Book Review: Trial by Fire

Title: Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Release Date: June 14, 2011
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Pages: 357 pages
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: 5 stars
Source: Library

Spoiler Warning! This summary and review contain spoilers to Raised by Wolves, the first book in the series.

Goodreads Summary: There can only be one alpha. Bryn is finally settling into her position as alpha of the Cedar Ridge Pack—or at least, her own version of what it means to be alpha when you’re a human leading a band of werewolves. Then she finds a teenage boy bleeding on her front porch. Before collapsing, he tells her his name is Lucas, he’s a Were, and Bryn’s protection is his only hope.

But Lucas isn’t part of Bryn’s pack, and she has no right to claim another alpha’s Were. With threats—old and new—looming, and danger closing in from all sides, Bryn will have to accept what her guardian Callum knew all along. To be alpha, she will have to give in to her own animal instincts and become less human. And, she’s going to have to do it alone.

Bryn faces both the costs, and the rewards, of love and loyalty, in this thrilling sequel to Raised by Wolves.

I was not a huge fan of the first book in this series, Raised by Wolves, you can find my review here. As my issues were with the story and not the writing (Barnes is a pretty good writer), I decided to read the sequel, Trial By Fire, because I was curious to see where the author was taking the story. I was completely unprepared for how sucked in I would get by this story!

Trial by Fire starts approximately nine months after the events at the end of Raised by Wolves. As Alpha of the young Cedar Ridge Pack, Bryn is determined to lead with love and respect instead of fear and intimidation. Bryn is happy, her weres are happy and the special connection that she has with Chase is stronger than ever. It is in this season of contentment that the trouble starts and when trouble comes for Bryn, it hits like a hurricane! Trial by Fire introduces Bryn to new situations, new conflicts (both internal and external) and new characters with new powers.

Speaking of characters, Bryn’s character is a lot more mature in Trial by Fire. She is no longer the girl who gets into trouble just to upset Callum. Bryn is now her own Alpha who puts the safety and security of her pack before everything else. Chase’s character is also more developed and I am glad we get to know him better and learn why he is the strong silent type. I didn’t think it possible, but I love Devon, Lake and Ali even more than I did in the first book. These characters are so well written!

Trial by Fire is wonderfully complex with great plot twists, a few I saw coming and most that took me completely by surprise. This is an awesome story that moves at a fast, steady and exciting pace. I read this book on the edge of my seat and cannot wait for the next in the series. I will admit that I have not read many werewolf books, but this is easily my favorite one.

Content: Kissing and violence.

Comparing Covers

I love looking at and comparing book covers. I recently found these two covers for upcoming books that I am looking forward to reading:

Title: Shifting by Bethany Wiggins
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Publish Date: Sept. 27, 2011
Genre: Paranormal

Goodreads Summary: After bouncing from foster home to foster home, Magdalene Mae is transferred to what should be her last foster home in the tiny town of Silver City, New Mexico. Now that she's eighteen and has only a year left in high school, she's determined to stay out of trouble and just be normal. Agreeing to go to the prom with Bridger O'Connell is a good first step. Fitting in has never been her strong suit, but it's not for the reasons most people would expect-it all has to do with the deep secret that she is a shape shifter. But even in her new home danger lurks, waiting in the shadows to pounce. They are the Skinwalkers of Navajo legend, who have traded their souls to become the animal whose skin they wear-and Maggie is their next target.

Full of romance, mysticism, and intrigue, this dark take on Navajo legend will haunt readers to the final page.

I don’t think I have read a book a based on Navajo legend and I am very excited about this one. Despite the fact that snakes really creep me out, I love these covers!

Title: A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publish Date: Feb. 21, 2012
Genre: Paranormal

Goodreads Summary: A power she can’t deny. A destiny she’s determined to fight. When Ari first arrived in the dilapidated city of New 2, all she wanted was to figure out who she was. But what she discovered was beyond her worst nightmare. Ari can already sense the evil growing inside her—a power the goddess Athena will stop at nothing to possess.

Desperate to hold on to her humanity and protect her loved ones, Ari must fight back. But Athena’s playing mind games, not just with Ari but with those she cares about most. And Athena has a very special plan for the brooding and sexy Sebastian.

Ari is determined to defeat Athena, but time is running out. With no other options, Ari must unleash the very thing she’s afraid of: herself.

