Book Review - The Venerate Order by Troy Dukart + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

Things are finally getting better for a college graduate, Strafe Rocknus.  He is surrounded by caring friends, a thoughtful girlfriend, and he is the team leader in a state-sponsored project. While testing out his catapult, he is launched into a mysterious cave. He discovers an ancient and highly valuable artifact. When the artifact lands in the wrong hands, it triggers a war that spans two worlds. Will Strafe be able to stop the war?

The novel reminded me of Square-Enix's Final Fantasy video games series. I could literally imagine the characters going through each obstacle and the fight scenes. However, if I didn't think about the book in that way, some of the details and conversations felt unauthentic. While the novel was fast paced, I would have enjoyed a bit more character and plot development. Overall, a fun read especially for RPG fans.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

About the Book:

Title: THE VENERATE ORDER

Author: Troy Dukart

Pub. Date: February 26, 2018

Publisher: Creativia

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 217

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, TBD

Strafe Rocknus has suffered hard losses in his life, but now things are looking up for the college graduate. 

He has a sizzling girlfriend, good friends and a bright career ahead of him. But one day, Strafe awakes in a mysterious cavern, discovers an ancient artifact, and unwittingly ignites a war that spans two worlds: his own, and one he never knew existed. 

With the abyss of the unknown before him, Strafe enters the swirling darkness. Desperate, he must navigate a new and hostile world on the brink of catastrophe, and learn the truth of who he is, while facing a darkness with the power to destroy everything Strafe has ever cared about. 

Soon, he will discover that his greatest strength comes from those he fights for.

  

About Troy:

Troy Dukart is the author of the Venerate Saga (The Venerate Order, The Venerate Redemption, sequels to follow).

Troy grew up outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota: Twin Cities. Troy is recognized by Toastmasters International as an Advanced Communicator Bronze and Advanced Leader Bronze.

He's lived in Japan as well as California. He loves to travel.

Make sure to stop by his website and sign-up for the newsletter to stay in the know!

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | YouTube | Instagram

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of THE VENERATE ORDER, US Only.

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Rafflecopter link:

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Tour Schedule:

Week One:

5/7/2018- Lauren is Reading- Review

5/7/2018- Confessions of a YA Reader- Excerpt

5/8/2018- The BookWorm Drinketh- Review

5/8/2018- Here's to Happy Endings- Excerpt

5/9/2018- The Genre Minx Book Reviews- Excerpt

5/9/2018- Writer of Wrongs- Guest Post

5/10/2018- Zooloo book blog- Review

5/10/2018- Mythical Books- Guest Post

5/11/2018- two points of interest- Review

5/11/2018- Book-o-Craze- Excerpt

Book Review - Tribal Affairs by Matt Dallmann

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Dahlia is a centuries-old powerful genie, who is helplessly trapped in a damaged golden locket. The locket is a family heirloom that was passed on to Liana by her beloved dead mother. She wears the locket during her father, Jamison's opening night performance. The locket causes a chain of unfortunate events which leads to a showdown between Liana and  Dahlia's nemesis, Stefan. Will Liana be able to defeat Stefan? Will Dahlia be able to escape her prison?

 I found the novel to be an interesting read. It was quite enjoyable to learn about different versions of genies. I found the dynamic between Taffi and Liana was fun to read. I enjoyed that when Taffi was in peril all he could think about was Liana's purple bedroom instead of his pending doom. The novel was narrated by Dahlia and I felt like it took away from the story. Dahlia seemed very involved in the beginning and was curious about Taffi but eventually disappeared after a few chapters. We only got to hear about her history through Liana's dreams. I would have enjoyed the book better if the book was narrated by Liana instead.  Overall, I found it to be an interesting book to read especially if you are interested in reading novels about genies.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Tribal Affairs

By Matt Dallmann

Genre: YA Fantasy

Brief Description

Dahlia, a centuries old genie, lies hopelessly trapped in a damaged golden locket charm attached to an ankle bracelet. Its owner, sixteen-year-old Liana, wears it for the first time during her father Jamison’s opening night illusion spectacular. Not only does its presence cause Jamison to folly his performance, but it also starts a chain of bizarre events that lead to a showdown with Dahlia’s mortal enemy, Stefan, and an unsuspecting romance between Liana and his son.

About the Author

Matt Dallmann has a background in acting and holds a BFA from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. His films and screenplays have been featured at film festivals across the United States including Cinequest, Big Apple Film Festival, Seattle’s True Independent Film Festival, DragonCon and Zero Independent Film Festival. His piano compositions have been published for commercial use and he is a member of ASCAP. Matt is also the Co-Founder and Vice President of the boutique medical billing firm VGA Billing Services, Inc. in New York City. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and two daughters.

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Book Review - She Who Knows No Fear: Another Tale of the Heart by by Barbara Bras + Giveaway

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Cassie is finally getting her dream come true. She is marrying her best friend who is also the love her life. Cassie will never have to be alone again. Until Zack didn't return from surfing one afternoon which causes Cassie to panic that she might lose Zack. Will Cassie be able to get over her fears?

I have not read the first book but it doesn't seem that readers need to read both books. When I first read the summary, I thought the book was about Cassie dealing with Zack disappearing. However, it turns out the book focuses on Cassie dealing with her abandonment issues. I was quite puzzled by the number of different story plots added in but they didn't develop further. For example, Cassie finds out that her grandmother was divorced, hearing thoughts from her dead grandmother and also having the ability to read other people's thoughts. Cassie's ability to read people's thoughts felt like it was added as an afterthought and it was never mentioned by her friends or family. I felt Cassie was a bit childish and helpless by herself. I felt like the conversations were stilted and unauthentic. Overall, I think it was an interesting story but it should have been developed a bit more.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

About the Book

Title: She Who Knows No Fear
Author: Barbara Bras
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Release Date: December 8, 2017
Cassie’s dream is about to come true. She’s marrying her best friend, the love of her life.
She will never be alone again. But when Zack fails to return from surfing, Cassie’s safe world comes crashing down around her and she begins her struggle anew. Haunted by her conviction that her late grandmother left her something that will help her, Cassie discovers hidden “treasures” in the house she inherited. With the help of her stepmother, Cassie unlocks the secrets of her grandmother’s journey and along the way finds the ultimate answer for her own life.

