Bookocraze: Genre: Paranormal

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Book Review & Giveaway | The Assassin's Daughter

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE ASSASSIN'S DAUGHTER by Shana Vernon Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About the Book:

Title: THE ASSASSIN'S DAUGHTER (The Hybrid Chronicles Book 1)

Authors: Shana Vernon

Pub. Date: July 15, 2020

Publisher: Shana Vernon

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 195

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle

I've been hiding from the Guild since I was born.

If they knew about my magic, they would kill me in a heartbeat.

I should be avoiding them, but instead, I enter the Guild as a regular human recruit.

Why?

Papa went missing after a mission, and I need answers.

I realize I might have bitten off more than I can chew when my new instructor is the guy

I kissed a few months before.

It doesn't seem like Cade recognizes me without my disguise, but if he does and blows the whistle, I'm as good as dead and so is Papa.

Pre-order a copy of THE ASSASSIN'S DAUGHTERR GET ONE FREE FOR A FRIEND! Email shana@shanavernon.com with your receipt and your friend’s email and she will gift them a copy of the eBook!

My Review

The Assassin's Daughter, is the very first installment in the The Hybrid Chronicles by Shana Vernon.

Exceptionally written and riveting, it sets the stage for a highly promising brand new series.

The Plot

Lenna is the secret child of a Guild assassin who has gone missing. While she has managed to keep her identity a secret for so long, she must now enter the ranks of the Guild and train as an assassin, undercover and withholding her powerful abilities.

However, along the way she discovers much more than she ever imagined, gaining friendships and unexpected allies, as well as dangerous enemies...

The Characters

Our main character, Lenna, is a great heroine, with so many amazing powers. She is fierce, she is loyal and ready to go to great lengths for her father and loved ones.

Moreover, there is an abundance of great characters in this book, about whom we discover more and more along with Lenna, an element that satisfies the reader and makes us feel like we are the ones living this adventure.

The World Building

The world building is really good, with a great magic system and so many paranormal creatures and entities intertwining. Basically, there are humans, assassins with special abilities and vampires, but we soon discover that there is much more to that...

Plot twists

One more thing I deeply enjoyed in this book was the fact that there were so many plot twists.

Just when I thought I knew what to expect of the plot, a new revelation would come to light and shock me to my core.

Overall Thoughts & Rating

This novel is an amazing experience and I can't wait to see how the series progress!

4 solid stars for a great heroine, an extremely well-thought plot, romantic interests that made me swoon and friends who made me get emotional!

About Shana:

Shana Vernon is a full-time writer and mother of triplet boys.

When she isn't writing or taking care of her kiddos, she is reading, exercising, experimenting with cooking, or traveling around the world.

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a $10 Amazon GC, International. Courtesy of Rockstar Book Tours.

1 winner will receive an eBook of THE ASSASSIN'S DAUGHTER, International. Courtesy of Shana.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

6/29/2020	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt
6/29/2020	Jaime's World	Excerpt
6/30/2020	BookHounds YA	Excerpt
6/30/2020	Lisa Loves Literature	Excerpt
7/1/2020	Rajiv's Reviews	Review
7/1/2020	A Dream Within A Dream	Excerpt
7/2/2020	Book-o-Craze	Review
7/2/2020	that_little_bookowl	Review
7/3/2020	Miss Elizabeth	Review
7/3/2020	Hurn Publications	Review

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: Goodreads, Amazon, B&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

https://dead-dreamer.com

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a $10 amazon gift card to giveaway and a Dead Dreamer charm necklace, US only.

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:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rafflecopter Link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2872/?

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

12/31/2018- jrsbookreviews- Excerpt

12/31/2018- Jaime's World- Spotlight

1/1/2019- Texan Holly Reads- Excerpt

1/1/2019- Owl Always Be Reading- Excerpt

1/2/2019- Sweet Things- Excerpt

1/2/2019- Bookbriefs- Excerpt

1/3/2019- Smada's Book Smack- Excerpt

1/4/2019- BookHounds- Excerpt

1/4/2019- Parajunkee- Excerpt

Week Two:

1/7/2019- Reese's Reviews- Review

1/7/2019- Sincerely Karen Jo- Excerpt

1/8/2019- Book-o-Craze - Review

1/8/2019- Good Choice Reading- Excerpt

1/9/2019- Loie Dunn- Review

1/9/2019- Two Chicks on Books- Excerpt

1/10/2019- Book-Keeping- Review

1/10/2019- Confessions of a YA Reader- Excerpt

1/11/2019- Adventures Thru Wonderland- Review

1/11/2019- Whatever You Can Still Betray- Excerpt

Review & Giveaway | Mistake of Magic by Alex Lidell

About the Book:

Title: MISTAKE OF MAGIC (Power Of Five #2)

Author: Alex Lidell

Pub. Date: June 29, 2018

Publisher: Danger Bearing Press

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 193

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon

FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!!!

Three trials stand between Lera and exile. Unless the training kills her first.

Quint magic has never chosen a human before, and the Elders Council is convinced Lera is a mistake.

When the quint refuses to be cleaved apart, the enraged elders give them a choice: exile from Lunos or demotion to the lowest of trainees. Subject again to the humiliations and deadly trials they endured centuries ago, the males now face a new challenge—training Lera to survive.

