Review: Gateway (The Gateway Trilogy Book # 1) by Christina Garner

Title: Gateway(The Gateway Trilogy Book 1)

Author: Christina Garner

Published: May 17, 2011

Format: ebook,  185 pages

Goodreads Summary:

Ember has always known she doesn't belong in this world. But when she tries to correct the mistake, she wakes to find herself in a mental institution. 

She's soon drawn to Taren, the mysterious boy with hazel eyes. He's not what he seems, but what is he?

When chaos erupts, they are forced to flee the institution together, and the secret that Taren has been keeping brings Ember closer to understanding her own. And leads her to... the Gateway.

My Feelings:

I found this book on Pixel of Ink's young edition free from Amazon.  I wasn't expecting much but I was definitely surprised when this exceeded all of expectations.  

As usual, ya'll know how I am, I want to talk about the cover.  I guess I am a visual kind of person because a great cover can make or break a book for me.  Sometimes.  

This cover looks like it was drawn with a charcoal pencil by someone doing a silhouette of our main protagonist, Ember.  The girl in the cover looks withdrawn and lonely, but more importantly, hopeless.  I think this is one of those covers that shows us more of the book in the simplicity of it all.  

Okay, I am done raving about the cover.  

The story is pretty darn amazing too!  Don't get me wrong it is a dark story that starts out with Ember swallowing a bunch of pills hoping to just go to sleep but instead waking up in a hospital psych ward.  But she is so far from being your typical depressed teenager.  Ember is much stronger than she looks or gives herself credit for.  

At first when I was reading it,  I thought this story was going to be about Ember facing her inner demons in a more metaphorical sense but Garner really throws in the action and fantasy almost like it feels like you are there with Ember experiencing the terrifying creatures that come to visit.  

Garner writes an engaging character in Ember who grows as she realizes who and what she really is.  I would have to add Ember to a list of female characters that I find pretty incredible!  

There is a love interest in this story but it doesn't overtake the plot at all.  In fact, it ties into it more than anything like it was predestined more to me.  But that is just my opinion.  

Taren is a pretty cool guy but he seems to be more cliche with the whole gorgeous tortured soul type that is typical in the YA novels.  

Kat is  a  refreshing character in this story as well.  At first I thought she was going to be the snobby girl that only thinks of herself and resents the main character but she wasn't at all.  Yes she is gorgeous but didn't take away from the story.  In fact she creates more diversity that could help this series become even greater.  

I was completely enthralled in this story that I had a very hard time putting it down.  It does have similarities to The Mortal Instruments but not annoyingly so.  I also couldn't help thinking of Sam from Supernatural a little too.  

I really fell in love with this story and I can't wait till I get my hands on the other two books in the series!

Had to give it five hearts!

Freebie Friday Review: Elemental by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: Elemental

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Publisher: K Teen(Kensington)

Published: March 27, 2012

Format: ebook, 50 pages

Source: Pixel of Ink

Goodreads Summary:

Earth, Fire, Air, Water – they are more than you dream.

As an air Elemental, 17-year-old Emily Morgan doesn’t have much power. That’s okay—she knows what happens to kids who do.

Like Michael Merrick. He’s an earth Elemental, one with enough power to level cities. Which makes him sexy. Dangerous. And completely off limits. At least according to Emily’s family.

But her summer job puts her in close contact with Michael, and neither of them can help the attraction they feel. When forces of nature like theirs collide, one misstep could get someone killed. Because Emily’s family doesn’t just want her to stay away from him.

They want him dead.

My Feelings:

I have had this novella sitting on my Kindle for over a month now.  It looked really interesting just by the cover(green is my favorite color ;)) but I just never got around to reading it.  

Last night, I was skimming through my Kindle and found this story and just started reading. Oh my goodness I was completely hooked!  The writing is fantastic and Kemmerer keeps you in the dark, only revealing a little bit at a time about the characters.  

I didn't even realize it was a novella, until I got to the end and was like "Whoa! That was the shortest book I ever read!" 

This short story reminded me of Romeo and Juliet, in many ways, because it has the rogue that her parents don't approve of and Emily ends up finding out the truth.  

For a short story, there is a lot of emotions running high and bullying is a big part of what happens to Michael.  

This novella had me hooked as soon as I finished it and I was already looking up the next book(s) at Goodreads.  

I think this is a fresh new series and I cannot wait to delve deeper into the world of Elementals!

Had to give it 5 hearts!

