Book review of Storm of Arranon

My Review

Amazing book with a great plot!

The great thing about the story was that it was simple and was a quick read, though with twists and turns. And those twists and turns were a bit predictable at times and that took way the suspense of the story at some points.

The imagination of the author and the way she was portrayed the story is great. The characters seem to justify their roles and will make you fall in love with them.

I have always loved Sci-Fi stories and especially when it involves the cosmos and there is a war between worlds and not between nations, that is what keeps me intrigued of what would happen next and this story did an awesome job in keeping me hooked till the very end.

Read more about the book at Online Book Club

About the book

A forbidden birth. A remarkable young woman. A marauding alien society. The battle begins.
Cadet Erynn Yager guards a secret that if revealed would change her life, and not for the good. Erynn senses the emotions of others, can manipulate the electro-magnetic field around her, bend time for brief moments, and see the future. It’s not Erynn’s abilities that jeopardize her. It’s why she has these talents. Erynn’s very birth as a child of two worlds is forbidden.

When a brutal alien society begins an invasion, sending a specialized team to assassinate a military representative, Erynn bends time, saving the dignitary’s life. The alien assassin takes Erynn hostage, using her as a shield to evade capture. Pursued and attacked, they crash land on Arranon, the sister planet of Erynn’s home world, Korin.

Erynn escapes the enemy, fleeing into the unfamiliar dangers of an untamed, frigid, and beautiful planet.

Jaer, enigmatic leader of Arranon’s elite Anbas Warriors, vows to protect Erynn. Together they try to save their worlds. From their first meeting, her touch awakens a need Jaer thought dead and buried, creating in him a desire for something more in his life. His defenses tatter, carried away by the intensity of Erynn’s unusual energy. Jaer covers his feelings with a rigid defiance, not believing someone as rare and precious as Erynn could ever love him.

Obsessed with Erynn’s potential, the enemy hunts her. In a constant race to elude the invaders, Erynn becomes aware of a mysterious connection between her growing powers and the living consciousness of Arranon, leading her on a mystical journey. The wild animals of the forests assist Erynn, communicate with her. Even the weather seems to interact with Erynn, acting on her behalf, further drawing her into the spirit of Arranon, a world that needs her help. The ghostly vision of Erynn’s biological father comes to her, empowering her, instructing her to trust Arranon.

Arranon leads Erynn to a portal, a virtual doorway to another realm and a strange glowing life form, a collective colony of part plant, part animal. By linking their intellect to hers, they impart their warning. The alien is gaining control and time is running out. With Erynn’s trust increasing, Arranon reveals one last task. Erynn faces the final dreadful and agonizing objective that awaits her if she dares to save her worlds.

About the author

Before I wrote, I read. Voraciously. When I wasn’t able to read, I listened to audio books on tape or CD. Still do.
Hi. My name is Robynn E Sheahan and I live and write from the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest. 
I started to dabble in writing while working as a Paramedic/Firefighter in Northern California. Trust me, it’s not like it appears on TV. There was plenty of time for books. 
Ideas from dreams follow me into warm sunny days or the quiet of falling snow. What ifs feed a vivid imagination. Even miss-typed phrases may lead to an aha moment. Brain storming sessions standing in windy, dark parking lots with fellow writers release thoughts that pry at the corners of my mind, grasping for purchase. Sometimes the ideas pursue me, with persistence. 
About three years ago the dabbling became serious when worlds and characters screamed for, no, demanded attention. So I wrote my first manuscript. Critiques and rewrites filled the next two years.
I now had STORM OF ARRANON, the first book in the series.

Book Review of Judas and Jezabel

About the book

This is a story about lust, greed, and betrayal. C.Y. Brown agreed to move from Brooklyn, New York to New Jersey with a wealthy young couple and their baby. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect the couple to use her and the baby as pawns for their own greed and self gratification.

