artsy musings of a bibliophile

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Super Power: Visibility by Sarah Neufeld Blog Tour + Giveaway

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Title: Visibility
Author: Sarah Neufeld
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: RainTown Press
Release Date: 20 May 2012
Pages: 184 (eBook)

The Synopsis
Natalie Irving is used to living in the shadow of her infamous mother’s celebrity—she’s done it all her life. So when she discovers that she has inherited Jaydn’s claim to fame, the talent to turn invisible, she knows she finally has the chance to step into the spotlight. 
Now that she is one of only two people in the world with such an ability, Natalie has a choice to make: follow in her mother’s footsteps or choose a different path, crafting a unique identity that is hers alone.

The Super Survey
In Visibility, Natalie has the ability to become invisible. Well, this is the fun part! You can see this blog tour focuses on super powers and so, every participating blog has one. I had so much fun writing down my answers! I hope you do reading them. Also, there is a fantastic giveaway at the end!
1. What is your super power?
The ability to read in the dark. As an avid reader, I love my ability! Jealous that you’d like to have it, too? I knew that. 
2. Have you told anyone about it?
No, I haven’t because no one really understands my need to read books and if I were to tell them I can read in the dark, they will surely think I am on a self-destructive path to wreck my eyes. Sigh…but my best friend knows.
3. Have you chosen to use it for good, or evil?
I used it for good because I can read books when it’s after midnight and complete my reading challenges and the what not.
4. Have you had any super power–related instances at school/work?
I had one at school and that was the day I discovered my ability to read in the dark. What happened was that there was a sudden power outage and as the classroom got cloaked on darkness, I was seeing all these shimmering words on the board and then on all the books around me. I focused on mine and ta-dah, I could read all the words! I could hardly contain myself but I didn’t want anyone to know about it, so kept quiet. Not too quiet, but I managed!
5. Spandex, or no spandex?
No spandex, because I really don’t need it and we wouldn’t want anyone discovering what I can do, right?

About the Author

A one-time member of Mensa, Sarah Neufeld loves solitude, literature, and travel. She is a true advocate of the graphic movement in literary circles, and draws on Japanese manga in particular to inform her writing.

She currently resides in Portland, Oregon, and works as a freelance Japanese translator. When she isn’t busy writing, Sarah can be found learning new languages, hiking the urban forests around Portland, and enjoying manga over a cup of tea.

 Sarah Neufeld can be found at 

The Giveaway
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Thanks to RainTown Press for organizing Visibility blog tour.

Review: Seaweed by Elle Strauss Blog Tour + Giveaway

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Title: Seaweed
Author: Elle Strauss
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: ESB Publishing
Release Date: 15 June 2012
Pages:  223 (eARC)


Synopsis
Dori Seward can’t wait to get out of Eastcove, a sleepy fishing village on the border of New Brunswick and Maine. She bides her time by hanging out with friends, attending swim club, and holding her biggest competition, Colby–who wants more than just friendship, at arm’s length.
Then Tor Riley comes to town and he has everything Dori dreams of in a boyfriend–looks, athleticism and mystery.
But Tor also has a tantalizing secret and Dori is determined to find out what it is. The truth is crazier than her wildest imaginations and more dangerous, too. Dori has new enemies, and they will do anything to get to her.
Her life, her dreams and her love for Tor are all weighing in the balance. Will Dori risk it all in order to have it all?


My Rating

* *
The Review

Seaweed is a very fast-paced, cute and quick read. Eastcove is as far away from anything exciting as possible. But that is soon over when Dori meets Tor on the beach. And then he takes off rather abruptly and mysteriously. This ends up starting a trail of events in which Dori has the front seat.
Dori is a swimmer and a competitive one at that, her competition being with Colby who has a crush on her. Dori wants out of Eastcove and a swimming scholarship is the only way, really. But lately, her legs are getting itchy and gets an unattractive shade of red whenever she swims. Also, there is a weird clump of pimples behind her ears and random bruising.
As time passes, Dori and Tor find themselves spending time with each other more and more. But things take an unexpected when Tor has to leave Eastcove to be with his family because of some approaching danger. Dori is devastated and tries to cope. However, when another new boy, Riley, starts taking interest in her, she figures it’s a good way to get her mind of off Tor. But things are bound to get more complicated.
In all, Seaweed is a great read for summer. It is definitely set apart in the paranormal aspect being my first book reading about it. I enjoyed it and it took me a couple of hours to finish it. The world-building in the book is creative and I really enjoyed reading about Tor’s way of living. The ending does leave space for another book and if there is a sequel, I’d like to know what’s in store for Dori.

