{Review} THE REFLECTIONS OF QUEEN SNOW WHITE by David Meredith

ASIN #: B00FLF4JAG

File Size: 4074 KB

Page Count: 155

Copyright: January 20, 2014

Publisher: David Meredith; 1st Edition

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

What happens when "happily ever after" has come and gone?

On the eve of her only daughter, Princess Raven's wedding, an aging Snow White finds it impossible to share in the joyous spirit of the occasion. The ceremony itself promises to be the most glamorous social event of the decade. Snow White’s castle has been meticulously scrubbed, polished and opulently decorated for the celebration. It is already nearly bursting with jubilant guests and merry well-wishers. Prince Edel, Raven's fiancé, is a fine man from a neighboring kingdom and Snow White's own domain is prosperous and at peace. Things could not be better, in fact, except for one thing:

The king is dead.

The queen has been in a moribund state of hopeless depression for over a year with no end in sight. It is only when, in a fit of bitter despair, she seeks solitude in the vastness of her own sprawling castle and climbs a long disused and forgotten tower stair that she comes face to face with herself in the very same magic mirror used by her stepmother of old.

It promises her respite in its shimmering depths, but can Snow White trust a device that was so precious to a woman who sought to cause her such irreparable harm? Can she confront the demons of her own difficult past to discover a better future for herself and her family? And finally, can she release her soul-crushing grief and suffocating loneliness to once again discover what "happily ever after" really means?

Only time will tell as she wrestles with her past and is forced to confront The Reflections of Queen Snow White.

Mandy's Review:

We all know the story of Snow White. I don't know of any child, male or female, who isn't familiar with the recognizable tale. The Reflections of Queen Snow White is a story that takes place after the fairy tale has ended. Told in a series of reflections, or memories, we find out how exactly Snow White came to be in the forest, how Snow White and Prince Charming actually met, and what took place between the two of them after they were married.

While I enjoyed this more realistic tale between Snow White and Charming, I'm more partial to the fairy tale. I'd rather let my imagination determine what happened between the two after their marriage instead of reading about the problems they encountered joining their two countries. However, if you're the type that would enjoy the realistic version and reading about Snow White's naivety, her mental and physical anguish caused by her step-mother, or about her and Charming's marriage and their struggle to have a child, then this version would be for you.


*An ecopy of the book was gifted by the author via Amazon in exchange for an honest review.

{Review} FALLEN THRONE: THE FIRST ADVENTURE by Joseph Porthos

ASIN #: B00IXMWC8U

File Size: 459 KB

Page Count: 117

Copyright: March 10, 2014

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

A dark cloud draws over the nation of Ramza. A mad king terrorizes a kingdom. Demons dance under the moon's light. And an assassin that wears the guise of those she meets once again stalks the land.

Aerika became an orphan the night her family was burned alive. Together with her friend, Khristian, the two children set off on an adventure to find her parents' killers. With the help of a master thespian and swordsman, a wielder of fire and lightning, and two street performers, they will try to uncover the nature of evil that corrupts the throne and bring the killers to justice.

Mandy's Review:

Khristian is a budding detective and he's studying as much as he can so he can be ready to become a member of the Watch when he's a little older. His father is a member of the Watch and that's where Khristian gets his love and initial knowledge for the job. Khristian takes his father's mentoring very seriously and applies the lessons to every day life.

Aerika is a friend of Khristian's. She was raised by a mother who thought bookish knowledge for a female to be useless. Why would a lady need to know how to read and write when her rich husband would be the one to take care of her? Upon the nightmarish death of her family, Aerika lives with Khristian's family and sees that a lady having book smarts is not a bad thing.

The two join forces fairly quickly and it's not long after that when Khristian's own family undergoes its own peril. Can Khristian and Aerika join forces to figure out what's going on?

I don't know that I would call this first novella in the series an adventure. It's more of an introduction of things to come. The entire time I felt that the story was building up to some event or happening. While there are benefits for authors to break up a novel into several different books, I really feel that this would be better as one novel. Right as I was becoming drawn into the story, it ended abruptly and left me feeling disappointed.

If the author ever puts all of the sections into one complete novel, I may pick this back up again. It definitely has promise.


*An ecopy of this novella was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

{Trailer Reveal} HUNTER by Renee Donne

 

Anaiah Press is proud to present the trailer reveal for YA novel HUNTER by Renee Donne.

Moving across the country isn’t Hunter’s ideal start to her Junior year of high school. She has no friends to hang out with, no beaches to lounge on, and she’s living just a few miles from the secluded hiking trail where her father died when she was a baby.

Living in Wyoming isn’t all bad, though, thanks to Logan, the handsome veterinary assistant at the animal clinic where she lands an after school job. And he seems just as interested in her as she is in him.

As Hunter begins to settle into her new home, she learns more about the circumstances surrounding her father’s tragic death, and it may not have been the accident everyone believes. Something dangerous lurks in the woods, and Hunter might be the next victim.

Release Date: June 9, 2015

Add HUNTER to Goodreads!

And now for the trailer...