A long and nasty divorce, involving multiple lawyers, psychologists, family secrets and continuous lies by the couple. The husband tries to hold on to his money and the wife tries to grasp as much of the money as she can. What lies ahead for Carol and a young innocent child, trapped in the psychological game of cat and mouse?

Read more about the book at Online Book Club

My Review

The story starts with what I felt like a warning for men that they should treat women in a better way than preying on them.

The story describes the relationship of Connor and Sharon. Sharon is married to a wealthy businessman Connor. They have a small daughter Cindy who needs a nanny as both the parents are busy in their lives because and need someone to take care of their daughter.

This is where the protagonist of the story Carol comes into existence and does a pretty good job as a nanny. Things turn around as she finds out that Sharon is cheating Connor and that eventually leads to divorce.

The only person who is really affected by all this mayhem is Cindy as she is too small to understand such complexities of life.

I had a lot of expectations of something would happen to the Connor and Connor is going to create some nuisance that he is going to be punished for, but nothing of that sort happened and that did let me down. Instead Sharon had a lot of issues and Cindy was mostly an invisible character in the story that the author brought into life whenever there was a need.

Nevertheless the story was one of its kinds and is aimed at the adults who are practically not sure about their marriage life and what issues should they focus on in their live apart from their jobs.

It was a good read but I still doubt the story plot and I wish there was more suspense to the story.

About the author

C.Y. Brown worked in law enforcement prior to coming to the United States. She studied Child Psychology, Early Child Care Development and Human Relations. Brown's experience in childcare has enabled her to work for lawyers, doctors, and celebrities. Her hobbies are cooking, reading, arts and craft , traveling and interior design. She currently resides in New York, USA.

Book Review of the Band by Marguerite

About the book

Marguerite is on holiday in London, finally free after 27 years of feeling like a hostage to her strict and overbearing parents. Also in London, and struggling with his thoughts of freedom, is Chase Martin one fourth of the most successful band on the planet who knows that freedom can only come at the expense of his band-mates. They come from completely different worlds, but when those worlds collide on a rainy night in a small coffee shop nothing will ever be the same again. Before ever laying eyes on him, his pain and anxiety somehow reaches her, and she feels moved to alleviate it... to offer comfort, which he desperately needs. After years of performing with his band-mates, they are closer than brothers. They are a part of one another, and the compulsion he is feeling to separate from them, is tearing him apart. The strange bond Marguerite and Chase discover goes beyond attraction or desire. It goes beyond love or lust or anything either of them have ever experienced. It is absolutely terrifying, but to walk away from its pull would be like choosing not to breathe. This is a story of love, loss and heart-break... of family and friendship. This is their story."

My review

The elegance and beauty in which the story is written is one of its kinds. I loved the subtle nature of the storyline. The progress of the story is pretty smooth and one will fall in love with the descriptions of a scenario by the author.

What I loved the most about the book was that the author has left nothing to chance and has detailed out every inch of the story so elegantly that it makes the book a perfect novel in the romance genre.

Talking about the story plot, Chase and Marguerite are in love with each other and since their very first meet they had what is called as love at first sight. The love couple from the very first moment were attracted towards each other as if it was a something that was meant to happen one day or the other. They are in fact so close that they can feel what the other person is feeling or wants. And that is exactly what you want in a relationship.

With a few twists and turns about what may happen if they lose each other and what the uncertainty of what the future holds makes the storyline awesome and I had a great time reading the book.

Read more about the book at Online Book Club.

Book Review of Angel by Sebastian

About the book:

"A delight to read. So delicate, casually cruel, wickedly funny and wildly alluring."
- Stephen Fry

Damion is a boy so beautiful that everybody falls in love with him. This, his greatest advantage in life, gradually turns into his heaviest burden and so as he reaches adulthood, Damion, in an act half wanton, half heroic, destroys what for most people - but not for him - has come to define his essence. - A classic tale of a young man in search of his destiny.

My review:

When I first started reading the book I was taken by the beauty with which the author had described the protagonist of the story.

How do you describe someone so beautiful that both men and women love you alike and fall for you every time you pass by; the first few pages of the story describes that in the most eloquent way ever possible.