Best Quotes:
“The flames of the bonfire licked high toward the murky, open sky. The burning wood snapped and popped at its base. Smoke meshed with the salty essence of the sea and I breathed it in slowly.”
“The sea breeze blew around us, entangling our hair. The seagulls circled around, squawking and we could hear harbor seals barking in the distance. It was like nature was demonstrating her favor.”
About the Author

Elle Strauss writes time travel and merfolk chic-lit, light SF and historical YA fiction. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, hanging out with friends and family, and sometimes traveling. To ward off writer’s butt she does a bit of hiking, biking and yoga. Elle is married with four children and divides her time between British Columbia, Canada, and Germany. She writes upper/mature YA (historical and science fiction) under the name Lee Strauss.

 Elle Strauss can be found at 
Buy Seaweed

The Giveaway
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Thanks to Elle Strauss and ATOMR for providing me a copy of Seaweed for review.

Review: Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan Blog Tour + Giveaway

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Title: Fractured Light (Fractured Light, #1)
Author: Rachel McClellan
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Release Date: 8 February 2012
Pages:  304 (eARC)


Synopsis
I’m dying, I thought. This was unexpected and not at all how I envisioned my death. I was supposed to die gardening in a flowerbed as a hundred-year-old woman, not as a seventeen-year-old trapped in a lake beneath inches of ice.
Llona Reese is used to living on the run. After the Vykens killed her parents, she knew they would eventually come for her too. She can’t take any chances. But when she starts to make friends for the first time in her life, she gets careless and lets her guard down. Big mistake.
As an Aura, Llona can manipulate light and harness its energy. But if she wants to survive, Llona will have to defy the Auran Council and learn to use her power as a weapon against the Vyken whose sole desire is to take her light. Now she’s caught in something even bigger than she can understand, with a power she can’t wield, and no one she can trust, except, just maybe, a mysterious stranger.
In this breathtaking and romantic adventure, Rachel McClellan delivers a truly mesmerizing story that will keep you guessing to the very end.

My Rating

* * * *
The Review

I have always been fascinated with conflicting concepts; happy and sad, day and night, sweet and sour, you name it. So it wasn’t surprising for me to be drawn to a book about fighting darkness with light. It always make me think about mean people trying to bring down the bright ones, to take out their lightness of being just to feed on their satisfaction. Needless to say, Vykens are exactly like that to the Auras.

Llona Reese, an Aura, is an unpredictable character; losing her parents have left her with a determination to live life and not succumb to the charms of belonging to one place. A place that could be called home. Survival is her utmost priority therefore, moving constantly from one place to another is the only option. But now things are changing ever since she and her uncle, Jake moved to Bountiful, Utah almost a year ago. A subtle friendship with May and keeping her head down most of the times is how Llona has chosen to spend her last year at high school.

I liked Llona and how she trusts her ability to defend herself and play with danger, inviting it to get closer. As Llona discovers her abilities, she finds herself wanting to make use of the Light within her. Llona is not whinny and her life is not defined by falling in love with an unlikely character and then sulking about it. Sure there is a subtle romance in the book but it is neither overbearing nor does it overshadow the main plot.

Christian’s sudden interest in Llona is strange enough to make her question it because she’s had her fill of trusting others too easily. Christian is a complex character and even though Llona knows where she really stands with him, she cannot help but be drawn to his gentleness. That being said, the overprotective nature of Christian annoyed me at times but then that’s what it really was, his nature.

The secondary characters in the book were so well-defined and well-developed that I recognized where they were coming from; that’s how sophisticated is the style of writing. Honestly, some of the parts were creepy enough that I cringed reading them especially because it was after my 4 am. I rarely get scared reading there’s-someone-lurking-in-the-dark scenes but this book made me draw back in fear. Case in point: “The last of my bravery shattered to pieces when the paint directly in front of me began to peel back as if a claw were scraping it away—on the inside of the glass.” 

