Review of The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

Razorbill

The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3)
by Richelle Mead
5 Scribbles

The female students at Amberwood Prep are in trouble. There’s a murderer in town, killing the youngest and prettiest of girls. Mrs. Terwilliger suspects it’s a witch intent on absorbing the girls’ youth, power and beauty, but because she has personal connections to the witch in question she must rely on Sydney’s help to find the killer. Can Sydney overcome her aversion to magic long enough to come to Terwilliger’s aid and put a stop to the killings?

As a die-hard Mead fan, I hesitate to review Mead’s work because it’s always so engaging and the plotting is so well done! Truthfully the main conflict above only scratches the surface of the massive amounts of action that occurs throughout. And the character development taking place in this book is superb. The conflict between Sydney and Adrian that began at the conclusion of The Golden Lily is set aside in the wake of the murders, and the two return to their established friendship to try and catch a killer. Or do they? The romantic tension between these two is palpable—will Sydney finally grow a backbone and realize that the doubts she has about the Alchemists and the intolerance she has been taught is not the whole truth? Will she realize that magic may have a place in the world, and that not all vampires are evil? And more importantly, will playboy Adrian finally abandon his partying ways and stick to his new-found chivalrous ways? While markedly different from the romance between Dimitri and Rose in the Vampire Academy series, this potential romance packs just as much heat—in fact, it’s probably a relationship that many of us find we can relate to more easily, because the protagonists are, for the most part, everyday people. Yes, they may be witches and vampires, but neither has any real super-skills or can fight like a ninja! The difference from our reality is that Sydney risks everything and everyone she has ever known and trusted to grow that backbone and “have” Adrian. For many of us, such loss would not be worth it. Additionally, a new little romance is blossoming—will Eddie and Angeline stay together or will Jill take the plunge and reveal herself to Eddie? And just when you thought it was all being worked out, a new character is added to the mix that will shake up Amberwood, and Sydney, in a way the reader never anticipated! I’ve already pre-ordered The Fiery Heart, set to be released November 19, 2013.

Review of Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Razorbill

Bloodlines  (Book 1)
By Richelle Mead
5 Scribbles

Okay, so if you’ve followed my blog at all, you know I am a total Richelle Mead fan. I was religious about Vampire Academy, and I can see now that I will be religious about Bloodlines.

Remember Sydney Sage? Sydney was the Alchemist in Russia who did some “clean up” for Rose in an effort to protect humanity from the knowledge of vampires back in the Vampire Academy series. That’s what Alchemists do—they help to hide the supernatural world from the human one.  The Bloodlines series begins with Sydney, who is put in the awkward position (for an Alchemist) of being Jill Dragomir’s new guardian.  Although Sydney is no stranger to vampires, she doesn’t particularly like them—no Alchemist does (it’s part of the code apparently) so when she’s assigned to a boarding school to pose as Jill’s roommate, she isn’t thrilled. But, Jill’s life is of the utmost importance; in order to prevent humans from discovering vampire existence, the vampire political realm must remain calm. Since Jill is the only remaining relative to the new queen (Lissa Dragomir) she has to survive to keep the monarchy intact. Seems like a simple enough assignment for Sydney, playing babysitter, until she realizes that games are afoot at Amberwood Prep and someone knows that Jill isn’t who she seems to be.

Besides the well-crafted mystery of the secretive skill-bringing tattoos, I enjoyed the fact that characters from Vampire Academy appear in the new series.  Particularly, Adrian, whose bad-boy persona fades a bit into the background as the reader gets to know Adrian through Sydney’s eyes. Eddie and Jill are also welcome additions to the “cast” even though they get less stage time than one might think in the first book. I really enjoyed getting to know Sydney, who is lovingly OCD, has a genius IQ, and a true moral north. In short, she is the polar opposite of feisty Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy. Yet, I adored Rose Hathaway, and I adore Sydney. They are like the two older sisters you wish you had—one for solid advice, and one to kick the posterior of your ex who cheated on you. Mead truly has a gift for character development.  Make no mistake however, it’s not all introspection here, there is plenty of action in book one. Jill’s life truly is in danger, and there is intrigue around every corner. Sweeter still is a light sprinkling of Sydney’s own sweet revenge, although unlike Rose, Sydney doesn’t savor that revenge so much as measure whether or not she obtained it in a righteous fashion.  In short, this is another thrilling blastoff to what promises to be another action-packed and entertaining series!

