Monday, April 30, 2012

$2.99 ebook deal.

Glow (Sky Chasers Series #1)


Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication date: 9/13/2011
Pages: 320


Synopsis:

What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?

Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...

Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside.

It is only $2.99 for a little while so snatch this deal up quickly. =]

Links to Buy it:


Thanks for Visiting

Happy Reading. =]

-Michael

Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium (Delirium, #1)

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: 2/7/2012
Pages: 480


Synopsis:

Ninety-five days, and then I’ll be safe.

I wonder whether the procedure will hurt.

I want to get it over with.

It’s hard to be patient.

It’s hard not to be afraid while I’m still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn’t touched me yet.

Still, I worry.

They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness.
Love. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don’t.

In Lauren Oliver’s stunning second novel, love has been declared a dangerous disease, and the government forces everyone who reaches eighteen to have a procedure called the cure. Lena Haloway is very much looking forward to being cured and living a safe, predictable life. But then she meets enigmatic Alex, who lives under the government’s radar. What will happen if they do the unthinkable and fall in love?

My Thoughts/Review:

Delirium offers a unique concept in the world of literature. The concept that love is a disease. That it has to be cured in order for people to live. The story starts off a little slow but picks up towards the end with an amazing ending. The story is about a girl named Lena. She is the type of girl that sticks to the rules and never does things out of the ordinary. She is very relatable to a lot of people. Things completely change for her when she meets Alex and she starts to get the disease.
The story is really compelling in a way that you really feel for the characters that live in this world. I really don't see how it is fathomable to not have love. It is really unthinkable to me.

Lauren Oliver's writing style is completely authentic and original. The way she writes this story is so powerful and it really makes an impact on the message this book is carrying. Hana is Lena's best friend and she is the person that introduces Lena into the secret lifestyle where love exists. Hana is really an important catalyst of a sub character that helps propel the book into new territory. I loved how the book picked up a lot in the end and how it has many surprising twists and turns.

The ending was a cliffhanger that makes you want to jump into the next book right away. Love is a powerful emotion and Delirium definitely portrays the importance it possesses. Delirium is a worthwhile book to read. If you have a chance, definitely go pick up a copy and read it. This book goes through so many levels and depths of love. You really experience an awesome story that takes you on a wild ride from being against love to embracing it. Not caring about your life over forsaking love is a powerful thing. I can't wait to read the next book and really love how this book was written. I don't know how this book series will end up and I can't wait to find out. Also this book is supposed to be a movie in 2013 and I really want to see how it gets portrayed.


Overall I give this book...

+ .5

Thought provoking Science Fiction that really delves into the human psyche =]
4.5 out of 5 Stars


Links to Check it Out:

Thanks for Visiting and Happy Reading. =]
-Michael

Thursday, April 26, 2012

How it should have ended.

This is an awesome site, I just found that has some very funny videos. So today I decided I should share some with you. =]




I thought these were really funny. Hope you enjoyed them. =]

Thanks for Visiting.

Happy Reading. =]

-Michael 

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Happy Earth Day




Hi everyone,

Hope your Earth Day was fantastic.

Read an ebook today to save on paper. =]

Sorry I haven't been posting lately.

School has been super busy lately and taking up most of my time.

Once it slows down I have some great posts planned.

Happy Earth Day,

Happy Reading, and

Thanks for Visiting.

-Michael

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

$2.99 eBook Deal.

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong is available today for only $2.99. I have been really meaning to read this book because I have heard such good things from many people. So today is your chance to buy it for such an awesome price. I know I am going to take advantage of this deal. =]

The Gathering (Darkness Rising Series #1)

Synopsis:
Strange things are happening in Maya's tiny Vancouver Island town. First, her friend Serena, the captain of the swim team, drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. Then, one year later, mountain lions are spotted rather frequently around Maya's home—and her reactions to them are somewhat . . . unexpected. Her best friend, Daniel, has also been experiencing unexplainable premonitions about certain people and situations.

It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret, and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy—her paw-print birthmark.



Thanks for visiting and Happy Reading. =]

-Michael


Thursday, April 12, 2012

Follow Friday(13)

FF 2012 Feature & Follow #80
Follow Friday is a weekly event hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.
This week's Question is:
Q: What is one book that you would be nervous to see a movie adaption of because you think the movie could never live up to the book?

Today is a great day to have my thirteenth Follow Friday. Happy Friday the 13th everyone. =] Hope your day is filled with good luck instead of bad.
Anyway lets get back to the question.