About the Author

Renee Donne is a native Floridian with a penchant for writing books with a western theme. In her head she's a world traveler and an amateur chef. In real life, she's a hometown girl with an affinity for fine wine and good friends. Her favorite place to write is sitting on her veranda, overlooking the beach.

 

{Review & Surprise US/CAN Giveaway} FIRST IMPRESSIONS by Charlie Lovett

ISBN #: 978-0525427247

Page Count: 320

Copyright: October 16, 2014

Publisher: Viking Adult

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

Charlie Lovett first delighted readers with his New York Times bestselling debut, The Bookman’s Tale. Now, Lovett weaves another brilliantly imagined mystery, this time featuring one of English literature’s most popular and beloved authors: Jane Austen.

Book lover and Austen enthusiast Sophie Collingwood has recently taken a job at an antiquarian bookshop in London when two different customers request a copy of the same obscure book: the second edition of Little Book of Allegories by Richard Mansfield. Their queries draw Sophie into a mystery that will cast doubt on the true authorship of Pride and Prejudice—and ultimately threaten Sophie’s life.

In a dual narrative that alternates between Sophie’s quest to uncover the truth—while choosing between two suitors—and a young Jane Austen’s touching friendship with the aging cleric Richard Mansfield, Lovett weaves a romantic, suspenseful, and utterly compelling novel about love in all its forms and the joys of a life lived in books.

Mandy's Review:

There are those novels whose titles seem so obscure that you're searching the entire novel for correlation. That did not happen here. This novel was rife with references pertaining to first impressions. Here are some examples:

• When Jane Austen first came upon Richard Mansfield she thought him full of gloom.
• Jane Austen's first impression of Nurse on a dark moonlit night was that she was meeting and consorting with a secret lover, something extremely forbidden by the rulers of the school where she worked.
• Jane's cautionary tale, a form of absolution prescribed by Mr. Mansfield, was named First Impressions.
• Sophie Collingwood's first impression of Eric Hall was that he hated Jane Austen, one of her favorite authors, and that he behaved like an ass.
• Sophie's first impression of Winston was that he was handsome and his reasoning behind searching for a rare book was unique and believable.

The first impressions we have of others are often misleading and incorrect. We should get to know others and their circumstances before casting judgments on them. If we would take the high road and practice that, it would save a lot of heartache and confrontations.

Once again Charlie Lovett has created a novel intertwining past and present into a deliciously fantastic literary escape. I didn't want to put this book down ... until I got near the end then I wanted to draw it out as much as possible. Having read both of Mr. Lovett's novels, I am now a ginormous fan. He has been added to my must-read author list.

*A hardcopy of this novel was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

US/CAN Giveaway:

The giveaway is open until 10/25. On 10/26, a winner will be randomly chosen. The winner will then have 48 hours to respond. If the winner fails to respond within 48 hours, or does not have a US/Canadian address, then another winner will be randomly chosen in their place.

Now, for the prizes ... Of course one of the prizes is your own copy of First Impressions by Charlie Lovett. The second prize: a Penguin Classics hardcover copy of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen! You'll see how related the two novels are once you read First Impressions.

Good luck!!!

{Review} OUR ORBIT by Anesa Miller

ISBN #: 978-1496187543

Page Count: 294

Copyright: July 3, 2014

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing

Description:

(Taken from back cover)

As a series of misfortunes scatters the Winslow children to different homes, nine-year-old Miriam finds herself in foster care. A college-educated couple, Rick and Deanne Fletcher, are happy to welcome her. But Miriam has never worn new clothes, was not permitted to cut her hair, and believes that children must repent their sins with dramatic displays of remorse, or harm will come to their loved ones. Now she must adapt to a secular lifestyle while struggling not to lose her connection to the past.

The Fletchers quickly come to love their "new little girl" with her cheerful energy and unusual ideas. Then they encounter the rest of Miriam’s family: Uncle Dan believes he was the subject of an invasive experiment. Sister Rachelle, just released from juvenile detention, harbors many painful secrets. Brother Josh is outraged that the Fletchers disrespect Christian teachings. When his plan to remove Miriam from their home fails, Josh reacts with growing hostility to interference in the Winslow way of life.

Richly detailed with small-town ethos, Anesa Miller's new novel, Our Orbit, captures the tension between modernity and tradition in the Appalachian corner of bellwether Ohio. Among the conflicts of her finely drawn and compelling characters, we glimpse the spirit that binds us in our common humanity—all of this in a literary novel that reads at the pace of a thriller.

Charlene's Review:

Young Miriam has never known the world outside her family’s strict religious beliefs. When her mother is killed and her father is taken away to prison, she is sent to live with a foster family. As she blossoms under their care, her remaining family struggles to survive. As Miriam is pulled into a new life, her foster family finds that her roots may be stronger than their influence.

Our Orbit is an intense look into family structure and the ties that bind, whether good or bad. Rich in character development and written with deep emotion, I was quickly absorbed. A study in social and economic structures, as well as religion, Ms. Miller tackled some tough issues with heart-rending grace.


*A physical copy of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.