Slumber by Samantha Young

Amazon Summary:

Slumber (The Fade: Part One)

When Haydyn, the last of the Dyzvati, falls victim to the mysterious Sleeping Disease, the world of Phaedra is thrown into Chaos. 

Rogan, Haydyn’s best friend and handmaiden, is the only one who can save her. Together, with the Royal Guard and their young Captain, Wolfe Stovia, Rogan must set off across the provinces to find the Somna Plant that will wake Haydyn from her dying sleep.

Beset on all sides by the chaos, Rogan tumbles into a dark world of kidnapping, prejudice, betrayal and love… a journey that will change her forever, and a journey that will change their world forever if she does not retrieve the cure.

YA Fantasy Romance recommended for ages 16 and up.

My Review

I will start right off by saying I loved Slumber.  I loved seeing a friendship between two girls where the result is when one is in need the other would do anything to help her.  Lady Rogan’s parents were murdered and as a child when Rogan was brought back by her captors she bonded with Haydyn.  They relied on each other when times got bad.  When it came down to it and Haydyn needed her help it was clear it wasn’t even a choice for Rogan, it was something she had to do because Haydyn meant so much to her.

This story also has several layers to it as well.  The fact that Rogan has to travel with the son of the man that murdered her parents is torment for her.  The last thing you would think is that a romance would bud but sure enough the stirrings are there.

Talk about action packed too.  Something major is happening every chapter!  Makes this real page turner a quick read for sure.  With that being said in the beginning as you learn about people and places the vowel heavy names can be a struggle.  I reread some of this out loud and found it much easier to retain the information.  

So yet here is another book from indie author, Samantha Young, that is a MUST read.  Enjoy!

It is hard to believe that it is already the year 2012.  I know a lot of people spend the new year reflecting on the past year or even years but that is not what I found myself doing this year.  Instead I found myself planning for the new year and all the big plans we have.

We have big events coming on the family front, my husband has a lot of plans for the business he is involved in which will create some traveling, we are planning to go on a cruise (at least at some point when we can fit it in) and probably one of the most exciting things for me are my books.  Book 1 is out.  Though I had planned to have book 2 done by now and I am only half way through I know it was simply because I chose to really enjoy my holidays with my family so its forgivable.  I am back, hard at work on it and also spending some time on a new series which should come out this spring.  There are several new series I have already mapped out, its simply getting the stories on paper.

2011 was great and it doesn’t hurt to reflect on it but I am pleased to say I am super amped for 2012.  Now if I am ever going to meet any of these deadlines I need to get back to work!

I am the type of person who is always setting some pretty aggressive goals for myself.  What do you know, I married a guy who is the exact same way.  He is always setting goals that are just out of reach so he keeps pushing hard to attain them.  When you get close to that goal you add a little more to it.  This month I discovered once again the bad part of this.  When you set these goals that are so intensely aggressive in all parts of your life eventually you find yourself falling short.

I watched my husband get upset with himself that he hasn’t achieved what he wants with one of his web apps.  After he beat up on himself for a bit I did my best to uplift him and encourage him.  He is heading down the road he needs to make his goals a reality.  No sooner than he began to feel better I saw my writing goals slipping away from me.  With three kids and a packed holiday season its easy for a mommy to get distracted.

The plan was to have my first draft of book 2 in the Guardian Series completed by January 1st.  That means in the next 11 days I will need to write around 4000 words a day.  Is this doable?  Certainly.  Am I likely to do this?  Probably not.  I have to ask myself, will I look back on my life and wish I would have written more over Christmas break or would I wish I had spent quality time with my kids?  Exactly!

This will mean I push hard in January to get the editing done in time but I am alright with that.  So to all my readers I hope you are able to slow down this holiday season and truly enjoy your friends and family.

So I have been wanting to share this with everyone ever since I began talking to Claudia from Phatpuppy Creations and now that I finally can I am thrilled to do so.  This is the cover for book two of The Guardian series, Cursed and it just screams Sophie to me.  The book is due out in Feb 2012. 

What will book two be about?

Just as Gabe was settling into his new life he was reminded that darkness is destined to always follow him. Gabe’s new friends have created a world full of happiness he never thought he could have, but when Sophie and others begin acting out of character Gabe must get to the bottom of it. Will he be able to help them before it is too late or even worse before Baal finds him.

Be ready for book two, buy Sacred Bloodlines today!

The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins

Amazon Description:

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, “The Hunger Games,” a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed.

My Review:

How the heck am I just now reading this book? It seems like everyone I know is finishing the second or third book. I suppose it’s because my to read stack is so high. One of my friends told me about the book and she almost seemed embarrassed. She clearly loved it but kept adding “for a kid’s book.” OK, I read this book and there is nothing about this book I would say is just for kids. Sometimes young people are called upon to do extraordinary things. It doesn’t make their story less spectacular. If this were just a young adult book about having a boyfriend I might say, hmmm perhaps this is not meant for me. This book is filled with extremely grown up concepts.

Alright, off my soap box….

The best way I can describe how I read this book is that I devoured it! It was delicious! It is one of those you start reading in the bath and realize your hot water has become an ice bath because you have been in there so long. Once your pruned toes are back to normal you jump back in and can’t put it down until your done. Yup, that was me.

We are in a time full of so much unrest it is not hard to imagine our nation falling. Considering this book takes place in a post America time it was easy to say “what if” and imagine it to be true. A new society is in power and the Capitol rules 12 districts. It is really interesting because each district is important in its own way. They supply different things like electronics or agricultural goods.

At one point a long time ago there had been a rebellion against the capital that had failed. The capital decided what better way to remind the districts how weak they in fact were than to host the hunger games each year. How it works is they choose 2 children from each district between the ages of 12 and 18. They fight to the death until there is only one kid standing (see what I mean by not being child concepts).

The entire thing is televised so that everyone throughout all the districts can be reminded of just how little power they actually have. There were some holes here and there in the structure of the new society and how it all worked but the rest of the story is so strong these are easy things to over look.

So when I started reading the book I made this assumption the main character Katniss would find a way to get around killing anyone. I mean how can she be the hero of the story if she is a killer. Well my eyes were glued to the page when I read how Katniss made her first kill. My mind was then further blown when she seemed proud of herself.

Did I find Katniss disgusting and immoral after she headed down this road. Somehow no! I don’t know if its the writing or some of the other things revealed to us in the book but I felt sorry for her. Sorry for her? Yeah, her trainer in the book had survived the hunger games and now he is an alcoholic hot mess. You see how a soul can be squashed and then tormented for the rest of their life when they make the hard choice Katniss did.

Alright, if you haven’t read The Hunger Games yet hurry up and go read this five star book. I am off to read the 2nd book!