Casey Barnes Eponymous by E.A. Riggs

Epic Wins:

• The Playlists- Casey works in the library where she writes out three-songed playlists to help people get through their day and sticks them in their library books. It was awesome how she went through and explained why she chose each song. 
• Casey- At first her obsession with a certain boy annoyed me. She really really irked me because of how focused she was on him. Aside from that she was head strong, knowledgeable in the music department, and kind of funny. 
• Ben- Sometimes if I am nto a big fan of the main character I hang on to a side character, I held on to Ben. For whatever reason I liked him right off the bat. Slightly nerdy with an air of eponymous. Loved this character. 
• Suku- He is one of those characters funny side characters. He was pretty much awesome!
• Towards the end Casey recives two playlists (one from Alex and one from Ben) and I love the contrast of these two lists. Ben, out of the blue, wrote his up. Alex had to be asked. Ben's songs all had meaning behind them. Alex gave the job to someone else. 
• That moment when Casey finds out what Alex is. This was her redeeming moment. 
• Message 1- People aren't always what they seem to be, nor are they who you think they are. This applies to your good or bad assumptions. 
• Message 2- If everyone in your life is trying to disuade you from doing something maybe you should find out why before out right rebelling or blindly listening. 
• Message 3- Become eponymous, be self-titled. 

Epic Fails:

• Alex- If Ben is the character that I held onto Alex is the character that made me cringe. Dislike all around. 
• Mention of drugs but no actual use. Some sexual content. 

Overall: An awesome book about music, love, and the pain-staking connection between both.

Adieu,
-Kare

The Darkening Dream only 99 cents!!

A Vampire Novel with Actual Bite!

 Even as the modern world pushes the supernatural aside in favor of science and steel, the old ways remain. God, demon, monster, and sorcerer alike plot to regain what was theirs. 1913, Salem, Massachusetts – Sarah Engelmann’s life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand. 

With the help of Alex, an attractive Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex’s elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah’s own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah’s continuing visions reveal? No less than Gabriel’s Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be her very soul. 

The Darkening Dream is a chilling new dark fantasy novel by Andy Gavin, creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter. The book has received rave reviews and is on sale for only 99 cents on Amazon Kindle from June 25th-29th! Download your copy here. In addition, Andy is doing a big giveaway, including a $100 gift certificate to Amazon, signed copies of his books, video games, posters, and more! The Darkening Dream Rafflecopter Giveaway Tweet, like, follow, share, blog and grab a copy of his book to enter.

Get your 99 cent copy of The Darkening Dream today on Amazon only.

Long-time readers of dark historical fantasy (Tim Powers, Guy Gavriel Kay, Katherine Kurtz) will appreciate the weaving together of mythology, occult, and religion, while younger readers and fans of HBO dramas (True Blood, Carnivàle) or urban fantasy (Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher) will be drawn to the twisted imagination, graphic action, and romantic tension. 


The Reviews Are In 
 "A vampire novel with actual bite." ~The Kirkus Reviews "A gorgeously creepy, strangely humorous, and sincerely terrifying tale." ~Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) 


 "Mr. Gavin has brought something refreshingly new to a genre now suffused with poorly-concealed bodice-rippers which have more in common with Fabio than Bram Stoker: depth. His big baddies are scary, not romantic interests, and the added religious lore is complex and engaging. Don't expect another Twilight -- the story can get downright creepy, so be prepared for a return to the old horror sensibilities of supernatural fiction." ~Amazon Review 


 "With Mr. Gavin's video-game pedigree, I was expecting something aimed squarely at the 18-25 year old fanboy contingent; what I got in The Darkening Dream was something wholly unexpected: A period novel with a female protagonist, a crash-course on Judaism in the colonial years, and multi-layered series of plot arcs featuring a crazy cast of natural and supernatural characters populating turn of the century America." ~Amazon Review 


 "…A perfect blend of mystery, magic and myth. A grown-up Grimm's fairy tale... emphasis on grim." ~Amazon Review

Read the first two sample chapters here.

Get your 99 cent copy of The Darkening Dream today on Amazon only.

About the Author

Andy Gavin is an unstoppable storyteller who studied for his Ph.D. at M.I.T. and founded video game developer Naughty Dog, Inc. at the age of fifteen, serving as co-president for two decades. There he created, produced, and directed over a dozen video games, including the award winning and best selling Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter franchises, selling over 40 million units worldwide. He sleeps little, reads novels and histories, watches media obsessively, travels, and of course, writes. Find out more here.

just sayin,
-Kare

Those Without Homes

Daily dose is a meme hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly 

(as always the pictures were found at We Heart It) 

What inspires you?

just sayin,

-Kare

May Be Long Gone

Yes the title is pun. I know it's almost July but I needed to do something for June if only to use that awesome graphic *points up*

Books I read in May:

• Between Shades of Gray (even though it's one of the only books on my list for this month know that it is one of the best books I have read in a while) (also note that I had to finish it on a public bus, tears and all)
• The Hobbit (for class- doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it)

Books Reviewed in May:

• Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe
• The Summer My Life Began

Books I want to read in June: Uh well since it's almost over *shuffles feet awkwardly* I'll just list the one I am reading now. 

• Dante's Girl by Courtney Cole- I'm mainly reading this because the main character is from Kansas and one of my roommates is from Kansas. 

The Land of Potatoes:

(coincidentally this is what I had for lunch today :)

Well I have managed to squeeze a few extra hours out of my week and might possible be able to continue blogging. *throws confetti*

I went to see this beauty *points down* which is exceptional in every way and I highly recommend it. Also: There was a short before it about this little kid and the moon and stars and it was just too cute. Too cute I say!!

