Book Review: Teresa of the New World (Sharman Apt Russell)

Sharman Apt Russell's striking new book Teresa of the New World is part coming of age tale, part historical fiction, part magical realism. Our heroine is Teresa, the daughter of a Native American mother and a Conquistador father. She has one foot in the old world and one in the new. A series of misfortunes splits her from her family, taking her on several journeys—starting as a young child and continuing through her teen years. 

The book is written in the rich tradition of Native American story-telling. Readers unaccustomed to this style may find the it a bit jarring at first. But go with it. You will be rewarded with a beautiful story—full of rugged South Western American terrain and unusual magic—that has you rooting for Teresa as she battles The Plague. While dystopian in theme, Teresa's inner strength shines through.

Perfect for those who love mystical worlds, coming of age tales, and Native American folklore.

Russell is giving away four (4) signed copies of Teresa of the New World (US) to the winners of the below Rafflecopter.  The giveaway ends July 28th.

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Connect with Sharman online via her website or on Facebook.

Book review: Zombie-saurus Rex

Being a teenager is tough as it is. Now imagine you are a zombie. That's the premise of the wildly imaginative young adult novel Zombie-saurusRex by Mark Souza.

Here's the description:

Rex Morton, a seventeen year-old zombie, has arrived in the small farming town of Plain View, Nebraska; just another stop in a long string of small towns left behind in their rear view mirror. Unlike the zombie stereotype, Rex is bright and friendly - as long as he doesn't get hungry. He hopes this time he can manage to stick around long enough to get his diploma. Rex’s fiercely protective mother has strong-armed yet another school district into accepting her son by threatening a discrimination lawsuit. At Plain View High, a dismal pattern of fear, prejudice, and bullying steers Rex down a familiar path toward expulsion. The difference this time is that Rex has fallen for fiery Goth girl, Ariella Klopenstein, the daughter of the Police Chief, and decided he will make his stand in Plain View. As the Z-virus spreads west and the country panics, Rex and Ariella must find a way to overcome Rex’s mother who wants to break them apart and flee town, a school principal who wants Rex expelled, Ariella’s father, the Police Chief, who thinks Rex is dangerous, and a government zombie round-up aimed at solving the zombie problem once and for all. 

Zombie-saurus Rex is a story about perseverance, overcoming prejudice, stereotypes and adversity. What it isn't is a story about dinosaurs. The title is inspired by a nickname a school bully hangs on Rex due to his size, posture, and slow plodding gate. 

Since I am not the target audience, I gave it to my 11 year-old daughter. Here's her 5- star review.

I enjoyed the book very much it kept me interested the whole time. It was a great mix of action and comedy, and the style of the writing wasn't confusing or unclear, which is very good for me. I loved the personality of the characters and how different and interesting they are.
I was kind of bummed that Rex's dad didn't show up somewhere to get Rex and his mom to forgive him.

I was apprehensive to give her this one, because she's still at that anti-romance age (and that cover makes the book look steamier than it actually is).  One of her school assignments is to read 20 minutes a day. Every time she picked up this book, she went well over her 20 minutes. (And no calls from the other room: "Mom, has it been 20 minutes yet?") So although she wasn't terribly verbose with this review, but I know she really loved it.

You can find out more about Mark's really interesting (and not-just-for-kids) books on his website, Tweet at him,  and find him on Facebook.

Mark is hosting an awesome $50 Amazon gift card giveaway. Be sure to enter!

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Book Review: SILK by Chris Karlsen

Contest lovers should read to the bottom. Not only is there a Rafflecopter giveaway but the author is giving away one Kindle copy of SILK for each tour stop, including this one!

Historical fiction is tough. You have to research your time period within an inch of its life. Readers that are sticklers for details happily call out your errors. I’d love to write a historical fiction, but I am positively frightened of it. So kudos to Chris Karlsen for braving the choppy waters of this genre. 

SILK has two stories running concurrently that eventually cross paths. We open with William, a wealthy aristocrat, member of the House of Lords, friend to Queen Victoria, and an insatiable appetite for kink. When his current paramour is accentually killed during an intimate act, the power from that taste of blood proves so tantalizing that William decides to perpetrate non-accidental deaths.

Set in the middle of the Jack the Ripper panic, which has whipped neighboring Whitechapel into hysteria, Inspector Rudyard Bloodstone and his partner are tasked with solving their own peculiar murders taking place outside the British Museum. As the defiled bodies of working class women pile up, the Inspector has his hands full trying to solve this crime without setting off a city wide, Ripper induced panic.

When William gets involved in a copycat killing, he and Bloodstone cross paths, beginning a fascinating cat and mouse game between the two. 

SILK was a bit of a slow start for me, but once the story got going, it grabbed me. While William is revealed as a killer at the start of the book, we are left on pins and needles about his motives for the other murders. He picks up a woman he at a remote train station, will he kill her next? There were several moments in the book that left me breathless. 

There were also bits that slowed down the captivating story. For example, the stiff romance that bloomed between a widowed seamstress and Bloodstone didn’t do much to further the plot, and I skimmed over those moments. There was also a fascinating historical element to the book that Karlsen worked into Bloodstone’s backstory. While I appreciate what the author was doing, and I agree it was fascinating, I felt like it brought the story itself to a halt. 

