Book Review: The Last Messenger of Zitol

Before I get to the book review, if you're here to see the cover reveal for my amazing critique partner's debut MG novel, then you've come to the right place. I overbooked my blog this week, but you can find the cover reveal for S.A. Larsen's Motley Education HERE. Thanks! :)

I haven't done a book review in a while, mostly because life is a little too crazy, but when I had the opportunity to read and review Chelsea Dyreng's YA novel, The Last Messenger of Zitol, I jumped at the chance. Last year I read her debut novel, The Cenote, and I was captivated by her writing. I knew I would love her latest book, and I was right!

Publisher's Blurb:

When Rishi is kidnapped and taken to Zitól, she faces an unthinkable future: she is to be sacrificed to appease the gods. To survive in this place, where greed, lust, and fear eclipse compassion, Rishi befriends the selfish and ignorant king, only to discover that he may not have the power to save her after all.

My Review:

All I can say after reading The Last Messenger of Zitol is WOW! Chelsea creates such a vivid description of a time, place, and culture that is foreign to me. She has a knack for drawing the reader so far into the world she's created that we can feel the sea spray on our faces and taste the juicy sweetness of the indigenous fruits. And when Rishi is languishing in the tower, waiting to die, we feel her hunger.

Chelsea expertly weaves underlying messages throughout the story, like hidden gems among the words. There were several times where I silently applauded Dyreng for her ability to create such a masterful tale with such exquisite language and the perfect amount of humor.

The story of Rishi and her friends centers around virtue, and the polished white beads the girls wear to show that they are pure, holy, untainted, and unspoiled. The moment a girl loses her virginity, her white bead is taken away and replaced by one of the appropriate color. If you're married you get a blue bead, if you're a concubine, you receive a purple one. When Rishi and her friends are kidnapped by savages, all I want is for the girls to retain their virtue. And when one of the girls has her virtue stolen from her, the reader mourns for her loss.

The kidnapped girls are taken to Zitol where every spring a virgin maiden is sacrificed as a prayer to the gods. The wickedness of this city was eye-opening. The people of Zitol are carnal and lustful, and the gods they worship are cruel and demanding. It is only through the power and virtue of one girl—Rishi—that people begin to recognize truths that have been kept from them for years by evil leaders.

Here is one of my favorite lines from the book (Rishi says this to the king, also known as the Anointed One):

"The gods are not sending rain to reward your obedience. They are weeping over your mistakes."

And of course, there's a wonderful love story that is equally matched by the underlying theme of a magnificent change of heart. The narrator is a selfish king who is merely a puppet for the Speakers around him. But the moment he meets Rishi, in the months before her sacrifice, everything changes. She sees in him the good that no one else does. She inspires him to be better, to seek truth, and to honor her virtue. And when they fall in love, it is sweet and beautiful.

So you're probably wondering what happens to Rishi. Does she live? Does she die in the annual sacrifice? Well, you'll just have to read the book to find out! :)

I give this book 2 thumbs up, 5 glowing stars, and 10 painted toenails. :) I absolutely loved it!

Book Review and Interview with Kelly Hashway

Most of you who know me know that I'm a sucker for a good YA contemporary romance. Not only do I love to write YA romance, but I love to read it as well. And Ashelyn Drake's Our Little Secret did not disappoint. With a secret crush turning into stolen kisses which results in a covert relationship and a betrayed best friend, this book was a recipe for success.

Becca has had a crush on her best friend's popular and good-looking twin brother for as long as she can remember. But her friend Tori has a very strict hands-off policy when it comes to friends dating her brother Toby. But when Toby begins tutoring Becca in Math, it appears the attraction goes both ways. Between fake study sessions and secret meetings, Becca is in over her head but doesn't know how to tell Tori, without ruining their friendship, that she's falling for her brother. But, of course, no secret is safe forever, and in the end, Becca is forced to choose between the perfect guy and the perfect friend.

I was sucked in at the first page. Kelly truly does have a command of the ultimate teenage voice and the angst of crushing on someone you think you'll never have a shot with. It was a lightning quick read with the perfect amount of romance. The characters were easily likable and extremely relatable. The only character that I sometimes wanted to smack was Tori for being so stubborn about Becca dating her brother, probably because I just wanted Becca and Toby to be together without anyone standing in the way. But even Tori has secrets of her own, including the real reason why she doesn't want her best friend dating her brother.

All in all, I thought Our Little Secret was a great read. I give it five stars and would recommend it to anyone who likes YA contemporary romances and super-quick reads. 

And wouldn't you know it, the author of Our Little Secret, Ashelyn Drake aka Kelly Hashway, was nice enough to stop in and answer a few probing questions. On to the interview!