The storyline is incredible focussing on the merits and demerits of such beauty Damion, the protagonist of the story possess. How does one face ordeals and how to overcome it? How the world around you changes and things do happen around you without you having the faintest idea that you were the reason behind it.

Is it a boon or curse to have such a gift?

With so many questions and an answer to few, join Damion in his journey to find the truths of life and how.

You will love the plot and be mesmerised, by the way the author had projected his thoughts in the story.

Wish you have a great time reading the book.

Read more about the book at Online Book Club

About the author

Sebastian was born in Manchester, UK, into a Swiss family and grew up in Basel, Switzerland, where his first two plays were staged while he was still at school and university.

Since moving to London at the age of 21, he has written several stage plays, among them The Power of Love, Love Hurts and Time After Time, which together now form the Love Trilogy and each of which individually reached the shortlist, long list and final ten respectively of Soho Theatre's Verity Bargate Award in separate years. His play Top Story was presented as a rehearsed reading at the ICA in May 2008 as part of the Accidental Festival and his latest play, Baur au Lac received a rehearsed reading starring Susannah York in Spring 2010. Both are now earmarked for production in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

Earlier plays of Sebastian's were seen on the London and Edinburgh fringe and include QED, Sisters and All the World. He also wrote the book and lyrics for the musical Monstersound which made it into the final round of the Musical of the Year Competition in Copenhagen and the book for Alvaro's Balcony, which premiered in September 2008 at the Landor Theatre.

Sebastian has written and directed two short films: Twenty-Six Takes on Life Without Allen which was screened at festivals in Chicago, Los Angeles, Lisbon and Padua, and The Study of Bunkers & Mounds in a Temperate Climate (Relatively Speaking) which was in the official selection for the International Film Festival Locarno 2007. His first feature film as a writer/director is The Hour of Living which was completed in February 2012. Sebastian is now working towards realisation of his second feature film, Soho, Night 9X9.
Sebastian has so far written one novel, Angel, and he is the writer of Genius Planet, a collaboration with Professor Ludger Hovestadt and Vera Bühlmann of ETH Zürich, which postulates a new, networked energy model for the Digital Age, and is due for publication in 2012.

Book Review of Escape From Ancient Egypt

About the book

When being stuck in the past has a whole new meaning...

What if your worst enemy sent you on a one-way ticket to the past? Worse, later he shows up and tries to play match-maker with a dominant historical figure while all of history and the future are on the line? Survival is just one problem, but then add your friends into the mix...

Following an intense battle between the Indians and the Crackedskulls, Neiko and her comrades enjoy victory while her enemies suffer a crushing defeat. Victory is short lived for Neiko when Francesco pays her a visit at her home and sends her away in order to collect on his threat of revenge. She is banished into the ancient world of ancient Egypt during the reign of Ramesses II the Great on a one way ticket.

Lost and trapped in this ancient world, it doesn't take very long for trouble to find her. Taken by a rich man, she is reunited with three of her friends that had been missing, and an eleven-year-old mystery is finally solved, but one of Neiko's friends is still unaccounted for. After escaping from the rich man and journeying to Thebes, Neiko and her comrades have actually jumped from the pan and into the fire.

Things go horribly awry when Pharaoh finds out about Neiko and becomes infatuated with her. Francesco comes to Egypt on orders to bring her back, but he has other plans. Can Neiko and her friends thwart Francesco, return to the 21st century, and escape from the past and one of the greatest kings that ever lived?

My Review

The book captivated me from the very beginning as it was filled with action, adventure and time travels. Wow! It’s such an amazing book to start reading about all the fantasy and imaginary world.

With the story plotted in the backdrop of ancient Egypt Neiko realises that she hasn’t seen a car in the area since the moment she time travelled to the place. And she is captured as a slave and put in dungeons with three other Indians, as it used to happen in the old days.

What I loved about the story was the mystery that surrounds it and an eerie feeling of what could happen next made the story captivating and interesting and the pace of the story was smooth.