Freebie Friday Review: Overkill by Steven Shrewsbury

Title: Overkill
Author: Steven Shrewsbury
Publisher: Seventh Star Press
Published: 2012
Format: ebook, 300 pages
ISBN: 1937929809


Product Description from Amazon:
Deliverance will come... A great flood once wiped clean the earth, destroying everything upon it. Before the deluge, in a time now forgotten, the world was a place of warriors and witches, conflicts between kingdoms, and, until their extermination, dragons. In this world, men may live centuries, fallen angels have begotten terrifying spawn, and sometimes, the best hope can be found in a brothel. 

In the land of Transalpina, a new religion spreads, and important men are dying mysteriously, slain by what can only be the fire of dragon breath. Summoned by the Queen Garnet, the legendary warrior Gorias La Gaul returns to the place where he once saved the queen's young granddaughter from treachery and enslavement. The Princess Nykia is gone, and soon others may try to claim the throne. The queen has little choice but to turn to the only man who ever told her no. 

With the aid of one of the queen's elite guard, the battle maiden Alena, and the young palace servant Orsen, the old mercenary will face pirates and traitors, monsters and foul magic in the quest to find the missing heir and learn the truth behind the disconcerting murders. Deliverance will come for Gorias La Gaul, but for now there are women to love, secrets to discover, and killing that needs doing.

My Feelings:

Freebie Friday Review: Flames in the Midst by Sarah Reckenwald

     Flames in the Midst by Sarah Reckenwald
   Published: August 2011
   Format: Kindle
           
















Goodreads Summary:
What if you denied being a witch your whole life?
What if you believed you killed your own mother?
What if you were wrong?
Jade Hale seeks a normal life as she hides her magical and tragic upbringing. But when destiny steals her from the present to her past, she discovers an unwelcomed truth — her mother’s death wasn’t an accident. In a whirlwind of circumstance, her quest for justice sweeps her back to her magical roots, and suddenly, her every decision controls the past, present, and future. Will she be able to hold onto her new life while immersed in the magical world she left behind? Her confusing and disturbing attraction for a strange, yet familiar boy from her past could destroy both.




My Feelings:

This is my Freebie Friday review (even though I am a little late posting it, let's just pretend it's still Friday, ok?)  I found this book at that great little website Pixel of Ink, where I was able to purchase this book on the Kindle for free.  

So, I did it again.  I judged a book by its cover.  Fortunately, for me, this book turned out to be as exceptional as the cover is.  Thank goodness.  
The emotions that our lead female character, Jade Hale, has to go through is enough to make anyone a little distant, but to totally give up your heritage is really extreme.  But that is exactly what Jade wants to do, until she realizes she isn't the one responsible for her mother's death.  Then it is revenge time.  


There is so many different magical elements associated with the witches in this story.  Jade is blessed with a few rare gifts, including time travel.  It tended to get a little confusing when trying to understand the concept of time travel but the author does a great way of explaining in a more mundane understanding.  
And of course, there is a love interest..or two bouncing around in the plot of this book.   There are two male characters that I feel will have more to do with Jade(if there are more books to come) as she becomes even more confident as a witch.  Both male characters are likable, but I would have to be on team Chase instead of Cameron.  However, you do learn something very interesting about Cameron that could change your opinion of the guy.  
I really really loved this story!  I couldn't help but get swept up into Jade's emotional life as she has to relive losing her mom again to start a journey she may not come back from unscathed.   I had to give this book five hearts!

Freebie Friday Reviews

So I thought I would do something that might be fun and beneficial to those of you who think you can't find good and FREE books for your Kindle.  (Sorry, guys I don't have a Nook, so I don't know about that one.) 


There is a great website called Pixel of Ink  that does a lot of the work for you.  They go through all of the many books Kindle has and they group these into the different genres and age groups, and then send the suggestions your way.  All you have to do is click the ones you want and it will take you to that book's Amazon  page where you just click buy now button.  Yes!  It really is that easy!  
Of course you will need to subscribe to Pixel of Ink or you can like their page on Facebook.  I liked the page on Facebook and it shows up on my news feed.  
I love this because I would literally go through the dozens of pages of books that were offered for free and it was just nerve wracking for me.  Well now, I just visit Pixel of Ink and click on which genre I want to receive suggestions from, and boom!  I get a quick and easy way to find books that sound interesting and are free.  
You do have to make sure it is still free when you get to the book's page because Amazon is fast moving when it comes to how long a book will stay on the free list.  


They also do a list every day and I am going to show you some that I have just gotten so expect a review in the coming days.  In fact I am thinking maybe doing all of my books I got for free this way on Fridays hence the title.  


So you guys get out there and try it out!  You never know you might just find the book of your dreams!  And don't forget to read to your heart's content!