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Ammon
With the fire of newfound testimony, Ammon and his brethren leave Zarahemla to preach the gospel in Lamanite lands, carrying nothing but hunting weapons and the promises of God. Spotted by an enemy scout, they part ways in the dense jungle with hopes of reuniting at the close of their harvest. Ammon follows the Spirit to the borders of Ishmael, where he’s ambushed just seconds after spotting Elena, a fair-skinned woman who captures his interest.
As Ammon gains renown in the kingdom, he defends Elena from the advances of Gad, the loathsome widower she’ll soon be required to marry. Then swearing allegiance to the Lamanite king and trusting in the Lord, Ammon further proves his strength and devotion by sparing King Lamoni’s flocks from plunderers. The amazed king and his court are converted to the gospel through Ammon’s powerful teachings and the miraculous events that follow. But each action Ammon takes causes more and more disruption throughout the kingdom. And when Elena is abducted by her own brother and hidden away in an unspeakable place, Ammon faces his greatest struggle yet: not just the outward challenge of lethal combat but also the inward challenge of loving one’s enemy.
Our photography Friday features a sitting I did in New York City with TheBookCellarX…”YA Book Blogger. Vegetarian. Show Choir Junkie. Book Worm. Team Ash Co-Captain. Head Sea Cheerleader. Alex Bracken Fangirl.” So fun to finally meet her and capture a few moments! Check out her website at http://www.thebookcellarx.com/
All photos copyright Heather Zahn Gardner
Before I Go To Sleep
by SJ Watson
Hardcover, 368 pages
Published June 14th 2011
by Harper Collins
4.5 stars
As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I’m still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me …’ Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love – all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story. Welcome to Christine’s life.
This is one of those books that fascinated me and kept me reeled in until the very end. Maybe it’s because I have a degree in psychology and have worked with trauma victims, or maybe it’s because the writing is so completely riveting.
It’s the story of Chrissie a woman in her late forties who wakes up every day in a strange bed with a strange man who claims he is her husband. She has no recollection of how she got there or who she is, but when she looks in the mirror the reflection staring back at her is NOT what she remembered. She still feels 27 and what she sees is an old wrinkled middle aged woman. Her husband, Ben must remind her every day who he is, that they love each other. And the trickier part is that all the knowledge she gains within those 24 hours will be erased the second she closes her eyes and goes to sleep. Tomorrow the slate of her memory will be wiped clean. She’ll once again have no idea who or where she is.
Enter in Dr. Nash, a neurologist who believes he can help her. He instructs Chrissy to keep a diary of everything she remembers each day. And little by little more pieces are coming back, but the front page of the journal reads DO NOT TRUST BEN. Her husband must not and does not know this journal exists. Christine’s past is not fitting together nicely which leads us to the mystery and suspense of what memories are true, and what are false.
Before I Go To Sleep is an unsettling read as well as a peek into the personal thought process of central character Christine. She is written so believable and alive I had a hard time reconciling the fact the that he author, writing under “SJ”, is really a man, Stephen. He has nailed the inner working of a middle aged woman suffering from a debilitating neurological condition and trauma. Perhaps that’s why already this novel will be sold in 37 countries and a film version is currently being made. The story found its roots in the true story of HM, Henry Gustav Molaison, a memory disorder patient who was much like Chrissie, woke up his entire life, each day to a loss of memory.
This psychological thriller is fascinating, creepy and all around brilliant. Truly a stunning debut. It’s definitely not for young adults or children due to graphic content, violence, sex and language. I would recommend it only to readers 18 and older. While I truly loved the plot, the premise and the execution, the bad language bothered me. So, if you are an adult and you’d like a chance to read it, I’m giving away my personal advanced reading copy on twitter @fireicephotos and on our Facebook page. Ends at midnight tonight MST!
Start reading online at the Before I Go To Sleep facebook page. Learn more about the book at the author page for SJ Watson here.
