#bookadayaz

 

This was a fascinating read. The inclusion of Norse mythology was fun, since I don't know much about it. I loved the characters, but there were some small scenes that I didn't think were necessary. They took away from the story rather than added to it. There were some description of some sexual things that I thought were inappropriate, especially for a book that won a Whitney Award. 

Bayr of Saylok, bastard son of a powerful and jealous chieftain, is haunted by the curse once leveled by his dying mother. Bartered, abandoned, and rarely loved, she plagued the land with her words: From this day forward, there will be no daughters in Saylok.

Raised among the Keepers at Temple Hill, Bayr is gifted with inhuman strength. But he’s also blessed with an all-too-human heart that beats with one purpose: to protect Alba, the first girl child born in nearly two decades and the salvation for a country at risk.

Now the fate of Saylok lies with Alba and Bayr, whose bond grows deeper with every whisper of coming chaos. Charged with battling the enemies of their people, both within and without, Bayr is fueled further by the love of a girl who has defied the scourge of Saylok.

What Bayr and Alba don’t know is that they each threaten the king, a greedy man who built his throne on lies, murder, and betrayal. There is only one way to defend their land from the corruption that has overtaken it. By breaking the curse, they could defeat the king…but they could also destroy themselves.

SECRETS OF NEVERAK by JACOB GOWANS — #review #bookreview #books #amreading

A TALE OF LIGHT AND SHADOW: SECRETS OF NEVERAK by Jacob Gowans. I read both Volume 1 and Volume 2 back to back. I prefer to do it that way so the story continues, although volume 1 ended well. This was a fascinating story from the beginning with the scribe paid to write the story to the storyteller coming in and continuing the story from volume 1. The characters are wonderful and the world is fun to be in, however, it reads more like an epic fantasy than I expected. I found myself skimming parts while others drew me to the edge of my seat. I smiled, shook my head, laughed, feared for, and basically enjoyed the ride Gowans takes the reader on. By the end of SECRETS OF NEVERAK, though, I felt like the story has taken on so many different individual character stories that in a way it was hard to keep up. I'd read what happened to one then jump back three weeks to find out what happened to someone else. It's a bit disorienting at times. It's a great read though that I would recommend for teens and above.

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Henry Vestin always believed that, despite being a carpenter with no training in swordplay or survival, he could lead Isabelle and his friends to safety. He thought he could defy an emperor and protect Isabelle from harm. He was certain that love and friendship would help them survive.

He was wrong.

The second volume in the Tale of Light and Shadow series follows Henry and his friends after the disastrous battle at the Iron Pass. Horrors await the band of travelers in strange new lands. Crippled and broken, Henry must rely on his friends more than ever. New allies and foes find them at every turn, but which are friendly and which are deadly? Isabelle, now a slave in Neverak, finds herself surrounded by enemies, uncertain about the fate of her friends, and relying on only herself to survive. The Emperor moves forward with his plans of conquest, spurred on by the Seer’s dark prophecy, but he has not forgotten those who defied him.

Return to the world of Atolas, where swords and daggers extend life or end it, where feuds and friendships influence kingdoms and courtships, and where magic is feared by all but a few.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

IMPOSSIBLE RACE by @ChadCMorris — #bookreview #books #amreading #review

IMPOSSIBLE RACE by Chad Morris. This was a fantastic ending to a wonderful series. It is a race that is worth running, and I couldn't stop turning the pages. I honestly didn't expect what happened at the end. I couldn't see how the kids were going to come out on top, but they did and the ending was very fitting. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a great adventure. Be sure to check out the first two books in the Cragbridge Hall series: THE INVENTOR'S SECRET and THE AVATAR BATTLE.

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In the final book of the Cragbridge Hall trilogy, Abby, Derick, and their friends must utilize their skills in time travel and technology to survive roving bands of dinosaurs, race through space, build robots, and fight virtual dragons.

It’s known as the Race—an annual tournament where teams of students compete in the hopes of winning an unbelievable prize. But before this year’s competition, Derick and Abby receive a terrifying message from the future: Charles Muns’s plan to control history is going to succeed. It will cost countless people their lives and change the destiny of the world. And there is nothing anyone can do to stop them.

Despite the danger, the twins gather their friends and enter the Race, ready to compete against the best of the best in order to claim what might turn out to be a key of ultimate power.

Can they compete the Race in time and stop Muns? Or has the future already been written?

A page-turning, time-travel adventure that teaches powerful lessons about choice and consequence, believing you can do hard things, and valuing our history.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

SILENCE by Deborah Lytton #bookreview #books #review #authors

SILENCE by Deborah Lytton. What an incredible story. As a musician I related to Stella very well. Deborah did a great showing the growth of each character, weaving their stories into one. It's a great story that I'd recommend to everyone, especially those who are struggling with things that life throws at them that are necessarily in their control. This book will give those people a different perspective.

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STELLA was born to sing. Someday Broadway. But everything changed when a tragic accident renders her deaf; she cannot hear, much less sing. Trapped in a strange new world of total silence, she must face not only the loss of her friends, her hopes, and her voice but also the loss of her identity and her life's purpose. Who is she is she's not a singer?

HAYDEN is a quiet loner, an outcast, and the only person Stella can communicate with; his profound stutter makes him speak so slowly, she is able to easily read his lips. As they find new ways to communicate despite their disabilities, their friendship grows into an unexpected—but welcome—romance. But is it a romance that can last if Stella regains her hearing and resumes her former life?

Alternating between Stella's and Hayden's points of view, Silence is a lyrical story of self-discovery, romance, and resilience, of two souls learning how to find their voices and break through the silence.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.