's wishes) to grab them and thus begins the horrible life that Ruby proceeds to write.

At first, when I was reading this novel, I will admit I was a bit put off at Ruby's whining and her obsession with her damn cell phone. I kept thinking "People around you are dying and you're worried about your stupid cell phone?!?".

But one night (while I was on my own cell phone) I had a realization as why Ruby was written like she was. She's frazzled. She's a young 15 year old girl whose world is literally falling apart around her. Her cell phone, while at first seems like an idiotic thing to be obsessed over and risk your life for, is obviously more than just a electronic device. In this day and age a cell phone is more than just a cell phone. Who doesn't have countless precious photos on their SIMs cards? Who doesn't have a single phone number memorized because everything is kept inside their contact lists? Our cell phones have become our tether to the outside world and that's what Ruby's cell phone was to her and it was also a link to her perfect, normal past.

Ruby focused on things that seem mundane to us and stupid to think about in a world that's ending : makeup, her looks, her reputation. But how does a person erase 15 years of thoughts just like that? If you go through 15 years of worrying about your looks, it doesn't' matter that the rain is killing off the world, you are still going to have random thoughts of it. But I also felt as she anchored to these things to keep sane. She needed to focus on things that were familiar to her to comfort herself, to give her small moments of content or even happiness to get through this new foreign world.

I give this book an 8 out of 10. Can't wait for the sequel to come out in America!

Until the next page turn,

Tiffany

I saw this book while I browsing on Oyster and the summary caught my attention :

For eleven years, Oakley Farrell has been silent. At the age of five, she topped talking, and no one seems to know why. Refusing to communicate beyond a few physical actions, Oakley remains in her own little world... (Taken from Oyster)

Perhaps its from having a speech disorder myself, but the idea of being mute (or any other speech impediment) instantly sparks my interest; but, while I knew that this book wasn't exactly my norm when it comes to books (drama/romance), I thought I would give it try as I could I was falling into a reading slump and thought that something new would keep me out of one.

And, it did.

This book, I don't know what it was about it, but I was hooked. I started it while I was on lunch at work and I seriously thought about calling in for the rest of my shift just so I could continue reading it. (I, of course, like the responsible adult I am didn't call in). I found myself within the first 50 pages clutching the edges of my tablet, wanting Oakley to speak again, wanting for Oakley to gain the courage to speak up about what happened to her.

During the novel, while Oakley is the main character, you also get very familiar with her best friend, Cole, and every now and then (especially towards the end of the novel) pop into his head. As a writer, I love with authors talk about the idea that love isn't about saying the words all the time; but, the actions behind the two people and Preston did it well. She had the platform to showcase this thought with Oakley being mute and it even comes up straight out in a portion of the book when Cole's friend, Ben, asks outright "Wouldn't you want to hear her say it [I love you]" And he responses with "Yeah, but I already know that she does and that is more than enough for me" which I promptly responded with an "Aww." and then continued reading.

Overall, I give this novel a 9 out of 10. This was a well-written novel and it honestly felt like I was in two teenager's head and not reading something that an adult written hoping that it sounded like a teenager's mind.

Well, I'm off to read the sequel!

Until the next page turn,

Tiffany

I will start out this review by saying that this book isn't for everyone and a simple glance at it's Goodreads' page will tell you that.

Right off the bat, you will find out that this book includes an incestuous relationship between a brother and a sister. And I will tell you that when I read that I was very, very hesitant to read it. I was honestly about to move on and choose a different book to read as I didn't know that this book had that kind of relationship when I put the book into my TBR jar. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the reviews and ratings this book had gotten.

Most of them....highly praised this book.

So, I was curious. What about this book made it wonderful, so wonderful that a lot of people were able to look past the taboo relationship? So, curiosity won. I bought the book.

And I'm so happy I did.

While this book does have an incestuous relationship between a brother -- Lochan -- and a sister -- Maya -- this book is mainly about those two teenagers having to raise three younger siblings because of an alcoholic mother and an absent father. Quite truthfully, the relationship isn't a thing until at least halfway through the book.

The first half of the book is simply learning Lochan's and Maya's story, Lochan is on the cusp of graduating from secondary/high school and Maya is his younger (by 13 months) sister. When they were young, their father left their mother and moved to Australia with a new woman and hasn't really contacted them since Lochan was a pre-teen. Their mother turned to alcohol and partying to cope and you come to find out that she never wanted any kids; but, her ex-husband did hence why she had five children. You learn about Kit, a 13 year old who resents Lochan because Lochan was never a brother but was always a father. And you meet Tiffin and Willa, their much younger siblings who are cute as can be and have no cares in the world.

