Showing posts with label Genre: Mystery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Genre: Mystery. Show all posts

Review & Giveaway | TO DREAM IS TO DIE by Sarah Lampkin





Title: TO DREAM IS TO DIE
Author: Sarah Lampkin
Pub. Date: January 8, 2019
Publisher: The Parliament House
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 296
Find it: GoodreadsAmazonB&N

Eighteen-year-old Brenna Whit is entering college as a freshman and starting to meet new people, but she hides a dark secret. Because of an accident that happened three years ago, her spirit wanders the Fade whenever she falls asleep. It's something she wants to keep hidden from the world, but when she sees someone watching her in spirit form, she fears the secret's out. With new friends, possibly new enemies, school, and a new crush, Brenna has too much to worry about for just her freshman year of college.


My Review:
One is the eternal question human beings revolve around:
What happens after death.

Well, I have to admit, this brand new series by Sarah Lampkin is giving a quite interesting interpretation of what exists beyond our dreams and imagination. And, she did make sure the plot accompanying that interpretation would be exciting and intriguing.

But, first things first. Let's start with our main character, Brenna. A former party-girl who used to enjoy life a little too much, until that fateful day of her death. Although, she managed to force her spirit back to her body, the Fade, the spiritual plane that exists out there, never really let her fully escape. In fact, every time she fall asleep she returns back to it in spirit form.
And, she never encountered any problems. Before now, that is.
Damon, the irritating guy she met at college is just the first of her problems, which seem to just escalate from there.

Brenna is a strong heroine, with lots of sarcasm and attitude, but not in an over-the-top and annoying way. She is very proud and doesn't like asking for help. In other words? If you're looking for a heroine that is no damsel in distress, look no further. This is the book for you.

The setting of this novel is in a college, a fact that I particularly enjoyed as I love reading or watching movies about US colleges, that are so different than the ones I'm used to.
And, of course, I couldn't forget mentioning the amazing characters surrounding Brenna, all of whom we're meeting slowly, gradually, at the same pace that our heroine does, making them all more lovable, and feeling like they are actually our friends and college acquaintances.


All in all, 4 stars for a book very carefully crafted and well-written by the author. 
I can't wait to get my hands on the second installation of the series.


About Sarah:
A native of Richmond, Virginia, Sarah Lampkin is a 2015 graduate from Lynchburg College with a master’s degree in English. Since graduation, Sarah moved to Northern Virginia to work in the IT field as a Technical Writer while continuing her research for her graduate school thesis. When she isn’t work, Sarah continues her Celtic mythology research and Gaelic studies, while working on the Dead Dreamer series.
Although she currently lives in Northern Virginia, Sarah frequently travels back home to Richmond to visit family, friends, and her godchildren. During the winter months, she is in Richmond more frequently to spend time in the woods hunting and contemplating the meaning of life. She doesn’t always succeed in both endeavors, but the music of nature is worth it for peace of mind.
In her free time, she likes to play RPG video games, and rock climbing. To make sure she can make the most out of her day, she wakes up at 4am every morning to work on her fitness, so in the evening she has time to continue writing. Her passion for writing has been around since high school where she wrote her first short story. It continued as she worked towards her bachelor’s degree, and that is where the Dead Dreamer series began. Although only self- published via online, Sarah’s dream is to write for a living and continue to create fictional worlds where her mind can reside.
Her work mainly focuses on Celtic themes, mixed with elements from the spiritual world. And her characters always have a flair of attitude and sarcasm because writing damsels in distress is something she just can’t do.



READ THE CHILD DREAMER PREQUEL HERE



Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a signed finished copy of TO DREAM IS TO DIE (when available) and a Dead Dreamer Hoodie, US only.

Rafflecopter Code:

Rafflecopter Link:


Tour Schedule:

Week One:
12/31/2018- jrsbookreviewsExcerpt
12/31/2018- Jaime's WorldSpotlight

1/1/2019- Texan Holly ReadsExcerpt
1/1/2019- Owl Always Be ReadingExcerpt

1/2/2019- Sweet ThingsExcerpt
1/2/2019- BookbriefsExcerpt

1/3/2019- Smada's Book SmackExcerpt

1/4/2019- BookHoundsExcerpt
1/4/2019- ParajunkeeExcerpt

Week Two:
1/7/2019- Reese's ReviewsReview
1/7/2019- Sincerely Karen JoExcerpt

1/8/2019- Book-o-Craze - Review
1/8/2019- Good Choice ReadingExcerpt

1/9/2019- Loie DunnReview
1/9/2019- Two Chicks on BooksExcerpt

1/10/2019- Book-KeepingReview
1/10/2019- Confessions of a YA ReaderExcerpt

1/11/2019- Adventures Thru WonderlandReview
1/11/2019- Whatever You Can Still BetrayExcerpt


Review | Spectacle Vol. 1 by Megan Rose Gedris

Title: Spectacle Vol. 1
Series: Unknown
Author: Megan Rose Gedris
Pub. Date: May 22, 2018
Publisher: Oni Press
Pages: 136
Format: e-book

Find it here:



Goodreads Blurb: 

Fan-favorite webcomic creator Megan Rose Gedris (Yu+Me Dream) crafts a compelling tale of magic, deception, and wonder in this stunningly illustrated graphic novel about the bond between sisters.

Pragmatic engineer Anna works as a psychic in the Samson Brothers Circus, but she doesn't believe in anything supernatural—until her twin sister Kat is murdered and comes back as a very demanding ghost. Sharing a room with her sister was hard, but now they're sharing a body while trying to identify the killer. With few leads, a troupe full of secretive folk, and strange paranormal occurrences popping up around the circus, solving the case seems near impossible. But the murderer in their midst may be the least of their problems... 


My review: 

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free copy for me to read in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel might have been a little darker than I had originally anticipated (although, I am not sure what exactly I had expected when the blurb itself states that the heroine's twin sister is murdered), but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Anna is part of a circus, whose members are far more mysterious and secretive than originally assumed. And, after Kat's murder, this only becomes clearer and clearer. Because, the latter, might not have seen who her murderer was (stabbed right at the back, tsk tsk tsk), but she is set on finding out and soon. Recruiting Anna, of course. The plot just thickens from then on, with the heroine(s?) stumbling into more and more adventures almost by the page.

It was a nice introduction to a new series, and it definitely got me hooked right at the beginning. I was itching to know who the murderer was and what their motives could be, and I really hope this series develops into multiple volumes, following Anna and her ghost of a sister.


All in all, 3 stars to the very first volume of this graphic novel, 
which seems to be highly promising.