Packed with intense action, unpredictable twists and an inevitable fate that brings her closer to her mother’s killer every day. The combination of whitish blonde hair, Llona’s stubbornness to use Light as a way of helping others and the normal day-to-day stuff of dealing with mean jocks, being a part of a book club and going to prom is pretty enticing. The story progressed at an uneven pace but it was easy to catch up to it. Fractured Light is Llona’s journey to embrace her true self and to become invincible from invisible. A spellbinding read you just don’t want to miss reading!

Best Quotes:
“My struggling body reminded me of a gazelle after it’s been captured by a cheetah. It always made me mad to see how easily the gazelle would give up after struggling for just a short time, as if it knew it didn’t have a chance. I didn’t think I had a chance either, but I wasn’t about to stop fighting.”
“There was a dark part of me, hidden deep within, I felt growing like the stretched shadows of night when the sun sets across the horizon. It frightened me, but I reasoned it had something to do with what I’d endured, and given enough time it would go away. I hoped.” 
About the Author
I’ve been drunk on writing ever since I traveled to Ireland and became blessed (or cursed) by a Leprechaun with a french accent and a bad attitude. Of course I did just steal his gold, but that’s another story.

I currently live in Maine and find the place terribly and hauntingly romantic. Love the forests and graveyards.

My YA urban fantasy novel FRACTURED LIGHT was just released. The sequel is tentatively planned for release in February 2013.

Rachel McClellan can be found at 
Buy Fractured Light (Fractured Light, #1)
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The Giveaway
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Thanks to Rachel McClellan and ATOMR for providing me a copy of Fractured Light for review.

Review: Last Summer by Rebecca A. Rogers Blog Tour

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Title: Last Summer
Author: Rebecca A. Rogers
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Realistic
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: 18 July 2012
Pages:  152 (eARC)


Synopsis
All Chloe Sullivan wants to do is get through the summer. Her life has been in disarray for more than six months, and she knows the only reason her parents made one final trip to Sandy Shores is because of her. They are, after all, two seconds away from filing for divorce. When Chloe stumbles upon a boy in one of her childhood hangouts, she’s in for more than just a relaxing summer vacation. 
Logan Andrews is exhausted, famished and, quite frankly, kaput. His parents kicked him out when he refused to attend a rehabilitation program for his drug addiction. Now, he wishes he would’ve listened; he’d be receiving appropriate medical care rather than living in a dingy, godforsaken shack, holing up from money-hungry drug dealers. 
Logan’s godsend arrives in the form of Chloe, who can’t hold her tongue when it comes to matters of the heart. They’re both in for a rude awakening when Logan’s past catches up to them, though. Can they escape the drug dealers showing up at every twist and turn, or will things end much worse than they ever imagined?

WARNING: contains strong language, drug use, and sexual situations, including an explicit sex scene and a near-rape scene. Mature audiences only. 17+

My Rating

* * * *
The Review

There are certain books that take from you as much as they give you. They drain you emotionally, drawing out your mentally weakened form and transforming your thoughts into fire, igniting a passion in you like no other. The passion to live life to its fullest. These are the books that make me think and think hard about what life has to offer to us. The possibilities are endless. Last Summer is such a book.
Last Summer began with a glum feel to it, a resentment boiling inside Chloe for the way her life is turning out to be with no control over the outcome. So Chloe does what she can, she pretends but she knows she cannot hold out for long. With parents who can go without saying two words to each other for a week, who could?
Short of hanging out at their summer home in Sandy Shores, Chloe figures wandering around the lake and the forest will be good enough. Then she finds Logan in the abandoned cottage and it’s like she’s been introduced to a new challenge. Now Chloe has someone to look forward to during the persistently dull summer and to do something more than just daydream about the childhood summer days spent carelessly with Jessica, a long lost friend. And finally, to say goodbye to isolation.
However, for Logan, what started as an undeniably euphoric moments might be the very moments which will make him regret ever taking up the habit in the first place. Withdrawal seems like the only plausible solution but of course he isn’t strong enough to do it himself. So when help willingly arrives in the form of Chloe, Logan is hesitant and suspicious. He sees Chloe as a poignant reminder of all things home and a craving stirs in him. But Chloe is strong and she believes that she can help Logan out of his addiction.
Spending time together makes them realize that it could easily turn into something more. And it does, by developing into something deep. With both their souls bared to each other, what will they do? Will they last or will it be their first and last summer together? The book is told in alternating point of views and I really liked reading what was going on in their minds.
Last Summer turned out to be a book about surviving the worst and relishing the best. I appreciate what Rogers has done with the issue of drug use and she definitely have a very fluid way with words.