My awesome roommates are currently having a Lord of the Rings marathon at the moment so I must go. 

Adieu, 

-Kare

Shackled Blog Tour

Today I am interviewing Angela Carling Author of Unbreakable Love and Shackled. My review will go up in a few days but for right now Check out this interview and giveaway!! Welcome Angela!!

If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

Superhero powers are supposed to help others so I guess a super power that made me eternally young and skinny no matter what I ate would be too selfishJ That being said, I guess I would want a telepathic ability to comfort many people at once when they feel scared or lost or bad about themselves.  Totally corny, I know.  It’s a middle child thing!

If given a time machine would you go back to the past or into the future? 

Okay, I promise, I am not trying to make you sad, but I have to say I would go back in time about six months before my mom found out she had cancer (she was only twenty-seven) and tell her that she was sick in hopes that they could save her. She didn’t find out until she was stage four. I would do this for my dad because, even to this day, his misses her so much.

Do you have any projects in the works? If so can you tell us about any of them?

Oh yeah!!! I have been working on a book that takes place up north in Arizona about two people’s lives inadvertently connected by this one tragic event.  A twelve year old boy, thinking he is playing a harmless prank on his mother, hides her wedding ring while she is away at the store.  Unfortunately, she is killed in a car crash and the father thinks she was cheating because of the missing ring. (the boy doesn’t fess up because he is twelve and scared)  This one event then spawns a series of choices in not only the father and son’s life, but the lives of the family that move in and find the hidden ring.  What do you guys think?  I also have a second story outlined that was inspired by a recent event in the news .  I’m not sure I want to tell you about that yet, as it is simmering and I’ve learned that giving out too much info doesn’t allow the idea to grow without restraint.  Now the question is, how it will it end?

Description:

After shy, quiet Lucy and her family move from their small hometown in Minnesota to Seattle, Washington, she is surprised when Ryan, the most popular boy at school asks her out.  Soon, she is swept up in a whirlwind romance and her naïve and trusting nature allows her to fall head over heels in love with her too-good-to-be suitor. Suddenly, Lucy finds herself enraptured by the excitement of her new relationship, leaving her blinded to the warning signs of danger ahead.  Can her fairy tale romance last, or will she find that her prince charming is more like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Just sayin, 

-Kare

Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker

Description: Sophomore year broke Clementine Williams’ heart. She fell for her best friend’s boyfriend and long story short: he’s excused, but Clem is vilified and she heads into summer with zero social life. 

Enter her parents’ plan to spend the summer on their sailboat. Normally the idea of being stuck on a tiny boat with her parents and little sister would make Clem break out in hives, but floating away sounds pretty good right now. 

Then she meets James at one of their first stops along the river. He and his dad are sailing for the summer and he’s just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem’s walls and heal her broken heart? 

Told in alternating chapters that chronicle the year that broke Clem’s heart and the summer that healed it, Unbreak My Heart is a wonderful dual love story that fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Susane Colasanti will flock to

Epic Wins:

• Clementine- This girl will make you laugh. We aren't talking the occasional giggle or haha we are talking laugh-so-hard-you-cry-and-can't-breath. The strange thing about Clem is she is depressed and sad yet she always keeps her sense of humor. I felt I could relate to Clem in so many ways, like how she writes in her journal to figure out what she really thinks. 
• Olive- Annoying Little Sister Syndrome is classified by these symptoms: Unbearable cuteness, seems to be clingy, looks to you as an example, and boldly declares your secrets in front of the guy you like. Olive has ALSS but she does it with style. She is just so cute!
• James- Happy comes to mind. He doesn't let the sad stuff get him down, even when it hurts. He's the perfect happy pill to take when you are sad. He loved to draw, make jokes, and clarify why he buys so many bananas. 
• Boat Lingo- Let's take the dinghy out. I must use the head before I explode. And other words like jib. 
• The Humor- Just be ready to laugh, that's all I can say.
• The swivel- The author is telling a story about two girls: Clem at the beginning of the year and Clem at the beginning of the summer. 
• Two guys- As the author swivels back and forth between her times with Ethan the year before and her time with James at the present moment you get two love stories in one. With Ethan there is this Meant-To-Be thing going on but with James is more of a slow realization that she really likes him. The contrast was very well done. 
• 3 Words to describe Unbreak My Heart: Stuck on Boat
• Message 1- I love that she comes to love her family more and realizes how lucky she is to have them. Family matters. 
• Message 2- You can't let your sadness define who you are. Clem figures this out through James and her summer stuck on a boat. 
• Message 3- Just because you go through something that sucks doesn't mean that your attitude has to suck. Happiness, for the most part, is a choice. 

Epic Fails:

• I hate to do this because I LOVED this book so much but I can't not mention it. I don't think the title or the cover do this book justice. I picked this book for it's description alone. I open the first page hesitant because I thought the character would be annoying or maybe stuck up. What I found was Clem an amazing, funny girl who made me giggle. The cover conveys too much depression to me. Yes Clem is sad but the book overall is funny and hopeful, I don't get that from this cover. Don't even get me started on the title. To sum up my rambling I think they could have done a better job picking out a cover that shows you Clem and her world. 
• Ethan- Coward. 

Overall: When I started this book I wasn't sure about it, now I am. I loved this book on the same scale that I love Dinosaurs, Mustaches, and Swedish Fish. That is saying something. 

just sayin,

-Kare