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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

ARC Review: Kingdom From Ashes by Megan Linski

Title; Kingdom From Ashes
Author: Megan Linski
Publication: April 1st 2015 by Gryfyn Publishing
Genre: Young Adult ~ Romance
Rating: 3/5

Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

Princess Bennua is to be married. The daughter of a sultan, her duty is to marry a powerful yet cruel warlord to be her husband, sealing an alliance that will scare the desert of Sahrahn into submission. But the wedding is halted in place when the infamous Raider Prince, king of thieves and leader of the dark city Ashana, threatens to take her city by force.

Sacrificing her freedom for her country, Bennua agrees to accompany the Raider Prince on his travels if he leaves her homeland alone. Stolen from her charmed life Bennua begins to learn the truth of what lies beyond the palace walls and the suffering that plagues Sahrahn’s people. Bennua begins to plan her escape, but the more she learns from the thieves the more she finds herself becoming one of the them...all while falling hard for their leader, the Raider Prince himself.

First of all I want to thank Megan Linski for being so kind as to give me an ARC of this book. Second, I Iove that although, just like the author says in her author's note, that Sahrahn is a fantasy land that is inspired by pre-Islamic Middle East and some traits from Islamic society. I've been wanting to read more books that have that.

The story is about Princess Bennua, a sultan's daughter who is about to get married to the powerful Quasim. She soon finds out that he is as cruel as he's handsome and all she wants is to be free of marrying him but she wants to do what's right for her city. Her escape comes in the form of the Raider Prince who threatens to take over her beloved city and kill her brother. She agrees to accompany him on the journey back to his homeland, a journey that's not short of dangers and betrayal.

I liked the story but it still had a few flaws. It's pretty obvious that I loved the setting and I really did. It was exotic and fresh and new. I also really liked the Raider Princ a.k.a. Zahid. He was pretty fun to read about and I especially liked his interactions with Bennua. They had a lot of chemistry together. Another character I was fond of was Zahid's friend Toshana. Without wanting to give too much away I can only say that I hadn't seen the end coming which involved Toshana.

The things I thought weren't the best was mostly the writing. It wasn't that it was bad but I didn't really have a liking toward it. I also thought there could've been a little more character building and I felt like things moved a little too fast. With that said I do have to say that the romance was well-written. That, at least, wasn't rushed at all. Bennua and Zahid didn't fall in love right away but the spark between them was there at least.

All in all, Kingdom From Ashes by Megan Linski was a pretty likable read. I liked the beautiful setting and the journey that Bennua and Zahid went on. It also read really fast, so that's always a good thing.

About the Author:

Megan Linski is the owner of Gryfyn Publishing and has had a passion for writing ever since she completed her first (short) novel at the age of 6. Her specializations are romance, fantasy, and contemporary fiction for people aged 14-24. When not writing she enjoys ice skating, horse riding, theatre, archery, fishing, and being outdoors. She is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention, and is an active fighter against common variable immune deficiency disorder. She lives in Michigan.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Book Tag: Burn, rewrite or re-read

Mel @ The Daily Prophecy tagged everyone who wanted to do this so I thought why not!

The point of this tag is to pick three random books and out of these three you have to decide which you'd pick be burned, rewritten and reread. There are three rounds.

Round 1.

Burn: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

I'm so so so sorry but this is the only one out of the three I could burn. Adrian isn't in this book yet so it's not as precious to me as the others.

Rewrite: Sever by Lauren DeStefano

I love this series and this book but I would rewrite a certain (favorite) character's death in this one. I remember sobbing when that person died. *sniffles*

Re-read: Prophecy of Solstice's End by Diantha Jones

I'd re-read this one simply because someday I want to re-read the whole series. <3

Round 2.

Burn: Supernaturally by Kiersten White

I didn't like this book much so burn baby burn!

Rewrite: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I liked this book, don't get me wrong... yet I didn't love it entirely but I'm not sure what I would rewrite. Maybe I'd write Cath a little bit different.

Re-read: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

This book is a favorite of mine so no way would I burn or rewrite it, re-reading was the only way to go!

Round 3.

Burn: Poisoned Apples by Christine Hepperman

I'd burn this one because it's a collection of poems and though I like poems I don't like them as much as regular books.

Rewrite: Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher

I didn't hate it nor loved it so I guess I'd rewrite it. Maybe make it a little more exciting that it was.

Re-read: Airman by Eoin Colfer

Of course I'd re-read this book! I actually try to read it at least once a year. I'm actually thinking a re-read of it needs to come soon.

I tag:
Everyone who wants to do this!

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Phantom Moments: Guest Post by Lesa Howard

So you all might know that I'm a huge fan of The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical and any retellings of it. This is in honor of that.

Today I have a guest post written by Lesa Howard, author of Phantom's Dance

First Phantom

After reading Stephanie’s inaugural Phantom Moments post, oddly enough my mind went back to some of the movie versions of the Phantom I’ve seen over the years. I love Claude Raines so his portrayal of Erique Claudin first piqued my interest in the phantom’s tragic story. Yet that version is not the one that stands out most when I think back to my teen years. I’m about to date myself here and reveal how incredibly nerdy I was, but before Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterpiece, there was Brian De Palma’s Phantom of the Paradise.

Phantom of the Paradise was a musical released in 1974, shortly before De Palma did Carrie, and it was a total cheese-fest, campy even before Rocky Horror Picture show came on the scene, and I was a thirteen-year-old romantic who loved every bit of it. Here’s the IMDB synopsis: A disfigured composer sells his soul for the woman he loves so that she will perform his music. However, an evil record tycoon betrays him and steals his music to open his rock palace, The Paradise. But it was so much more to me.

For whatever reason, this red-headed misfit living in small-town Texas identified with the main character’s tortured soul. The storyline is a lot like the Claude Raines version, which may have been why I liked it. It follows a Faust-like arc, Winslow Leach’s (no, his name is not Erik) cantata is even entitled Faust, and many characters are prompted to sell their souls to the devil for success in the music industry.

When the gifted and talented musician seeks representation for his opera, he goes to the enormously successful record producer who steals his music for his own use. Then he frames Winslow for a crime he didn’t commit and has him carted off to a prison said producer happens to own. Winslow stages a ridiculous prison break and heads straight for the record company. On a rampage, he vandalizes the recording equipment, and when he’s accidentally caught in a record press, not only is his face disfigured but he loses his voice as well. Voila! A phantom who sounds like Darth Vader.

As anyone can see, these two similar versions are quite different from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway play and Gaston Leroux’s original antihero. No doubt the man rolled in his grave when Phantom of the Paradise came out. Still, it was a musical and it was the 70s and did what the 70s did best, embraced all things pop culture. And, hey, I’m a big fan of cheddar, provolone, and Munster.

This was my first Phantom. What was yours?