Best Quotes:
‘There’s just something that’s fascinating about a person who looks at their reflection. What are they contemplating? Is he reminiscing about how he got to this point, about everything that’s led him to the right here, right now?’
‘In moments such as these, it’s the minor seconds that count. Seconds that can make or break you. Seconds that can save your life.’

P.S. For a chance to win one of five eBook copies of Last Summer go over to Rebecca’s blog to enter!

About the Author

Growing up, I pretended to be characters from books, movies, and TV shows (especially Xena). Now, though I don’t run around my backyard and freak out the neighbors with Xena calls and invisible weapons, I still live inside my imagination, and it’s better than reality.

I’d insert something here along the lines of living in Massachusetts or Europe (dream places to live) with my wonderful husband (who I haven’t met) and our dogs, but these things haven’t happened yet. Instead, I’ll tell you I’m an avid gamer, chocoholic, coffee addict, animal lover, and own way too many books and shoes.

Rebecca A. Rogers can be found at 

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Thanks to Rebecca A. Rogers for providing me a copy of Last Summer for review.

Review: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris Blog Tour + Giveaway

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Title: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century (My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, #1)
Author: Rachel Harris
Genre: Young Adult, Time Travel
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release Date: 11 September 2012
Pages:  304 (eARC)


Synopsis
On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze. 
Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore. 
Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?
My Rating
* * * *
The Review

After turning the last page of My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, my mouth agape and my mind going in a thousand different directions, I smiled. The book is a brilliant stroke of creativity. Rachel Harris knows how to put together a book saturated with history, laughs, romance and emotions.

Cat Crawford is full of surprises and such a delightful character to get to know. I have to admit, I had qualms about reading a book with a 15 year old protagonist. But Cat’s clever insight and maturity removed all doubt about My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century being a fickle read from the first page in when Cat is actually on a plane.

I don’t particularly enjoy historical fiction or time travel but who knew that the genre could be so much fun to read! I have been turned into a fan. Rachel Harris has a way with words, making them flow together that my eyes were flowing across the pages as fast as they could. I found myself getting lost in the sixteenth century, falling in love with Less, Cip, Lorenzo and even Aunt Francesca and Uncle Marco. I found myself getting angry at Antonia and then at Niccolo for being so, so- creeptastic!

Lorenzo is another character I felt wanting to read more about. He is a fittingly handsome Renaissance gentleman and extremely swoon-worthy at that. At first, everything about Lorenzo screamed that he will be a very bad influence for Cat. But I was proved wrong and the guy had a pretty sensitive side as well. And Lucas had me at the first wink, I was swooning right along with Cat.

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century is a light read but it does come with an emotional side. The vivid setting of the Renaissance along with the appreciation of the arts in the novel fascinated me to no end. I had been looking forward to read it ever since its first cover was revealed. Also, I just found out today that there will be a companion novel, A Tale of Two Centuries. The ending of My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century has definitely left me wanting more!

Best Quotes: 
“Do you believe I am a dreamer? You are lit inside with a fire and passion unlike anyone I have ever known—I know you will speak the truth. So please, tell me, am I just a fool chasing dreams, wanting to be an artist?” 
“In Renaissance art, the pear symbolizes marital fidelity, so it’s fitting that one of the pears in the painting is sliced . . . The sliced-pear tattoo is a visible reminder of what she did to us, making sure I never forget that the heart can’t be trusted. Following it only leads to pain.“ 
About the Author

As a teen, Rachel Harris threw raging parties that shook her parents’ walls and created embarrassing fodder for future YA novels.

As an adult, she reads and writes obsessively, rehashes said embarrassing fodder, and dreams up characters who become her own grown up version of imaginary friends.

When she’s not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, you can find her homeschooling her two beautiful princesses, hanging out with her amazing husband, or taking a hot bubble bath…next to a pile of chocolate.

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century is her debut novel. She didhave her own fantabulous Sweet Sixteen in high school. Sadly, it wasn’t televised.

Rachel Harris can be found at 

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Buy My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century (My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, #1)
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The Giveaway

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Thanks to Entangled Publishing and Shane for providing me a copy of My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century for review.