As you guys mostly know there have been a ton of books that get adapted to be movies and they completely fail. For example, the Lemony Snicket Books, Eragon, and many more that just didn't live up to par.
Here are a few books that I would love to see made in to movies but I just don't think will be as good as the book. =]

Across the Universe (Across the Universe Series #1)

Divergent (Divergent Series #1)

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles Series #1)

Pure

I am sure I can go on and on. But those are the four that came to mind. =]

Leave me your links to your Follow Friday in the comment section and I will follow you back. =]

Thanks for visiting and Happy Reading.

-Michael 

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Teaser Tuesday



Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two(2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT paricipants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers. =]


 
A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, #2)

My Teaser(I have two this week again):

“Power resides only where men believe it resides. [...] A shadow on the wall, yet shadows can kill. And ofttimes a very small man can cast a very large shadow.”
George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings

“If you need help bark like a dog." - Gendry.

"That's stupid. If I need help I'll shout help." - Arya”
George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings



Thanks for Visiting and Happy Reading. =]

-Michael

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Happy Easter!!!


 

Hope you all have an awesome day today with family and friends.

Hope you get some reading in and you have a great day off.

Thanks for visiting.

Happy Reading. =]

-Michael

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Interview with Tom Tancin author of Hippocampus

The full wraparound cover for Hippocampus (Book One of the Atlantis Revolution).  Illustration by Veronica Jones.

Tom Tancin author of Hippocampus wanted to stop by so I could ask him some questions about his awesome book series. Here is a link to my review if you want to check it out. Hippocampus is now on sale this week as an eBook on B&N and Amazon, and also as a paperback on Lulu.com. Definitely go check it out. It is such a spectacular magical book that involves Atlantis. How much more could you ask for?

Without further ado, here is the interview:

1) What made you go into writing? Was it what you originally intended to do?

            First of all, thank you for the raving review of Hippocampus and for hosting this interview.  I greatly appreciate it.  Now, let's get to the answer.

  Writing is actually a side career for me. I’m a 7th grade science teacher full-time.  That job keeps me pretty busy but I love being creative.  I started writing when I was 13 years old (in 7th grade) because of a challenge from my English teacher. It was only after that challenge that I realized how much I loved writing.  From there, I grew passionate about the publishing industry and also about other creative outlets(such as website, graphic, and cover design).
            I started with independent publishing about five years ago with an adult mystery series (2 books to be exact). However, I was always drawn to young adult books, since I love to read them, so I knew that I had to focus my energy there.  About three years ago, I started developing The Atlantis Revolution.

2) What was your inspiration for writing Hippocampus?

            I wrote Hippocampus because I have a fascination with Atlantis but haven’t found anything that satisfies me interms of a story about the island. So I decided to write a story of my own.  It grew into a series once I combined Atlantis with the idea of a teenager having to step up and basically “carry the world on his shoulders”, which is something that many teens have to do and something I had to do when I was younger.  

3) What made you think of the concept of Atlantis? Have you always had this idea or did it develop over the years?

            This will continue the answer from #2. I don’t know when my fascination with Atlantis started but I know that I’ve had it for at least 15 years.  The very first book I wrote (I was in middle school) involved Atlantis to a smaller degree.  I always knew I would write a story that focused on Atlantis, I just had to wait until I had the right components.  Those components were developed separately over the years and eventually put together to form The Atlantis Revolution. 


4) What did you base your description of Atlantis on? Did you completely just make it up or did you already have a picture in your head of what it looked like?


            The island in my series is based on Plato’s description to some degree but it’s also the product of years of envisioning the island in my head.  I combined many separate ideas and developed them over the three years to finally come up with a finished product. I’ll give you some insight into what I did and why.
            I combined the look of ancient Greece with the modern world.  I had to make sure the island had everything it needed to sustain itself (forests, farmland, business district, mines, etc).  I made sure that it had the rings of water surrounding the city and palace.  I also made sure that there were rivers running through the city and under buildings.
             The walled city on higher ground was part of Plato’s description and also typical of ancient cities.  The underground cavern system wassomething that popped into my head and I loved it so I worked to incorporate how it would work and why it would be crucial to the island and story. 
            Interms of the symbols and color palette, I created those because I always envisioned water when I thought of Atlantis.  So that’s why you encounter symbols like the seahorse,jellyfish, and sea turtle.  And it’s also why everything in the palace has colors like ocean blue, seaweed green, and sand.

5) How did you come up with the Atlantean language?

            Since a Greek philosopher described Atlantis, I decided to use the Greek language as a basis.  Most of the Atlantean words are actually from the Greek language.  However, some of the Atlantean language was created in my own head or from combining multiple Greek words.  It was a lot of work to design a language but it wasn’t as difficult as it would have been if I created the Atlantean language from scratch.
   
