Thursday, March 31, 2011

Win Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach!

**CONTEST CLOSED**

This is your chance to Win...
WAKE UNTO ME (Signed) by Lisa Cach
Rules 1 Winner!

For your chances to win FILL OUT THIS FORM!

Additional Entries
Comment on my interview with Lisa Cach here
Comment on my review of Wake Unto Me here

Contest ends @ 11:59pm (CST) April 14, 2011. U.S. & Canada Residents Only (Sorry!)
**If you are an international resident and have someone in the states that I could mail the prize to, then you can enter the contest**

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Review: Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach

WAKE UNTO ME  by Lisa Cach
Pub. Date: March 2011
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
Format: Paperback , 304pp
Age Range: Young Adult
Source: Publisher (ARC)
Caitlyn Monahan knows she belongs somewhere else. It's what her dead mother's note suggested, and it's what her recurring nightmares allude to. Desperate to flee these terrifying dreams—and her small town—she accepts a spot at a boarding school in France. Only, when she arrives, her nightmares get worse. But then there are her amazing dreams, so vivid and so real, with visits from an alluring, mysterious, and gorgeous Italian boy from the 1500s. Caitlyn knows they are soul mates, but how can she be in love with someone who exists only in her dreams? Then, as her reality and dream world collide, Caitlyn searches for the real reason why she was brought to this school. And what she discovers will change her life forever.

Cach combines elements of historical fiction, paranormal, and time travel into a captivating page turner. Caitlyn finds herself drawn to Château De La Fortune, a boarding school in France. For reasons unknown to Caitlyn, other things are at work around her. Soon Caitlyn’s uniqueness launches her into a whirlwind of adventure across the ocean. There are plenty of elements at work in this novel. I enjoyed how Cach tied Caitlyn’s abilities with time travel. WAKE UNTO ME is definitely a fresh breath of air in the YA paranormal genre!

There were quite a few mysteries that kept my thoughts churning. I always enjoy when a book can keep me guessing. The mysteries hidden within Château De La Fortune were certainly intriguing, topped with a dose of eeriness. Cach’s descriptions of Château De La Fortune were so vivid - I felt like I was walking alongside Caitlyn. I remember thinking at one point this book reminded me of “The Sixth Sense.” It was one of those ah ha moments which I really didn’t see coming at all. I enjoyed all of the characters and learning about the history behind Bianca De’ Medici. Raphael was a joy and like Caitlyn, I wished I could see more of him.

As the pages wound down plus not having a clue how the book would end, I kept wondering if Cach was going to make this into a series. I would love reading more about these characters. Overall, this book took me by surprise. It has a little bit of everything within its pages which are enough to keep you turning the pages to find out how it all wraps up.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Sensational 7 Q & A with Lisa Cach (Author of Wake Unto Me)!

Have you ever wanted to know what it would be like to hang out with your favorite author(s)? In an attempt to get a better understanding of authors, my Sensational Seven Q & A takes a closer or more personal look at these authors to give you a glimpse of the personalities behind the writing of your favorite books.

“Talent alone cannot make a writer. There must be a man behind the book; a personality which, by birth and quality, is pledged to the doctrines there set forth, and which exists to see and state things so, and not otherwise.” By Ralph Waldo Emerson



Lisa Cach is the award-winning author of more than twenty romantic novels and novellas, ranging across sub-genres from Paranormal, Historical, Contemporary, and Chick Lit, to Young Adult. Her novel "Dating Without Novocaine" was named one of Waldenbooks' "Best Books of 2002," and she is a two-time finalist for the prestigious RITA Award from the Romance Writers of America.

Lisa Cach was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, where she still lives today. Her professional background includes teaching conversational English in Japan, and several years working the graveyard shift on a mental health crisis line. She has traveled to the foothills of the Himalaya, the jungles of Borneo, the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, and the painted caves of the Perigord Noir, in France. She has sailed the Caribbean as a working crew member of a research schooner, and the Bering Sea as a guest on a small ship.

Her love of travel has lately given way to pursuits closer to home: cooking, gardening, drawing. And, of course, reading. Her favorite book has always been Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre", while the only book to ever give her nightmares was Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Hound of the Baskervilles".

Please visit her website at www.lisacach.com, or friend her on Facebook. Her debut YA novel WAKE UNTO ME hits shelves today!
If you were given a chance to travel back in time, what year or place would you go / Why?
The French court of the 1780s, to see all the fabulous clothing, towering wigs, and over-the-top furnishings. I’m also curious about what it smelled like; it must have been an overpowering mix of perfumes, foods, body odors, and bodily wastes.

Describe your novel in seven words or less?
Girl dreams of, loves, 16th Century boy.

