Category: G • H • I

SPLINTERED BY A.G. HOWARD

28/2/2018

Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.

That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.

As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.

If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.

Readers who appreciate dark classics will fall in love with this brooding retelling of Lewis Carroll’s original tale, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, that is filled with eerie art and twisted love tales. – Abooktopia

First off, I would just like to take a moment to appreciate the gorgeous cover designs that reflect the dark edge that comes alongside these tales, and not to mention, the gorgeous coloured text on the inside that made the reading journey all the more special and unique with it’s dark re-telling.

Unhinged took off with Alyssa trying to fight for the life she chose after her last journey in Wonderland. Despite struggling to keep her netherling side under control, Alyssa’s life has returned to her old norm with her mother by her side and her devoted boyfriend Jeb being there for her. However, with only a matter of days before her graduation, unexpected surprises come hurtling back from the past. With Wonderland not quite being done with her, she discovers that her court may be in immense danger. The only question left is, should she continue living the life she chose, or the one she was born to save? What else is one to do when you’re a descendant of Alice from the original children’s tale by Lewis Carroll.

I cannot wait to see how this series will end as the ending to this book couldn’t have been more perfect with the plot line coming back to complete the full circle. Despite Unhinged not being set in Wonderland, we still got the chance to see all the whimsical creatures with the increasing appearances of things that shouldn’t exist in Alyssa's human world. With her worlds starting to collide, Morpheus makes a sudden appearance in the human world as things start to get a whole lot more complicated. With Jeb having not yet recovered his memories from this time in Wonderland, a darker side of Alyssa is shown where her desires wish to break free from her loyalty towards the boy she believes she loves, and to race her attraction towards Morpheus as the want in her heart starts to become impossible to deny. With her mother holding her back from her destiny and Morpheus urging her to take it, Alyssa is stuck between the decisions of her two worlds with each ones survival in her hands.

***I received a copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review***

A.G. Howard was inspired to write SPLINTERED while working at a school library. She always wondered what would've happened if Alice had grown up an the substle creepiness of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland had taken her stage in her story, and she hopes her dardeeer and funkier tribute to Caroll will inspire readers to seek out the stories that won her heart as a child.

Her pastimes are reading, rollerblading, gardening, and family vacations which often include impromptu side trips to 18th century graveyards or condemned schoolhouses to appease her overactive muse.

Splintered by A.G. Howard:
BOOK 1: Splintered
BOOK 2: Unhinged
BOOK 3: Ensnared

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SUBMERGED SUN BY VANESSA GARDEN

30/6/2016

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When Miranda Sun returns to Marin on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, this time of her own free will, she quickly learns that her worst fears have been realised. The glittering underwater city is not as she had left it, nor too is Marko, the young king who has dominated her thoughts and heart for the last twelve months since leaving Marin.

Miranda, however, has not made the journey to Marin alone, and now must contend with not only Marko’s evil brother Damir but more surprisingly her sister Lauren who has an agenda of her own. Marko’s power begins to wane and with cracks beginning to show in the domed Utopian city, and veiled danger lurking everywhere, she quickly learns that in this dazzling city full of beautiful people she can trust no-one but herself.

If Miranda wants to survive, she must decide between the hardened sensibilities in her head and the hungers of her heart. Will her decision cause more heartache or can she help to save Marko’s throne?

A well developed, intrigue, plot thickened novel about an underwater kingdom unlike anything I’ve ever known. – Abooktopia

It’s been a year since Robbie returned Miranda to the surface, back to her previous life. Not a single day has passed by where her thoughts are not filled with her promise to the handsome underwater king, Marko. Her promise to return to Marin on her eighteenth birthday. The time has finally come for Miranda to give the king a second chance, and to return back as his guest, and not his reluctant captor. Willing to help Marko, Miranda knows her time in Marin will become all the more personal with twin siblings Sylvia and Damir causing disharmony in the city. They cannot be trusted, however loyalty to Sylvia continues to cloud the king’s judgment. Despite Miranda’s willingness to risk her own relationship to ensure Marko’s safety, she is sure that Sylvia is working against the king, but she only manages to drive a wedge between the two. Despite giving up her life, her family, and the sun for a life underwater, she feels unwanted and unappreciated. She finds Marko cold and unforgiving as she hears rumors of other women entertaining Marko in her absence. Though that’s not her biggest problem. Together Miranda and Marko’s must help to carry Marin into the next generation and to survive.

