The Dragon's Egg

The Dragon's Egg by Resa Nelson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Such a bittersweet ending to a wonderful series.

We continue to follow Astrid as she makes the decision to release her brother from Dragon's Head. Astrid takes his place only to realize she herself isn't dead. Trep, realizing she is gone, begins his search for her and finds someone he does not expect. Given a quest of his own he must make the decision to let Astrid follow her own path.

Being the last in this series there were so many questions that needed answers. So many lives we wanted to know what happened to. Nelson does an excellent job of tying up all these loose ends. We finally come to understand the essence of the Dragons that inhabited Tower Island and how Astrid and her brother are connected to them. We also get the background for the enemy Mandulane. We see what happened in his childhood to make him the monster that he became.

The ending was not something that I had expected. Without giving any spoilers, I'll just say that the war didn't go as I had thought that it would. Trep's quest in itself was bittersweet. And Astrid got what she didn't know she really wanted. I know that in life there are never any fairytale endings. And compromise and closure are important. But I will admit, in my reading I am a sucker for a happy, happy ending.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read. It was a fitting end to this great series. If you have read the other books in the Dragonslayer Series you will want to read this one. And if you haven't read them then you should check them out.

I recieved a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.



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The Darkest Minds

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Wow, I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. I would actually give this one 3.5 stars but it is a fun read so I will round it up to 4.

We meet Ruby who is in an internment camp and we have to wait to get her full story told as she looks back periodically into her past. She lives in a time where children either die from a mysterious disease or are mutated like with X-Men. Adults and the government are scared of the potential threat from the mutants and round them up and lock them away in horrible concentration camps with the lie of rehabilitation.

There is alot going on in this book. Ruby is broken out by an underground organization that claims to be trying to help the kids who she finds has alterior motives. She goes on the run and finds Lee and his group. There is action and adventure with a bit of the paranormal thrown in for spice. However, its all a bit predictable except for the ending (which I did not like). Without giving spoilers I'll just say that I think it could have plausibly ended differently.

Overall, I think its a good YA read. And I enjoyed the characters both the good and the bad. It is a bit on the dark side with the concentration camps and the abuse of the kids simply because they are different from no fault of their own. But if this genre intrests you at all I would say give this on a try.



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Cinder

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I would probably actually give this one 3.5 stars, but we can't give half stars on GR, so I will stretch it up to 4 because it is a fun read.

This is a re-telling of the Cinderella story with a futuristic twist. Cinder is a cyborg whose not allowed to go to the ball. There's a plague thats threatening the planet and Lunars (ppl that live on the moon) are trying to start a war. Throw in a handsome prince and you've got a great futuristic fairytale.

I love the character of Cinder. She's a strong female character that keeps her head even in the worst of situations. She thinks things through and makes tough decisions that is the right thing to do even if its not best for her. Likewise the Prince Kai is going to be crowned emperor before he is ready at the death of his father from letumosis. Like Cinder, he also has to make tough decisions for what is best for his people.

On the downside, not a lot is explained. There no history of the Lunar colony such as how long they had existed there or how they developed their magic. And the setting in Beijing didn't feel acurate. There is very little reference to Chinese culture.

Overall its a great YA read. I really enjoyed this take on the Cinderella fairytale and I will definitely continue the Lunar Chronicles.



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Chronicles of M

Chronicles of M - Book 1 by Nicholas Forristal

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this was such a fun read! It definitely had a little bit of everything espionage, secret operations, science fiction, super heroes and a touch of mystery.

The Dragon Within

The Dragon Within by Cindy Lyle

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely love the world created by Cindy Lyle in The Dragon Within. You can almost feel the Tolkein influences on this work but at the same time its entirely her own.

The Dragon Within Excerpt

I would like to thank author Cindy Lyle for sharing this excerpt from The Dragon Within. I am currently reading this book and will have a review coming soon.

We pretty much ran all the way back to the castle. Fitch insisted on coming too, so I had to stop a few times to let him catch up. Elric didn’t bother to wait for us, by the time Fitch and I reached the inner ward the alarm had been sounded, and everyone was busy preparing for the impending encounter with the Dark Lord. We hurried into the main hall of the Keep and found Anora, Edwin and Elric conferring with some of the

army’s commanders. A scout ran in ahead of us and reported directly to the king.
“The prince’s reports are accurate, Sire. There is a small group of about fifteen headed toward us, but I did not see the Dark Lord. He does not appear to be among them, but there are Litui.”
“Send a detachment to the bridge and stop their advance there. Since they did not bring a large company I don’t think this is an attack, but be ready for anything. If there are Litui, chances are his Hautur are there as well, so their numbers could be deceiving. ”
King Edwin turned at the same time as Anora to see Fitch and I enter the front hall. Our reception was not a warm one. Edwin was furious, and the look on his face made me feel like I was the Dark Lord himself.

The End Begins: The Nine Giveaway

Enter for your chance to win one of 10 copies being given away internationally of The End Begins: The Nine. These are all ePub English versions and its not a requirement to follow my blog but its always welcome.

The Nine. Once an academy for training students in the ways of wizards and alchemists, has become a facility for harvesting the powers of students for study.
Cassarah Telmar escaped the Nine, vowing to bring it down.
But is the choice to live as a slave or to die with freedom one she can make alone?

Blood Bonds Excerpt

We would like to thank author Levi Montgomery for sharing an excerpt from his new book Blood Bonds

How many of us go our entire lives and never see the evil that waits for us under our skins, behind the thin veneer of neckties and fingernail polish?

Blood Bonds is the latest literary fiction by author Levi Montgomery.