Interview with Kelly Hashway/Ashelyn Drake

I recently read Our Little Secret and loved it. What was your inspiration for the novel?

I’m a little embarrassed to admit this book was inspired by an episode of Victorious that I was watching with my daughter. In the episode, they sang a song called “My Best Friend’s Brother” and I thought that would be such a great book to write. So of course I dove right in.



I love that story! What are you currently working on?

I’m in the middle of edits on my YA trilogy, Into the Fire, which releases spring 2016 with Limitless Publishing. I’m also drafting an adult thriller and polishing up an NA romance.



Wow, you are one busy woman! You write YA and NA romance under the pen name Ashelyn Drake. What prompted the decision to use a pen name?

When I decided to branch out and write romance, I wanted to keep it separate from my Kelly Hashway books, especially since I write picture books and middle grade novels. I don’t want young readers stumbling on my romance novels and thinking they are appropriate for them to read simply because my name is on the books.



That's a great point and makes perfect sense. As a busy mother, writer, and editor for Leap Books, how do you balance all the areas of your life?

I’m a huge believer in multi-tasking. I’m always doing two (or three) things at once. I also work (writing and editing) every minute my daughter is in school so I can help her with homework and play with her in the afternoons and evenings.



What’s your favorite thing to do in the summer? Fall? Winter? Spring?

I love swimming and playing tennis with my daughter in the summer, being outdoors and catching leaves in the fall (because I love the smell of the air), and reading by a fire in the winter. (Can you tell I don’t like the cold?)



I love the smell of fall air too! What takes you out of your comfort zone?

I take myself out of my comfort zone all the time by writing different things. I constantly say things like “I’ll never write for adults,” and then guess what? I’m writing an adult thriller. ;)



Never say never, right? :) Okay, sweet or salty? Mountains or beach?

Salty

Beach



If you were to create a slogan for your life, what would it be?

If you’re not weird, you’re boring. (I tend to do weird things and I think it makes life more interesting.)

What a great slogan! :) If you could spend the day with anyone in the world, living or dead, who would it be and why?

My daughter. She’s my favorite person in the world and we always have fun together.



Aw, that's so sweet! With Christmas coming around the corner, I have to ask… What was your favorite toy when you were a kid?
Oh, I’m dating myself here! I’d have to say the Jem backstage. I was obsessed with Jem and the Holograms. I still have the backstage and the dolls, and my daughter loves to play with them.

Lol. I remember Jem and the Holograms! That is so awesome that you still have yours and your daughter can play with it. :) Thanks so much, Kelly!

Thank you for having me, Kristin!

Kelly Hashway fully admits to being one of the most accident-prone people on the planet, but that didn’t stop her from jumping out of an airplane at ten thousand feet one Halloween. Maybe it was growing up reading R.L. Stine’s Fear Street books that instilled a love of all things scary and a desire to live in a world filled with supernatural creatures, but she spends her days writing speculative fiction for young adults, middle graders, and young children. Kelly’s also a sucker for first love, which is why she writes YA and NA romance under the pen name Ashelyn Drake. When she’s not writing, Kelly works as an editor, and also as Mom, which she believes is a job title that deserves to be capitalized. She is represented by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary Agency.

Book Review: An Absence of Light

As part of this Book Review Tour, I received an eARC copy of AN ABSENCE OF LIGHT by Meradeth Houston in exchange for an honest review.

The novel grabbed my attention right away by opening with the murder of the main character's family. Of course, it made me want to read on to find out who or what killed them. Forced to flee because of the evidence stacked against her, the MC, Lee, finds herself out of gas with no money, stopped in front of a car repair garage. It almost seems like fate when the owner of the garage is the only person she's ever met who can see the Shadows too. And this middle-aged man, Manuel, is kind enough to take her in without asking too many questions or needing too many answers.

The concept of these otherworldly "creatures" is extremely unique in that they feed off darkness or evil. And soon they begin taking over the bodies of innocent people, eating their soul from inside out. They've set their sights on Lee because she's one of the few people who can kill these vicious "things." Then you add Adam, the cute but distant guy who's been "marked" by the Shadows, and you have an interesting setup. On one hand, they are desperately trying to stay alive and kill as many Shadows as they can while trying to figure out the Shadows ulterior plan, but also there's a connection between Adam and Lee that's almost palpable.

Even though this isn't a genre I would normally read, I really enjoyed it. There were places where the book slowed down a bit, but those scenes were nicely contrasted with a high action scene. And of course, the romantic tension between Lee and Adam makes you want to fly through the pages to find out if they do ever end up together. The ending was a satisfying (although sad) one. I won't say anymore because I don't want to give anything away.