But with lot of characters being added every now and then made it a bit confusing as to who is doing what and why at a point in the story but it didn’t hamper the story. As such I didn’t have the chance to read the first part of the novel it took me a while to understand what was happening.

Overall it is a great story! I wish the teenagers will love the plot.

Find out more about the book at Online Book Club

Book Review of Ian, CEO, North Pole

Synopsis: 

Early in his career at the North Pole, Ian is unaware of the impact that Christmas and Santa Claus have on the citizens of the world. However, he soon finds out that it really doesn’t matter what country you call you own or whether you practice a religion, or not. It’s likely that you’ll find youself celebrating a special version of the holiday season. And in so doing you might just be served by Santa, or one of his man helpers around the world. 

Ian, being very bright, is called upon to help Santa keep up with what’s going on in a rapidly changing world. He loves the challenge and excels in his new role. He soon finds himself asked to accompany Santa and the reindeer on Christmas Eve. What happens during that fateful evening will go down in history! 

My Review

Lovely piece of story and I had a great time reading the story. It was blissful and gave me a peace of mind after reading so much of thriller and mystery with all those action packed moments. This book gave me the much needed respite from the other genre of novels.

It was great reading about Santa and the facts about Christmas and Jesus Christ. It took be back to the school days where we had a great time reading the tales about Santa and how eagerly we waited for Santa to bring us our gifts. I think Santa doesn’t makes any difference in religion and grants all the wishes of lovely kids all around the world irrespective of any religion or culture.

Ian a elf for Santa’s is worried about his job as a packer and gets bored easily and starts day dreaming a lot and after  a few iterations gets a job in the shipping department where finds the right kind of work he wanted to do. He does research about how Christmas is celebrated all around the world and other related stuff.

This book will be a great gift for the children who are starting to read short stories as it is filled with facts and trivia about Jesus Christ, Christmas and related stuffs.

Great book with an incredible story-line!

Read more about the book at Online Book Club

About the Author: 

Eric Hansen is a first generation Danish-American. He was born in Philadelphia while his immigrant parents were on their way from Denmark to a new life in southern California. He grew up in Santa Maria, California and now resides in Reno, Nevada. As a former corporate leader, Eric was a firm believer in enabling people to realize their full potential. This is reflected in IAN, CEO, NORTH POLE.

Book review of Eating Bull

About the book

A fight against the food industry turns deadly.

Jeremy, a lonely and obese teenager, shoots into the limelight when a headstrong public health nurse persuades him to sue the food industry. Tossed into a storm of media buzz and bullying, the teen draws the attention of a serial killer who’s targeting the obese. Soon the boy, the nurse, and their loved ones take center stage in a delusional man’s drama.

Through fiction, Eating Bull explores the real-life issues of bullying, fat-shaming, food addiction, and the food industry’s role in obesity.

“A solid thriller that manages to infuse one boy’s coming-of-age with a whole lot of murder.”—Kirkus 

My Review

Eating bull is a fascinating novel which introduces to you three important characters of the story Darwin, a serial killer whose main target are over-weight people who irritate him and Jeremy, the protagonist of the story who is overweight and finally Sue, a nurse from the public health weight management clinic.

Jeremy the protagonist is overweight and is continuously bullied by his friends and family alike and is irritated with all the criticism and his mother is worried about his growing obesity and plans to help his son in reducing his weight. While visiting a doctor she meets Sue the nurse who helps her in appointments of Jeremy in his visits to doctor for weight loss which encourages Jeremy.

Darwin on the other hand a serial killer who has been let loose is planning to kill every obese person.

Will Jeremy and Darwin cross paths and what will happen if they do so?

Continue reading the story as it is filled with facts and will keep you at the edge of your chair as the author describes the ill effects of obesity and how a person is bullied in the society and what mental pressure a person has to undergo during this rough phase of life.

Superb story plot with the intention to create awareness about obesity! I think the author has accomplished what he had wished for.

