tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57621237048874957952024-03-19T00:16:42.156-07:00The Reading HedgehogLife through the pagesMara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.comBlogger1045125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-35988419924912743092018-03-21T22:40:00.002-07:002018-03-21T22:40:56.630-07:00We're Moving!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's been a hard decision, but the time has finally come. The Reading Hedgehog has officially moved to a new platform, complete with a new look, new content, and new attitude! It's always a scary decision moving to a new platform, but sometimes it's the best thing. For a while now, this old blog has been feeling lifeless and stale, no matter how many times I try to revamp it. My enthusiasm always peters out and I question why I even try.</div>
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No more, though! It's with great joy and excitement that I unveil The Reading Hedgehog "2.0" to everyone! I really, really, <i>really</i> hope you all come over and continue to follow along in the new place. You've been a splendid set of "followers" and I very much would like to continue to hang out and talk book with all of you. And I very much hope that this new blog proves to be a much more encouraging atmosphere for discussions.</div>
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So please, trot on over to: <a href="http://thereadinghedgehog.blog/">thereadinghedgehog.blog</a> and say hello! See you there!!</div>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-15672976087935744952018-01-09T19:57:00.001-08:002018-01-09T19:57:16.249-08:00Please Excuse the Mess<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's a new year and with it, new resolutions. One of <i>my</i> 2018 resolutions is to get back into blogging. I know I've said that a lot before, but I mean it this time. I recently discovered Instagram and it reawakened my interest in book blogging. Meanwhile, my YouTube channel is on hiatus because I once again must find a new camera.</div>
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So! Please excuse the mess while The Reading Hedgehog is revamped. My schedule is busy with life, so this will be a longer process than normal. However, I hope that by the end of it, I'll have a beautiful new blog for you to enjoy, and a bunch of awesome new content.</div>
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In the mean time, check out my Instagram and Twitter! And I will see you around!</div>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-40737908601619254622017-09-29T01:00:00.000-07:002017-09-29T01:00:00.173-07:00Author Interview: Hazel West - Scars of War Blog Tour<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://hazelwest.blogspot.com/2017/09/scars-of-war-blog-tour-kickoff.html" target="_blank">Follow the tour here!</a></td></tr>
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It's that time of the year again - a new book release from awesome author Hazel West! We've been anticipating the exciting release of Book Three in the <i>Modern Tales of Na Fianna</i> series: "Scars of War." We at The Reading Hedgehog have been asked to once again do a little interview with the author, and this time we have an exciting new format: a video interview!! <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26ZwK23FF8M" target="_blank">Check it out here!</a></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Scars of War</span></i></b></div>
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(Modern Tales of Na Fianna #3)</div>
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by Hazel B. West</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> YA, urban fantasy, mythology/folklore</div>
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<b>Buy Here:</b> <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/745479" target="_blank">Smashwords</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Scars-Modern-Tales-Fianna-Book-ebook/dp/B0758BN16Q/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1504945951&sr=8-2" target="_blank">Amazon Kindle</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Scars-War-Modern-Tales-Fianna/dp/1975635663/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1504945951&sr=8-2&keywords=scars+of+war" target="_blank">Paperback</a></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36011045-untitled" target="_blank">Add</a> <i>Scars of War</i> on Goodreads!</b></div>
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<b>SYNOPSIS</b></div>
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<i>After the events on Samhain Eve, things have calmed down for High King Eamon and his Fianna. The Unseelie Court is under new rule, and Eamon is happily married - and with an heir on the way! But just when it seems like things couldn't be better, reports of changelings keep coming into the BPAFF (Bureau of Protection Against Fair Folk). With the risk of children being changed out in their cribs, especially when a royal heir is weeks from being born, Eamon enlists the help of Aeden Mac Cool, Commander of Na Fianna, and Cassandra Whalen, Director of BPAFF, to deal with the threat before it escalates. Riots, Faerie rebels, and road trips with the King of the Unseelie - it's just a typical day, right?</i></div>
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<b>About the Author</b></div>
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Hazel West lives in Purgatory, er, Florida, with her books and her hedgehog Horatio. When she's not writing, she's reading other people's books, studying folklore, or binge-watching something on Netflix - drinking coffee is also a given.</div>
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<b>Stock the Author:</b></div>
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<u><a href="http://hazelwest.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Blog</a></u></div>
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<u>Twitter</u> (@artfulscribber)</div>
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<u><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/artfulscribbler/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></u></div>
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<u><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5289626.Hazel_B_West" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></u></div>
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<b>Discover the Rest of the Series!</b></div>
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<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Ties-Modern-Fianna-Tales-ebook/dp/B01BTPAO7S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503037593&sr=8-1&keywords=blood+ties+hazel+west" target="_blank">Blood Ties (Book One)</a></i></div>
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<i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM8OMLfVeis" target="_blank">Blood Ties Book Trailer</a></i></div>
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Buy <i>Blood Ties</i> on <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/615849" target="_blank">Smashwords</a> and enter in this coupon code (<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">EJ57R</span>) to get a FREE copy! Follow the link! And get <i>An Earthly King</i> on Kindle for $0.99 during the tour!</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Earthly-King-Modern-Fianna-Tales-ebook/dp/B01M3XASGS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503037640&sr=8-1&keywords=an+earthly+king" target="_blank"><i>An Earthly King (Book Two</i><i>)</i></a></div>
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<b>Read an Excerpt!</b></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As we continued on, past several exits, the truck stayed at a moderate distance behind us and didn’t turn off. Then it started gaining once we got out to a long stretch of road that had no habitation and very little traffic.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Um, I think they’re getting ready to attack,” Oberon said as he watched the rapidly approaching vehicle. “What should we do?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As soon as he said that, something hit the back of the Land Rover and pinged off.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“By the bloody Fae,” Oberon cried, ducking flat on the floor. “They’re shooting at us!”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Okay, then I guess we’ll just have to shoot back,” I said, turning around in my seat. “There’s a chest underneath the cot, pull it out and you’ll find crossbows and ammunition.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I heard Oberon shuffling as several more pings struck the Land Rover.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Aeden swerved slightly to make us a harder target to hit. “Any grand ideas?” he asked. “Apart from hauling this vehicle out of here as fast as we can?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“The Land Rover is perfectly capable,” I informed him, somewhat indignantly. “Just do what you Fianna do best,” I added unbuckling as I turned around in the seat to face Oberon and grab my crossbow. “Drive fast.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yes, Director,” Aeden said with a grin and a second later he had pressed his foot into the pedal, swerving evasively from side to side so our pursuers couldn’t shoot out our tires. Oberon cursed as he rolled around on the floor, but he finally found his footing and grabbed one of the quivers full of bolts.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Hand me that, you take the other crossbow and kick out the back window,” I told him.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I love when you take control, darling,” he quipped and I didn’t have time to counter as I grabbed the quiver and quickly loaded my crossbow, setting it into the foot well so I could cock it before rolling down my window.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Just keep her steady for a second,” I told Aeden who immediately matched pace with the truck behind us and I quickly ducked out the window hanging on to the frame with one hand and shooting with the other. My shot pinged the windscreen of the truck and sent a network of cracks across the driver’s line of sight.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Good shot!” Oberon commented and sent one of his own bolts on the way, causing one of the Faeries standing in the back of the truck to duck with a yelp.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Try to shoot out the tires,” I told him, ducking back inside so I could load another bolt. Aeden and I both ducked as an arrow came through the back window Oberon had broken and through the dividing window in behind the seats and into Aeden’s headrest. I yanked it out and shared a wide-eyed look with the Finar.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://hazelwest.blogspot.com/2017/09/ask-eamon-killian.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/d2eee995-0b9f-47ae-af82-05431b23007f" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on the picture to visit the Askbox,<br />where readers can ask Eamon and Killian things during the tour!</td></tr>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-60784501233127608082017-09-04T17:47:00.000-07:002017-09-04T17:47:10.909-07:00Book Review: Always Emily - Michaela MacColl<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><i>Emily and Charlotte Bronte couldn't be any more different. Emily is tall, adventurous, brash, and always getting into trouble. Suddenly thrust into the role of eldest after their other two sisters die, small Charlotte is proper, bossy, and orderly. But they both are obsessed with their own fictional worlds.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>The two sisters are pulled into an unexpected mystery, when Emily has a chance encounter with a stranger on the moors with a wild tale about stolen inheritance - and when Charlotte happens upon a woman running away from her captors.</i></b></div>
