Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Anomaly: Dystopian YA with a Twist


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Normally, I don't read dystopian books (think Hunger Games). Our world is weird enough without imagining what it will be like in the future after a horrific war or tragedy. However, my daughter and I have thoroughly enjoyed Krista McGee's other books, so I decided to give Anomaly a try. I am so glad I did.


Thalli is different. And different is not good in the State that is left after a nuclear holocaust. But she feels deeply. She tries to hide, but she can't. To avoid annihilation, she becomes a test subject. The story winds through her learning about the real Designer as she learns about love. This story scrapes away to the essense of what is important: God, love, freedom. The pages turn effortlessly...and the ending left me longing for the next installment.

Bottom-line? This is an engrossing read and one my husband and 12 year old enjoyed as well.






Thalli has fifteen minutes and twenty-three seconds left to live. The toxic gas that will complete her annihilation is invading her bloodstream. But she is not afraid.Decades before Thalli’s birth, the world ended in a nuclear war. But life went on deep underground, thanks to a handful of scientists known as The Ten. Since then, they have genetically engineered humans to be free from emotions in the hopes that war won’t threaten their lives again. But Thalli was born with the ability to feel emotions and a sense of curiosity she can barely contain. She has survived so far thanks to her ability to hide those differences. But Thalli’s secret is discovered when she is overwhelmed by the emotion in an ancient piece of music. She is quickly scheduled for annihilation, but her childhood friend, Berk, convinces The Ten to postpone her death and study her instead. While in the scientists’ Pod, Thalli and Berk form a dangerous alliance, one strictly forbidden by the constant surveillance in the pods. As her life ticks away, she hears rumors of someone called the Designer—someone even more powerful than The Ten. What’s more, the parts of her that have always been an anomaly could in fact be part of a much larger plan. And the parts of her that she has always guarded could be the answer she’s been looking for all along. Thalli must sort out what to believe and who she can trust, before her time runs out… Purchase a copy here. Learn more at Krista’s website. Click to start reading Anomaly for free.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Children of Angels Review


As a homeschool mom, I am always looking for books that will engage my children's imaginations and be something we can enjoy together. Children of Angels builds from the what if question of what if there were still children of angels on earth? What would those children be like? How would being half-angel impact them? Because of the themes of spiritual warfare, bullying, and fights in the heavenlies, this is a good book for parents and kids to read and discuss together. Some plot threads reminded me of another popular tween series with the half-angel kids going to a special school. This is a book that may also intrigue that hard to reach tween boy population.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Children of Angels
“Not my iPod!” Jeremy Lapoint’s day plunges to record lows when Sid Lundahl and his crew stomp the only nice thing he owns-and Jeremy gets in trouble for fighting. With Dad in prison and Mom struggling to scrape by, Jeremy’s life seems hopeless.
Until he has this urge to … fly.
One leap and Jeremy soars through the air. With this and his other new-found powers, life is suddenly amazing, wonderful. Until a real-live demon chases him through the school hallways, terrifying him and making him a freak to his schoolmates. He’s the only one who can see the monster. Jeremy wonders if the flying thing’s worth it.
But during the chase, Asiel, Jeremy’s guardian angel, wields his sword and battles off the demon. Later Asiel explains that Jeremy’s a Nephilim: half human and half angel. Jeremy’s shocked. His quest to uncover how he got like this sends him to the Higher Humanity Institute where he meets other Nephilim like him along with a slew of enemies-both human and … not.
In the midst of his strange and dangerous struggles, Jeremy also receives the peace and love he’s always longed for but never knew. When called to lead an angelic battle for the truth, will Jeremy cling to the One who can win the war or let his old doubts and fears overtake him?
Fun, danger, friendship, mystery, and faith-along with awesome angels and demons-fill the pages of this exciting book. A must-read for kids (and grownups) craving adventure with a life-changing message.


Tuesday, September 18, 2012

The Enchanted Attic Review






Tuesday, April 17, 2012

The Restorer's Son Expanded Edition


I loved this series when it originally released...a shock for someone who is not a fantasy person. I'm thrilled that it's been rereleased with additional scenes and lots of goodies added in. If you didn't read this series the first time, do yourself a favor and read it now. It is wonderful! Here's a little about the book...and keep reading for an interview with the author.

The Restorer’s Son-Expanded Edition

Book two in the groundbreaking Sword of Lyric series, The Restorer’s Son won a Carol Award for speculative fiction.

Plunged again into the gray world of Lyric and Hazor, Susan and Mark search frantically for their teenage son, Jake. All signs hint that a trusted ally has betrayed them and threatens their son. A target of assassins and more political intrigue, false leads and near misses beset their path, which leads them into the dark prisons of Hazor before the One’s purpose is revealed.

Cast out by those he trusts, the new reluctant Restorer prefers to cross swords with the One rather than submit to His will. Pursued by his calling, he journeys to Sidian, where he finds a boy without a home, a king with burning questions, and a nation torn by darkness. As he embraces the tasks the One has set before him, this new Restorer learns that the One requires his all—perhaps even his life.

This new expanded edition of The Restorer’s Son includes an in-depth devotion guide for readers who want to dig into the spiritual themes of the book, bonus scenes providing glimpses of the story through a variety of characters, and fun extras including links to songs and recipes.

Here's Sharon with more.

What was it like developing new material for this new edition?