Trial By Fire
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Hardcover, 368 pages
Published:
June 14th, 2011
by EgmontUSA
ISBN 1606841688
series: Raised by Wolves #2
source: Publisher
4 stars
Bryn is now leader of the Cedar Ridge pack of werewolves and she’s convinced that her pack is different – it’s democratic and fair. Then Bryn finds a battered teenage Were, Connor, bleeding on her front porch. He begs Bryn to protect him from an abusive leader; Bryn takes him into her pack.
But Bryn’s Were partner Chase doesn’t trust the new boy, and the more time she spends helping Connor, the more aggressive Chase becomes. Bryn is not sure if it’s jealousy, or Were possessiveness but for the first time she starts to feel suffocated by the bond she and Chase share.
Filled with action, unlikely allies, and deadly conspiracies, Trial by Fire will change Bryn forever. She is soon to realise that to lead a pack of werewolves, she must give in to her animal instincts and become a little less human. And as hard as it’s going to be, Bryn is going to have to do it alone.
There can only be one alpha.
Trial by Fire, installment two of the Raised by Wolves series begins with Bryn as the new Alpha of the small but strong Cedar Ridge Pack. Bryn is very unusual, because not only is she female, but she is a human and her pack is werewolf. Things become complicated for the new Alpha when a foreign wolf, Lucas stumbles across the border and lands on her doorstep asking for refuge. He’s badly wounded, having been abused by his captors, but Bryn is torn between having compassion on the rogue wolf and protecting her pack from the consequences that will occur if she allows him to stay. Werewolf politics won’t allow Bryn to rely on Callum anymore for advice. And, her main rival Shay of the Snake Bend Pack is testing the limits of territory borders plus claiming ownership of the rogue wolf. Will Bryn be able to maintain her position as Alpha when it seems several members of the Council are just waiting to see her fail? What about the new added threat which is so unlike anything she has ever faced before…a coven of psychics.
What I really love about this series is the driven, focused plot centered around the mentality of a pack of werewolves. The writing gives readers a chance to really step in and feel what the dynamics inside the group. You feel like you are a part of the pack. You hear the inner dialogue and feel what Devon, Lake, Maddy and the others might feel. In Trial by Fire, we also get a lot of interesting back history on Ali, Bryn’s foster mother, and we see Bryn pushing back against Ali’s desire to exercise authority over Bryn as she has in the past. Bryn is definitely the Alpha now and won’t take much from anyone who steps up to challenge her.
Jennifer Lynn Barnes creates characters that will stick with you long after you’re done reading. They are well developed and each unique in their own right. Devon is one of my very favorites with his funny sense of humor and undying loyalty to Bryn. (Now we just need to find him someone special in book three!) I also wish we would see more of Chase and Bryn together, but I understand she is so busy fighting for her pack there’s not a whole lot of time for romance. This is an intriguing werewolf series which is unique and well thought out by the author. I’m curious to see where the series goes from here as it seems Bryn has faced so much opposition already! Thanks so much to EgmontUSA for the early chance to read book two. Learn more and view the new book trailer by visiting Jennifer Lynn Barnes website.
You might also like: Nightshade by Andrea Cremer or 13 to Life by Shannon Delany
Content: Abuse and violence. Recommended for readers 16 and older.
Paper Covers Rock
by Jenny Hubbard
Hardcover, 192 pages
Published June 14th 2011
by Delacorte Books
ISBN 0385740557
At the beginning of his junior year at a boys’ boarding school, 16-year-old Alex is devastated when he fails to save a drowning friend. When questioned, Alex and his friend Glenn, who was also at the river, begin weaving their web of lies. Plagued by guilt, Alex takes refuge in the library, telling his tale in a journal he hides behind Moby-Dick. Caught in the web with Alex and Glenn is their English teacher, Miss Dovecott, fresh out of Princeton, who suspects there’s more to what happened at the river when she perceives guilt in Alex’s writing for class. She also sees poetic talent in Alex, which she encourages. As Alex responds to her attention, he discovers his true voice, one that goes against the boarding school bravado that Glenn embraces. When Glenn becomes convinced that Miss Dovecott is out to get them, Alex must choose between them. Content: Underage drinking, swearing. Recommended for ages 16 and up.