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For the most part, I found <i>Always Emily</i> to be enjoyable, the early world of the two most famous Brontes brought to beautiful life by MacColl's pretty and precise writing. I went through equal-parts frustration and sympathy with Emily and Charlotte as our protagonists. Emily's wild and adventurous spirit was contagious, but her impetuousness at times childish. Charlotte bore a heavy burden as the eldest, but was sour and jealous.</div>
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The plot itself was intriguing and held classic Gothic tropes, making it easy to see where the Brontes "might've" gained their inspiration (this is a fictional story, after all). But it held a sometimes-heavyhanded feminist vibe, with every male character having at least one moment of disparaging our heroines' gender, or a bitter comment about female restrictions. While a real enough issue in the 1840s, its continuous mention started to feel laden with personal agenda. Added to this was the very one-sided portrayal of mill owners.</div>
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However, when <i>Always Emily</i> focused on the plot alone, it was a relatively entertaining Gothic mystery. The romance was very depressingly short-lived and the conclusion tidily wrapped up, but both were easy to see coming.</div>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-86338927453044067882017-08-27T19:45:00.001-07:002017-08-27T19:45:05.118-07:00Reviewing Burn-Out<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So apart from the rare scattered post, you haven't heard from me in a long time. The simple fact is: I'm very burned out from blogging. I did it intensely for a solid four-five years, and then suddenly I just found I couldn't do it anymore. The ability to conjure words for reviews disappeared and even the massively easy-to-assemble meme posts became a chore. My love for reading didn't go away, but my love for discussion did.</div>
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I thought that by focusing on the video aspect of The Reading Hedgehog would help - and in some ways, it did. Book hauls and reading wrap-ups were still fun, though I never have found a satisfactory way in which to video reviews. And it seems like every time I try and get back into book blogging/Youtubing, the energy for it dissipates very quickly.</div>
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So what changed? And how do I get back into it? Well, like I said: I mostly just got burned out. I grew tired of constantly analyzing every single book I read; I got tired of feeling pressured to read new books by a certain date so my review could still be relevant. And I got bored with my review format. I forgot what it was like to read a book simply for the fun of it. But there's something else keeping me from getting back into book blogging, and I'm not entirely sure what it is. Oh sure, I've told myself that I'm simply too busy to do it anymore, but that's a lie. I am <i>very</i> good at prioritizing things and making time for what I want to do. I still buy lots of books and I still have opinions on them - very heated opinions. However, the joy of sharing it with the book community simply isn't there anymore and I don't entirely know why. I've never been one to shy away from expressing my opinion, whether or not people will agree.</div>
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So for anyone out there - blogger, reader - who has had this happen to them: what do I do? What can I do to regain that passion and interest and energy I once had for book blogging? Because while every time I think about having to write reviews I feel immediately tired, a very large part of me still misses it horribly. The Reading Hedgehog never got much reader feedback, but even so I took comfort and joy in knowing my quiet followers were still there, reading what I had to say and either agreeing or disagreeing in their minds. ^_^ I miss the reviews, the author events, the weekly memes, getting excited over upcoming releases. So if any of you have any suggestions on how I can get my book blogging mojo back - please, please, <i>please</i> share. Because I miss all of you a lot. </div>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-20495441914572046892017-08-21T01:00:00.000-07:002017-08-21T01:00:17.258-07:00Cover Reveal: Scars of War (Modern Tales of Na Fianna #3)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvm94eTeCupxXCvz_jFG3Q26xMBb4LS9RLkq1iO0gljHgyT2mU_6kYOc4wM5H7_K6cp5cP0VAR49BacHMJ-7lVeiRPiGjsGU2qA3_tQ9UygBhGiBJJn8kQIcgxa0znxfIfdL_LkTi8i-3W/s1600/nafiannacoverreveal.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="525" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvm94eTeCupxXCvz_jFG3Q26xMBb4LS9RLkq1iO0gljHgyT2mU_6kYOc4wM5H7_K6cp5cP0VAR49BacHMJ-7lVeiRPiGjsGU2qA3_tQ9UygBhGiBJJn8kQIcgxa0znxfIfdL_LkTi8i-3W/s400/nafiannacoverreveal.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Reading Hedgehog is proud to officially reveal the cover for the upcoming <i>third</i> book in the <i>Modern Tales of Na Fianna</i> series by Hazel West! I've always been a big fan of these covers, with their simplistic and classic "warrior adventure story" feel. But this cover is probably my favorite yet! Please join me in welcoming the newest addition to this awesome tale of brotherhood, modern warriors, and classic faery magic! </div>
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Also be sure to leave a comment to be entered into a giveaway for ebooks of the first two books in the <i>Modern Tales of Na Fianna</i>! Leave your email address <i>or</i> visit Hazel's blog on August 23rd for the announced winner. Remember, if you leave comments on multiple blogs, each one will be counted as an entry, so your chances can double!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVoUpctqd-w_reUi8UWvZBCNgmHEPbyBHFIWEno6quPUCkVUDWdrNso7jEV9lE36VL7xdwciBDIl_GyFUdFnPeOr3D3UuAZSjk8uByxrbBNusHpdABlwqxRc8kvCeW8y_d_Qm0n1fzNvA/s1600/scarsofwarfrontcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="560" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVoUpctqd-w_reUi8UWvZBCNgmHEPbyBHFIWEno6quPUCkVUDWdrNso7jEV9lE36VL7xdwciBDIl_GyFUdFnPeOr3D3UuAZSjk8uByxrbBNusHpdABlwqxRc8kvCeW8y_d_Qm0n1fzNvA/s320/scarsofwarfrontcover.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Scars of War</span></b></div>
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(<i>Modern Tales of Na Fianna #3</i>)</div>
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by Hazel B. West</div>
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<b>Publication Date:</b> August 31, 2017</div>
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<b>Add it on Goodreads: </b>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36011045-untitled<b> </b></div>
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<b>Synopsis</b></div>
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After the events on Samhain Eve things have calmed down for High King Eamon and his Fianna. The Unseelie Court is under new rule, and Eamon is happily married - and with an heir on the way! But just when it seems like things couldn't be better, reports of changelings keep coming into the BPAFF (Bureau of Protection Against Fair Folk). With the risk of children being changed out in their cribs, especially when a royal heir is weeks from being born, Eamon enlists the help of Aeden Mac Cool, Commander of Na Fianna, and Cassandra Whalen, Director of BPAFF, to deal with the threat before it escalates. Riots, Faerie rebels, and road trips with the King of the Unseelie - it's just a typical day, right?</div>
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<b>Links for More Information!</b></div>
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<u><a href="http://hazelwest.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Author's Blog</a></u></div>
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<u><a href="http://artfulscribbler/" target="_blank">Author's Twitter</a></u></div>
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<u><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5289626.Hazel_B_West" target="_blank">Author's Goodreads</a></u></div>
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<b>Check Out <i>Modern Tales of Na Fianna</i>!</b></div>
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<u><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Ties-Modern-Fianna-Tales-ebook/dp/B01BTPAO7S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503037593&sr=8-1&keywords=blood+ties+hazel+west" target="_blank">Blood Ties (Book One)</a></u></div>
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<u><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Earthly-King-Modern-Fianna-Tales-ebook/dp/B01M3XASGS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503037640&sr=8-1&keywords=an+earthly+king" target="_blank">An Earthly King (Book Two)</a></u></div>
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<u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM8OMLfVeis" target="_blank">Blood Ties Book Trailer</a></u></div>
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Scroll down for an excerpt from <i>Scars of War</i>! And be sure to check out the other blogs to read <i><a href="https://hazelwest.blogspot.com/2017/08/covertitle-reveal.html" target="_blank">even more excerpts</a></i> from the upcoming third book in <i>Modern Tales of Na Fianna</i>!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Excerpt from <i>Scars of War</i></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We could hear the shouting by the time we got onto the front step, sounding like a very disobedient child. I rang the doorbell and waited with an antsy Rory until a frazzled woman answered the door.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Mrs. Dempsey?” I inquired, reaching into my coat to pull out my badge as Rory did the same. “I’m Director Whalen of BPAFF and this is my assistant Mr. Cahill. We’re here about your son, Tomas.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Oh! Thank you so much,” the woman said, obviously relieved as she stepped aside and ushered us in. “You would not believe the trouble this whole ordeal has been. And not knowing where poor Tom is, I can barely stand it. I didn’t expect you to come yourself, though, Director.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“I was in the vicinity,” I told her as we were led into the kitchen and offered coffee. “If you could tell us a little about what happened, ma’am?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Well, it was a week ago today,” Mrs. Dempsey said as she rummaged for something in the fridge but eventually gave up. “I’m sorry, we seem to have run out of cream, it’s that <i>creature</i> you know.” She sighed, running a hand through frizzled red hair. I couldn’t exactly blame her, though I didn’t like hearing the way she said ‘creature’. Faery children were just like ours, simply not meant to be accustomed to suburban human environments. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Why don’t you take a seat,” Rory told her quietly and led her to a chair at the kitchen table and sat her down before we joined her. As Rory sat he pulled out his pad to take notes on the case.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“So it was a week ago?” I asked, getting her back on track.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Yes,” she nodded. “I wasn’t sure what to think at first after Tomas—or <i>not</i> Tomas—ate practically everything in the pantry for breakfast that morning. But it wasn’t until that night I really suspected, what with him seemingly going crazy. Peter, my husband, was the one who thought of it first, but poor Donnie, my other son, I think he knew. They’re twins you know, and twins are like that. He hasn’t been taking it well, I’m afraid, he’s currently hiding in his closet. Peter is trying to keep the creature occupied for a while to see if we can get it to calm down.