Overall, I give this book 4 stars and would recommend it to anyone who likes thrillers/horror with science fiction elements and a little romance.

Here's a little more about the book and author.

An Absence of Light by Meradeth Houston
Published by: Evernight Teen
Publication date: October 31st 2014
Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Leah’s always seen the shadow creatures. She thought she was immune to their evil—until now.
She’s walked into a massacre, stolen a BMW, and is running from the law for a crime she didn’t commit. Nineteen-year-old Leah’s life just went from mildly abnormal to totally crazy at lightning speed. But no one will believe that the shadow creatures are framing her for the murder, because she’s the only one that can see them. At least that’s what she thought.
When Leah stumbled across a group who share her ability, she discovers they have something she doesn’t: a way to fight back. When the group offers to teach her how to kill the shadow creatures, Leah jumps at the chance. But something is brewing with the creatures. They’re tracking down the hunters like there’s no tomorrow. Leah suspects that maybe there won’t be, and it’s up to her to make sure tomorrow comes. Because she’ll do anything to stop the shadows, including risking her life—and the life of the one she loves—to keep the world from being lost to darkness forever.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23357906-an-absence-of-light?ac=1

Purchase:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Absence-Light-Meradeth-Houston-ebook/dp/B00OY1ZFJW/

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/an-absence-of-light-meradeth-houston/1120690665?ean=9781772330922

AUTHOR BIO:

Meradeth’s never been a big fan of talking about herself, but if you really want to know, here are some random tidbits about her:

>She’s a Northern California girl. And now is braving the cold winters in Montana.
>When she’s not writing, she’s sequencing dead people’s DNA. For fun!
>She’s also an anthropology professor and loves getting people interested in studying humans.
>If she could have a super-power, it would totally be flying. Which is a little strange, because she’s terrified of heights.

Author links:

http://www.meradethhouston.com/

https://twitter.com/MeradethHouston

https://www.facebook.com/MeradethHouston
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5321667.Meradeth_Houston

Happy Reading!!

**Updated: I almost forgot to fill you in on how the Query Kombat contest is going. I made it to the Agent Round which is happening RIGHT NOW! I'm thrilled because my entry received 2 Wild Card full manuscript requests from 2 different agents. I won't know how many other requests I've received until I've been knocked out of the contest, but I'm getting excited that there is probably more. *Keeping my fingers crossed!*

Oh, and if you want to check out my entry, you can find it HERE. :)

Also, it's my week to host Unicorn Bell and I'm talking about two of my favorite things...books and cookies! Stop on by for some great book reviews and yummy cookie recipes. Today, I'm reviewing THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE, a YA Contemporary that I absolutely fell in love with. You can read my review HERE.

                                                       

Book Review—Soulless by Crystal Collier

I've been looking forward to this book for quite some time, so when I received an eARC copy, I was excited! The following is my review for Soulless, Book 2 of the Maiden of Time series by Crystal Collier.

*****

Soulless by Crystal Collier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an Advanced Review Copy of Soulless in exchange for an honest review. So, here it is (in all honesty).

I loved Moonless, but I was completely captivated by Soulless. I couldn't put it down! High tension, unforgettable romance, and unique characters make Soulless an enthralling read. In Moonless, Alexia Dumont discovers the power she has, but in Soulless, she unleashes it. She recognizes her true potential and works toward becoming the powerful person she's meant to be. Dubbed as the Maiden of Time, she is confident, brave, and in love, making her an extremely relatable character. And then there's Kiren. He's totally swoon worthy, but you see his weaknesses in this book, and that's a good thing.

Bellezza is once again a show stopping character. We learn more about her past and why she is the way she is. She's like an old spirit trapped in a young body. But don't be fooled by her girlishness. There's nothing childlike about that girl other than her appearance! She is truly an unforgettable character.

My absolute favorite part of the book is the romance between Alexia and Kiren. They have such a powerful connection and I LOVE *spoiler alert* how Alexia saves him time and time again by shifting time (forgive the pun). It was the perfect blend of romance and action, and the ending itself gave me chills. The best ending ever! Now I can't wait for the next book to come out!! Hurry up, Crystal!

View all my reviews

Tune in next week for Crystal's Blog Tour! I will feature her book on Wednesday, October 15th. Be sure to stop by and enter the amazing Giveaway hosted by Crystal and several other authors.

**Also, here's a shout out for a blogging buddy of mine...


Week long book sale! Beginning Sunday, October 12th, Loni Townsend's, Thanmir War is only $0.99 on Amazon! Don't miss out on this great deal!


Any other exciting news?

Have a great weekend!! :)