Read more about the book at Online Book Club

About the Author

Carrie Rubin is a physician, public health advocate, and award-winning author. She is a member of the International Thriller Writers association. Her novels include "Eating Bull" and "The Seneca Scourge." 

Book Review of My Father is a Hero

About the Book

Vaibhav Kulkarni has had few accomplishments worth boasting about in his modest life and career. Yet, his happy universe lies intact in the love and pride his ten-year-old daughter inspires in him. Nisha Kulkarni justifies every reason to be the favourite child of Pune’s premier school-be it her academic brilliance, her exceptional facility with music, or simply her unassuming charm. With his daughter showing promising signs of a stellar success story, Vaibhav has made peace with own unrequited dreams of the past. But when the girl mysteriously starts losing mojo and spirals into despair and seclusion, Vaibhav faces the toughest test of his life as single father - to reclaim his child’s trust and happiness. What distance will a middle-class man with limited means go to show his daughter the merit in believing in a dream? Read this gripping tale of love, courage, and of the emergence of an ordinary man as an extraordinary hero

My review

Incredible story and an inspiring one too! The story will touch your heart and will change the way you thought about life. Superb storyline and everything is just perfect in the story .

Vaibhav a father of 11year old Nisha has a modest lifestyle and lives in the suburbs of Pune. His prized possession is his daughter Nisha. Nisha is a bright student right from the beginning and is the most loved girl of the teachers. Academically Nisha is great and to add feathers to her hat she is equally good at singing and loves to sing the songs of her favourite singer Rihanna. The story showcases the struggle and the sacrifices Vaibhav has to do to make her little girl smile. A quick read though the story captures the attention of the reader and as I was reading the story I really felt connected to the plot and was able to grasp the message Nishant has tried to convey through the story.

“Your failures can never weigh as much as the burden of your regrets.”

I wish everyone reading this book find their true destiny and follow the dreams till the very end.

What is little Nisha’s dream and how Vaibhav fights against all odds to help her daughter, get to meet her dream person?

Read the story to find out what happened next and be prepared to be inspired and I wish you follow your dreams more than anything else in the world.

I received the book from WritersMelon.com in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review of The Devil’s Prayer

About the book

A nun commits suicide in front of thousands in Spain. In Australia, Siobhan Russo recognises that nun as her mother, Denise Russo, who disappeared six years ago. 

In search of answers, Siobhan travels to the isolated convent where her mother once lived. Here she discovers Denise’s final confession, a book that details a heinous betrayal that left her crippled and mute, and Denise’s subsequent deal with the Devil to take revenge. In the desperate bargain Denise made with the Prince of Darkness, she wagered Siobhan’s soul. 

As Siobhan discovers the fate of her soul, she learns that hidden within the pages of her mother’s confession is part of The Devil’s Prayer, an ancient text with the power to unleash apocalyptic horrors. 

And now her mother’s enemies know Siobhan has it.

Can Siobhan escape an order of extremist monks determined to get the Prayer back? Can she save the world from its own destruction? 

Watch the book trailer on YouTube youtube.com/watch?v=1OJMiPIR0zw or Vimeo vimeo.com/156061258 or simply search “Devil’s Prayer by Luke Gracias”

See the stunning locations from the book at devilsprayer.com.

My Review

The Devil’s Prayer is an incredible piece work and a testament of excellent craftsmanship in the art of storytelling. The story plot and the amount of research the author have done in the story shines brightly in the story and the characters perfectly convey the message the author wants to portray.

The very first thing that I said after reading the story is “WOW”. How good is the story and how beautifully is the story told. It can only be done by someone who truly loves his work and is willing to pay the price to be at his absolute best.

The historical references and the backdrop of the story capture the reader’s imagination and keep him spellbound to the story. You will be addicted to the way the story is carved out and how one chapter leads to another, with the same excitement as the previous one.

It’s a story about a mother who leaves her children and goes to Spain to become a nun and commits suicide in front of thousands. Her daughter is worried about the fact as to why her mother left her family and what is the mystery hidden from her behind her disappearance.

