Blog Hops coming up!

Tomorrow I will be participating in the:

My post will be up at 10:01 MST tonight.  So 12:01 Eastern Time (US).  I will be offering one package of two of Marcia Lynn McClure's books!  Open Internationally.

Then, on the 14th of this month, I will be participating in:

I will have two packages in that hop!  One is an International package and one US only.  At the bottom of this post I am going to try the linky code to see if it works and then you can see who else is participating in the hop.

As a reminder:  My giveaway of "My Enemy, My Beloved" closes tonight at 11:59 Mountain Stardard Time.  It curently has low entries, so if you are interested, click on the link and enter!

Have a fantastic day!

Lisa

In My Mailbox #8

In my mail box is hosted by the Story Siren.  She started this meme as a way to put on the radar of her readers the books that she had received.  She knew that she could not possible get to all of the books, and wanted to get them out there for her readers to see and promote the books.  Click on her name for a link to take you to her page and find all of the other great books that other bloggers are receiving.  She puts up a link on Sundays.

I had a great week!

 

I had to have a hard copy of The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa.  I reviewed a Netgalley edition.

XVI by Julia Karr

The Jumper Chronicles"  Quest for Merlin's Map by W.C. Peever

The Shapeshifters (The Kiesha'ra of the Den of Shadows) by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

The Den of Shadows Quartet by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

We are having issues at my house!

Talk and Work it Out by Cheri J Meiners, M.Ed,
How to Be a Friend by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown
King of the Playground by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Just Kidding by Trudy Ludwig
Touble Talk by Tudy Ludwig

There is my week.  I hope you had a great week too, please feel free to share a link or what was in your mail box.

Loving the Reviews Challenge

Sometimes I am behind in getting things done.  Take this awesome challenge for example.  It started on February 1st and today is February 4th and I am just now jumping on board.  It his hosted by Sniffly Kitty's Mostly Books and Blkosiner's Book Blog.

I just have to link up the reviews that I do and have a chance to win prizes.

I copied this directly from Blkosiner's Blog:

Winners, you say? What do I have to do?
-Review books - it really is that simple. Any review you write counts as one entry into the contest! You will come and link your review- we will put up a post with a mister linky. The only thing we ask is to include the banner in your review- can be at the top or bottom.
-If you review a book by one of our Featured Authors you will get extra entries for the giveaway. 

Better late than never.  I think it will be fun.  It will also give me an opportunity to check out a few reviews that I may miss and hopefully find some fun blogs.

REVIEW: Safari through the Land of Landu

Safari Through the Land of Landu by Angela Karanja

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


An adventure through the land of Safari that spotlights what each of the animals are good at. At the end of each page when a new character is introduced the friends all give him/her a cheer.

This is an upbeat children's book that illustrate good qualities in yourself and others. I think that this book would do better with a very young audience.  My seven year old son was not very interested.  But, I did keep repeating the phrase " 'I am Great!  I can do anything!' Turn around, stamp the ground.  Say 'I am great, I can do anything.'" over and over to my son who struggles with self esteem.  (He is 11 years old.)



The names are hard to pronounce at times. But on the back cover Angela Karnaja has meanings of some of the words in Swahili. That may be why they are hard for me to pronounce and figure out.



I received this book to review from the author through Bostic Communications.

REVIEW- The Unfinished Song: Initiate

The Unfinished Song: Initiate by Tara Maya

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

DEADLY INITIATION

A DETERMINED GIRL...
Dindi can't do anything right, maybe because she spends more time dancing with pixies than doing her chores. Her clan hopes to marry her off and settle her down, but she dreams of becoming a Tavaedi, one of the powerful warrior-dancers whose secret magics are revealed only to those who pass a mysterious Test during the Initiation ceremony. The problem? No-one in Dindi's clan has ever passed the Test. Her grandmother died trying. But Dindi has a plan.