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“I’d like to see the changeling,” I told her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Be my guest,” Mrs. Dempsey said and stood to motion Rory and me through to the parlor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I saw a similarly frazzled man playing jacks with a small child who was cackling loudly and making a point to be as rambunctious as possible. The house was frankly a disaster, but I tried not to notice, knowing that Mrs. Dempsey was likely embarrassed about it. Mr. Dempsey looked grateful as he saw Rory and me come in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“They’re from the Bureau, dear,” Mrs. Dempsey informed him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Thank the saints,” he said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The changeling stood up and stuck his tongue out at me and Rory. His clothes were disheveled and torn and his hair was wild and sticking up from his head in sticky clumps that looked like they had been shampooed with honey. Maybe they had.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“I’m hungry!” he whined. “And I wanna play, play with me!” He ran forward and kicked Rory in the shin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Ow! Cass!” he complained hopping on one foot, but I ignored him, crouching down to snag the changeling child before he could run off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Come here, you little rascal.” I took out my shamrock pendent and touched his hand with it, instantly dispelling the glamour that had been concealing his true form. It revealed a Fae child with forest green eyes and pointed ears sticking out from beneath the shaggy black hair. He blinked, looking at me with wide eyes before they watered and tears started falling down his freckled cheeks. He tried to get away, but I held him tightly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“No, no, you’re not going anywhere, wee one,” I informed him. “We’re not going to hurt you. Now, come here and talk to me. Do you know where you came from, who put you here?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>He shook his head firmly. “Don’t remember. They’ll be angry!” he started crying harder and I stood, picking him up and settling him on my hip.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“It’s alright, don’t worry about that right now. Are you sure you don’t know where you came from? Where they took the little boy who lives here? The real Tomas?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>He shook his head vigorously. I refrained from sighing. “Alright, well, let’s get you somewhere else.” I turned back to the Dempseys. “We’ll be back later to look around a little more after we take this one somewhere more suitable.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Will you be able to find Tomas?” Mrs. Dempsey asked, wringing her hands.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Hopefully soon,” I assured her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“But it’s very unlikely he’ll be mistreated,” Rory assured with a smile. “Faeries usually take very good care of the human children they change. They’re highly sought after in the Courts.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Dempseys didn’t look entirely reassured by his words, but there was little else they could do. None of us mentioned the fact that neither Court was taking children right now—at least as far as I knew. I carried the Fae child out to the Land Rover and sat him between Rory and I while I drove back to the BPAFF station. The secretary looked surprised to see the child with us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Is there anyone in town who will take in a Fae child for a while until we can get him back to Dublin?” I asked her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Of course, Mrs. O’Toole will take him. She runs an orphanage here in town and takes in both human and Fae children. Here’s her address.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Thanks,” I said, handing Rory the paper she had written it on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Did you find the boy then?”</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Not yet, but we’re on our way to do that,” I told her.</span></div>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-13735391618434768112017-06-23T01:00:00.000-07:002017-06-23T01:00:22.546-07:00Review: Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;"><i style="font-size: x-large;">I wish you would take me. Ravish me. Right now.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Wintersong, pg. 232</span></td></tr>
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<i style="background-color: #d0e0e3;">All her life, Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, dangerous Goblin King. They've enraptured her mind and spirit and inspired her musical compositions. Now eighteen and helping to run her family's inn, Liesl can't help but feel that her musical dreams and childhood fantasies are slipping away.</i></div>
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<i><i style="background-color: #d0e0e3;">But when her own sister is taken by the Goblin King, Liesl has no choice but to journey to the Underground to save her. Drawn to the strange, captivating world she finds - and the mysterious man who rules it - she soon faces an impossible decision. With time and the old laws working against her, Liesl must discover who she truly is before her fate is sealed.</i></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">An encroaching winter, where goblins come into the human world and steal away a bride for their king? Classical music? A protagonist forced to make the biggest sacrifice she can to free her dearest sister from the clutches of the mysterious Goblin King? Sounds like an adventure worth signing up for, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Liesl is the eldest of three siblings, and her whole life she's been certain of three things: her little brother Josef is more talented than her, her little sister Kathe is prettier than her, and the Goblin King is dangerous (until she finds out just how sexy and misunderstood he is).</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><i>"A wren is still a wren, even in peacock's feathers. Don't waste your time. It's not like Hans - anyone - would notice anyway." </i>(pg. 10)</span></blockquote>
And if we ever forget just how plain and pathetic and pitiable Liesl is, she reminds us. All. The. Time.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><i>My face looked sunken, haggard, old, and the copper basin distorted my image back at me - long, pointed nose; stubby, weak chin. Or perhaps I truly was this ugly. </i>(pg. 249-250)</span></blockquote>
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<i style="color: #660000;">How I both loathed and loved visiting the shops with my sister. Loathed because I would never be as lovely as she. . . ." </i><span style="color: #660000;">(pg. 253)</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><i>The gown was dull and ashy brown in color, the color of dirt, the color of mud. It was also, I thought, the color of sparrow feathers. </i>(pg. 259)</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><i>I knew who I was because I knew who I was not: my sister. </i>(pg. 283)</span></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, Liesl's little sister Kathe is the belle of the town - or more like the county slut, as she parades around in clingy dresses, accepts enchanted fruit from hungry-looking strangers (that everyone <i>knows</i> are goblins), and delights in the attentions of her captors in the Underground. One could argue that she's enchanted, but given that this is Kathe's normal behavior, I'm not buying it.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><i>Both men and women traced the lines of [Kathe's] body, the curve of her cheek, the pout of her lip. Looking at Kathe, it was difficult to forget just how sinful our bodies were, just how prone we were to wickedness. Clothed in clinging fabrics, with every line of her body exposed, every gasp of pleasure unconcealed, everything about Kathe suggested voluptuousness. </i>(pg. 26)</span></blockquote>
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Josef was fine in and of himself, but he served no purpose beyond earning the book "diversity points" and to serve as another area of self-deprecation for Liesl.<br />
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When Kathe is kidnapped by the Goblin King, Liesl knows she must go to the Underground kingdom and save her dearest sister. Oh, did I say dearest? Yeah, it's a little hard to tell between Liesl's envy and the fact that it takes her for<i>ever</i> to actually get around to the rescuing part. Sure, Kathe is probably suffering at the hands of the wicked goblins - the Goblin King might have even ravaged her by now (not that Kathe would mind). But the thing is: Liesl's life is suddenly going perfectly for her. Josef has time to play with her again, her father is actually paying attention to her compositions, and Kathe's fiance is actually noticing <i>her</i>. Actually, why is Liesl going after her sister at all?<br />
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But eventually Liesl decides it would be the sisterly thing to rescue Kathe after all, and suddenly <i>Wintersong</i> starts to feel an awful lot like the movie <i>Labyrinth</i>.<br />
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Only the goblins look more like this, only with sharper teeth:<br />
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This is when I <i>really</i> began to despair. Because <i>Wintersong</i> has some good elements. The goblins are much more traditional Fae-goblins, rather than the nasty little puppet creatures featured above (or even what's found in Middle Earth, apparently). It takes place in a beautiful historical era (though it's never specified when exactly; sometime after Mozart and before Beethoven). But then we meet the Goblin King - your classic misunderstood hot captor who, in turns out, doesn't actually <i>want</i> to steal all these girls and drain them of. . . .whatever it is he's draining and for whatever reason.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><i>I look, and the austere young man is still there, waiting for me to follow him into the woods. I am no longer ashamed of my wanting, and I tilt my head to kiss him. He warms to my breath and I follow him as we grow wilder and wilder. We stop for breath and now there is a hint of the devil in his angelic face. The wolf has come out to play. </i>(pg. 301)</span></blockquote>
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Welcome to the rest of the book, folks. There is <i>nothing</i> else beyond this point. And if sex ever sounded appealing - well, this book will have you pushing your significant other away as quick as you can.<br />
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It's no spoiler that Liesl ends up switching places with Kathe in being the Goblin King's bride (more or less). And all of the warnings she's been given her entire life about the Goblin King completely fly out of her head the moment she beholds his devil-like hotness. The plot, which at first promised daring escape from an underground world and dark magic, boils down to Liesl desperately trying to get her hot captor to have sex with her.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><i>"I am at my lady's command," he said. "Your wish is my desire." "Is it?" I rose from the klavier and took a step forward. "Then I think you know just how I would like to pass the time." </i>(pg. 344)</span></blockquote>