Review of The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

Razorbill

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines: Book 2)
by Richelle Mead
4 Scribbles

As Syndey’s work draws her closer to Jill, Eddie, and even Adrain, she begins to wonder if her beliefs about Moroi and dhampirs are all wrong. Are Moroi really evil as she was raised to believe?  Worse, as praise rains down upon Sydney from the Alchemist leadership, she wonders if she deserves it. If the leadership really knew how close Sydney was getting to the Moroi, would her supervisors continue to applaud her, or would they send her away to Reeducation Camp and “adjust” her changing values?

Book two has a new expertly-woven mystery to be solved at the Amberwood Prep (in typical Mead fashion), but with additional character development deftly inserted between the action. Romantically speaking, things begin to heat up between Sydney and a forbidden Moroi (who shall not be named here) causing Sydney to examine her previously held beliefs. Could she be falling for a Moroi? And, if she is, would falling for a Moroi be ethical? This book also reveals Sydney’s physical disadvantages. Unlike Eddie, Jill’s guardian, or Rose Hathaway, being human makes Sydney powerless to fight against the vicious Strigoi who are after Jill. Yet, it seems Sydney has another skill that may serve to protect her from the Strigoi, but is it ethical to use those skills? While the novel clearly serves as a bridge in the series, it does not feel like one. Needed backstory is natural, as are the moral dilemmas the characters face, and none of those elements detract from the action. I’ve already ordered book 3, The Indigo Spell, and am hoping to find it in my mailbox tonight (since it was released yesterday). Happy reading fellow Mead-followers!

Review of The Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Razorbill

Last Sacrifice
by Richelle Mead
4 Stars

Rose stands accused of murdering the queen of the Moroi, and only has weeks before she must face her possible execution. On the run for her life, she seeks shelter with an odd group of Moroi, Dhampir and humans who live in West Virginia and who inter-marry and live by the old ways of the Moroi. These people can keep Rose safe. But when she hears there may be a secret Dragomir sibling, will the promise of answers cause Rose to compromise her safety yet again?

I’ve been a fan of this series since book one when I had the pleasure of meeting quirky, bull-headed, impulsive and exasperating, Rose Hathaway and her dear sweet best friend Vasilisa Dragomir.  Why do I continue to read on? The same reason I loved this sixth book in the series. First off, I’ve grown to love the characters and am highly invested in what happens to them—even Rose, who I sometimes want to strangle. She’s all the things I am not—thin, physically fit, sexy, a warrior, decisive to a fault, and dating the hottest guy around. Note: I am not talking about Dimitri Belikov either, although there is some delicious conflict in this novel between Rose, Adrian, and Dimitri. Despite all of those things I envy about her, I adore her! Rose is her trademark self in this novel, jumping into highly dangerous situations in order to discover the mysterious possible hidden sibling of her BFF Lisa Dragomir; Lisa has lost her place on the royal council since council members must have living relatives, and a sibling could help her and the Moroi kingdom—since Lisa might then be eligible to become queen. And let’s face it, with the increasing danger from Strigoi, the kingdom could use a gentle-hearted and courageous queen like Lisa—but I digress. Rose, worried more about empowering Lisa than her own possible death by execution, displays her typical bravery, and readers will love her for it. A new/previously introduced character has a bigger role in this novel, Sydney Sage, who introduces Rose to the Keepers, a group of “backwoods” Moroi, Dhampir and humans who live together in peace while keeping the old ways of the ancient Moroi. I’d like to see more of this group, frankly, because I found them primitive, yet insightful. The mystery of the queen’s killer takes precedence in the novel, and while I sort of suspected who the killer might be early on, I still enjoyed the character development and the kick-butt battles along the way. Hats off to Richelle Mead for another VA hit!

Review of Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Little Brown Books for
Young Readers

Beautiful Chaos
by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
4 Stars

Some powerful, otherworldly force is out to destroy Gatlin and the residents who live there. Lena’s Claiming has disturbed the natural order of things, and Gatlin is experiencing apocalyptic events that have the whole town terrified. Under the devastation of locusts, raging storms and stifling heat, the landscape is changing. Worse, Ethan doesn’t feel quite right, and he suspects the town is not the only thing changing.  How can Ethan, Lena and their friends stop the coming end? Will they discover the correct offering in time to save the town and their loved ones, and more importantly, who will have to pay the ultimate price in exchange for the town’s salvation?

