Category: review

September 19, 2017

Sky Throne 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.

Book Trailer

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

September 18, 2017

The Winner

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!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

September 17, 2017

Blood Divine Audiobook Review

In Blood Divine, in order to protect the only man he’s ever loved, Cooper must embrace the dark power threatening to consume him, and choose sides in a deadly war between the righteous and the fallen.

About Blood Divine

Cooper Causey spent a lifetime eluding the demons of his youth and suppressing the destructive power inside him. But a disconcerting voicemail lures Cooper back home to the coast of South Carolina and to Warfield, the deserted plantation where his darkness first awakened. While searching for his missing grandmother, Cooper uncovers the truth about his ancestry and becomes a pawn in an ancient war between two supernatural races. In order to protect the only man he’s ever loved, Cooper must embrace the dark power threatening to consume him, and choose sides in a deadly war between the righteous and the fallen.

My Thoughts

Blood Divine starts off with a story in the past when Cooper was a child and had a terrifying experience with the ghost of Blue, a slave who led a revolt that killed many people. Cooper left his hometown and never looked back.

Cooper was living a life of self-indulgence focusing on himself and his own needs (who knows how much of his childhood had this effect on his personality) but when he receives a voicemail from his Grandmother Lillie Mae, he is terrified and feels very much guilty as he ignored her calls to indulge in himself and a partner. She sounded scared and the voicemail cuts off with her warning him not to come. He finds he has no choice but to return to Georgetown to look in on her. When he finds her gone and a message left for him stating simply, Warfield, he knows that something is wrong. This sets him down a path of trying to find Lillie Mae and he uncovers some startling facts and he is introduced to the world of vampires, vampire slayers and more as well as to the power within himself.

Blood Divine is an exciting paranormal (with just a little bit of romance between Cooper and Randy but not enough to take away from the plot) that leaves you craving for more. We have the struggle between good and evil, fighting for what is right and embracing our own true nature and skills. The plot is very played out and engaging as well as the narration is perfect for the tone and story of this audiobook. I really enjoyed this engaging audiobook which put a new spin on the supernatural.

You can purchase a copy of this audiobook on Audible, Amazon and iTunes.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Greg Howard grew up near the coast of South Carolina, or as he fondly refers to it, “the armpit of the American South.” His hometown of Georgetown, South Carolina is known as the “Ghost Capital of the South,” (seriously…there’s a sign), and was always a great source of material for his overactive imagination.

Raised in a staunchly religious home, Greg escaped into the arts: singing, playing piano, acting, writing songs, and making up stories. After running away to the bright lights and big city of Nashville, Tennessee with stars in his eyes and dreams of being the Dianne Warren of Music City, he took a job peddling CDs and has been a cog in the music business machine ever since.

Now an adult with a brain, Greg finds the South Carolina coast to be a perfectly magical place where he vacations yearly. Currently, Greg resides in Nashville, TN with his husband, Steve, and their three rescued fur babies. Molly, Toby, and Riley.

Greg’s debut adult paranormal novel, BLOOD DIVINE, was released by Wilde City Press in September 2016. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers acquired Greg’s debut young adult novel, SOCIAL INTERCOURSE, which will be released in Summer 2018.

About the Narrator

Gary Furlong grew up in Wexford, Ireland. Throughout his life he has worn many a hat: He has worked as a teacher in Niigata, Japan; a puppeteer in Prague; an improv artist in Memphis, Tennessee; and as a singer and actor all over Ireland. He started narrating audiobooks in late 2015 and hasn’t looked back.

Gary made his acting debut in the musical Godspell as a student. Since then he has pursued acting both on the amateur and professional circuits. Notable roles include Tom Collins in Bare Cheek’s production of Rent in 2010.

Over the course of his five years in Japan, he was an actor, director, and audio producer. It was during this time that he discovered his interest in audiobooks and voice-over.

He now works full-time as an audiobook narrator and voice actor from his home in Ireland.

Book Trailer

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

September 15, 2017

Touch of Fondness Audiobook Review

Four friends. Four college grads. Four people figuring out that life doesn’t always turn out the way you expected.