But Liesl isn't just desperate for the physical attention. She <i>demands</i> it. Over. And over.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><i>Slow, too slow. I wanted him to devour me, break me with the urgency of his lust. If he could not give that to me, then I would take it from him. </i>(pg. 235)</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><i>The kiss is sweeter than sin and fiercer than temptation. I am not gentle, I am not kind; I am rough and wild and savage. I bite, I nip, I lick, I devour. I want and I want and I want and I want. I hold nothing back. </i>(pg. 231)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><i>I gripped him harder, staking my claim on him. </i>Mine, <i>I thought. </i>Mine. (pg. 236) </span></blockquote>
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Yes, Liesl becomes the emotionally abusive one. Because for reasons not entirely made clear, the Goblin King keeps refusing her (though he eventually gives in. . . .several times. . . .), and that throws Liesl into so many tantrums that involve her hitting him and demanding to know why he won't "ravish her."<br />
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When Liesl isn't trying to find confirmation of her value through sex, she's thinking about music. . . .As a person who grew up on classical music, I adore musical jargon. <i>Wintersong </i>felt like a graduate student who had just completed her Music Theory 103 class and thought she sounded like an expert. Huge swathes of narration and dialogue about quarter notes and half measures and sonatas (Liesl seems incapable of composing anything else) and a thousand other things that no one is going to care about, because it's all dumped unceremoniously in with no thought to how it affects the overall flow of words. To top it off, classical music is just <i>dirty</i> in <i>Wintersong</i>. She composes best after having sex - or after she's had a fit over the fact that the Goblin King won't have sex with her. And then it devolves into her describing her sex with classical music comparisons.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><i>I let the Goblin King play me the rest of the evening, the sonata, the bloodstained handkerchief, and the candle forgotten for the time being. He was the bow, I the strings, and his fingers brushed my body to make me sing. </i>(pg. 321)</span></blockquote>
The plot stumbles on amid this ruination of a fairy tale, desperately trying to patch things up by vaguely throwing in references to changelings and the Goblin King's past - and the fact that Liesl in fact once played with the Goblin King when they were children, but forget about him (or did she? Because she never actually seems to have forgotten about that at all). And after countless scenes of hot-n-heavy sexy times that will make you feel like a seedy old man in a trailer park, <i>Wintersong</i> winds down to a conclusion <i>so incredibly stupid and contrived</i> that I finally just threw the book across the room.<br />
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<b>SPOILER</b></div>
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After hundreds of reiterations that if a Goblin Queen isn't sacrificed eternal winter will descend on the mortal world and changelings will be free to eat up the human morsels, the Goblin King somehow is able to just let Liesl go with no consequences. Eternal winter doesn't descend, the changelings remain in the goblin kingdom, and that's that.<br />
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<b>SPOILER END</b></div>
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I realize that <i>Wintersong</i> is gearing up for a sequel (to which I say NOOOOOOOOOOO), but I have little doubt that the convenient way in which the ending ignores the rules of the world will not be excusable.<br />
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<b>VERDICT</b><br />
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<i>Wintersong </i>at first offers a slightly sinister and darkly whimsical fairy tale set in a charming historical era and a flawed protagonist who struggles through her lack of confidence in order to save her sister from a horrible fate. Instead, <i>Wintersong</i> delivers a protagonist who can't stop wallowing in her plainness, desperately claws for confirmation through sex, and eventually gets what she wants by wearing the Goblin King down. While I felt a little bad for the Goblin King due to Liesl's abuse, he still fits into the category of creepy stalker portrayed as something desirable and sexy. The conclusion was a nonsensical mess and I never want to hear about sonatas and half measures and musical dictation ever again.<br />
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-42777427633704487842017-03-30T23:00:00.002-07:002017-03-30T23:00:37.976-07:00March 2017 Book Haul<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Well, hello there, people! Don't know if anyone comes to the blog anymore. Can't say I blame them, since it's been AGES since last I posted. With Bilbo the hedgehog's passing, blogging hasn't been all that appealing lately, and I've been concentrating on the Youtube channel, so yeah. But anyway! I haven't been completely AWOL in the book community! And thus - I give you my March 2018 Book Haul! It's long, so grab a snack and a comfy chair.</div>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-85480638039565424222016-12-31T00:14:00.001-08:002016-12-31T00:14:16.875-08:00In Memento: Bilbo the First Reading Hedgehog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After a week, I can finally write this post.</div>
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Thursday, December 22nd, I had to make the hard decision to put my hedgehog Bilbo down. At four years old, he lived a long and healthy life for a hedgehog. He had been losing weight for a while and drinking a lot of water. All signs pointed to a tumor in the kidney area. However, he seemed to get better; he was still drinking a lot, but he was eating and gaining weight again. Then it seemed like he deteriorated over night. He stopped eating and drinking, and then he wouldn't run in his wheel. He couldn't maintain his own body temperature, so he had to be kept constantly warm with external heat sources. Even so, he became totally lethargic and had absolutely no interest in anything. With these signs, I knew it was coming. But there's no way to completely prepare yourself for losing something you love. Four years is a good life for a hedgehog, but it was way too soon to have to say goodbye.</div>
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Bilbo was the inspiration for this blog. He also served as inspiration for the illustrator Robert McPhillips, who illustrated <i>The Kingdom of Wrenly</i> series by Jordan Quinn. He was a terrific conversation starter with all of the authors I've met at book signings; I even had a few ask me how he's doing if I ever had occasion to see them again or email them. Ever since I got him, at eight weeks, he was a faithful little reading companion. He loved his wheel and he loved eggs and bacon best as treats. He didn't like many people, but he was an absolute sweetheart with me and always very well behaved at the vet's. He was a very opinionated little animal and preferred to curl up under my chin and sleep than go on adventures.</div>
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Someday soon there will be another Reading Hedgehog. But right now, I'm still grieving and saying goodbye. I find myself constantly having to remember that I don't have to check his cage temperature anymore or feed him when I get home from work. I don't have to text my sister halfway through the day to ask if she'd looked in on him. And whenever I look up from a book or watching a movie, to glance at his now-empty cage, I have to remember that he's not there. I still expect to hear him rattling his water bottle at night or getting up to run in his wheel. It's hard to believe how quickly all of that became normal routine. It's so weird to not have it there anymore.</div>
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Thank you to everyone who has followed The Reading Hedgehog, both on the blog and Youtube. Many of you never met Bilbo in person, but I know you loved him anyway. I look forward to introducing the next Reading Hedgehog, but for now: safe journey to the land of the Elves, Bilbo. ^_^</div>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-77944860373394193832016-11-02T01:00:00.000-07:002016-11-02T01:00:21.685-07:00Author Interview: Hazel West<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://hazelwest.blogspot.com/2016/10/an-earthly-king-blog-tour.html" target="_blank">Follow the tour!</a></td></tr>
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<b>Title:</b> <i>An Earthly King</i></div>
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(Modern Tales of Na Fianna #2)</div>
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by Hazel West</div>
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<b>Genre: </b>YA, urban fantasy, alternate history</div>
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<b>Synopsis</b></div>
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Six months after Ciran defeated King Lorcan and instigated a peace treaty between the High Court of Ireland the Goblin realm, things have been slowly getting back to normal in the kingdoms. That is, until the council decides that it's time for High King Eamon to find a queen.</div>
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On top of that, there seem to be stirrings of rebellion in the Faelands, as not all the Fair Folk like the High Court's treaty with the Goblins. So it's up to Ciran Mac Cool and his company to stop the rebellion before it goes too far, while also trying to keep Eamon safe from potential assassins. And with all the prospective brides rubbing elbows with the High King, that's easier said than done.</div>
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With the help of their friends and a spunky agent from the Bureau of Protection Against Fair Folk, Ciran's Company attempts to stop the Faery plots before Ireland is thrown into all out war. Again.</div>
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<i>An Earthly King</i> is another action-packed book in this Celtic urban fantasy series with lots of friendship, humor, angst, and even traces of the <i>Ballad of Tam Lin</i>.</div>
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<b>Purchase Links</b></div>
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Createspace: <span style="color: #1155cc; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: left;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.createspace.com/5925165&source=gmail&ust=1478142156518000&usg=AFQjCNGYYaW_1S5Mq4vTDtHQKDozDZOTWA" href="https://www.createspace.com/5925165" style="color: #1155cc; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">https://www.createspace.com/<wbr></wbr>5925165</span></a></span></div>
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Smashwords: <span style="color: #1155cc; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: left;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/677271&source=gmail&ust=1478142156518000&usg=AFQjCNGMGasyd-6C8kf93fraK3LLK8cdSQ" href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/677271" style="color: #1155cc; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">https://www.smashwords.com/<wbr></wbr>books/view/677271</span></a></span></div>
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Amazon:<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M3XASGS/ref%3Dsr_1_1?ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1477958562%26sr%3D8-1%26keywords%3DAn%2BEarthly%2BKing%2Bhazel%2Bwest&source=gmail&ust=1478142156518000&usg=AFQjCNHe_okXHT-_MwQ_RKPLFgIvaIkYhQ" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M3XASGS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477958562&sr=8-1&keywords=An+Earthly+King+hazel+west" style="color: #1155cc; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">https://www.amazon.com/dp/<wbr></wbr>B01M3XASGS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&<wbr></wbr>qid=1477958562&sr=8-1&<wbr></wbr>keywords=An+Earthly+King+<wbr></wbr>hazel+west</span></a></div>