This is one of those series that has made me an avowed fan of the authors. The third book in the Beautiful Creatures series is, I am happy to proclaim, just as satisfying as the first two. All the creeptastic characters from earlier books make an appearance, the spooky town is rendered somewhat spookier given the paranormal attacks that are taking place, and a new, more powerful force from beyond the tunnels rears its head. What’s really satisfying is the fact that the authors recognize the need to lose important characters in a series from time to time, and they seem to be willing to do this in this installment (l’m not telling who!) which ups the ante for book four. And unlike in former books where some characters were resurrected after their deaths, I’m pretty sure these characters aren’t coming back. Ethan and Lena still take center stage—their chemistry as hot as ever—Link is still pining for Ridley, which makes for some interesting, charged scenes, and a surprising new couple emerges. The cliffhanger ending is a bit frustrating, but guarantees a repeat customer (not that I wouldn’t have finished this incredible series anyway).  So for those on the fence about whether or not this series will continue to go strong, pick it up! At least then, you’ll be prepared for the movie franchise which will be releasedFebruary 2013.

This reader predicts that this movie franchise, given its Southern flavor and spooky charm, will outsell Twilight. Why? There’s something for the male element in this series—after all—the main character is a guy!

Guest blog by THE author Kelley York & Drawing

Today I am forunate to welcome author Kelley York to The Scribbler in the Rye! Kelley, author of Hushed, which was released in 2011 and the most recently released Hollowed (Half Light) both received rave reviews. Kelley is going to speak about traditional publishing versus self-publishing--a publishing trend that every writer is curious about. Since she has done both, and since I've very positively reviewed both of her works on this site...

I am excited to share the post below from Kelley! Look below this post for a drawing for a free book!

Self-pub versus Traditional Pub

Hi everyone! I know I've talked a bit about the self-publishing process versus the traditional process in other posts, but for this post, I thought I'd do a side-by-side comparison of some of the aspects of both routes.

Well, first...you write a book. Whether you're going for an agent, a publisher, or self-publishing, the next step should be:

Editing

Traditional Publishing: You're assigned an editor. Maybe more than one. With Entangled, I went through a few edits with my main editor for content editing. We fixed any inconsistencies, plot holes, and issues with the actual storyline and flow. Only when that was done did another editor get hold of it. She checked for spelling and grammatical errors. The fine tuning, if you will.

Self-Publishing: This falls all on the author. Send it out to a bunch of betas, preferably ones with strengths opposite your own, so they catch things you don't. Let it sit for a few weeks or months. Then come back to it. You'll find a lot of things you missed. Pay attention to ARC reviews prior to release date because they're likely to pick up on even more things you missed.

Cover Design

Traditional Publishing: You don't have to worry much about this, do you? Your publisher will take care of it. Maybe you'll have some input, but maybe you won't.

Self-Publishing: You have ALL the say! However, keep in mind you have to either pay someone to design your cover, or do it yourself. Always ensure you have the license to an image to reproduce it for e-book and print. (Dreamstime has nice images and is cheaper than most other stock sites.) Also, not all fonts are free to use! I suggest Font Squirrel, which carries only royalty free fonts.

ARCs

Traditional: Another thing your publisher should take care of. (Unless they're a publisher who doesn't send these out.)

Self-Publishing: I don't see many self-pubbers sending out ARCs. They're a pain. I wanted to make it as easy as possible for my reviewers, so I did a crap load of formatting to ensure I had epub, mobi, and PDF files that would read properly on all e-book readers. They came in handy and helped me catch typos I wouldn't have caught otherwise.

Formatting

Traditional Publishing: Of course your publisher takes care of all this. They made sure all digital formats will display properly on Kindles, Nooks, iPads, in print copies, etc. Chances are, they'll even send you a copy and you get one last chance to "galley proof" and look for errors.

Self-Publishing: While I used programs like Calibre and Sigil for my ARC formatting, that didn't do me any good when it came to uploading to places like Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Smashwords has an e-book formatting guide that is for their site, however...it's incredibly useful for anyone. I followed every single step in the Smashwords guide, and had ZERO errors uploading. I was approved for the Smashwords premium catalog within a couple of days.

Distribution and Marketing

Traditional Publishing: If you're lucky, you'll have a publicist, someone assigned to marketing your book. They'll arrange blog tours, signings, help in the way of designing swag—and if they're a large publisher, they might even supply the swag. All you have to do is keep a good online presence so people don't forget about you.

Self-Publishing: I hope you don't have to do anything else with your day, like...eat or sleep or something. (I'm kidding.) Be prepared to organize your own tours. Chances are, you aren't going to find many book signing opportunities because you're self-pubbed, but it's worth a shot if you have print copies on hand. Your books also aren't likely to see the inside of a book store unless you have a local indie store that would be willing to stock them. All the swag (I used Overnight Prints) and promo is also up to you, so get ready for lots of computer time.

And there you have it! I hope some of these resources will be helpful to those of you planning a similar journey, or who just like to know the process.