I was really intrigued with the world that Kelly Keaton built in Darkness Becomes Her and the cover of the sequel, A Beautiful Evil, is perfect for the story. I love mythology and Keaton's take on Greek myth and other magical creatures in New 2 is really cool. As far as the covers are concerned, It is hard for me to pick the one I like more because they are almost the same. I like the detail surrounding the girl on the cover of A Beautiful Evil. What do you think of these covers? Are you looking forward to these books?

Author Interview: Cesya MaRae Cuono

As a part of the Elemental Reality Blog Tour, I am pleased to welcome author Cesya MaRae Cuono.

Cesya MaRae Cuono hails from a small town in northeastern Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of Alvernia University where she majored in Business Administration and also received her certificate of Multi-Media & Production makeup from Cosmix School of Makeup Artistry. You can find any updates from Cesya on her website at http://www.cesyacuonobooks.blogspot.com/.

Cesya, please tell us about your debut young adult novel, Elemental Reality.
Elemental Reality takes us on a journey with Callie Pierce and her sister Lola as their life transitions from being “human” to Faeries. We get to live through their training and some battles they face along the way.

Where did you get the idea for Elemental Reality?
My mind is constantly in motion no matter what I’m doing. I was listening to one of my favorite bands (I See Stars) before I got into the shower. As I was rinsing the shampoo from my hair, a scene played out in my mind. That’s the first thing I wrote before I even knew the plot of my story or what kind of paranormal being my characters were going to be.

Can you tell us more about the main character, Callie?
She’s plagued by the loss of her mom. Little things bring back thoughts of her. She’s a very determined person and you will see her determination throughout the novel.

I read that you are now working on book two in the Elemental series. Can you tell us a little about it? How many books are planned for the series and when will they be released?
I am actually. The outline is almost finished and then I’m going to start a rough draft. We’ll see a side of Lola no one expected but that’s all I can tell you right now. There are two more novels for the series and possibly a novella but that’s not set in stone yet. The two novels, Battle Scars and Rebirth, will be released in 2012 and 2013.

Do you read the same genre as you write? What are you currently reading?
Yes, I do. I love YA. Ha! I’m currently reading 10 different books but the one I’m trying to finish first is If I Stay.

What do you love most about writing paranormal books?
That’s an easy question! You can have fun with your characters’ powers. It gives you a chance to make them unique and put a new twist on them.

If Elemental Reality were made into a movie, who do you picture playing the lead roles?

• Tyler Blackburn as Oli.
• Amber Heard as Callie.
• Julia Voth as Ady.
• Matt Lanter as Emery.
• Skyler Samuels as Lola.
• Jeremy Sumpter as Cayden.

Is there anything more you’d like to share with us about upcoming projects or events?
I have a book signing on August 28th. The details can be found on my author page (www.facebook.com/cesyamaraecuono) but that’s all I have for right now. Anything you want to know about me can be found on Goodreads (www.goodreads.com/cesya_marae), Facebook (www.facebook.com/cesyamaraecuono), Twitter (@Cherrybomb_xox), or my blog (http://www.cesyacuonobooks.blogspot.com/).

Title: Elemental Reality by Cesya MaRae Cuono
Release Date: August 21, 2011
Publisher: Revolution Publishing
Pages: 260 pages
Buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

When Callie Pierce was ten, her mother disappeared without a trace. On the eve of her disappearance twelve years later, the Earth seemingly comes alive. The elements speak to Callie, and that's only the beginning. Everything she has ever known was a twisted fabrication to protect her. Now the truth is set free. Callie and her sister are more powerful than any Faerie ever born. Now they have to use their powers to save their mother and family from the evil hands of fate that threaten to tear them apart. Welcome to her elemental reality.

Waiting on Wednesday: Wrecked

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Title: Wrecked by Anna Davies
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Publish Date: May 1, 2012
Genre: Paranormal

Goodreads Summary: Miranda has lived on Whym Island since the death of her parents. She has taken comfort in its seclusion and in the folklore that claims a mysterious sea witch controls the fate of all on the island and its surrounding waters. It's easier to believe things are out of her control.

But when a terrible boating accident takes the lives of several of her friends, Miranda is rescued by a mysterious boy that haunts her dreams. As the guilt of the accident consumes her, she finds refuge in her late night swims. Until she meets Christian, a boy who seems so familiar, but won't tell her where he is from and why they can only meet at the beach. As Miranda falls for Christian and begins to put the accident behind her, she discovers that there are secrets that Christian is keeping to protect her that may only end up bringing her nothing but harm.