Please share with us about your favorite book and fictional crush to date?
I have a little crush on the Stephen Maturin character in Patrick O’Brien’s ‘Master & Commander’ series of nautical adventures. The books take place during the Napoleonic wars, and Maturin is a doctor and scientist aboard ship. He’s intensely intelligent, nerdy, and clumsy, but also deeply passionate about Diana, the love of this life. He’s devoted to her, no matter that she often belongs to others, and no matter that she is so wrong for him. His love in unconditional and undying.

If you could be any character in fiction, whom would you be / Why?
Auntie Mame! Because she was fearless, and she loved both life and people. Her enthusiasm for living, her sense of adventure, and her courage — not to mention her complete disregard for what others might think of her — have always inspired me. As Mame says, “Yes! Live! Life’s a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!”

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play thelead role as you/ Why?
Renee Zellweger. She’s good at playing characters who are a little bit bumbling, but very determined to get where they’re going. I often feel like I get myself into things without quite knowing what I signed up for. Like the six weeks I spent on a boat in college (I had nightmares for years afterwards that I was back on that boat), or teaching English in Japan (great experience, but I was so lonely sometimes that I’d put my forehead on my desk and cry between classes — I did it that way so the tears would drip straight out, instead of smearing my mascara down my cheeks), or getting stuck climbing Mount Kinabalu in Borneo, the highest peak in SE Asia. A mountain climber, I am not. I can imagine Ms. Zellweger’s face mirroring the bewilderment, determination, and desperate hope of success that has often been on my own face.

If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be – please explain?
She Got There, Eventually. When I think of things I’ve done, and things I want to do, I keep getting this image in my mind of a small, low to the ground, stubborn bulldog trudging forward no matter the obstacles. The bulldog doesn’t make speedy progress, but it gets there. Eventually.

How would you describe yourself/life in seven words?
Forever curious, about people and the world.



Thanks for stopping by Lisa!

For more information about Lisa Cach and her books, please visit her website here.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Monday Madness (73): Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach

What is Monday Madness?

It’s the phenomenon affecting all book lovers as we count down the hours in hopes of getting our hands on highly anticipated books on release day. So, come join me throughout the week where I will be featuring Author Interviews, Reviews, Guest Posts, and Contests for great books.


WAKE UNTO ME  by Lisa Cach
Pub. Date: March 2011
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
Format: Paperback , 304pp
Age Range: Young Adult
Caitlyn Monahan knows she belongs somewhere else. It's what her dead mother's note suggested, and it's what her recurring nightmares allude to. Desperate to flee these terrifying dreams—and her small town—she accepts a spot at a boarding school in France. Only, when she arrives, her nightmares get worse. But then there are her amazing dreams, so vivid and so real, with visits from an alluring, mysterious, and gorgeous Italian boy from the 1500s. Caitlyn knows they are soul mates, but how can she be in love with someone who exists only in her dreams? Then, as her reality and dream world collide, Caitlyn searches for the real reason why she was brought to this school. And what she discovers will change her life forever.
Want More?

Read an excerpt of WAKE UNTO ME here.




Want More? Head over to The Book Butterfly on Tantalizing Tuesday for a special treat!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Review: Betrayal by Lee Nichols

BETRAYAL (Haunting Emma, #2) by Lee Nichols
Pub. Date: March 2011
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Format: Paperback, 288pp
Age Range: Young Adult
Source: Publisher (ARC)

Emma Vaile is the most powerful ghostkeeper in centuries. Which is great when she's battling the wraith-master Neos, but terrible when she's flirting with fellow ghostkeeper (and soul mate) Bennett. When ghostkeepers fall in love, the weaker one loses all power, and that's not something Bennett can handle. Heartbroken and alone, Emma tries to lose herself in school with fellow ghostkeeper, Natalie. When a new team of ghostkeepers arrive-one a snarky teen boy, the other a British scholar-Emma finds solace in training for the battle against Neos. But as the team grows stronger, they are threatened by an unknown force. One they thought was good.

As chilling and page-turning as Deception, this sequel will grab readers and hold them to the last page. No one is safe from suspicion as Emma closes in on the traitor

BETRAYAL takes readers deeper into Emma's ghost keeping world as we find out more about her powers and past ancestors. As much as Emma longs to lead a normal life and be with heart throb Bennett, unfortunately danger keeps them apart. With her loved ones lives on the line, Emma has to quickly master her abilities since she seems to be the only one who can defeat her nemesis.

It didn't take me long to eat up the pages in Emma's ghostly world. I continue to be fascinated and surprised with the different abilities that each ghost keeper has. As Emma comes more into her powers, her foes will stop at nothing to defeat her. And if she hasn't enough to worry about with the events that happened in the first installment, she has to constantly watch her back for betrayal. There never seems to be a slow moment in Emma's life and that's one of the things I enjoyed so much about this book. You never know what's going to happen. I enjoyed the new character's that are thrown into Emma's life. They made one great team.