About Touch of Fondness

Brielle Reyes may not have post-college life planned out like some of her friends do, but she figures she’ll work for her mother’s home cleaning service while job hunting for something that makes use of her history and philosophy degrees. It’ll work out as long as she doesn’t fall in love. Her last relationship was a disaster and she has no idea where she’ll be in a few weeks, let alone the rest of her life. Since the only guy in her age range she sees now on a regular basis is cantankerous if handsome client Archer Ward, she probably won’t have a hard time sticking to that vow. Probably.

Archer Ward likes very few things: illustrating as a somewhat-celebrated comic artist and his privacy. When his meddling mother hires him a cleaning service on an almost daily basis because she doesn’t fully trust her son to live on his own with his disability, he’s at first annoyed – even if his house cleaner is the most beautiful woman he’s ever spent more than a few minutes with. When he realizes her dreams may take her far outside of his restricted orbit, he has to decide whether to stifle his interest in her or risk messing up her plans to explore if there’s something more between them.

Neither can deny they’re growing a little fond of each other, even if falling in love just now makes no sense whatsoever. But how often does love ever make perfect sense?

My Thoughts

Touch of Fondness is a cute, heart warming and fun audiobook to listen to. In our story, we have our two main characters Brielle and Archer who while seeming to be opposites begin to develop an attraction towards each other.

Brielle is your average girl, graduating with a degree who is not quite sure what to do with her life. She is still learning how to deal with her past, her hurt and painful past relationship and how she moves forward into her future. Archer is a kind soul who feels as though there is no one out there for him. He feels that Brielle is above being attracted to him and it actually kind of hurts to think that he would feel that way.

I loved how the story drew you into the emotions and was incredibly relatable. The story showed that love doesn’t follow guidelines and we are all beautiful and special. The story gave a very intimate view into Archer’s life and how he felt and I really enjoyed that. We were able to feel his emotions and understand his viewpoint. Brielle helps to show him how truly special he is and he gives back his own gift to Brielle about showing her love.

This was a great audiobook to listen to although the voice of the narrator did not quite match the tone I would have expected from the characters. I did love the story line though – it was sweet, fun and a great lesson in life.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Audible, Amazon and iTunes.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Joy Penny writes books, devours stories, and geeks out about everything from classic romance books to manga. When she’s not working as a freelance writer and book editor, she’s probably immersed in her favorite TV shows, period dramas, and anime series. She also writes YA speculative fiction as Amy McNulty, and one of her books, Nobody’s Goddess, won The Romance Reviews’ Summer 2016 Readers’ Choice Award for Young Adult Romance.

About the Narrator

Susan Marlowe is an audio book narrator/voice artist. For more information, contact her at smthom76@gmail.com.

Book Trailer

The Giveaway!

Touch of Fondness Giveaway: $10 Amazon Gift Card

Disclosure: I received digital files of this audiobook in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

September 14, 2017

Make Family Game Time a Blast with Blast Box!

Finding a game that the whole family will love can sometimes be a huge task. It is hard to meet the needs of the whole family – especially with differing tastes! My boys love games that require strategy, make noise and are action packed.

We found the perfect family game in Blast Box. Blast Box is a suspenseful balloon explosion game that requires quite a bit of strategy with lots of action and noise.

About Blast Box

The game arrives with a square box with an open bottom and holes for nails, plastic nails, hammer, spinner, balloons and a pump for the balloons. The game can be played with up to four people and each person has to blow up a balloon and place it under the box. Going around in a circle, each person spins the wheel on the spinner to see how many nails they have to hammer into the box. If you pop a balloon then are you out. Simple right?

Our Thoughts

We absolutely fell in love with this game. After about the third try we developed our own strategy on how to avoid popping the balloons that included placing nails along the edges first as well as once someone pops a balloon to fill up that space with nails first. Our youngest loved to pop the balloons on purpose! The noise they make when they pop always gave me a fright no matter how many times we played the game together. Even our puppy was trying to get in on the fun!

The Giveaway!

My American and Canadian readers can now get in on all the fun with Zing’s Blast Box by entering to win their own game using the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make sure to follow Zing Toys on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with all the newest games and more.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned game in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.