About the Author

In 2015, Barbara Bras left her career to pursue her dream of serving God. She believed that her first step was to share the amazing story of God’s blessings in her life. Wrapped in God’s Grace, A Life Rediscovered does so through a trio of narratives. It begins with the story of her son’s miraculous adoption and the challenging years that followed, her grandparents’ remarkable survival in Armenia, and her own quest for purpose and love. Once written, Barbara realized her life’s new purpose. Captured by St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, she views her writing as a tribute to the God who comforts and strengthens us in hardships and trials, and as her mission to encourage others. Her first novel, She Who Knows, A Tale of the Heart, seeks to inspire and encourage. The sequel, She Who Knows No Fear: Another Tale of the Heart, released in December 2017. Solo Deo Gloria, To God Alone Be the Glory

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Barbara is giving away a grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card plus a signed copy of She Who Knows and She Who Knows No Fear!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/ca74

Book Review - The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil

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The whispers began when Clemantine Wamariya was just six years old. Her beloved neighbors began to disappear and then came the loud thunder sounds that echo throughout her home. In 1994, Clemantine and her sister, Claire fled the Rwandan massacre but spent the next six years traveling to seven other African countries seeking asylum. Often while searching for shelter and safety, the sisters went hungry. They experienced both unexpected kindness and inhumane cruelty. The sisters are tormented by the idea of their parents and siblings safety. They had no communication after they left their home.

 The novel was an interesting read. While my family didn't come to the United States to seek asylum or escape war, I felt a bit kindship on some of the struggles she and her sister endured. It was inspiring to know that she was able to continue moving forward and graduate from Yale. While I did like the story, I didn't like the writing style of the novel. Especially, when it jumped from one time period to the next. On the first few pages, the novel mentions that the story is told from the perspective of a young child. However, before reading this novel, I wasn't aware of much of the historical events that took place in the author's life. I would have enjoyed the novel more if the author included some history of the events that were taking place as it would context to her story. Overall, it was an enjoyable read.

Book Review - Picture Us In The Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert

Photo Credit - Amazon

 Danny Cheng always knew his family had secrets but when he found a box filled with old letters and a file on a wealthy Silicon Valley family, he realizes there is much more to the story that he was told. When he tries to talk to his parents about their past or his dead sister, they immediately try to change the subject. Danny receive a full art scholarship into RISD, he decides going to college can as a be a way to escape his parents.  He realizes then he would have to contemplate a future without his best friend, Harry Wong. However, when he delves deeper into his parents' past, he finds a secret that causes him to question his entire being. What is the secret that his family is keeping from him?

The first few chapters I thought was interesting but I found the book to be a bit boring and dragging towards the middle. It was hard to stay engaged with the characters especially with the way the chapters were formatted. There were quite a few dilemmas Danny faced in the book and it was a bit overwhelming. I felt that not enough time was spent on each issue. I felt the parts discussing the history of his sister was a bit confusing since it was narrated by a third person. If the story had less going on and was fast paced, I would have enjoyed it more. 

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Book Review - A Penny Lost by Aspen Bassett + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

Penny Grace is the forgotten twin, especially when compared to her perfect twin sister, Dinah. To make matters worse, she has a special ability to see into a person's soul. Her family has a hard time accepting her abilities since Penny is the only one who has the superpower. One day Penny senses a human-shaped void in the surrounding aura. She decides to investigate the source but she is thrown into the past through an energy portal. The void seems to be following Penny as she time travels. What is the void that keeps following Penny? Will Penny be able to return home?

The book had an interesting concept but I found some to be confusing. I wish there was more time spent explaining how her abilities work and why. I did enjoy the time travel portions of the book especially when Penny and her companion try to figure out what they should do. It was a fast-paced novel with many mini twists that was fun to read.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for honest opinion**

Book Details:

Book Title:  A Penny Lost by Aspen Bassett
Category:  YA Fiction, 232 pages
Genre:  Urban Fantasy
Publisher:  World Castle Publishing
Release date:  Jan 13, 2018
Content Rating: PG (There's a kiss and some mild violence)

Book Description:

Penelope Grace, usually forgotten under the shadow of her twin sister's perfection, tries her hardest to hide her freakish ability to see into anyone's soul.

Until she senses an unusual energy like a human-shaped void in the universe. When Penny investigates the source, she gets tossed through a crack in time along with the cute boy next door. The Void follows them through history, increasing the dangers as if testing Penny. But what is it testing for? And why does it claim to know her better than even she knows herself? Even as Penny searches for answers, she must fight to survive the tragedies of both the past and future in order to get back home.

Buy the Book:
Amazon   Add to Goodreads

Meet the Author:

Aspen Bassett works at a library, telling stories and suggesting books. When she's not working, she's usually sipping hot cocoa and wondering what would happen if she had superpowers. She's been published in multiple anthologies including Oomph: A Little Super Goes a Long Way and Inaccurate Realities.

Aspen grew up learning about chakras and auras and the true power of imagination which slips into her writing whether she intend it to or not. In college, when she wasn't busy working on her degree in Creative Writing, Aspen also got her certificate in Women's Meditation (basically general energy work). Now, she's working toward a diploma in Integrated Healing Arts with a certificate in Hypnotherapy.

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~

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