Levi’s work spans genre lines from YA to adult literature and touches on coming of age themes that appeal to readers of all ages. Love, self-acceptance, dark and edgy Christian fiction, violence and fear are all explored in his books. With a touch of literary fiction and a raw edginess, he writes in a distinct voice that is hard to categorize but worth taking the time to get to know.

About Blood Bonds

“I vow never to take my blood brother’s woman…”
“…and I vow never to leave him in trouble…”
“…and I vow never to take anything of his…”
“…and I vow never to lie to him…”
“…so help me God.”

Immortality is the birthright of youth.

The young are going to live forever, and they know it. When you’re young, you can cut your hand with a dirty piece of bottle glass from the town dump, and it’s okay, because you’re going to live forever. There will be no pain and no blood. There will be no regrets. You can lie to your best friend, you can steal the very substance of his dreams, and pay no price, because you’re immortal.
When the shadow finally sweeps you up in its slow omnipotent crawl, it is not life that you are leaving behind. It is youth. It is the immortality of belief, of knowing that you can cut your hand, you can kiss a girl, you can steal from your blood brother and never pay a price.

The Iron Maiden

The Iron Maiden by Resa Nelson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I received a free copy of this for review.

This is the second book in the Dragonslayer Series and I think it is just as good or even better than the first one, The Dragonslayer's Sword. The Iron Maiden continues the story of Astrid after she returns home to Guell to become the town's dragonslayer after the death of DiStephan. She initially wishes to remain through the winter months and return to blacksmithing instead of following the winter route of he dragons. But fate doesn't allow that and instead she embarks on another adventure.

Dragon's Teeth Book Tour

I'd like to thank author Suzanne Van Rooyan for making the Cotton Patch a stop on her blog tour for her book Dragon's Teeth

After years of war ravage the globe and decimate humanity, civilization is revitalized in the city of New Arcadia, a cybernetic playground where longevity treatments promise near immortality.Detective Cyrus, fond of fedoras and narcotics, is hired by Benji MacDowell, heir-apparent to an eugenics empire, to find MacDowell's long-lost biological father.

Employing his network of shady contacts within the underbelly of the city, Cyrus uncovers a murderous web of corporate corruption and political conspiracy with ties to the old Order, a tyrannical organization whose sole intent was perfecting the next generation of genetically engineered soldiers.

Now Cyrus knows too much and finds himself caught in the cross-hairs of super-soldier assassins while the dark secrets of his past snap at his heels, forcing him to confront the truth he's been running from... and discover his own terrifying purpose.

Book Excerpt

I never knew my father. It seems, perhaps, that no one did except the woman with whom he joined to give me life. My mother they remember; I’ve heard all the stories. Every version ends the same: her dying as I screamed my way into the world.

The Dragonslayer's Sword

The Dragonslayer's Sword by Resa Nelson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I received a free copy of this book for review.

This was such a fun read. We follow the life of Astrid from the time she is a small child that is bought from a bad place by a child seller. Alone and horribly disfigured she is terrified of the world but at the same time determined to find a place for herself in it. In a world full of dragons and lizard and shapeshifting humans Astrid grows up to make a life for herself and learn what true friendship is.

Interview With Author Ben Burrell and Giveaway

I would like to thank author Ben Burrell for agreeing to be interviewed and making us a part of his blog tour for Red Leaves and the Living Token After the interview enter for your chance to win one of 2 ebooks being given away internationally in your choice of formats.

Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I'm six foot five. I live in South Jordan Utah with my wife and three kids. I love hiking and biking and taking my kids to the park.

Six foot five?! Just hearing that makes me feel short at 5 foot 1 inches lol

White Horse

White Horse by Alex Adams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I received this courtesy of FirstReads.

This was one of those books that I really had trouble putting down once I started it. I love dystopias and apocolyptic type books and this fit those categories perfectly.

In the Mailbox

New reads this week:

This book I won from FirstReads way back in March. It just now made its appearance



Synopsis

Thirty-year-old Zoe leads an ordinary life until the end of the world arrives. She is cleaning cages and floors at Pope Pharmaceuticals when the President of the United States announces that human beings are no longer a viable species.

Time Keepers Excerpt Post

Author Nicki J. Markus has sent an excerpt from he new book Time Keepers that is expected to be released in July.

Blurb
In the not so distant future, Supernaturals have announced their presence to the world. But now a secret government agency is rounding them up, hoping to use them for its own purposes.
With Supernaturals going missing every day, Nick has been careful to guard his own secret, never giving anyone reason to notice him. That is until Ellie comes careering into his train carriage.
Instantly drawn to her, he tries to help. But soon both their secrets are revealed and they find themselves on the run in a desperate bid to escape from the mysterious Time Keepers, whose net is closing in around them.

Uncommon Whore

An Uncommon Whore by Belinda McBride

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In a word: Awesome! This is the story of Pasha who is a slave with no memory of who he was before. He has been sold into the servitude of a humanoid who uses him to support his gambling addiction. In the begining he sees a man in the bar that his heart recognizes even if his mind doesn't.

The story is told wonderfully from the perspective of Pasha. We see thru his eyes as he finds his life long friend and love and comes to know who he truly is and why his is an uncommon whore. I love the flow of this book as the story slowly unfolds as Pasha's memories return. He comes to remember who he is and what happened to him. He then has to learn the fate of his people and what has happened to those his loves. The sex is definitely hot and only serves to add to the story instead of the story only being about the sex. The story is more about love, relationships, and overcoming hardships.

I would recommend this to anyone that loves sci/fi erotica with a bit of spice and definitely only for those over 18. Loved it!



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“.....no man should be without those moments of reality, those experiences that tell him that he is only a mortal and not a god”
― Belinda McBride, An Uncommon Whore

“Love isn't about forcing submission,Grif. Its about...doing for the one you love. It's about their happiness over our own.”
― Belinda McBride, An Uncommon Whore