I enjoyed how Miranda’s character grew into an adult, as she became a touch bit wiser and older. I liked how she was not completely ruled by her emotions as her head battled against her heart in trying to decipher from right to wrong. Miranda’s relationship between her Robbie and Marko was an interesting read as each relationship had it’s own unique dynamic contrast. Robbie is without a doubt probably my most favourable character so far in the series. He is such a lovely pleasure to read about. I found that as I continued on with the story, I gradually came to accept Miranda’s relationship with Marko as their relationship developed with time. Although I loved most of the characters, the one character I could not stand was Lauren. She was just… ugh… I didn’t know whether to trust her or not, and the way she flirted with every guy was just annoying.

Impulse overall was such a lovely improvement from Captivate as it had that extra little spark that the first novel was missing. Plus the cover was absolutely gorgeous and a total winner. I loved how each character had their own secret agenda and reasoning for their actions whether it was intentionally good or bad. The setting was beautiful as we got to read about the difference of life on the surface, and in the underwater city. We also got to learn much more about the secrets of the underwater city, and how Marin operated.

***I received a personalised signed copy of this book in return***
***for an honest and unbiased review***

A bookseller and Young Adult author, Vanessa loves nothing more than immersing herself in the exciting world of books. When she is not raving about her favourite reads with customers, or mentally casting actors to play the characters in her next novel, she enjoys hanging out with those she loves most.

Submerged Suns by Vanessa Garden
BOOK 1: Captivate
BOOK 2: Impulse

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SPLINTERED BY A.G. HOWARD

29/2/2016

62 Comments

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence.

Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

Fans of warped dark classics will adore this all-new retelling of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland. – Abooktopia

Before I start, can I just say how gorgeous is that cover? Like seriously it is perfection. Oh, and the writing inside? Purple. What a fantastic idea. It really is something special to behold.

Alyssa is the great-great-great granddaughter of Alice Liddell, who told Lewis Carroll of her strange dreams, which inspired his classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The female descendants of Alyssa’s family have suffered from a great curse of madness that has stricken the women in her family with insanity. When her mother is taken away to a mental asylum after attempting to kill her own daughter, Alyssa knows that she will suffer the same fate. What Alyssa doesn’t know, is that what she once thought was fiction, is actually a terrifying reality.

The real Wonderland is a world far darker than Lewis Carroll ever let on. In a race against madness, Alyssa must travel into the world of Wonderland with her bestfriend and secret boy crush Jeb, if she wishes to remove the curse that was placed upon her family. She must go down the rabbit hole and travel into dark abyss of Wonderland to undo all of Alice Liddell’s mistakes. There Alyssa must first face a series of tests, before she can accomplish her goals.

Upon arriving to Wonderland, Alyssa meets the surreptitious Morpheus who has been appearing in her dreams ever since she was just a girl. With Morpheus, who may have darker motives of his own as her guide through Wonderland, Alyssa becomes unclear on who are her enemies and who are her friends.

I instantly fell in love with Alyssa’s character right from the start as she was strong willed and faced her obstacles stealthily.

I don’t know how A.G. Howard did it, but she managed to create a whole new world of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with a far darker twist than any of Tim Burton’s movies, and a whole lot more creepy… I can tell a lot of research went into this novel as A.G. cleverly wove the original story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland into her very own.

***I received a copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review***

Splintered by A.G. Howard:
BOOK 1: Splintered
BOOK 2: Unhinged
BOOK 3: Ensnared

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THE WINGS OF WAR BY KAREN ANN HOPKINS

15/1/2016

53 Comments

There are descendants of angels walking among us. Ember is one of them.