In an attempt to unravel the mystery she travels to Spain to the very place her mother committed suicide after a church Father gives her a letter her mother had written for her.

After she reaches the places she finds her mother’s confession which bears a strict warning

“There is a Devil’s Prayer at the last but she has to read it only after she reads her mother’s confession.”

What are her mother’s confessions and what truth hides underneath?

Read the story to find out more.

I got this book from WriterMelons.com in exchange for an honest review.

Bugman Cubicle Life and Beyond

About the book

"Knowing the unknown is better than not knowing at all". Sa & Sa journey of 'Testers' & challenges. Sa and Sa unveils the journey of software professionals. Sa and Sa Unveil this journey, they show how the software industry works, people, organization, expectations, behaviours etc. Key thing we are trying to convey is to learn everyday, develop your skills and help share the knowledge.

 

My Review

The story introduces to protagonist of the story Sa & Sa (Sachin and Santosh). The book is a very quick read and introduces you to the corporate world and how one strives in this world. The book has chapters as weeks which differentiate the job of a tester from one day to another and how a tester does his job. It goes on to describe the hiring process and what the interview asks to the candidate and how one should reply to the questions.

The author has tried to put some humour to the story by describing some moments comically.

What I liked about the book that it was a quick read but I felt as if it is a story for school children who want to find out what happens in the corporate world. And I seriously think that the cover page isn’t related to the story that it describes, it gives a different idea about the book whereas the contents are very different from the cover page. It did take away my interest in reading the book and the book isn’t for adults.

I will rate this book 2 star based on the humour and quick read.

About the author

Sachin Kodagali: Sachin completed his BE (E&CE) from Basaveshwara Engineering College, Bagalkot. He started his career as a QA Engineer at Yahoo! and worked to improve quality of products across Yahoo! and Microsoft IDC. He has passion towards new tools, technologies and to lead and motivate large group of teams. He has written several blogs, reviews related to sports, locals and also was the winner of the Best Idea for website as part of RCB. Santosh Avvannavar: Santosh is presently working as a Counsellor and Trainer, Consultant. He has trained over 50,000 people on Communication Skills, Team Building, Presentation Skills, Interview Skills and Body Language. His known for his flagship program ‘Get a Job WITHOUT an Interview. Prior to that after his college education from NITK, Surathkal, he worked as a researcher at University of Eindhoven, University of Twente, and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He was also the Placement President while working at IISC, Bangalore. He has over twenty-five publications of mostly research documents in national and international journals. He has also authored sixteen conference papers and regularly writes articles for a national and worldwide daily paper. He also works as an advisor for different organizations. He is an author of 15 books with She: Ekla Cholo Re and Umbilical Cord continues to receive promising reviews. He was invited by TV/Radio to talk on Gender Issues. He likes to devote his personal time in writing for a website, namely the Amrita Foundation for HRD (www.amritafoundation.wordpress.com).

Book Review of Rise: Trifecta Series

About the book

Fifteen-year-old high school sophomore Alexia Wick is an ordinary girl, with extraordinary abilities. She attends the prestigious South Haven Academy for the Gifted and Talented, but unknown to the other students, she is an Alerium witch. The daughter of a High Priest and Priestess, Alexia must learn to navigate the pressures of high school, all while preparing for one of the biggest competitions of her life- the Annual Trials.

Skill, stamina, and loyalty will all be tested in Rise, the first installment of the Trifecta Series. In this debut contemporary fantasy novel, magic gets real as Alexia trains for the Annual Trials, which pits teen against teen, by focusing on her craft and pushing her magic and spell casting abilities to their absolute limit. When the handsome and confident Kaleb moves into town, he offers Alexia a welcome distraction from the Trials, but a dark secret could soon tear them apart.

In the trials arena, friendships will be put to the test, fears will be confronted head-on, and powerful spells will be unleashed. When Alexia is confronted with the ultimate game of chance, and is torn between her first real love and the allegiance that binds her to her coven, will she buckle under the weight of the pressure ... or will she rise to the challenge?