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<b><i>Want to start at the beginning? You're in luck! Check out this promotional chance to get a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Ties-Modern-Fianna-Tales-ebook/dp/B01BTPAO7S/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1476148392&sr=8-1" target="_blank">FREE Kindle Edition</a> of Book #1: </i>Blood Ties<i> and begin the </i>Modern Tales of Na Fianna<i> now!</i></b><br />
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<b>Interview</b></div>
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We at The Reading Hedgehog are super thrilled to once again host a stop on author Hazel West's latest blog tour! And we're also thrilled to be interviewing her again!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>MP:</b> <b>So obviously <i>An Earthly King</i> is a sequel to <i>Blood Ties</i> - the first book in the <i>Modern Tales of Na Fianna</i>. What was some of the inspiration for this sequel?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>HW:</i> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, I had known this was going to be a series, so I had already been thinking of sequels by the time I was halfway through writing the first one. I think my first idea for this one was, ‘what if Eamon was pressured into having to marry so they had a huge event where all the eligible ladies were presented to him and he was forced to mingle with them?’—which he would be very bad at. From there it turned into a story about faeries, and evil faeries, and rebel faeries who may not be evil. Obviously, another inspiration for this one was the Ballad of Tam Lin (from which the title is derived). I’ve wanted to write a Tam Lin retelling for a while, and while this isn’t a heavy retelling, nor probably the only one I’ll ever write, I kind of wanted to craft something more subtle for the people who knew the story.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">MP: Since <i>An Earthly King</i> is a sequel, how did the writing experience differ from writing <i>Blood Ties</i>?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>HW: </i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I kind of have a bad track record with sequels, actually, haha. But this one amazingly flowed pretty well. I wrote the first half for NaNoWriMo and then put it away for a while, then wrote the next half several months later. This story is a little more light-hearted than the first one too, not that there isn’t plenty of angst and mangst, but I think there’s more opportunities for humor. The plot for this one made me think more too, haha. But overall, it actually, surprisingly, took me less time to write it than the first one. But I think that’s mainly because I had dealth with all the world building in </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Blood Ties</i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> so this one was just a matter of building on top of that.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">MP: Who is your favorite character in <i>An Earthly King</i>? Why?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>HW: </i></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In this one, definitely Oberon, the rebel faerie prince. (Writer confession: he actually wasn’t even in the original idea for this story, but lo and behold he popped up one day and insisted he was going to be there, and certainly NOT in the capacity I had first thought he should be :P)</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">MP: Assuming you can talk about the villain in <i>An Earthly King</i>: how did working with this villain live up to <i>Blood Ties</i>'s villain?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>HW: </i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Well, in this one, we get to see the Unseelie Queen Eolande as a main baddie. In reality I’m not sure who is worse, her or King Lorcan in </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Blood Ties</i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> but I enjoyed writing them both. There’s something to be said for a wicked queen. I think overall, I liked Lorcan better, but either way, I always enjoy writing baddies.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">MP: Throughout the writing process, which character did you get along with the best, and who gave you the most trouble?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>HW: </i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Unlike in </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Blood Ties,</i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> which was all told from Ciran’s perspective, you get three character perspectives in this one, Ciran, Eamon and a new character, Bree. Eamon and I get along very well as a rule, we share a lot of the same traits; he’s actually rather introverted and likes his quiet and his library. While Ciran was never a difficult character to write, I think I enjoyed writing Eamon’s perspective more, and actually found out a few things about his character I didn’t know before like his dry, rather sarcastic sense of humor which he keeps mostly in his head—unless he’s sharing it with his Captain of the Guard.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bree was the most difficult. I’m not good at writing from a female perspective, I think it’s some psychological thing about it being ‘too close to home’ or something but Bree gave me difficulty for a while, but after several drafts I was finally able to really crack her down. </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">MP: What was your first reaction upon writing THE END on your final draft of <i>An Earthly King</i>?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>HW:<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></i></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was thrilled. This one gave me a lot of issues ESPECIALLY in the editing process, but overall I was happy with how it turned out.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">MP: What can Readers expect next? Do you have a new book in the works? Tell us a bit about it.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>HW: </i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Well, Book Three will be coming out (hopefully) in the summer of 2017! This one will be dealing with a couple minor characters you get to meet in </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">An Earthly King </i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">as well as other issues back in Tara. You’ll get to see how BPAFF (Bureau of Investigation Against Fair Folk) works on a regular basis and there will be a lot more faeries. (Fun fact: if you buy the paperback copy of </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">An Earthly King</i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> you can read the first two chapters of Book Three in the back!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Also, depending on how well my NaNo project goes this year, you guys may get a novel that I will be posting as an online serial, which I’m not quite in the discussion stages as of yet—unless you want to join me in NaNo, then we can chat!</span></span></div>
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<b>About the Author</b></div>
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Hazel West lives in Purgatory, er, Florida, with her books and her hedgehog Horatio. When she's not writing, she's reading other people's books, studying folklore, or binge-watching something on Netflix - drinking coffee is also a given.</div>
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<b>Stalk Hazel Here!</b></div>
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Main Blog: <a href="http://hazelwest.blogspot.com/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 51, 255);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://hazelwest.blogspot.com</span></span></a></div>
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Writing Blog: <span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 51, 255); text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://talesfromamodernbard.blogspot.com/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left;">http://talesfromamodernbard.blogspot.com</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/artfulscribbler"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Twitter</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5289626.Hazel_B_West" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 51, 255); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Goodreads</a><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></div>
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<b>Read an Except from <i>An Earthly King</i>!</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify; text-indent: 21.6px;">Everything happened at once. Eamon had bent over to unlock the passenger side door for me, turning, likely to ask why I was standing so far away, when a dark shape came hurtling out of the shadows and bowled him over before I could shout a warning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify; text-indent: 21.6px;">A wicked blade came into the attacker’s hand and I threw my knife as soon as I saw it, catching the figure’s wrist and causing him to fall back with snarl. Before I could do anything else, Killian had come up from behind the creature and swung his sword, decapitating it in one swift movement. He reached down to help Eamon up while I went to inspect the attacker.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify; text-indent: 21.6px;">“Redcap,” I told them grimly, seeing the distinctive red cap on the decapitated head as well as the pointed ears and lean figure. I stepped on the thing’s arm and bent to pull my knife from its wrist, wiping it on the sleeve of the Fae’s coat. I turned back around to see Killian cleaning his own blade.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify; text-indent: 21.6px;">“Are you all right, Eamon?” I asked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify; text-indent: 21.6px;">He nodded, as Killian turned to me with a glare. “Oh, it’s Eamon is it? By the bloody fae, this really is getting into the gossip rags.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify; text-indent: 21.6px;">“She saved my life, Killie, I think she deserves to call me by name; and is this really the time?” he said, still looking at the dead Faerie. “So, what exactly am I supposed to make of that?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify; text-indent: 21.6px;">I shuddered slightly despite myself, and it had nothing to do with the cold wind. “I’m afraid this might mean we have quite a bit to worry about after all.”</span><br />
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-53755646685191963092016-08-18T01:00:00.000-07:002016-08-18T01:00:24.534-07:00ARC Review: Ghostly Echoes - William Ritter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTeiHnmS_Fo9Xt3JTt8izAftQrPV1DiPYh8b9a_pMuLhl5z9mZEdgNn_F9a8Pr0j0-WxlWjw6Rob3ZT47qPc5AYI7ESvnXc_EoaGGvu-oT5AEbqgBsPikkPj7OWul1tEMq8EtuE-IFRu0/s1600/Ghostly+Echoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTeiHnmS_Fo9Xt3JTt8izAftQrPV1DiPYh8b9a_pMuLhl5z9mZEdgNn_F9a8Pr0j0-WxlWjw6Rob3ZT47qPc5AYI7ESvnXc_EoaGGvu-oT5AEbqgBsPikkPj7OWul1tEMq8EtuE-IFRu0/s320/Ghostly+Echoes.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ghostly Echoes</span></i> by William Ritter<br />
<b>Series:</b> Jackaby #3<br />
<b>Genre:</b> YA, historical fantasy, supernatural, mystery<br />
<b>Published on</b> August 23, 2016<br />
<b>Published by</b> Algonquin Young Readers<br />
<b>Pages:</b> 352<br />
<b>Read In:</b> July 2016<br />