And you continue reading, about one-fourth of the way through, you start to see hints of Lochan's and Maya's relationship starting to form. Talk about feelings that shouldn't be there and other things like that; but, I was able to over look their relationship (even as it on cemented and deeper) and focus on them just struggling to live and making sure that their three younger siblings got everything that they needed and wanted. Hell, by the end of the book, I was rooting for them. I didn't see that coming. But this book is so well-written. I honestly can't even say how it was so well-written but Suzuma didn't just tell a story : she painted it. You could picture everything. You could feel Lochan's stress and struggles as he worries about university, his social anxiety/phobia, his feelings for his sister, his little siblings, getting money from his mom to pay the bills and get food on the table, etc, etc ,etc.

I do have one complaint about this story; but, it could be that Suzuma was aiming for this. The story is told with two alternating point-of-views : Lochan's and Maya's. But by the end of the story, I felt that Maya was a secondary character and Lochan was the main. Perhaps that was the point as Lochan was the eldest and had most of the responsibilities of raising the children and most of the struggles were on his shoulders.

Overall, I give this book a 8.5 out of 10. A very good read. Wonderfully written and I definitely recommend anyone to read it regardless of genre tastes.

Until the next page turn,

Tiffany

Yep, I'm reviewing yet another Abigail Roux novel. This time it's not part of the Cut and Run series; but, a stand alone book that has a key aspect that I thoroughly enjoy in novels.

Ghosts.

Yes, I am one of those people that watch ghost stories on TV on the edge of my seat as I listen to them hear EVPs and other paranormal happenings.

Gravedigger's Brawl takes place in Richmond, Virginia and focuses upon a museum curator by the name of Wyatt Case.  Now, Mr. Case has two things going against him. One being that the museum's board is kind of against him because the museum's profits have been taking a dip south for the past few months. The second thing...he was single. So, his friend Noah takes him to a bar that is named the Gravedigger's Tavern where he meets Ash Lucroix -- flaring bartender that wears a tongue ring and suspenders -- and Wyatt is instantly hooked. However, a knock to the head and Ash's and Wyatt's relationship is tested as Richmond's history threatens them and their jobs.

Now, I was introduced to Roux through the Cut and Run series and that was one large reason I purchased this book. I was familiar with her writing style and I enjoyed it. It was the same way in this book. I always love her characters. She always has them be witty and sarcastic that makes me laugh out loud while reading her books --- much to other people's horror and fear. Noah, Wyatt's friend in this novel, made me crack up so much and I love him, he just a ball of energy and cuteness.

However, the clincher for me was the ghost aspect of it. Maybe it's the history buff in me; but, I love ghost tales. And I'm not talking about the ones that you hear around the campfire about some made up girl that haunts the high school hallways because she lost her cell phone, no, I'm talking about the ones that are rooted deep in history and Roux did her research. The ghost story (that I'm not going to tell you about because that would be major spoilers) that she weaves into this story kept my attention the most. Sure, there's romance in this book obviously, it tells you right in the summary; but, I honestly overlooked part of it because I was just so interested in the ghost tale. I'm sure other people were the opposite so it doesn't matter if you're a history nerd like more or a romantic, you could find something in this book you would like.

Overall, I would rate this book at a 9 out of 10. It was a tad short and a bit quick paced; but, its a nice 1 or 2 day read. My biggest complaint about this book is that there is no sequel! I want one so bad (and that, Page Turners, is how you know it's a good book).

Until the next page turn,

Tiffany

Now, this book was originally meant to be a Flashback Friday post as this isn't the first (or second, or third) time I've read this book; but I missed the deadline. Alex Rider series is a series that I read when I was a young girl in elementary/middle school. It was a book that was fast paced and was dived into the world I've only saw on television at that point.

Originally published in 2000, Stormbreaker is the debut novel into the Alex Rider series, a series that would eventually stretch to be 10 books all pertaining to a 14-year-old British boy named Alex Rider (surprise). In Stormbreaker, Alex's uncle had recently died in a "car accident" and Alex finds himself orphaned (as his parents died when he was a young boy, hence, why he was being raised with his uncle). Curious -- maybe a bit too much -- Alex digs into his Uncle's death only to find that dear old Uncle Ian didn't die in a car accident. MI6 -- British's CIA -- has been watching Alex and find his curiosity useful.

Yep, it's a boy-turned-spy novel.

Now the reason why I picked this book up again isn't just for the nostalgia (although, that is a big part of it). I hate leaving series unfinished. Its one on my pet peeves both in writing and reading. So, when I found out that the Alex Rider series has been completed I had to know the ending of this series that captivated me as a girl. So, I found my old copy of Stormbreaker and settled in to read.