My Review

Alexia Wick the daughter of High Priest and Priestess is a girl with all the powers of magic has to undergo trials for her training as a witch. She belongs to a line of powerful witch family the Aleriums, who follow white magic as opposed to the Maleriums who follow black magic.

Alexia describes in the story about her life and how the witches are different from one another and which coven focuses on what. In a race to prove her she has to undergo which will put her in an ultimate test where she has to choose between her love and her coven, which taught her the mysteries of magic and the powerful spells that she can cast.

Will she beat the heat and emerge victorious or will she bite the dust?

The climax of the story is a cliff hanger and we will have to wait to find out what happens next.

I loved the story plot and the progress of the story was pretty smooth and the author has done a great job in detailing out the facts of the magical world. I was able to visualize the events that were happening in the story as if it was happening in the real world. I would love to read the series. A great read in the Young Adult genre.

Read more about the book at Online Book Club and at Author's Website

About the author

Almonte is an author and poet who resides in New York with his spouse and two dogs. Rise is his debut novel, and is the first installment in the Trifecta Series, a young adult trilogy that is setting the literary world on fire!

He is an alumnus of New York University, where he studied leadership and management. In his spare time he enjoys cooking, entertaining, and reading. He is also an avid poker player. He attributes much of his success to his family, and is looking forward to writing the follow-up installment in the series.

Book Review of Raven Song

Name: Raven Song

Series: Inoki's Game (Book 1)

Paperback: 290 pages

Published Date: March 14, 2016

Publisher: Lucid Dreams Publishing

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1944674004

ISBN-13: 978-1944674007

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29521339-raven-song

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Raven-Song-Dystopian-Fantasy-Inokis/dp/1944674004/

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/raven-song-i-a-ashcroft/1123510684

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/raven-song

Book Blurb:

A century ago, the world burned. Even now, though rebuilt and defiant, civilization is still choking on the ashes.

Jackson, a smuggler, lives in the shadows, once a boy with no memory, no name, and no future. Ravens followed him, long-extinct birds only he could see, and nightmares flew in their wake. Once, Jackson thought himself to be one of the lucky few touched by magic, a candidate for the Order of Mages. He is a man now, and that dream has died. But, the ravens still follow. The nightmares still whisper in his ear.

Anna’s life was under the sun, her future bright, her scientific work promising. She knew nothing of The Bombings, the poisoned world, or the occult. One day, she went to work, and the next, she awoke in a box over a hundred years in the future, screaming, fighting to breathe, and looking up into the eyes of a smuggler. Anna fears she’s gone crazy, unable to fill the massive hole in her memories, and terrified of the strange abilities she now possesses.

The Coalition government has turned its watchful eyes towards them. The secret factions of the city move to collect them first. And, old gods stir in the darkness, shifting their pawns on the playing field.

If Anna and Jackson wish to stay free, they must learn what they are and why they exist.

Unfortunately, even if they do, it may be too late.

Raven Song is the first of a four book adult-oriented dystopian fantasy series, a story of intrigue, love, violence, and the old spirits in the shadows who wait for us to notice them again. Readers of Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, and Charlie Human will enjoy this dark magic-laced tale rooted on the bones of what our world could become.

Reviews:

‘Aware that this is just the first book in the series and I am hooked and will read on, however as a standalone book it would still make a fantastic read.’ ~ Mark on Goodreads

‘A good urban fantasy with well-developed characters and a grim and complex setting. I would recommend.’ ~ Dannica Zulestin on Goodreads

‘Ashcroft has a brilliant imagination coupled with an eloquent writing style that draws the reader in, makes us feel a wide array of emotions, and holds us captivated to the very end. I anxiously await the next volume in this series.’ ~ K. McCaslin on Amazon

‘I usually think endings are the worst part of most books, hard to wrap up into a logical and solid ending, this book did well at it I was satisfied but very much looking forward to the next book.’ ~ taruofatlantis on Amazon

‘The narration by Mikael Naramore was good. He was able to capture the voices of the characters well, especially the manic Tony. In general the characters were distinguishable and the voicing gave life to each of them. The production quality was good as well.’ ~ Poonam on AudioBook Reviewer.