Quibbles aside, the story is fascinating and I even found myself rooting for William until his final monstrous act. I love villains that are layered enough that you can find ways to sympathize with them. Just like I love imperfect heroes, and Rudyard was certainly that. He came down on the right side of the law, but his personality was as chilly as the serial killers he chased.  

Fans of books set in Victorian England, or of the BBC series Ripper Street (I'm a fan), will enjoy this one.

Check out Chris Karlsen's website, buy SILK from Amazon. Don't forget to leave a comment on this post if you'd like to win a Kindle copy! 

And you can enter a Rafflecopter give away (includes a Kindle copy of SILK, swag bag & a $10 Amazon gift card):

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I received a free Kindle copy from the author for the purposes of reviewing.

Book Review: Henge

I know, I know, I am not a fan of reviewing but here I am with my second review this week! But I'm letting my kid take this post, since is a YA fantasy. 

But first, a bit about the book. Henge, by Realm Lovejoy. is the first book in the LeFay series. The book not only retells the King Arthur myth through the eyes of Morgan LeFay but it also sets it in modern day. Very cool stuff. Here's what my daughter thought:

Morgan wants to become Maven (a protector) to Prince Arthur. She enters the “Arthur’s Round,” a competition to become the Maven. She runs into a series of magical problems at the camp, while making friends (and enemies).  

Morgan is magical—she can conjure fire in her hand and use it to do all different things. 

Her mom got executed for using magic when she accidentally killed someone, but Morgan saw it and knew that her mom was protecting herself.  

I am a fan of the King Arthur story, and I loved that the book told it from Morgan’s point of view. I thought it was a neat twist to set the story in the present time with cell phones and cars and other modern things. But they still have Knights, and I am glad that they are in there.

I loved that there was a lot of action and the book kept my attention. I definitely want to read the next book in the series.  

You can find Realm Lovejoy online at her website or blog, or hang out with her on Facebook or Twitter.

Enter the giveaway for one signed paperback copy with swag, four paperbacks and four eBooks.

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Book Review: A Heart for Copper

I am not a fan of reviewing other authors. Writing is tough enough without the criticism, and, like all art, book appreciation is rather subjective. But SilkWords Publishing is building their reputation as the go-to publisher for a “chose your own adventure” style novellas (aka “branched fiction” or "pick your path"), and I could not resist checking out their latest release, A Heart for Copper.  

SilkWords is doing the 21st Century version of the old “hypertext” books. Hypertext cropped up at the very early stages of the internet as we know it. But they did not live online—they were purchased on CD and then read on your computer. It was cumbersome. If you are the type that likes to unwind on the couch or in bed with a book, hypertext was impossible unless you had a laptop. But it was created for a niche (and academic) market, and there it remained. 

Fast forward 20 years. The new sophistication of eReaders make the promise of choosing your own adventure a reality for millions who use Kindle and Nook (devices or apps). SilkWords is driving this new way of reading.   

Sharon Lynn Fisher's A Heart for Copper is a steampunk romance about Copper, an automaton created by a young inventor. When he implants a heart into Copper, she comes to life. But whoever holds the heart’s key decides Copper’s fate. Will she become human or will she remain a automaton? Will she find true love with her creator, or will she strike out on her own to find more like her?

Here the reader decides.

I took several paths, curious to see the story play out differently as many times as I could. It was a fascinating way to read, although I missed the author’s guidance. She knows her characters better than I do. Most authors, myself included, have backstories for their main characters — and mine can get very specific. So it felt strange to make Copper’s decision for her. I kept wondering who the author would have wanted to take the key. But I had to chose—did I want a love story, or one of empowerment? I chose the road I assumed would be less taken.  

This direction I took introduced me to a magical world filled with other automatons as she searched for the alchemist that created the heart that brought her to life. It was a world I wanted to spend more time in and get to know better. Depending on the road you take, you may not spend much time here. But even with taking the path that explored this world more, it felt like I was leaving too soon. I wanted more time there. 

The writing itself was beautiful, with lush descriptions that helped create this fantastical steampunk world. In a way, that felt like the antithesis of the reading medium. I was so engrossed in the world, and the characters that Sharon Fisher created, that I wanted her to guide me through the story she wanted to tell. 

That said, I think “branched fiction” is something to keep an eye on. Culturally, the signs are pointing towards audiences that want to be more involved in the art they are consuming—the rise of interactive theater, the appeal of “virtual reality” gaming (once again, Oculus took CES by storm), audiences want to experience their chosen art and entertainment in a very personal, individual way. 

Check out SilkWords' website for more offerings, where they offer loads more branched fiction stories as well as "reader vote" stories, where readers decide where the book goes next. A Heart for Copper is definitely Rated PG, but their other stories are very much for the over 18 set, many are downright steamy. 

For more on SilkWoods their work in branched fiction, check out Jill Archer's terrific interview with Sharon. There's some great info in there about the future of their company and upcoming website changes (including heart shaped "game currency") to boost reader interaction even more.