Thanks, Erin, for having me!
And now...for the drawing to win Kelley's latest novel...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review of Hollowed by Kelley York

on Kindle now for
only $2.99!

Hollowed (Half Light Book 1)
By Kelley York
4 Scribbles
 

Since her sister Ruby disappeared, Briar Greyson has had a hollow place inside, but when she moves away from home and into the city to find a way to fill that emptiness, she never imagines that she will suffer the same fate as her sister—death. Or will she? When the virus that infects her begins to turn Briar, she discovers that the world is populated by all sorts of murderous monsters, and she must choose if she will become one of them.

Despite this story’s paranormal slant, Briar’s righteously angry voice keeps this mystery grounded in reality. At first an innocent and trusting character, Briar quickly changes into a sassy protagonist bent on finding who killed her sister and her best friend. And kudos to the reader who can figure it out before she does. Little does Briar know that the mystery surrounding this individual’s identity will lead her to form a new group of companions—companions she isn’t entirely certain she can trust—and for good reason. Briar’s “entire foundation has been yanked out from under” her in the space of one night, even those she thought she could trust seem changed. The development of Briar from lovesick waitress to cocky street fighter is one of the strengths of the story, although readers will love the mounting tension that builds continuously throughout.  Fans of Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead will love Briar, and enjoy the mystery and action that weaves throughout the story, while fans of  works like Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia will enjoy the development of secondary characters like Oliver, Daniel, Noah and Cole. Here’s hoping we see more of these secondary characters in future installments of the series—even the brief snippets revealed from the pasts of these characters serve as appetizers to what promises to be a yummy new series!

Hallowed by Kelley York Cover Reveal!

An author I have previously reviewed has just selected our site as one of the first to reveal the cover of her new book! I am honored to publicize it! We have also been selected to recieve a copy of her new book before it is released. I will be reading and reviewing the novel here!

All 18-year-old Briar Greyson wanted was to figure out this whole living-away-from-your-parents thing. Apartment, steady job, cool roommate? Check. Noah, her adorable (albeit elusive) boyfriend? Check. Everything in the life of Briar was pretty good.

Then she and her roommate are attacked on their way home one night. Briar wasn't supposed to survive.

Instead, according to the two guys who saved her, she's turning into the things that attacked her: a vampire. Totally crazy and Not Okay. Now Noah's secrets are coming to light, and he wants Briar dead. Then there are the vampires who attacked Briar to lure out her sister.

Her sister...who died years ago.

(Didn't she?)

The city's body count is rising, and Briar wants to help put a stop to it. But first, she has to figure out who the real enemy is: the vampires, the boy she loves, or the sister she thought she'd lost.

Review of The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

St. Martin's Griffin

The Hunt

By Andrew Fukuda

3 Scribbles

There used to be humans in Gene’s life. There were his dad, his mom, and a sister—but that was so long ago he can barely remember. Now he lives amongst vampires. Each day he meticulously shaves all of his body hair, trims his nails, sharpens his fake fangs, and pretends to be excited about lunches of bloody, raw flesh served without anything to drink. If you’ve ever seen Ethan Hawke in Gattica, you know how little room there is for any error when one is passing as someone whose DNA is so markedly different from his compatriots. Discovery means being torn limb from limb by his bloodthirsty classmates and devoured. Gene knows he is perhaps the last human alive, and there is no future of family and friends to look forward to. The best he can hope for is survival. But then the Vampire Ruler announces The Hunt—apparently there are other humans, and the vampires are going to have a lottery to see who gets to hunt them and eat them—and guess who is chosen?

The concept of humans passing as vampires is an interesting spin on the tired vampire genre, so it’s not difficult to be drawn into the narrative of the story from the beginning. Descriptions in the book are vivid and quite well done, but in that richness is a slight flaw. Clearly, this is science fiction, and yet, it is difficult to suspend one’s disbelief that Gene can actually pass as a vampire. For one thing, he doesn’t have super-human speed, and I would think that would be very difficult to hide. Additionally, at one point in the story vampires are able to sniff out humans (Hepers) in the rain over an expanse of many miles nearly losing their sanity in the process with bloodlust—and yet, flimsy cover stories allow Gene to live amongst vampires without showering for several days undiscovered. At another point in the story Gene is near-death with dehydration, and yet he chooses to sleep rather than spend the safe hours while vampires are sleeping searching for water. Gene repeatedly makes errors that result in very close calls, and yet still seems to escape undiscovered. While this does contribute to the tension of the story, it’s a hard thing to overlook. However, if one is forgiving, the story is a bloody, action-packed start to a unique new series. Younger readers, and lovers of vampires will likely eat it up. But make no mistake, this is not the next Hunger Games.