AN EXILED WARRIOR...
Kavio is the most powerful warrior-dancer in Faearth, but when he is exiled from the tribehold for a crime he didn't commit, he decides to shed his old life. If roving cannibals and hexers don't kill him first, this is his chance to escape the shadow of his father's wars and his mother's curse. But when he rescues a young Initiate girl, he finds himself drawn into as deadly a plot as any he left behind. He must decide whether to walk away or fight for her... assuming she would even accept the help of an exile. Description from GoodReads

Dindi is a young girl/woman who sees and dances with fairies. Not everyone sees them, but those touched with magic. She wants to become a dancer after her initiation, pretty much the ceremony/initiation determines your path as an adult. Only chosen people can be dancers or Travaedi, if you are not chosen to become a travaedi, you can no longer dance.



Kavio has been exiled from his tribe, for a crime that he didn't commit. He is forced to wear mud and ashes and roam outside of a tribal protection. He is a powerful Travaedi and warrior.  He has a strong sense of self and right and wrong.  He comes across Dindi and is intrigued.  He sees the magic that surrounds her.



I admit that it took me a little while to get into the tribal society created by Maya. In my head I kept trying to classify it into a box: Native American, African, etc. It didn't fit with any one society. She has enveloped qualities of different tribal communities and created her own.



I love the expression of dance, and the magic associated with dance. Dindi is different from the other initiates, and it is refreshing to read a young girl not being ashamed for her differences. (Maybe at times a little embarrassed, but not ashamed.) She accepts that she is different.





My biggest complaint is the ending. It just means that I will have to read the next installment.  Merci Beaucoup to Tara Maya for sending me a kindle copy of this book to review.  I just purchased the kindle edition of Conmergence: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction.  I am excited to read more of her work.



View all my reviews

300 Followers Giveaway Winners

I have visited with Random.org and the winners have been selected for the 3 books.

The Hourglass Door winner was selected between 1 - 248 entries.  #59  Joanne is the winner.  Check out her blog here.

Academy 7 was selected between 1 - 265 entries.  #11 Marie Kacerosky/Bella is the winner.

The Maze Runner selection was between 1 - 254 entries.  The winner is #22 .Ambur.  Visit Ambur's  blog!


Thanks to everyone that entered.  I have sent the winners an email and they have 48 hours to respond.   The books will be shipped to the winners from the Book Depository.

I currently have another giveaway going on.  It is "My Enemy, My Beloved".  It is for US residents only.  February 8th, I will be in another blog  hop and it will be international.

REVIEW- Saphyre Snow

Saphyre Snow by Marcia Lynn McClure

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"It won't change your life ..." he said, his voice low and rich like a warm drink laced with molasses. "And it sure won't be the best kiss you'll ever have," he added. Her body erupted into goose bumps as his thumb traveled slowly over her lower lip. "But I'll try to make it worth your time ..."  description from Goodreads.

Sigh....great book.  More sighs as I loving lay aside my copy of the book with a wistful smile upon my face.  The throbbing of my heart lets me know that I have fallen in love with this story. (Thank heavens I'm already married to the man of my dreams and can give him a big whopping kiss later!)

 Saphyre Snow is in general a retelling of Snow White. It would be two dwarfs and 5 men as the counterparts.

Saphyre is in hiding from her wicked step-grandmother, who wants to be the most beautiful in the land. She stumbles upon shelter in the form of a falling apart castle, wherein reside seven outcasts. Reluctantly they take her in and she grows to care for them and try to ease their burdens. She even falls in love with the handsome leader, Rogan. Who is rugged, handsome, elusive, strong, and reclusive. How's that for a description?



More sighs. I think I may have to re-read this book at some point, just so I can sigh some more.  Thank heavens I own it.  If you would like to do some sighing, I recommend that you read it to.

I am giving this book 5 stars, just for the pleasure of reading it.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser is taken from "Saphyre Snow" by Marcia Lynn McClure.

"You knew my soul, Saphyre," No-Nose near whispered.  " You have seen beyond my hideous appearance... you have looked into my eyes to see my soul.  You... so beautiful of body and face...you... so beautiful of heart, word and deed.  You...finding beauty in anything, no matter how ugly it may appear to others... you knew me. Perhaps heaven itself sent you, an angel, to recognize me.  Could this be the reason you seem to know me?" pg. 156