Books are like children. I treasure each of them in different ways, and among the novels I’ve written, I try not to have favorites. However, I confess that The Restorer’s Son has an extra special place in my heart. Because of that, it was fun to revisit the characters and world of this story. Kieran’s attitudes were loosely inspired by a verse in Judges where Gideon is told God will use him to save his people. Gideon’s response is basically, “If God is for us, why have all these bad things happened to us?” It’s a question many can relate to, and part of the reason that Kieran is such a beloved character. 

The new devotion guide gives readers an opportunity to dig deeper into the Biblical inspirations that helped inform the book, as well as find personal application. About forty pages of new content, including bonus scenes and a new song composed for the book, make this edition a new experience.

How did you decide where to put in bonus elements?

Working with the publisher, we decided it was important to keep the flow of the story intact and free from distractions. So the book is designed with a large back-of-the-book section that can be used either after finishing the story, or during the reading of the main story. Small symbols and page numbers at the end of chapters direct readers to bonus scenes, and QR symbols in the margin invite readers to explore audio files, or recipes, or rules for playing Perish – all without interrupting the story.

It was important to me that people would feel that it was worth the investment to own The Restorer’s Son-Expanded Edition, even if they had a copy of the original edition, so we packed this book with lots of added value.


Besides an entertaining read, what do you hope people experience in The Restorer’s Son-Expanded Edition?

My hope is that readers will catch glimpses of the way the One speaks to each of us in the language we understand, and that we can go to Him with our difficult questions. For those who are walking very painful roads, I hope the story will help them feel acknowledged. The journey is hard, heroic, and sometimes frightening. But we are never alone.

Where can people find the book?


To order The Restorer’s Son-Expanded Edition:

Kindle version:

AUTHOR BIO:

Sharon writes “stories for the hero in all of us,” about ordinary people experiencing God’s grace in unexpected ways. Known for their authenticity, emotional range, and spiritual depth, her novels include contemporary fiction such as The Secret Life of Becky Miller or Stepping into Sunlight and the groundbreaking Sword of Lyric fantasy series which includes The Restorer’s Son–Expanded Edition. She’s been a Christy finalist and won three Carol awards.
Sharon’s undergrad degree is in education, and she earned an M.A. in Communication. When she isn’t wrestling with words, Sharon enjoys speaking to conferences, retreats, and church groups. She loves interacting with visitors at her website and blog: sharonhinck.com


Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Halflings: in the vein of Percy Jackson thrillers

Halflings is the debut release by author Heather Burch. It is targeted to teens and has strong supernatural characters. I've been waiting for this book since meeting Heather at ACFW in September. My daughter stole the book the moment it arrived at our house. She literally couldn't put it down, reading it in the car, at the gym and everywhere in between.

Here's what she has to say:

Halflings was a really interesting book. It has a Percy Jackson feel minus the Greek mythology. It has a Christian spin with angels, hell hounds, demons, and other supernatural characters called halflings. All are battling over a teenage girl. The halflings are tasked with protecting her from the dark forces chasing her for unknown reasons. Nikki changes from a normal teenager to a girl fighting for her life. When the halflings first save her, she has no idea what they are other than they are gorgeous. Then she learns they are half angels/half human and determined to save her. She's just as adamant about protecting them. The battle is happening in a realm no one else can see. The Halflings look like normal teenagers to her friends.

Nikki isn't a Christian but through the battles begins to believe there could be more than science can explain. This is definitely the first book in a series that ends with the intensity of books like Percy Jackson.

What I liked most was the characters -- they were amazing because they were vibrant and I could picture them easily. Even though there are creatures in it that I've never seen I cared about them. A must read for lovers of mythic books.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Ryann Watters and the Shield of Faith

Creation House; 1st edition (May 5, 2009)
MY REVIEW:
Every once in awhile a really good series comes out that you can read aloud with the family or read to yourself and you just get swept away into another world. I have been fortunate in some of my reading lately to discover some gems that I otherwise might not have been able too... Mike Hamel's Matterhorn series, Robert Liparulo's Dreamhouse Kings series, Lisa Samson's Hollywood Nobody series... and now I've been fortunate enough to have discovered Eric Reinhold's Ryann Watters series.

In book #1, Ryann Watters and the King's Sword, we meet Ryann and his best friends Terell and Liddy. Ryann is visited by Gabriel who gives him a special staff, ring and horn and tells him that he will need to find the King's Sword. He is taken to a world called Aeliana where the animals talk and humans are few. It has a very Narnia-esque feel and is captivating. The beauty of this book to me is the way Eric shows spiritual warfare in such a way that it is easy for kids to understand. Searching the scriptures for answers, praying for wisdom, leaning not unto his own understanding... these are the ways Ryann finds answers on his quest against darkness.

Now in book #2, Ryann Watters and the Shield of Faith, Ryann, Terell and Liddy are back and sent on a second mission - for the Shield of Faith. It is back to Aeliana, but everything is not as it was. The passage of time, dragons, unicorns and evil. Ryann must renew his pursuit of the scriptures to find out what The Word says. Adventure reigns supreme in book #2 and I just love this series. It is a read aloud series for our family and is taking its place among the classics as far as I am concerned.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Eric J. Reinhold is the president of Academy Wealth Management and a graduate of the United States Naval Academy. His passion is to write youth fantasy novels that incorporate strong moral character and biblical values. Eric teaches Sunday school at First Baptist Sweetwater Church in Longwood, Florida, where he attends with his wife, Kim, and three children.

Visit the author's website and blog.

Product Details:

List Price: $19.99
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Creation House; 1st edition (May 5, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1599796260
ISBN-13: 978-1599796260



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