This is one ghost series that I can't get enough of. I can only wonder what Nichols will throw at her readers next. I for one am thrilled that I get a chance to see more of this exciting cast of characters...ghosts included.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars



Check out the book trailer!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Win Lemniscate by Jennifer Murgia!

This is your chance to Win...
LEMNISCATE (ARC) by Jennifer Murgia

Rules 1 Winner!

For your chances to win FILL OUT THIS FORM!

Additional Entries
Comment on my review of Lemniscate here

Contest ends @ 11:59pm (CST) April 9, 2011. U.S. & Canada Residents Only (Sorry!)
**If you are an international resident and have someone in the states that I could mail the prize to, then you can enter the contest**

Review: Lemniscate by Jennifer Murgia

LEMNISCATE by Jennifer Murgia
Pub. Date: March 2011
Publisher: Lands Atlantic Publishing
Format: Paperback , 262pp
Source: Publisher (ARC)
For Teagan, these last few months have been heaven on earth- especially now that Garreth, her boyfriend and guardian angel, is earthbound. But perhaps Garreth is becoming a little more human than either of them expected.

Now, Teagan must realize that her world is once again about to shift, as she questions the faith she held in others against those once considered enemies.

In this continuation of Angel Star, Lemniscate will draw you even deeper into the world of dark and light as Teagan realizes the angel who could possibly save them all is the one angel she feared the most.

In this mesmerizing second installment, readers will be drawn in page by page as Teagan struggles with the changes impacting the lives surrounding her. I enjoyed ANGEL STAR and could only hope that LEMNISCATE would continue to delve deeper into the dark and light themes. Everything Teagan thought she knew about the angels in her life is questioned in this heart gripping installment.

I had a feeling we would see more of Hadrian and I'm not surprised that I enjoyed him even more in this installment ( I would have loved to read more about him). He totally redeemed himself for me. I also liked the fact that Jennifer made Garreth seem more human and prone to the influences around him whether they were good or bad. These factors drew me more into the book to see how Garreth being earthbound would affect his character. The tension simmering in Teagan's relationship with Gareth and Hadrian was enough to keep me turning the pages. LEMNISCATE centered more around Teagan and Brynn (her nemesis). Much was uncovered about their past and how their roles impacted good and evil.

LEMNISCATE is a great continuation in this thrilling series where everything's not so black and white. Murgia knows how to draw readers into her world.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars



Check out the book trailer!

Friday, March 25, 2011

Win Entwined by Heather Dixon!

**CONTEST CLOSED**

This is your chance to Win...
ENTWINED (Signed) by Heather Dixon
Swag: Beaded dancing princess bookmark & an Entwined cover pendant necklace

Rules 1 Winner!

For your chances to win FILL OUT THIS FORM!

Additional Entries
Comment on my interview with Heather Dixon here
Comment on my review of Entwined here
Comment on Heather's Guest Post here

Contest ends @ 11:59pm (CST) April 8, 2011. U.S. & Canada Residents Only (Sorry!)
**If you are an international resident and have someone in the states that I could mail the prize to, then you can enter the contest**

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Guest Post: Heather Dixon (Author of Entwined)



Heather Dixon grew up in a large family with four brothers and six sisters. She is a storyboard artist as well as a writer, and lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Viennese waltz is her dance of choice. She is the author of the novel Entwined.

ENTWINED will be in stores March 29, 2011!


Wow! I feel pretty honored to be a guest on Fantastic Book Review. Tina had the suggestion to write about the setting of Entwined, to explain why the silver forest and the pavilion feel so magical and alluring to the sisters.

Awesome! This is story meat stuff. I think it can be summed up in one universal design principle: contrast.

At the beginning of Entwined, the girls’ mother dies. According to Victorian tradition, the royal family must all wear black, drape the windows, stop the clocks, and keep inside the palace for a year. The palace changes from a place dappled with sunlight and bright windows to “muffled with drapery, turning day into pitch-black.” Bramble refers to it as their “boot-blackened palace”. Worse, the girls are kept from dancing as well, made to wear heavy boots instead of light dancing slippers.


Pretty stifling.

More so, spiritually, Mourning is a symbol of their broken family. (I use the word spiritual here not so much as a religious term, but in place of the usual word emotional, as I think it better describes story narrative.) All the darkness constantly reminds the girls of how their mother is gone, and that their father, the King, has distanced himself even more from them.

So! Settings are bound by both the physical and emotional/spiritual threads in the overarching story structure. Contrast the darkness of the palace with the whiteness of the silver forest Azalea and her sisters discover, magic hidden beneath the palace:

“The scene washed over Azalea like a crystal symphony…Every bough, branch, leaf, and ivied tendril looked as though it had been frosted in silver. It shimmered in the soft, misty light…Everything sparkled in bits, catching highlights in glisters as she moved.”