Happy Book Birthday to Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard! To celebrate, Fire and Ice is giving away one Advanced Reading Copy. To enter to win click here and fill out the form. Giveaway ends June 28th and is open internationally to ages 16 and up.
Congratulations to IdentitySeeker who won our Hourglass Hope On A Chain necklace
and to who Kate the Book Buff who won a copy of Einstein’s Trunk
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Passion
By Lauren Kate
Hardcover
384 pages
Expected publication:
June 14th, 2011
by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ISBN 0385739168
series: Fallen #3
source: publisher
3.75 stars
“Every single lifetime, I’ll choose you. Just as you have chosen me. Forever.”
Luce would die for Daniel. And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. . . .
Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.
Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history.
Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever.
Sweeping across centuries, PASSION the third novel in the unforgettably epic FALLEN series hits stores Tuesday 14th June 2011
The first thing that drew me like a moth to the flame to the Fallen series were the covers. The first two are frame worthy and beautiful, even to the touch. The third one with a rose….not my favorite. It doesn’t really match the first two in the series. However, I will say that I enjoyed Fallen and Torment enough to get me out of bed early one morning at BEA to make the mad dash to the Lauren Kate signing table. And I was impressed that Delacorte Press was kind enough to give us all a hardback copy. That was above and beyond. Now, on to the story itself.
The pace of Passion is very slow with little action or tension which posed a problem for me since it’s hard to maintain my attention. This installment was snapshots in a travel log of the many different settings where Luce and Daniel have fallen in love across the ages. It is their story over and over exactly as it states in the book summary. You’ll get a short snippet of each new world and person involved. The interesting part for me was the actual setting and history behind each city where the announcers take Luce. Readers get a taste of Moscow, Milan, England, Prussia, Tibet, China, Egypt, South America and life in the prehistoric pre-civilized world. Lauren Kate takes you through the tunnels of time according to Luce’s heart’s desire and eventually, bent by the powers of her travel companion Bill.
Bill’s a newly introduced secondary character that I also struggled with. In my heart of hearts I missed all of the other characters from the first two books that I had grown to love. They are constantly lost in Passion, trying to catch up to Luce but never interacting in the storyline or given much face time. To me it seemed there was a lack of development of secondary characters. And I missed the competition Daniel faced in Simon and Cam. There’s no real force pulling Luce and Daniel apart other than Luce’s internal battle. Their story here seems repetitive. Does he truly love me or is his attraction to me simply an automatic response as a result of the curse?
Passion is told from two different points of view-Luce’s and Daniel’s, so if you are team Daniel you’ll be pleased to see things from his perspective. Ultimately, I was left with a lot of unanswered questions about who Luce really is, how the curse is overcome, what role the nephilim will play in re-writing history and how the star shots really work. Passion is great supplementary material, a companion novel, but not a star player for me in the grand scheme of things. I’m hoping book four brings us up to speed with the action and progression of plot I’m searching for. I can’t wait to find out more about Cam’s origin.
So when all is said and done, one question remains….will I keep reading the books? You bet! I’m hooked. I will be picking up Rapture when it comes out in 2012 with high hopes.
Be sure to visit Lauren Kate’s website for more on the Fallen series. And there is a play list folks. Click here to have a listen. Thumbs up on the book trailer, it is excellent.
Thanks to Lauren and Random House for being so generous.
Content: no warnings other than minor violence and a tiny bit of sexual tension. Recommended for ages 14 and up.
Myra McEntire also has a huge prize pack giveaway on her site including:
Prize #1: A signed, finished copy of HOURGLASS and an iPod Shuffle loaded with the HOURGLASS playlist! (Or a $50 Visa Giftcard!)
Prize #2: A signed, finished copy of HOURGLASS and a character named after you in book two!
Prize #3: A signed HOURGLASS poster and sweet varied author swag, including signed bookplates from Tessa Gratton, Julie Kagawa, Brenna Yovanoff, Beth Revis and more!
To enter to win head on over to her site and follow the directions. Only 2 days 15 hours 25 minutes until Hourglass hits the shelves 🙂