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<b>SYNOPSIS</b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Jenny Cavanaugh, the ghostly lady of 926 Augur Lane, has enlisted the investigative services of her fellow residents to solve a decade-old murder - her own. Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, Detective R. F. Jackaby, dive into the cold case, starting with a search for Jenny's fiancé, who went missing the night she died. But when a new, gruesome murder closely mirrors the events of ten years prior, Abigail and Jackaby realize that Jenny's case isn't so cold after all, and her killer may be far more dangerous than they suspected.</span></b><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>
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<b><b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fantasy and folklore mix with mad science as Abigail's race to unravel the mystery leads her across the cold cobblestones of nineteenth-century New England, down to the mythical underworld, and deep into her colleagues' grim histories to battle the most deadly foe she has ever faced.</span></b></b></div>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-11440305042459356182016-08-10T01:00:00.000-07:002016-08-10T01:00:35.828-07:00Waiting on Wednesday: Ghostly Echoes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/"><b>Breaking the Spine</b></a></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">.<br />It's a weekly meme about upcoming books we're excited about!</span></span><br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ghostly Echoes</span></i></b></div>
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by William Ritter</div>
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(Jackaby #3)</div>
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<b>Publisher: </b>Algonquin Books for Young Readers</div>
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<b>Publication Date: </b>August 23, 2016</div>
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<u>From Goodreads:</u></div>
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Jenny Cavanaugh, the ghostly lady of 926 Augur Lane, has enlisted the investigative services of her fellow residents to solve a decade-old murder - her own. Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, Detective R. F. Jackaby, dive into the cold case, starting with a search for Jenny's fiancé, who went missing the night she died. But when a new, gruesome murder closely mirrors the events of ten years prior, Abigail and Jackaby realize that Jenny's case isn't so cold after all, and her killer may be far more dangerous than they suspected.</div>
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Fantasy and folklore mix with mad science as Abigail's race to unravel the mystery leads her across the cold cobblestones of nineteenth-century New England, down to the mythical underworld, and deep into her colleagues' grim histories to battle the most deadly foe she had ever faced.</div>
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<b>Ever since <i>Jackaby</i> was first released - actually, before then, as I was lucky enough to receive an ARC several months in advance - I have been an avid fan of this series. <i>Doctor Who</i> meets <i>Sherlock</i> is absolutely the best description, and it might sound a little ridiculous to some Readers, but believe me - it's a combination that works admirably well. All the while, William Ritter retains his own originality, so it doesn't feel like a ripoff in the slightest. I've been dying to see what happens next since the end of Book #2, especially concerning Jenny's past!</b></div>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-64435211850346798272016-08-09T01:00:00.000-07:002016-08-09T01:00:26.006-07:00Top 10 Books I'd Buy Immediately If Someone Handed Me A Fully Loaded Gift Card<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish </a></span></span></span></div>
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It's Top Ten Tuesday REWIND! Where I got to pick a topic that I missed or wanted to revisit! Well, I've been a lot of topics recently, due to my absence, so this one sounded super fun!! WARNING: lots of sequels.</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="630" scrolling="auto" src="https://www.rifflebooks.com/list/212181/embed" width="100%"></iframe></div>
Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-49809722844876049152016-08-05T13:21:00.002-07:002016-08-05T13:21:28.747-07:00Hiatus Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hello, everyone!</div>
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So, yeah, I've been unexpectedly absent again! Why? Well, there's a lot of reasons. And hopefully I can line 'em all up in a clear manner.</div>
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">Life happens. This whole adulting thing doesn't leave me much leisure time, and while I actually got a ton of reading done in July (well, more than the last few months), it takes time to then write/record reviews and the like. Also, some personal things happened recently and it's taken all of the joy out of so much.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Writing. In case you haven't heard, I have a new blog: <a href="http://thefreelancechronicles.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Freelance Chronicles</a> (go check it out! It's my pet project at the moment and it takes up pretty much ALL of my spare time. I'm writing installments every week, plus promoting it, plus editing, plus plus plus - well, pretty much the only thing I'm not doing is the artwork.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Booktube vs. Blogging. I'm still trying to decide whether it's more feasable to go all the way on Youtube, or to maintain a blog on top of it. This will be answered when I finally figure out a video review format that I like. And I still haven't done that.</li>
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So! What does this mean for The Reading Hedgehog? I still exit; I haven't disappeared. Not permanently, anyway. And I've been missing it and interacting with my followers. But I beg understanding and patience with all of you. My life is in a transitioning period right now - it feels like it has been for the past 2 years, but big transitions take a long time. To be honest, I burned myself out something awful a few years back, which is why I've been on and off about blogging. Slowly, though, like a victim recovering from trauma, I'm getting my mojo back. I poured myself into this blog for so many years because I burned myself out with creative writing. With <i>The Freelance Chronicles</i>, I've rediscovered the joy of writing again. And I'm rediscovering the joy of the book community as well - again, slowly. I went to my first author event in a long time just a few weeks ago, and it felt amazing. I've been reading a lot more and like I said - I've been missing doing book reviews.</div>
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Please keep having patience with me. Don't be afraid to ask when I'm coming back if you don't hear from me for a while! And please don't give up on The Reading Hedgehog. ^_^</div>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-31938934038967905902016-05-02T01:00:00.000-07:002016-05-02T01:00:13.014-07:002016 TBR Update #8<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So it's been a (long) while since I've done one of these updates, but I'm going to try and do them on Mondays on a regular basis. Not only so you can stay up to date on my reading challenges, but also my TBR progress for the months.</div>
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So my May TBR has 18 official books. Out of those, I have completed 1 this week.<br />
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<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Illusionarium</i> by Heather Dixon (3/5 strawberries)</li>
</ul>
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I have 15 left to read:</div>
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<ul>
<li><b><i>Calamity</i></b><i> </i>by Brandon Sanderson</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Daughter of Dusk</i> by Livia Blackburne</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Empire of Night</i> by Kelley Armstrong</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">A Game of Thrones</i> by George R. R. Martin</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Glass Sword</i> by Victoria Aveyard</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Golden Yarn</i> by Cornelia Funke</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix</i> by J. K. Rowling</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Hopper's Destiny</i> by Lisa Fiedler</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Ignite</i> by Sara B. Larson</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Palace of Mirrors</i> by Margaret Peterson Haddix</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Raging Sea</i> by Michael Buckley</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Yellow Brick War</i> by Danielle Paige</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Curio</i> by Evangeline Denmark</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Monstrous</i> by MarcyKate Connolly</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Stars Above</i> by Marissa Meyer</li>
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I have also read:<br />
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I am currently reading 3 books:<br />
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<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">A Game of Thrones</i> by George R. R. Martin</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Yellow Brick War</i> by Danielle Paige</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">New Moon</i> by Stephanie Meyer</li>
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I have caught up on 0 series, and I have started 0 new series/trilogies/duologies.</div>
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So I sort of failed in last year's all-year-round challenge, but this year I'm doing another one just because I can! And I'm doing the <b><a href="http://www.mysoulcalledlife.com/2016-monthly-key-word-reading-challenge/" target="_blank">2016 Monthly Keyword Reading Challenge</a></b>. Click the link to see detailed rules, but essentially each month there are a set of keywords, and I have to choose a book that adheres to one of those keywords in the title. For me, I'm going to try and select more than one keyword, because I like a challenge.</div>
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This month's keywords are: </div>
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<b>Cure, Trial, Family, Key, Thief, Bend</b></div>
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JUN: Moon, In, Only, Whisper, Sleep, Trap</div>
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JUL: Rose, Sun, Clock, Day, Angel, Unto</div>
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AUG: Prince, Boy, Glass, Heart, Lost, Now</div>
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SEP: Wind, Color, Touch, At, How, Sweet</div>
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OCT: Rock, Ghost, Fall, Away, Sky, Storm</div>
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NOV: Dream, Holiday, And, Of, Dawn, Beautiful</div>
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DEC: End, Promise, Everlasting, Ice, Snow, My<br />
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And because I feel like stressing myself out, I'm taking on a second reading challenge. The <a href="http://www.yourhealthyyear.com/reading-challenge-books/" target="_blank">A-Z Reading Challenge</a>. It's very simple: I have to read a book that begins with a letter from the alphabet, until I've gone through the entire alphabet! So this is my lineup!<br />
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A:<br />
B: Bad Beginning, The - Lemony Snicket<br />
<strike>C: Castle in the Air - Diana Wynne Jones</strike><br />
D: Daughter of Dusk - Livia Blackburne<br />
E: Empire of Night - Kelley Armstrong<br />
<strike>F: Firelight - Kazu Kibuishi</strike><br />
G: Glass Sword - Victoria Aveyard<br />
