Category: book review

In Sky Throne, on his way to becoming king of the Greek gods, Zeus will learn to seize power, neutralize his enemies, and fall in love.

About Sky Throne

Duality dwells at every turn, and an adolescent Zeus will learn that all too well when Hyperion attacks his family on Crete.

When the dust settles, his mother is unconscious and his best friend left for dead.

Stacking epic insult upon fatal injury, Zeus discovers the woman who raised him is not his biological mother. But to ensure her safety while she recovers, a heavy-hearted Zeus leaves her behind to seek answers at Mount Olympus Preparatory Academia.

Zeus embarks on a quest to discover who ordered the attack on his home, avenge the death of his friend, and find his birth mother. When some of his new schoolmates vanish, Zeus’s quest is turned upside down, and the only way to make things right is to access the power of The Sky Throne, confront a most dangerous enemy, and take his life back.

My Thoughts

I LOVE Greek history (well all history in general) and this book had all of my favourite Greek Gods but from a whole new view-point – before they became the Gods that grace the pages of history books and classes.

The story focuses around Zeus who is a light-hearted prankster who yearns for more than the life of taking care of sheep that he is leading. He is such a funny sweet young man who it is almost hard to imagine in the beginning that this young man will become the great Zeus. It is when his best friend is murdered and his Mother injured that Zeus sets out on a quest to learn more about his past, avenge his friend’s murder and to find his place in the world.

This is when we meet with some of the other God’s and get an intimate look into their youth and personalities. Zeus enters a very special and elite school with very few of the other God’s. They are in a constant competition with the neighbouring school who broke apart from Mount Olympus Preparatory Academia. This is when the story gets really exciting! The plot begins to centre around the Sky Throne, the disappearance of his friends and a battle between (what felt like) good and evil.

I loved every moment of this exciting story and felt it would be great for young adults and adults alike. It gave such a unique and different look at the lives of the Gods before they became famous in history. We saw them as they begin to grow into their roles, as somewhat normal teens trying to find their place in the world. It was definitely a novel that I could not put down and have read several times over since receiving this book. It is a definite must read!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, Amazon Canada, Barnes & Noble and Book Depository.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Chris Ledbetter is an award-winning author of short fiction and novels for young adults. “Jason’s Quest,” a short story retelling of the Jason and Medea Greek myth was published in the anthology, Greek Myths Revisited. His first full-length novel, Drawn earned him two awards, Library of Clean Reads Best YA 2015 and Evernight Publishing Readers’ Choice Award Best YA 2015, as well as a USATODAY “Must Read” recommendation. His second novel, Inked, concludes that duology. The Sky Throne is his newest young adult novel. The second book in the series is set to release in 2018.

He’s a proud member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and a strong supporter of the Need for Diverse Books. He now writes and lives in Wilmington, NC with his family, including three cats.

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The Giveaway!

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Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Bright, emotive, and told through dual narrators, The Winner examines the costs associated with winning, the internalization of parental ambition, and the effect of gendered roles on and off the dance floor.

About The Winner

Nina Fortunova wasn’t supposed to end up almost thirty, divorced, with her dreams of winning shattered. She teams up with Jorge Gonzalez, a Latin dancer, to reinvent the flashy Smooth style. When the Chairman of the Judges offers to throw the competition in their favor, Nina must decide how far she will go to win, even if it means losing Jorge

Carly Martindale is doing everything she’s been taught not to do—placing her happiness first by dancing with Trey Devereux, the former three-time champion who’s returned to competition for mysterious reasons. Carly becomes obsessed with Trey and allows him to control her every move at great risk to her physical and emotional health. How far will she sacrifice herself, so Trey and she can win? Co-workers, then friends, and now arch competitors, Nina and Carly face off to determine who will be the winner.

Bright, emotive, and told through dual narrators, The Winner examines the costs associated with winning, the internalization of parental ambition, and the effect of gendered roles on and off the dance floor. A literary romance, The Winner is perfect for readers who love Dancing with the Stars, Strictly Come Dancing, So You Think You Can Dance, and the old-school elegance of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

My Thoughts

The Winner is a powerful story of winning at all costs. The story focuses on two main female characters both from very different backgrounds but both feel the pressure to win and would do so in any way.

Nina is a second generation immigrant whose parents gave up everything to come to America for her to succeed. As many parents of immigrants know (and even third and fourth generations) there is an expectation placed on you – that every generation achieve something greater. You would go to University, get a better job, gain more wealth and then give back even more to the next generation and to your parents. For Nina, this expectation is what drove her. Her Mother gave up and did anything for her to achieve her dancing dreams. The only thing she wanted to give back to her Mother? Winning the Nationals. It was this dream that led her decisions and because of this she lost so much in her life.

Carly is a young girl who loves her family especially her autistic brother but she gave up on all of her dreams to take care and help support her family. The pressure became too much for her and when she had a chance to live out her dancing dreams she took it. She is the type of person who would do anything to help another person even put her own needs on the back burner for those she loved. While a good quality it meant she was used a lot.

Both women learn several hard lessons throughout the novel, most notably that while winning is good sometimes the sacrifices are not worth it. We can lose family, friends, dreams and more if we don’t see the bigger picture. The Winner was an excellent story from start to finish and is one of those novels that you just don’t want to put down. You have to keep reading one more chapter long past when you promised yourself you were going to sleep. I loved how hope, love, healing and forgiveness were intertwined in the story. I really hope there is a second part to this story! This is an excellent book for young adults and adults alike regardless of whether you are a dance fan or not.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

A native of Richmond, Virginia, Erin Bomboy trained as a classical ballet dancer before spending a decade as a professional competitive ballroom dancer. She holds an MFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from New York University Tisch School of the Arts. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter where she works as a writer, editor, and teacher in the dance field. In her free time, Erin enjoys bacon, books, cats, and wine.

She is the author of The Piece: A Contemporary Ballet Novel and The Winner: A Ballroom Dance Novel. Her next novel, tentatively titled The Pas de Deux: A Classical Ballet Novel, will explore the relationship between a ballerina at the end of her career and the much-younger dancer with whom she falls in love. Taking the shape of a traditional pas de deux, it will premiere in 2018.

The Giveaway!

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Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.