With that being said, I will be reading the other 9 books. I will try to keep those on the Friday schedule though.

This book, while geared towards the younger crowd, was an enjoyable read even though I'm not a 22 year old woman. It kept me entertained. I still laughed at Alex's wit and humor. I found myself wanting to continue reading even though I knew the rough plot line.

Well, I'm off to read Point Blank now.

Overall, I give this book a 4 out of 5. Its a good read; but, has it faults in some lucky moments that were a bit too lucky.

Until the next page turn,

Tiffany

I will start out this review by saying that this book isn't for everyone and a simple glance at it's Goodreads' page will tell you that.

Right off the bat, you will find out that this book includes an incestuous relationship between a brother and a sister. And I will tell you that when I read that I was very, very hesitant to read it. I was honestly about to move on and choose a different book to read as I didn't know that this book had that kind of relationship when I put the book into my TBR jar. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the reviews and ratings this book had gotten.

Most of them....highly praised this book.

So, I was curious. What about this book made it wonderful, so wonderful that a lot of people were able to look past the taboo relationship? So, curiosity won. I bought the book.

And I'm so happy I did.

While this book does have an incestuous relationship between a brother -- Lochan -- and a sister -- Maya -- this book is mainly about those two teenagers having to raise three younger siblings because of an alcoholic mother and an absent father. Quite truthfully, the relationship isn't a thing until at least halfway through the book.

The first half of the book is simply learning Lochan's and Maya's story, Lochan is on the cusp of graduating from secondary/high school and Maya is his younger (by 13 months) sister. When they were young, their father left their mother and moved to Australia with a new woman and hasn't really contacted them since Lochan was a pre-teen. Their mother turned to alcohol and partying to cope and you come to find out that she never wanted any kids; but, her ex-husband did hence why she had five children. You learn about Kit, a 13 year old who resents Lochan because Lochan was never a brother but was always a father. And you meet Tiffin and Willa, their much younger siblings who are cute as can be and have no cares in the world.

And you continue reading, about one-fourth of the way through, you start to see hints of Lochan's and Maya's relationship starting to form. Talk about feelings that shouldn't be there and other things like that; but, I was able to over look their relationship (even as it on cemented and deeper) and focus on them just struggling to live and making sure that their three younger siblings got everything that they needed and wanted. Hell, by the end of the book, I was rooting for them. I didn't see that coming. But this book is so well-written. I honestly can't even say how it was so well-written but Suzuma didn't just tell a story : she painted it. You could picture everything. You could feel Lochan's stress and struggles as he worries about university, his social anxiety/phobia, his feelings for his sister, his little siblings, getting money from his mom to pay the bills and get food on the table, etc, etc ,etc.

I do have one complaint about this story; but, it could be that Suzuma was aiming for this. The story is told with two alternating point-of-views : Lochan's and Maya's. But by the end of the story, I felt that Maya was a secondary character and Lochan was the main. Perhaps that was the point as Lochan was the eldest and had most of the responsibilities of raising the children and most of the struggles were on his shoulders.

Overall, I give this book a 8.5 out of 10. A very good read. Wonderfully written and I definitely recommend anyone to read it regardless of genre tastes.

Until the next page turn,

Tiffany

After I finished Silence, I had to pick up the sequel. Broken Silence takes place four years after Silence and you are reunited with the main characters as they get ready to embark on the adventure of putting away Oakley's abusers. I won't speak too much about the plot as this is a sequel and anything largely about the plot will instantly ruin Silence and I rather not do that so I will write what I think about this book.

This book is a tad bit...Okay, lie, it's a lot more romantic than Silence as both Cole and Oakley are older adults and thus are ready to start a more serious relationship than they had as teenagers. There are two plots kind of interwoven together within this novel. The main one is the one that continues from the previous story as the abusers are finally brought in front of a judge, and the second one is the dance that Oakley has in choosing between staying with Cole or not.

Overall, I enjoyed this series. It was interesting and kept my attention. The romance was cute but yet believable. Oakley's reactions were also believable which is a big thing with this kind of plot. There are two short stories that take place after Silence but I'm not one-hundred percent sure if I'm going to read them as I found another book that I want to read.

I give this, and Silence an 8.5 out of 10. There were times when I wanted to throw the romance out of the window because I wanted to focus on what was going on with the abusers but beyond that I don't have any other serious complaints about this novel.

Short review this time, sorry Page Turners!

Until the next page turn,

Tiffany