H: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J. K. Rowling<br />
<strike>I: Illusionarium - Heather Dixon</strike><br />
J:<br />
K:<br />
L:<br />
M: Monstrous - MarcyKate Connolly<br />
N: New Moon - Stephanie Meyer<br />
O:<br />
<strike>P: Pirate's Wish, The - Cassandra Rose Clarke</strike><br />
Q:<br />
<strike>R: Rise of the Wolf - Jennifer A. Nielsen</strike><br />
<strike>S: Sword of Summer, The - Rick Riordan</strike><br />
T:<br />
U:<br />
V:<br />
<strike>W: Wrath and the Dawn, The - Renee Ahdieh</strike><br />
X:<br />
Y: Yellow Brick War - Danielle Paige<br />
Z:</div>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-3080910831990119492016-04-22T01:00:00.000-07:002016-04-22T16:30:25.073-07:00Review: The Fire Wish - Amber Lough<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyInG1A9HzxM5PDOW_DAOlf1SU2lOkMASzCPsz_z272YDqJWPjNj2Jz5lKDDmDA5ez7uuoKKNbKF746Gw11bpZCxgQU49mMrLCGhKvEMXEG3ie8oWIGtFZPFnPdycLNbj3KXmVsug3ypR/s1600/The+Fire+Wish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyInG1A9HzxM5PDOW_DAOlf1SU2lOkMASzCPsz_z272YDqJWPjNj2Jz5lKDDmDA5ez7uuoKKNbKF746Gw11bpZCxgQU49mMrLCGhKvEMXEG3ie8oWIGtFZPFnPdycLNbj3KXmVsug3ypR/s1600/The+Fire+Wish.jpg" /></a></div>
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #274e13;">The Fire Wish</span></i> by Amber Lough<br />
<b>Series:</b> The Jinni Wars #1<br />
<b>Genre:</b> YA, fantasy<br />
<b>Published on</b> July 22, 2014<br />
<b>Published by</b> Random House<br />
<b>Pages:</b> 320<br />
<b>Read From</b> 03.09.16 - 03.26.16<br />
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<b>SYNOPSIS</b><br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Princess</span></i></b></div>
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<b><b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Locked in a caravan on her way to marry a prince of Baghdad, Zayele will do anything to escape.</span></b><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></b></div>
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<b><b><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Jinni</span></i></b></b></div>
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<b><b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Trained as a spy in the war against the humans, Najwa knows there's something about Zayele that the other jinn are hidden.</span></b><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></b></div>
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<b><b><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Wish</span></i></b></b></div>
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<b><b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Zayele captures Najwa and makes a wish. With a rush of smoke and fire, they fall apart, them re-form - as each other. A jinni and a human, trading lives.</span></b><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></b></div>
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<b><b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Both girls must play their parts among enemies who would kill them if the deception were ever discovered - enemies including the fascinating young men Najwa and Zayele are just discovering they might live.</span></b></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Review</span></b></div>
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<b><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GYfL8timAv4/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GYfL8timAv4?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></b></div>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Others in <i>The Jinni Wars</i> Series:</b><br />
1)<i>The Fire Wish</i><br />
2)<i>The Blind Wish</i></div>
Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-38721967818651716932016-04-04T01:00:00.000-07:002016-04-04T01:00:05.017-07:002016 TBR Update #7<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So it's been a (long) while since I've done one of these updates, but I'm going to try and do them on Mondays on a regular basis. Not only so you can stay up to date on my reading challenges, but also my TBR progress for the months.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So my April TBR has 18 official books. Out of those, I have completed 1 this week.<br />
<ul>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Rise of the Wolf</i> by Jennifer A. Nielsen (5/5 strawberries)</li>
</ul>
</div>
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I have 17 left to read:</div>
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<ul>
<li><b><i>Calamity</i></b><i> </i>by Brandon Sanderson</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Daughter of Dusk</i> by Livia Blackburne</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Empire of Night</i> by Kelley Armstrong</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">A Game of Thrones</i> by George R. R. Martin</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Glass Sword</i> by Victoria Aveyard</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Golden Yarn</i> by Cornelia Funke</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix</i> by J. K. Rowling</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Hopper's Destiny</i> by Lisa Fiedler</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Ignite</i> by Sara B. Larson</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Pirate's Wish</i> by Cassandra Rose Clarke</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Palace of Mirrors</i> by Margaret Peterson Haddix</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Raging Sea</i> by Michael Buckley</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Yellow Brick War</i> by Danielle Paige</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Curio</i> by Evangeline Denmark</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Illusionarium</i> by Heather Dixon</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Monstrous</i> by MarcyKate Connolly</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Stars Above</i> by Marissa Meyer</li>
</ul>
I have also read:<br /><br />
I am currently reading 2 books:<br />
<ul>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">A Game of Thrones</i> by George R. R. Martin</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Pirate's Wish</i> by Cassandra Rose Clarke</li>
</ul>
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I have caught up on 1 series (<i>The Praetor War</i>), and I have started 0 new series/trilogies/duologies.</div>
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So I sort of failed in last year's all-year-round challenge, but this year I'm doing another one just because I can! And I'm doing the <b><a href="http://www.mysoulcalledlife.com/2016-monthly-key-word-reading-challenge/" target="_blank">2016 Monthly Keyword Reading Challenge</a></b>. Click the link to see detailed rules, but essentially each month there are a set of keywords, and I have to choose a book that adheres to one of those keywords in the title. For me, I'm going to try and select more than one keyword, because I like a challenge.</div>
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This month's keywords are: </div>
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<b>Far, Life, Stay, One War, Thorns</b></div>
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(<i>Yellow Brick War)</i></div>
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MAY: Cure, Trial, Family, Key, Thief, Bend</div>
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JUN: Moon, In, Only, Whisper, Sleep, Trap</div>
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JUL: Rose, Sun, Clock, Day, Angel, Unto</div>
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AUG: Prince, Boy, Glass, Heart, Lost, Now</div>
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SEP: Wind, Color, Touch, At, How, Sweet</div>
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OCT: Rock, Ghost, Fall, Away, Sky, Storm</div>
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NOV: Dream, Holiday, And, Of, Dawn, Beautiful</div>
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DEC: End, Promise, Everlasting, Ice, Snow, My<br />
<br />
And because I feel like stressing myself out, I'm taking on a second reading challenge. The <a href="http://www.yourhealthyyear.com/reading-challenge-books/" target="_blank">A-Z Reading Challenge</a>. It's very simple: I have to read a book that begins with a letter from the alphabet, until I've gone through the entire alphabet! So this is my lineup!<br />
<br />
A:<br />
B: Bad Beginning, The - Lemony Snicket<br />
<strike>C: Castle in the Air - Diana Wynne Jones</strike><br />
D: Daughter of Dusk - Livia Blackburne<br />
E: Empire of Night - Kelley Armstrong<br />
<strike>F: Firelight - Kazu Kibuishi</strike><br />
G: Glass Sword - Victoria Aveyard<br />
H: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J. K. Rowling<br />
I: Ignite - Sara B. Larson<br />
J:<br />
K:<br />
L:<br />
M: Monstrous - MarcyKate Connolly<br />
N:<br />
O:<br />
P: Pirate's Wish, The - Cassandra Rose Clarke<br />
Q:<br />
<strike>R: Rise of the Wolf - Jennifer A. Nielsen</strike><br />
<strike>S: Sword of Summer, The - Rick Riordan</strike><br />
T:<br />
U:<br />
V:<br />
<strike>W: Wrath and the Dawn, The - Renee Ahdieh</strike><br />
X:<br />
Y: Yellow Brick War - Danielle Paige<br />
Z:</div>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-38843293453790413862016-04-01T01:00:00.000-07:002016-04-01T22:22:13.564-07:00April 2016 TBR<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'm such a mood reader these days, but I'll still try to have a monthly TBR that I will (sort of) stick to.<br />
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-39764860177529250962016-03-31T01:00:00.000-07:002016-03-31T08:44:14.790-07:00Hedge's Reading Recap: March 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyykT2xLWlIZpR-7evXSr1N9U6KKH4HPxVJBMOX5BsyexSJEPc0xhdkeN6avhDVa-56Ymx_ZWEymtUijUW_csXXy3iiGNsOMB9JK9MH502fqZXPCeikIg5xJpi2ErSjs-x1KZ0hJqzQTM/s1600/Hedgie_Reading_Recap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyykT2xLWlIZpR-7evXSr1N9U6KKH4HPxVJBMOX5BsyexSJEPc0xhdkeN6avhDVa-56Ymx_ZWEymtUijUW_csXXy3iiGNsOMB9JK9MH502fqZXPCeikIg5xJpi2ErSjs-x1KZ0hJqzQTM/s320/Hedgie_Reading_Recap.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Time to recap all the books I read this month! All in all, it was a pretty "tame" month. I had a lot going, so I didn't read as much as usual. But the books I did read were quite good!</div>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-53369486724788517642016-03-30T01:00:00.000-07:002016-03-30T01:00:04.685-07:00Book Haul: March 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">It's been a while since I've done one of these! In total, I hauled 17 books this month, which is pretty conservative for me. Enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/au2KZeyki34/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/au2KZeyki34?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-57777801899976843772016-03-28T01:00:00.000-07:002016-03-28T08:53:25.446-07:002016 TBR Update #6<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div>
So it's been a (long) while since I've done one of these updates, but I'm going to try and do them on Mondays on a regular basis. Not only so you can stay up to date on my reading challenges, but also my TBR progress for the months.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So my March TBR has 9 official books. Out of those, I have completed 1 this week.<br />
<ul>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Fire Wish</i> by Amber Lough (3/5 strawberries)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
I have 7 left to read:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i><b>A Game of Thrones</b></i> by George R. R. Martin</li>
<li><b><i>Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix</i></b> by J. K. Rowling</li>
