In My Mailbox (139)

In My Mailbox is a weekly post created by The Story Siren.

For Review:

N/A

Bought:

The Passage by Justin Cronin
Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

What did you get in your IMM?

Age of the Aura Guest Post and Giveaway by Samuel Odunsi Jr.

Age of the Aura, Phase I: Champions of Power (SYNOPSIS)

Genre: Science Fiction (Space Opera)

The Blessed Galaxy has no other name. After being gifted with the Auras—five great powerhouses of celestial creation—the title was a suitable fit. For millennia, the governing bodies have ruled their respective reaches of the Galaxy while harnessing the might of the Auras. But now they face the threat of a calamity, from an unlikely source, that could shake the lives of all.

Lowen Sars, a devout man of science, decides to take on the burden of saving the Galaxy’s people once he learns of the calamity. But he soon realizes that the role of a hero was a calling not meant for him, even with his sudden promotion. In his process of self-discovery, Lowen begins the fateful saga of not only the Blessed Galaxy, but also the kingdom in possession of the corrupt Aura.

Read more behind the story! http://ageoftheaura.com/universe/

Download Phase I for FREE on Amazon! (June 24^th-28^th ONLY!)

http://amzn.to/M8k1vf

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Champions of Power

by Samuel Odunsi Jr.

Giveaway ends July 24, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Watch the Book Trailer!

Book Reviews for Phase I

The Indie Book Review

A Book So Fathomless - "3.5 out of 5"

Beth Art From the Heart - "4 out of 5"

Voracious Reader - "3 out of 5"

Sadie S Forsythe - "3 out of 5"

Nik's Picks - "4 out of 5"

Dee's Reads - "3 out of 5"

My Cozie Corner - "5 out of  5"

Confuzzled Books - "4 out of 5"

Cheryl's Book Nook - "4 out of 5"

The Guide to Good Books - "5 out of 5"

Paranormal Sisters - "3.5 out of 5"

Books With Leti Del Mar - "3 out of 5"

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey Book Trailer

I have read this and really enjoyed it.  So glad I come across the Book Trailer so I could share with all of you.  Hope you enjoy this and it makes you want to pick up the book.

 

The Diabolist by Layton Green

Title:  The Diabolist

Author:  Layton Green

Genre:  Mystery/Suspense

Publisher:  Thomas and Mercer

Publication Date:  4th June 2013

ISBN:  9781611099843

Stand alone or series:   Dominic Grey #3

Pages:  375 pages

Book Received from:  Layton Green (Author) Uncorrected proof

First Lines:  They called themselves the House of Lucifer.  Thirty minutes before midnight High Priest Matthias Gregory swung wide the doors to Red Abbey, and one by one the members filed inside.

Synopsis: While investigating the murder of a Satanic cult leader, two private investigators follow the trail of a reclusive New Age prophet and are plunged into a vortex of black magic, ancient heresies, and the dark corners of their own pasts.

My Thoughts:
It's been a little while since I've read any of Layton Green's work but as always I slipped into the story as if I'd read the previous books a day before.

I found from Chapter one that it had me in it's grips.  I mean names like House of Lucifer and "the Letter" and sermons at midnight, I knew I was going to be up all night reading this from start to finish. And I did!

The biggest thing for me about these novels is the amount of research these novels must take.  And as much as there is so much to take in, I never once got bogged down by the technicals.  I loved it.  Bring on more!

Another thing I love about these novels is, from the beginning, things seem all magical and supernatural as if there could be no other logical explanation and then walks in Viktor Radek and Dominic Grey!  It's so real world

I have to say my fave character of the series will always lie with Dominic Grey.  He's the ultimate in awesome.  He's smart, switched on and doesn't let anyone pull the wool over his eyes.  His past (for me) justifies who he is as a person now and I find that well rounded in a character.  Layton has just got a way with building credible and three dimensional characters (even the bad ones) that seem to jump of the page and demand to be remembered.