Light doesn’t just shine there, it glimmers. When it rains (as an echo of the leaky palace), the drops are pearls. The princesses, used to their dark and run-down household, are fascinated. It even smells different. Sparkles are for rich people!


And there’s a huge contrast emotionally. While the girls are forced to follow the rules of Mourning in the palace, here in the silver forest they’re breaking the rules. They thrill at defying the King. They feel alive and comforted for the first time since mourning began. Silver forest = freedom.

Or does it?

As beautiful and exciting as the silver forest is, something is not quite right. It feels muffled, like a snowfall, even more muffled than the palace. There’s no sunlight. There’s something haunting and unnatural about the Pavilion and its Keeper. Although they contrast starkly, physically and spiritually, neither the palace or the silver forest is ideal. In fact, emotionally/spiritually, the silver forest is worse. And because of that, it isn’t long before Azalea finds herself entwined in nightmare.



Thanks for stopping by Heather!

For more information about Heather Dixon and her books, please visit her website here.

Check out my review of Entwined here!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Review: Entwined by Heather Dixon

ENTWINED by Heather Dixon
Pub. Date: March 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Format: Hardcover , 480pp
Age Range: Young Adult
Source: Publisher (ARC)
Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her...beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing... it's taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost.

The Keeper likes to keep things.

Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

Dixon submerged me into her fairy tale world of magic, mystery, and love. Fairy tale retellings are becoming very popular in YA. So, when I heard ENTWINED was a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses by the Brothers Grimm, I was excited to see how Dixon would put her spin on it. I don't think I could ever tire of balls, gentlemen suitors, and beautiful gowns in any novel. I love this time period and it's always been magical to me.

Azalea, eldest of twelve finally gets to go to her first ball. While everything seemed magical for Azalea, tragedy soon strikes, changing everything around her. Azalea and her sisters find themselves trapped within the rules of society for Mourning after the death of their mother. I for one am a big lover of dance in all shapes and form and I couldn't imagine it being taken away. To escape, the girls stumble into a magical realm where they can dance the night away. For a price - there's always one and Dixon created one of the creepiest villains in the Keeper. I loved Azalea's strength and how she was so protective of her sisters. Lord Bradford and Sir Teddy was also a delight. I enjoyed these characters!

Overall, ENTWINED was an enticing retelling. If you're a fan of fairy tale retellings, you should definitely give this one a try. Dixon's take on this magical setting and cast of characters kept me entwined in her writing.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Sensational 7 Q & A with Heather Dixon (Author of Entwined)!

Have you ever wanted to know what it would be like to hang out with your favorite author(s)? In an attempt to get a better understanding of authors, my Sensational Seven Q & A takes a closer or more personal look at these authors to give you a glimpse of the personalities behind the writing of your favorite books.

“Talent alone cannot make a writer. There must be a man behind the book; a personality which, by birth and quality, is pledged to the doctrines there set forth, and which exists to see and state things so, and not otherwise.” By Ralph Waldo Emerson




Heather Dixon grew up in a large family with four brothers and six sisters. She is a storyboard artist as well as a writer, and lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Viennese waltz is her dance of choice. She is the author of the novel Entwined.
ENTWINED will be in stores March 29, 2011!


If you were given a chance to travel back in time, what year or place would you go / Why?
It’d be pretty awesome to see the Crystal Palace Exhibition, in Victorian London. The Victorian era was when technology really took off, and the Exhibition in 1851 was the place to see it. It’d also be pretty neat to meet Queen Victoria. She was feisty or something.

Describe your novel in seven words or less?
Twelve princesses daintily entwined into a trap.

Please share with us about your favorite book and fictional crush to date?
I adore the book “Going Postal” by Terry Pratchett. There are a lot of layers to that story, and it’s told in a funny and clever way, with great characters. It’s been my favorite for years.


Fictional crush: Bertram Wooster, from P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster series. He’s hilarious and easy-going and big-hearted. Love that.


If you could be any character in fiction, whom would you be / Why?
I wouldn’t mind being Charlie from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was a childhood fantasy to visit that chocolate waterfall room and gorge myself.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play thelead role as you/ Why?

Rapunzel, from “Tangled”.


She looks like me. She acts like me. She even moves like me. Watching that movie was freaky.

If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be – please explain?
“How the Dictator of Canamerica Rose to Power”

This actually hasn’t happened yet, but it will. Uniting Canada and the US is part of my evil plan to make American policemen wear Mountie uniforms.

How would you describe yourself/life in seven words?
A behind-the-scenes story creator.


Bonus:

**Is there any additional info you would like to share with your readers about what’s next for you and your books?**
Right now I’m working on a steampunk novel titled “Illusionarium”. It’s super action-oriented, which has been a blast to write. Also: clowns take over the government. I’m all over that!


Thanks for stopping by Heather!

For more information about Heather Dixon and her books, please visit her website here.
 

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