Embers is an epic paranormal adventure/romance about a seventeen year old girl who discovers that she's immune to fire and any other injury when she’s in a horrific car crash that kills her parents. Following a violent episode with her aunt's boyfriend, Ember flees Ohio to live with an old relative in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Ember's exuberance at escaping a bad home life soon turns to trepidation when she learns that she's a Watcher, a descendant of angels. While Ember is instructed about her heritage and the powers that go along with it, she strikes up friendships with two teenagers who live in a frightening walled compound in the forest. Inexplicitly drawn to one of the young men in particular, an impossible romance develops. But it's cut short when Ember discovers that her new friends are fighting on the opposite side of a war that's been raging between two factions of Watchers for thousands of years. When the compound’s inhabitants threaten the townspeople, Ember takes action, sealing her fate in the ancient battle of good versus evil, and the grayness in between. Ember is up to the challenge, until she realizes that she isn’t only fighting for the lives of the locals and the souls of her new friends. She may be one of the few champions willing to make a stand for all of mankind as the rapture approaches and the end of days begin.

Get ready to be flung into a brand new world of paranormal, with an imminent apocalypse brewing furtively. - Abooktopia

After the death of her parents in a tragic car crash and a fire that should have killed her too, Ember flees the abuse of her Aunt’s boyfriend, to live with an old time relative. But the old lady is more than she seems. Uncovering a truth about her ties, Ember learns that she is a Watcher, a descendant of Angels. Each Watcher has control over one aspect of the elemental powers, but some with the power to control more than one of the elements. With the help of Ila, Ember learns to control her abilities and control them in, or risk being consumed by the fire inside of her. But being a Watcher is the least of her problems. The end of the world is coming sooner than anyone expects…

During her training course as a Watcher, Ember strikes up a scarce friendship with Demon boy Sawyer, and a Growler; Ivan, who can transform into a wolf at, will. As romance blossoms between her and Sawyer, Garret Hammond, the leader of the Demons, gives his followers permission to hunt, and seek the souls of people. When innocent friends of hers are murdered for their souls, Ember takes action as she releases the fire within her, as she gets her revenge for the lives that were taken.

Karen Ann Hopkins creates a brand new world of paranormal, or Watchers, Growlers and Demons. Ember O’Meara was strong willed, with a stubborn nature, whilst Sawyer McCrae used humor to hide his regret and loneliness. I loved watching the dynamics between Sawyer and the other Demons, as he felt sympathy and regret for stealing the souls or humans, as he required them to lengthen his life. As for Ivan’s character, I really adored his personality, and his loyalty for both his friends. I hope to learn more about his character as the series progresses.

***I received a personalised signed copy of this book in return***
***for an honest and unbiased review***

You can visit Karen Ann Hopkins at her website: www.karenannhopkins.com or follow her on Twitter at: karenannhopkins.

Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats. Karen's main job is home schooling the kids, but she finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lived in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah.

Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, was rewarded with her first horse at the age of eleven. The feisty horse's name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen's steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, she found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Karen is currently working on her Amish mystery series, Serenity's Plain Secrets, along with the YA paranormal/fantasy series, The Wings of War. Karen is also excited to announce the Temptation series has been optioned for TV by Pilgrim Studios and is available on Audible.

The Wings of War by Karen Ann Hopkins:
BOOK 1: Embers
BOOK 2: Gaia

Temptation by Karen Ann Hopkins:
BOOK 1: Temptation
BOOK 2: Belonging
BOOK 3: Forever
BOOK 4: Rachel's Deception

Serenity's Pain Secrets by Karen Ann Hopkins:
BOOK 1: Lamb to The Slaughter
BOOK 2: Whispers From The Dead

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SPLINTERED BY A.G. HOWARD

SUBMERGED SUN BY VANESSA GARDEN

SPLINTERED BY A.G. HOWARD

THE WINGS OF WAR BY KAREN ANN HOPKINS

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