Author Bio:

​I. A. Ashcroft has been writing fiction in many forms for almost twenty years. The author's first book, written at age seven, featured the family cat hunting an evil sorceress alongside dragons and eagles. This preoccupation with the fantastical has not changed in the slightest.

Now, the author dwells in Phoenix, AZ alongside a wonderful tale-spinner and two increasingly deranged cats. Ashcroft writes almost exclusively in the realm of darker fantasy these days, loving to entertain adults with stories of magic, wonder, despair, violence, and hope, bringing a deep love of mythology into every tale penned. The author also loves diverse and intriguing casts of characters.

When not buried in a book, one might find Ashcroft learning languages, charting road trips, and playing tabletop RPGs with clever and fun people.

Contact the Author:

Website: http://www.ia-ashcroft.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/i.a.ashcroft

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ia_ashcroft

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15077746.I_A_Ashcroft

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/I.-A.-Ashcroft/e/B01CTY42S0/

PROLOGUE

A boy lay on the broken sidewalk, eyes closed. He was pale and thin, looking not a day over ten years old. His half-clothed body shuddered against the chilly night air. His bony frame scraped against the grime of the street as he curled into himself, trying to keep back the cold. Overhead, the stars hung bright and lonely.

In the alley, almost invisible against the midnight darkness, a man stood tall over the boy. His well-pressed suit was as black as the shadows, as his skin, and as the raven on his shoulder. The way he hovered over the child, he seemed a strange guardian. But his eyes were turned upwards to the sky, away from the boy’s plight, as if it was no real matter. In those black eyes the stars were mirrored, impossible and brilliant. Those eyes stared back into the past, when the celestial lights were loved and revered, when each constellation had a story.

Once upon a time… this was when the world had sung to him, the dream-walker, the song-weaver, the star-stringer.

Once, before humans had forgotten his name.

Now, the starry sky was almost hidden by the glowing blue haze of the Barrier, a shield cast over what was left of the city: proud New York, ruined, rebuilt, defiant.

The stranger kept staring upwards into oblivion, even as the boy let out an unhappy whimper, chills wracking his weak frame. The raven flew from the stranger’s shoulder then, alighting onto the sidewalk, picking past the weeds and rubble. It rejoined its fellows who had settled amicably around the child, oblivious to the fact that ravens were all supposed to be dead. One hundred years ago, poison had leeched into the earth, into the grass, into the grazers, and into the corpses left behind. The blight spared little, its kind no exception. Regardless, this impossible creature affectionately brushed at the boy’s dark hair with its beak.

At the touch, the boy awoke with a start. His wide, uncomprehending eyes took in the world as he struggled to sit up, his head swinging around wildly; past awnings and high rises he had never seen, past scrawled words and graffiti he could not understand. He teetered to his feet, then fell back down again as his knees gave out, sending the birds around him into flight.

He saw no starry eyes in the darkness, no stranger standing nearby. He was halfnaked, shivering, hungry, and alone, his head aching down to his teeth. The nameless boy shook off the dreams he couldn’t remember and wondered where he was.

If there had been any passersby on that cold autumn night, they would have sworn that this boy hadn’t been there a minute ago, and no stranger or ravens had been there at all.

 My Review:

 

The story is intriguing is full with mysteries that you will unravel itself as you read the book. I loved the way the story was described and how Jackson faces the raven that comes in his dreams that grows intense with each passing days.

What I really like about the book was that, it was at one point of time difficult for me to differentiate between what was virtual and what is reality. I felt as if I am a part of the book and the characters are real. Exceptional piece of work which has all the elements of imagination, mystery and magic in perfect blend that makes the story even more awesome.