Viktor has some of the same qualities as Grey and I think that's why they make such a good team,  but I think he gets a little caught up in the details of each crime.  The research.

The appearance of the blonde did throw me in the beginning, and I kept thinking she could have been somebody else throughout the novel.  It put a good spin on things and I wondered when she would pop up again and what her role would be at the end if there was one.  I was very surprised.

Dante was one creepy and sadistic bastard. (excuse the french)  I kept reading thinking, surely Grey and Dante would go head to head.  Ultimate good guy against ultimate bad dude,

This was an awesome story and another great addition to the Dominic Grey series.  I love the history and detail that Layton puts into the novel.  The characters are well formed and come alive on the page, which means from start to finish I'm glued to the book.  Well done!

In My Mailbox (138)

In My Mailbox is a weekly post created by The Story Siren.

For Review:

Raven Flight by Julian Marillier (Shadowfell #2)

Bought:

Looking for Alaska by John Green.

What did you get in your IMM?

Waiting on Wednesday (139)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

I'm looking forward to More Than This by Patrick Ness which will be released in 3rd September of this year!

Synopsis

From two-time Carnegie Medal winner Patrick Ness comes an enthralling and provocative new novel chronicling the life — or perhaps afterlife — of a teen trapped in a crumbling, abandoned world.

A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighborhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust, and completely abandoned. What’s going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this. . . .

What are you waiting on?

The Accident by Kate Hendrick

Title:  The Accident

Author:  Kate Hendrick

Genre:  Young Adult/

Publisher:  Text Publishing

Publication Date:  26th June 2013

ISBN:  9781921922855

Stand alone or series:   Stand Alone

Pages:  272 pages

Book Received from:  Text Publishing

First Lines:  Phones ringing, the constant chug of photocopiers, the whirr of the fans.  People talking, walking, typing...  After the months at home I'd forgotten how busy the world can be.

Synopsis:

A rainy night.  
A car crash.   
After the accident Sarah moves to a new school. A new place where no one knows what happened to her or her brother—where she doesn't have to deal with the history that's pulling the rest of her family apart.  
Will is keeping his head down at home, just trying to get by. Then his sister Lauren comes back—as caustic as always but somehow changed. Will doesn't know what upheaval brought her home. But it's sparking some serious change in his life too.  
Eliat's got no mother of her own, and she's way too young to be one. Looking after a two-year-old, trying to finish school—sometimes all that keeps her sane is partying as hard and fast as she can. Now the pressure's building and Eliat just wants to get away.  
Just get into a car and drive.   
In this impressive and beautifully written debut, Kate Hendrick sets the butterfly effect in motion. The moving stories of three teenagers going through crucial changes—before, after and around the accident—show how random actions acquire significance. How one pivotal moment could transform your life and you might never know; how what you do matters.

My Thoughts:
I'm not sure whether it was just me but the beginning of The Accident was hard to get into.  You have three different characters; Sarah whose POV is told a while after the accident aka "Later.", Will whos POV is told after the accident, and Eliat who's POV is told before the accident. 

My biggest thing was getting confused with who was who.  For me there didn't seem to be a distinct voice for each of these characters but there was something about their stories that spurred me on to keep going.  I kept having to flick back to the beginning of the chapter to see which "POV" time it was before what I was reading clicked a little more.  Once I got to about halfway, things got easier.  Again this could just be me, and others may not find this problem.

I think my favourite character had to be Sarah.  I really enjoyed her POV especially when she encounters a tape that her brother had made.  Just reading about her watching it over and over had me feeling quite sad along with her.

Eliat's wake up call couldn't come soon enough.  From someone who has had a kid, I found it really hard with some of the things that Eliat did.  Her nonchalance towards Tash simply grated on my nerves at times.  It wasn't all the time throughout the story but it was enough for me to want to reach in and go "You've had this child, grow up, step up and take charge."  My little rant done lol.

Overall, while I found the beginning of the novel confusing, I was quite happy with how the story tied together at the end.  I'm glad I stuck with this.