Wrecked sounds like a fresh twist on The Little Mermaid and I cannot wait to read it! Additionally, I love the black and white cover. What books are you waiting on?

Book Review: Torn

Title: Torn by Erica O’Rourke
Release Date: June 26, 2011
Publisher: Kensington
Pages: 336 pages
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: 4 stars
Source: Borrowed from the fantastic Neri (In the Name of Books)!

Goodreads Summary: Everyone has secrets. Even best friends.

Swirling black descends like ravens, large enough to block the glow of the streetlights. A dull roar starts like a train on the 'L', a far-away rumbling that grows louder as it pulls closer, until it's directly overhead and you feel it in your chest, except this doesn't pass you by. Verity, white-faced and eyes blazing, shouts through the din, "Run, Mo!"

Mo Fitzgerald knows about secrets. But when she witnesses her best friend's murder, she discovers Verity was hiding things she never could have guessed. To find the answers she needs and the vengeance she craves, Mo—quiet, ordinary, unmagical Mo—will have to enter a world of raw magic and shifting alliances. And she'll have to choose between two very different, equally dangerous guys—protective, duty-bound Colin and brash, mysterious Luc. One wants to save her, one wants to claim her. Which would you choose?

Maura “Mo” Fitzgerald and her best friend Verity get attacked while out one night. With Mo’s family connections to the mob, everyone assumes that she was the target of a hit that went wrong and killed Verity instead. Everyone except Mo that is because she saw the creatures that attacked and they may not have been human.

Mo is a likable, smart girl who is a bit shy but was never jealous of Verity who constantly got the spotlight and the attention. We get to know Verity through Mo’s memories and in flashbacks and the two girls have a good, solid friendship. After the attack, Mo struggles to come to terms with Verity’s death and the fact that her best friend was keeping secrets from her. One of those secrets is the dangerously handsome and charismatic Luc who may have been Verity’s boyfriend and who also holds the answers to Mo’s questions. Mo’s life is further complicated by the equally handsome Colin who has been hired to protect her but it’s hard for a girl to solve a murder mystery when her every move is being watched.

Torn is a great combination of magic and the mob. The story is fast paced and exciting. Mo finds herself caught up in the dark and deadly world of powerful magic that she never knew existed and the mob world that she always knew but tried to distance herself from.

Once you start reading Torn, it’s hard to put down. I want to know more about the world of magic that Luc grew up in and more about Colin’s back story. I loved Torn and can’t wait to read the sequel, Tangled, which comes out in February of next year. The covers of these books are so gorgeous and striking…..

Content: Profanity, kissing and violence. More appropriate for older teens.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Title: The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Publish Date: May 1, 2012
Genre: Dystopia

Goodreads Summary: Sherry and her family have lived sealed in a bunker in the garden since things went wrong up above. Her grandfather has been in the freezer for the last three months, her parents are at each other’s throats and two minutes ago they ran out of food.

Sherry and her father leave the safety of the bunker and find a devastated and empty LA, smashed to pieces by bombs and haunted by ‘Weepers’ - rabid humans infected with a weaponized rabies virus.

While searching for food in a supermarket, Sherry’s father disappears and Sherry is saved by Joshua, a boy-hunter. He takes her to Safe-haven, a tumble-down vineyard in the hills outside LA, where a handful of other survivors are picking up the pieces of their ‘other lives’. As she falls in love for the first time, Sherry must save her father, stay alive and keep Joshua safe when his desire for vengeance threatens them all.

I love the cover of The Other Life. There are a lot of current and upcoming dystopian novels that have glamorous models in high fashion dresses on the cover and while I like those covers, there is something so intriguing about the eerie cityscape that feels, well, dystopian. It just draws me in and makes the book a must read for me! The cover of The Other Life sets the mood and the summary is exciting too. I am really looking forward to this one. What books are you waiting on?

Winner!

The winner of my Summer Giveaway Hop is Lisa from Lisa Loves Books (Of Course). The winner was chosen by Random.org and has been notified by email.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway and I will be doing another in sometime in August and The Back to Books Giveaway Hop on Sept. 1 so stay tuned and make sure you enter.