ARC Review and Giveaway: Jinx by Sage Blackwood

4 stars
Genres: Children, fantasy
Format: ebook
368 pages
Published by HarperCollins
Expected publication: January 8th 2013
ISBN: 0062129902
ISBN13: 9780062129901
Where to Buy: Amazon. Barnes and Noble
View on Goodreads

Synopsis from Goodreads:
In the Urwald, you don’t step off the path. Trolls, werewolves, and butter-churn riding witches lurk amid the clawing branches, eager to swoop up the unwary. Jinx has always feared leaving the path—then he meets the wizard Simon Magnus.

Jinx knows that wizards are evil. But Simon’s kitchen is cozy, and he seems cranky rather than wicked. Staying with him appears to be Jinx’s safest, and perhaps only, option. As Jinx’s curiosity about magic grows, he learns to listen to the trees as closely as he does to Simon’s unusual visitors. The more Jinx discovers, the more determined he becomes to explore beyond the security of well-trod paths. But in the Urwald, a little healthy fear is never out of place, for magic—and magicians—can be as dangerous as the forest, and soon Jinx must decide which is the greater threat.

Sage Blackwood introduces a daring new hero for an innovative new world as Jinx is joined by friends, battles enemies, and discovers life beyond—and even within—the forest is more complex than he can imagine, and that the Urwald itself needs him more than he could ever guess.

My Review:
This is a refreshing take on a fantasy novel with an intriguing plot and unique world.

Jinx has a bit of mystery surrounding him with a wonderfully fresh personality on an epic adventure. As Jinx struggles through his adventures he, along with the reader, learns important lessons along the way. The concept of overcoming ones fear was very intriguing for me and I enjoyed how it was handled in the book.

Note: I won this book from Goodreads Early reviews.

About the Author:
Sage Blackwood lives at the edge of a large forest, with thousands of books and a very old dog, and enjoys carpentry, cooking, and walking in the woods of New York State.

Giveaway ends 1/13/2013 for US residents only

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Giveaway and Book Review: BLACK and WHITE and DEAD ALL OVER by Michael Bradley

4 stars
Genres: Mystery, thriller
Format: ebook
1, 166 pages
Published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published on August 2nd 2012
ISBN: 1478224037
ISBN13: 9781478224037
Where to Buy: Amazon
View on Goodreads
 
Synopsis:
When the skeleton of a teenage girl is uncovered at a construction site in Newark, journalist Brian Wilder must follow a twenty-two year old trail of deceit and lies to uncover the truth behind her death.
While still struggling with his own tragic past, Brian uncovers a haunting secret of passion and anger that could threaten to destroy one of the most powerful political families in Delaware.
 
My Review:
The book portrays an excellent murder mystery full of intrigue, love triangles, and jealousy. The book as a whole is fast-paced with an interesting storyline and compelling characters. While the drama unfolds the characters each have their own uniquely defined role that helps to move the story forward and create their individual personalities. My only criticism would be that the story started off a little slow and was hard to get into, although once the mystery starts to progress it rapidly takes hold of the readers attention.
 
Note: I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
 
About the Author:
Born and raised in southern New Jersey, Michael Bradley is an author and IT consultant, whose frequent travels bring him in touch with a variety of people up and down the east coast. When he isn’t on the road, Michael hits the waterways in one of his three kayaks. Being an avid Apple fan, Michael loves to preach the benefits of Apple’s Mac OS X and iOS. Before working in information technology, Michael spent eight years in radio broadcasting, working for stations in New Jersey and West Virginia, including the Marconi Award winning WVAQ in Morgantown. Becoming an author has been a lifelong dream for Michael, which was finally realized with the release of his first book in 2012. Among the writers in which he finds inspiration, Michael favors P.D. James, Raymond Chandler, Leslie Charteris, Simon Brett, and Ian Fleming. He lives in Delaware with his wife, Diane, and their two furry four-legged “kids”, Simon and Brandy. Michael does all of his writing on an Apple iPad 2 with a Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover.
 
Contact: Michael Bradley
Email: mjbradley88@mail.com  
Blog: http://mjbradley88.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mjbradley88
 

The Giveaway is for U.S. residents only

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Giveaway and Book Review: Assassination: The Royal Family's 1000 Year Curse by David Maislish

4 stars

Genres: History

Format: Paperback

498 pages

Published by Indepenpress

Published on September 1st 2012

ISBN: 1780031483

ISBN13: 9781780031484

Where to Buy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

View on Goodreads

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Never told before, Assassination is the revelation of a 1000-year curse that has shaken the monarchy from Canute to Elizabeth II.

After years of painstaking research, David Maislish uncovers the murder or attempted murder of every single King and Queen.

Here is English history without the things that sent us to sleep in school; instead brought to life with a series of royal murders and near murders.

Read how a quarter, perhaps as many as half, of our Kings and Queens were killed - even one in the twentieth century.

It is all in Assassination - the Royal Family's 1000-year cure.

My Review:

Every one is trying to kill the British?  This story successfully puts all of those attempts (and successes) into striking perspective.  The book’s structure is informative without being boring with a brief history of each reign for context.  The assassinations are the central theme of the story and the author is able to present each fate in an entertaining and thrilling manner.  

I would highly recommend this book to people that are interested in this tidbits of history while being intrigued by the suspenseful story.

Note: I received this book via Netgalley.

About the Author

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