<li><b><i>Anne & Henry</i></b> by Dawn Ius</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Bad Beginning</i> by Lemony Snicket</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Girl on a Wire</i> by Gwenda Bond</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Rise of the Wolf</i> by Jennifer A. Nielsen</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Empire of Night</i> by Kelley Armstrong</li>
</ul>
I have also read:<br />
<ul>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">No. 6 Vol. 4</i> by Atsuko Asano</li>
</ul>
I am currently reading 2 books:<br />
<ul>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">A Game of Thrones</i> by George R. R. Martin</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Rise of the Wolf</i> by Jennifer A. Nielsen</li>
</ul>
<div>
I have caught up on 0 series, and I have started 1 new series/trilogies/duologies (<i>The Jinni Wars</i>).</div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So I sort of failed in last year's all-year-round challenge, but this year I'm doing another one just because I can! And I'm doing the <b><a href="http://www.mysoulcalledlife.com/2016-monthly-key-word-reading-challenge/" target="_blank">2016 Monthly Keyword Reading Challenge</a></b>. Click the link to see detailed rules, but essentially each month there are a set of keywords, and I have to choose a book that adheres to one of those keywords in the title. For me, I'm going to try and select more than one keyword, because I like a challenge.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This month's keywords are: </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Game, Fire, Darkness, School, Like, Change</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(<i><strike>The School of Good and Evil</strike>)</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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APR: Far, Life, Stay, One, War, Thorns</div>
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<br /></div>
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MAY: Cure, Trial, Family, Key, Thief, Bend</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
JUN: Moon, In, Only, Whisper, Sleep, Trap</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
JUL: Rose, Sun, Clock, Day, Angel, Unto</div>
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<br /></div>
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AUG: Prince, Boy, Glass, Heart, Lost, Now</div>
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<br /></div>
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SEP: Wind, Color, Touch, At, How, Sweet</div>
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<br /></div>
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OCT: Rock, Ghost, Fall, Away, Sky, Storm</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
NOV: Dream, Holiday, And, Of, Dawn, Beautiful</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
DEC: End, Promise, Everlasting, Ice, Snow, My<br />
<br />
And because I feel like stressing myself out, I'm taking on a second reading challenge. The <a href="http://www.yourhealthyyear.com/reading-challenge-books/" target="_blank">A-Z Reading Challenge</a>. It's very simple: I have to read a book that begins with a letter from the alphabet, until I've gone through the entire alphabet! So this is my lineup!<br />
<br />
A: Ann & Henry - Dawn Ius<br />
B: Bad Beginning, The - Lemony Snicket<br />
<strike>C: Castle in the Air - Diana Wynne Jones</strike><br />
D:<br />
E: Empire of Night - Kelley Armstrong<br />
<strike>F: Firelight - Kazu Kibuishi</strike><br />
G: Girl on a Wire - Gwenda Bond<br />
H: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J. K. Rowling<br />
I:<br />
J:<br />
K:<br />
L:<br />
M:<br />
N:<br />
O:<br />
P:<br />
Q:<br />
R: Rise of the Wolf - Jennifer A. Nielsen<br />
<strike>S: Sword of Summer, The - Rick Riordan</strike><br />
T:<br />
U:<br />
V:<br />
<strike>W: Wrath and the Dawn, The - Renee Ahdieh</strike><br />
X:<br />
Y:<br />
Z:</div>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-75244501677827077852016-03-27T01:00:00.000-07:002016-03-27T01:00:10.154-07:00Hedgehog Life: 03.21.16 - 03.27.16<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Happy Easter! Has it been a week since I've done one of these updates? Quite honestly, I don't even remember last week, so it's entirely possible.</div>
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So things haven't exactly been <i>busy</i>; they've just been a blur. My life is hitting yet another changing point - details of which I'm not quite ready to share. Just know that I've made the big decision to buy my own car by the end of the year, and that decision was made for a particular reason that I want to keep under wraps until later (the suspense will hopefully not kill you).</div>
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Other than that, I have been crazy busy with writing, which is why I haven't read all that much in the past week - well, the entire month, to be honest. <i>The Freelance Chronicles</i> has been taking up all of my free time (as have a few animes, such as <i>Tokyo Ghoul</i> and <i>Fruits Basket</i>). I try to post a new story every Sunday and I'm kind of starting to catch up, so I need to turn out the stories as fast as I can (without sacrificing quality, of course). And besides, while I'm enjoying my current book, I'm also not captivated by it. I'm much more fascinated with my own world.</div>
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I did a book haul on Friday, the video of which you'll get at the end of the month. I found some good buys! And didn't walk away with the entire store, which was my habit in the past. ;)</div>
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Dance has been going well. I'm still recovering from my three-week absence due to a lot of things. The body gets used to lack of activity really fast, and it protests when you force it to work again. But I'll shake the rustiness off in no time.</div>
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How has the week been treating <i>you</i>?</div>
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Keep reading, my friends!</div>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-59985268781097386382016-03-23T01:00:00.000-07:002016-03-23T01:00:14.809-07:00Waiting on Wednesday: The Raven King<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/"><b>Breaking the Spine</b></a></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">.<br />It's a weekly meme about upcoming books we're excited about!</span></span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Raven King</span></i></b></div>
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by Maggie Stiefvater</div>
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(The Raven Cycle #4)</div>
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Publication Date: <b>April 26, 2016</b></div>
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<u>From Goodreads:</u></div>
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The fourth and final installment in the spellbinding series from the irrepressible, #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater.</div>
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All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love's death. She doesn't believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.</div>
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In a starred review for <i>Blue Lily, Lily Blue</i>, <i>Kirkus Reviews</i> declared: "Expect this truly one-of-a-kind series to come to a thundering close."</div>
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<b>Why I'm Excited</b></div>
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- Um. . . .Well. . . .Gosh I don't know - maybe because it's <i>the last book in The Raven Cycle!!!!!!</i> Which actually makes me super sad. But I want to know how it ends! I've been in suspense ever since - well, Book One, to be honest!</div>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-35341787713054729892016-03-17T01:00:00.000-07:002016-03-17T01:00:00.264-07:00Review: The School for Good and Evil - Soman Chainani<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #274e13;">The School for Good and Evil</span></i> by Soman Chainani<br />
<b>Series:</b> The School for Good and Evil #1<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Middle Grade, fantasy<br />
<b>Published on</b> May 14, 2013<br />
<b>Published by</b> HarperCollins<br />
<b>Pages:</b> 488<br />
<b>Read From:</b> 03.04.16 - 03.09.16<br />
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<b>SYNOPSIS</b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This year best friends Sophie and Agatha will discover what it is to be a student at the fabled School for Good and Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. With her pink dresses, glass slippers, and devotion to good deeds, Sophie knows she'll earn top marks at the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess.</span></b><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Meanwhile, Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike for nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil.</span></b></div>
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<b><b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But when the two girls are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes reversed - Sophie's dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School for Good, among handsome princes and fair maidens in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication. But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha <i>really</i> are. . . .?</span></b></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Review</span></b></div>
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<b>Others in This Series:</b><br />
<b><i>1)The School for Good and Evil</i></b><br />
<b><i>2)A World Without Princes</i></b><br />
<b><i>3)The Last Ever After</i></b></div>
Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762123704887495795.post-70489629440870186242016-03-16T01:00:00.000-07:002016-03-16T01:00:08.854-07:00Waiting on Wednesday: Masks and Shadows<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/"><b>Breaking the Spine</b></a></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">.<br />It's a weekly meme about upcoming books we're excited about!</span></span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Masks and Shadows</span></i></b></div>
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by Stephanie Burgis</div>
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Publication Date:<b> April 12, 2016</b></div>
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<u>From Goodreads:</u></div>
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The year s 1779, and Carlo Morelli, the most renowned castrato singer in Europe, has been invited as an honored guest to Eszterhaza Palace. With Carlo in Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy's carriage, ride a Prussian spy and one of the most notorious alchemists in the Habsburg Empire. Already at Eszterhaza is Charlotte von Steinbeck, the very proper sister of Prince Nikolaus's mistress. Charlotte has retreated to the countryside to mourn her husband's death. Now, she must overcome the ingrained rules of her society in order to uncover the dangerous secrets lurking within the palace's golden walls. Music, magic, and blackmail mingle in a plot to assassinate the Habsburg Emperor and Empress - a plot that can only be stopped if Carlo and Charlotte can see through the masks worn by everyone they meet.</div>
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<b>Why I'm Excited</b></div>
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- I will always, always, <i>always</i> read anything written by Stephanie Burgis.</div>
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- You should all know by now that I love historical fiction, fantasy, and plots of assassination!</div>
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Mara A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00484574814523220378noreply@blogger.com0