6) What made you introduce sorcery into your story? Will there be more sorcery in the next books? Will we find out more about Jocasta and the Knight of the Abyss?

            I wanted The Atlantis Revolution to be an epic fantasy series.  When I sat back and thought about “epic fantasy”, I immediately pictured parallel worlds, Knights, and sorcery.  So Atlantis became a parallel world to our own, the Knights became the evil group threatening the island, and I added in the magic component.  Having the sorcery in the story was important because it helped explain the Hippocampus Syndesi (the connections the royals have to the sorcerers and to the Mnemosunero).  And the Mnemosunero was actually one of the first pieces of the story I developed—but it couldn’t be explained without the sorcery.  Therefore, sorcery will continue to play a role in the series.
            You will definitely learn a lot more about Jocasta and the Knights of the Abyss in future books.  I plan to give you tidbits about their motives and their plans without taking time away from Trey and his royal court.  I also want to keep the Knights mysterious. The Knights of the Abyss, even though they are a group of individuals, really function as one character in my mind.  They all have the same goal, which is to destroy Atlantis, and they all want to go about it in the same way. 
            I’m not sure if you put Jocasta first in your question on purpose but, if you’re thinking like me, Jocasta is becoming the standout character on the evil side of the story. The interesting thing is, Jocasta was never supposed to be a main villain.  The series was going to focus on the Knights of the Abyss and Jocasta was just going to play a supporting role to them.  As it turns out, it’s becoming quite the opposite situation.  Jocasta has a mind of her own and quite a back-story. In fact, she’s probably my favorite character in the series.  The rest of the series will add some real dimension to her character, starting in the second book.

7) Will Trey learn how to control his sorcery abilities more?

            Trey will learn to control his sorcery abilities as the series progresses.  And, perhaps even more importantly, Trey will learn about his Atlantean heritage, which will explain why he has the ability.

8) Are you going to go into more detail about who Grandpa Atlas is and what is happening to him?
            I’ll keep this one short—Yes.

9) Do you have somewhat of an idea of what is going to happen in the next books? Can you share some exciting tidbits with me and your readers?

            I have the majority of the series mapped out in my head (and to some extent on paper).  I don’t want to give too much away but I will say that the Knights of the Abyss will continue to be a problem for Atlantis—and therefore for Trey. 
            In general, the rest of the series will allow the reader to become more familiar with Atlantis.  You’ll also learn all about Trey’s past, his biological family, and why he’s the boy in the prophecy.  You’ll get to see how Trey deals with all of the new responsibilities of leading Atlantis, how the pressure is changing his relationships, and what being the Ruling Prince means for his future.  And of course you’ll get all of the adventure, magic, sword fights, and good vs. evil that defined the Hippocampus.

Okay now I have some fun This or That Questions.

These are tough!  I have a hard time making decisions.  

Books or ebooks? 
It depends on the book.  I enjoy both for their advantages but I do really love my nook.

Cat or Dogs?
Both!  And add birds.

Sorcerer or Soldier?
Sorcerer.

Sword Fights or Magic Fights?
Magic fights.  Though I enjoy writing both.  

Coke or Pepsi?
Coke

Thanks for stopping by and for an awesome interview Tom. I can not wait for book two to come out so I can read it. =]

If you guys have any questions for Tom he said he would stop by the blog to answer some of your questions so leave them in the comment section.


Thanks for visiting and Happy Reading. =]

-Michael

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore




For those of you who don't know "Waiting On" Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The purpose is to let others know which book you are anticipating and can't wait til it comes out to read it.



Here is what I am waiting for this Wednesday:



The Rise of Nine (Lorien Legacies Series #3)
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: 8/21/2012
Pages: 416

It all began with nine. Nine aliens who left their home planet of Lorien when it fell under attack by the evil Mogadorians—who scattered on Earth and went into hiding. They look like ordinary teenagers, but they have extraordinary skills. The Mogadorians killed Number One, Number Two, and Number Three. They tried to kill Number Four ... and failed.
Number Four (aka John Smith) has now teamed up with Number Nine, while Six has gone off to find the others. With the Mogadorians hot on their trail and time running out, they must find a way to come together, before it's too late. Power in numbers will save them all.


Why I am Waiting:
I know that this is far away and coming out in the summer but I just can't wait for it. I didn't know they revealed the cover and it looks really awesome. Hope you guys can't wait as much as I can't. Let me know in the comments what you are waiting for. =]



Thanks for visiting and Happy Reading. =]

-Michael

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Book Trailer: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent (Divergent, #2)

The book trailer for Insurgent by Veronica Roth just came out. I am going to go preorder my copy. Really Awesome Book Trailer. Can't wait. =]




Thanks for visiting and Happy Reading. =]

-Michael