River, Shade, Coal and Tye will do whatever it takes to keep Lera safe. But Lera will do whatever she must to keep them together—even if it means putting herself in mortal danger.

My Review

* View my review of the first book in the series POWER OF FIVE here *

Alex Lidell has managed to write a completely addicting novel again, providing us with the kind of addiction that makes you put the book down after more than three hours of non-stop reading in the early hours of the day, only because your device died from battery. And, of course, it has you starting reading right from where you left off, the second you wake up the next morning.

If I thought the first installment of the Power of Five (PoF) series was an amazing read, I was in for the most pleasant surprise with Mistake of Magic (MoM).
In fact, it might have been the second in a series, but it was even more amazing than the first book! It was exactly what the second book should always be (and in most cases isn't, which makes it all the more awesome)! It extends the story line, the base of which was set on PoF, and strengthens both the plot, the twists and turns, the action and, of course, the relationships between the heroes.

Inevitably, my review for MoM will extend to the whole of the series so far, but that's an amazing thing for this series. Because, these books fall under the genre of Reverse Harem, but they are much much much more complicated than that. Our heroine, Lera, doesn't simply form a bond with all her guys right from the beginning, and certainly not right from the first book. Instead, it is a gradual process, which takes into account the unique personality of each of the characters. And, I couldn't love that more!!!

So, in the first book we thought Lera had gotten closer to Tye (at least around the end), but oh, the author liked to tease us during MoM, turning the tables, and surprising us around every corner. But, even if I was initially confused by the turn of events and the order with which everything happened (and despite the fact that I loved all of it), one thing I've learned to do while reading this series is to never doubt how thoroughly the author has thought out and set everything. And, I was right to do so!

I can't really go on without spoiling everything left and right from my excitement, but I definitely recommend this book to absolutely everyone (who is 18+, that is *wink wink*).

All in all, 6 out of 5 stars for a read that utterly amazed me,

packed with action, sexiness, clever, playful, protective and brooding males and

a female lead that became stronger and stronger with each passing page,

blossoming into a person who rightfully belongs to the second most powerful quints of all time!

~~~

About Book 1:

Title: POWER OF FIVE

Author: Alex Lidell

Pub. Date: May 4, 2018

Publisher: Danger Bearing Press

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 312

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon

FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!!!

Four elite fae warriors. One mortal female. A magical bond they can’t allow—or resist.

Orphaned and sold to a harsh master, Lera’s life is about mucking stalls, avoiding her master’s advances, and steering clear of the mystical forest separating the mortal and fae worlds. Only fools venture into the immortal realms, and only dark rumors come out... Until four powerful fae warriors appear at Lera’s barn.

River, Coal, Tye, and Shade have waited a decade for their new fifth to be chosen, the wounds from their quint brother’s loss still raw. But the magic has played a cruel trick, bonding the four immortal warriors to... a female. A mortal female.

Distractingly beautiful and dangerously frail, Lera can only be one thing—a mistake. Yet as the males bring Lera back to the fae lands to sever the bond, they discover that she holds more power over their souls than is safe for anyone... especially for Lera herself.

Power of Five is a full-length reverse-harem fantasy novel.

About Alex:

Alex Lidell is the Amazon Breakout Novel Awards finalist author of THE CADET OF TILDOR (Penguin, 2013). She is an avid horseback rider, a (bad) hockey player, and an ice-cream addict. Born in Russia, Alex learned English in elementary school, where a thoughtful librarian placed a copy of Tamora Pierce’s ALANNA in Alex’s hands. In addition to becoming the first English book Alex read for fun, ALANNA started Alex’s life long love for YA fantasy books. Alex is represented by Leigh Feldman of Leigh Feldman Literary. She lives in Washington, DC.

Join Alex's newsletter for news, bonus content and sneak peeks: www.subscribepage.com/TIDES

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will win a Signed copy of the book, notebook, & swag, US Only.

3 winners will win an eBook of MISTAKE OF MAGIC, International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rafflecopter link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2773/?

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

7/2/2018- RH WhyChoose- Review

7/2/2018- Book Briefs- Review

7/3/2018- Love in a time of Feminism- Review

7/3/2018- BookHounds- Excerpt

7/4/2018- Bri's Book Nook- Review

7/4/2018- Two Chicks on Books- Excerpt

7/5/2018- Books a Plenty Book Reviews- Review

7/5/2018- Book-o-Craze- Review

7/6/2018- Simply Daniel Radcliffe- Review

7/6/2018- The Booknerd Dragon- Review

Week Two:

7/9/2018- Smada's Book Smack- Review

7/9/2018- Parajunkee- Review

7/10/2018- Adventures Thru Wonderland- Review

7/10/2018- Reese's Reviews: My Addiction to Fiction- Review

7/11/2018- Book-Keeping- Review

7/11/2018- Fall Into Books- Excerpt

7/12/2018- books are love- Review

7/12/2018- K.L. Knovitzke – Author- Excerpt

7/13/2018- The Hermit Librarian- Excerpt

7/13/2018- Wishful Endings- Excerpt

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:

Amazon | Book Depository

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.