Curse of the Sphinx Review, Promo Video + #Giveaway

Curse of the Sphinx
Sphinx Series
Book #1
Raye Wagner

Genre: YA Romantic Fantasy, Mythology

Release Date: August 11, 2015

ISBN: 978-1515305712

ASIN: B013PD4U5O

Pages: 344

Goodreads Rating: 3.71

My Rating: 4.5

Book Description:

How long can a monster stay hidden in plain sight?

Seventeen-year-old Hope Nicholas has spent her entire life on the run. But no one is chasing her. In fact, no one even knows she exists. With her mom, she’s traveled from town to town and school to school, barely staying long enough to meet anyone, let alone make friends. And she’ll have to keep it that way. It’s safer.
When her mother is brutally ripped away from her, Hope’s life shatters. Is this the fulfillment of Apollo’s curse, murder from the shadow monsters of the Underworld, or have the demigods finally found her? Orphaned and alone, Hope flees again, but this time there’s no one to teach her who to trust—or how to love.

Set in a universe where mythology is alive and well in the modern world, Curse of the Sphinx irresistibly blends action, suspense and romance. 

My Take on the Book:

First and foremost let me say that I loved this book! I’m a huge fan of mythology, Greek, Norse and Egyptian being my favorites so this was a book right up my alley.

With that said, there were a couple of off putting moments and personality traits of some characters and the story did drag a bit at times but it in NO WAY took away from the story’s overall greatness.

I loved the Sphinx mythology and I’m gonna get my hands on the prequel to get a more in depth look into this universe.

The characters were solid and likeable and I found myself giddy with the cuteness that the romance in this story brought to the whole picture this author was painting us.

I think the off putting moments were mainly in the tone. I found myself a bit lost in terms of who knew what. At moments I felt like our main character was interacting with 2 different male leads as opposed to the one. I also found myself questioning if he was who I thought he was or if he lost his memory or something along those lines.

BUT, I still loved Athan and Hope. I thought they were adorable! 

4.5 Quills

I think I mainly want to read the next book to see where these characters go and how they develop because this was a pretty great beginning to what has the makings of a great series. There is so much we don’t know and I’m excited to learn it all.

Amazon

About The Author

Raye Wagner grew up in Seattle, the second of eight children, and learned to escape chaos through the pages of fiction. As a youth, she read the likes of David Eddings, Leon Uris, and Jane Austen. Inspired by a fictional character, Raye pursued a career in nursing, thinking to help the world one patient at a time.

One summer afternoon, when her then young children were playing in the pool, a plot dropped into her head, and she started writing.

She enjoys baking, puzzles, Tae Kwon Do, and the sound of waves lapping at the sand. She lives with her husband and three children in Middle Tennessee.

Origin of the Sphinx, a novella detailing the story leading up to the creation of the mythological creature, is her first publication. It is the beginning of the Sphinx series.
Curse of the Sphinx, the first book in the series, is completed, and set to be released in August 2015.

Author Links:

Website│Twitter│Facebook│Goodreads

Enter The Giveaway Here

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e-copy of Curse of the Sphinx OR an e-ARC of the sequel, Demigods and Monsters

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$50 Amazon Gift Card
 

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Book Tour Organized by:

 “I received a free copy of the book from the author/publisher for my honest opinion. I was in no way compensated for this review and all opinions are expressly my own”

Chosen (Daughters of the Sea #3) Book Review

  

Chosen

Daughters of the Sea

Book #3

Kristen Day

Genre: Young Adult Mythology, Fantasy

Release Date: October 16, 2014

Publisher: Kristen Day Books

ISBN: 978-0990778424

ASIN: B00N1YQ8A8

Pages: 393

Goodreads Rating:  4.35

My Rating: 5.0

Book Description:

The essence of who we are lies not in what we have, but in what we are willing to give up. Because in the end, Time and Tide wait for no one.

After sacrificing all that she had, the evil princess of the Underworld is still successful in her bid to tear Finn from Stasia’s life. In the midst of her search to reclaim him, Stasia is summoned to the island nation of Cyprus to take part in an age-old ritual; unveiling the missing pieces of her ancestry and re-igniting an ancient war. As she struggles to both save Finn’s soul and free Carmen’s mind, Stasia’s bravery and determination will be pushed to its breaking point. 

A dark storm is forming on the horizon, and the forces who are vying to destroy her may be much closer than she thinks. Destiny weaves a sticky web of evil, betrayal, and revenge that can only be undone by the purity of love and the soul’s unyielding will to survive. In the last installment of the Daughters of the Sea trilogy, the past will collide with the present as Stasia’s future hangs in the balance. The prophecy that paved the way for her new life may indeed be the very thing that strips her of the ones she loves the most.

My Take on the Book:

Wow. I am in complete and utter awe. I've had book 1 and book 2 of this series sitting in my Kindle library for what seems like ages now, but with all of my busy work and reviews that I've been doing as of late I never got around to reading them. It took an invitation to review any book of the series for me to finally open the books take the time and read them. As you can guess since I already owned book 1 & 2, I picked book 3 'Chosen'. If you been thinking about reading these books and putting it off, let me tell you now that you need to make the time and read them.

While I know there are a few more books in the series, and I plan on reading them, this book was the epitome of a perfect ending. There's room for growth and more to happen but it ends on such a beautiful happy note. The love story between Anastasia and Finn was so sweet and beautiful. Her growth as a character is marvelous and the relationships she builds with her friends and each character is just as magical.

I don't think I could have picked a better series to fall in love with. There are so many shifter and magic books on the shelves these days that it's rare when you come across a gem like this. You have a strong heroine who isn't fully aware of how amazing she is. I believe that the best part about Anastasia is her humbleness. Well she doesn't fully grasp how amazing person she is, the pages are at littered with self-doubt. Each character she meets brings out the best in her, even those characters that you want to throttle yourself. It's easy to root for her and hope she succeeds in all her endeavors.

This is truly a magical world that you can get lost in. The settings, the characters, the descriptions are so on point it's easy to visualize every single scene. Everything is so vivid and clear. And while I'm particularly fond of the characterizations and the back story of each character, I love how the story does not dwell on the past hardships. They are simply used to help drive the story forward. They don't hinder the growth of characters or the completion of a story, they just act kind of like a garnish to an already beautiful tale.

I also really liked how the author characterize these young adults. She doesn't shy away from what teenagers actually go through, but she doesn't do well on those awkward years. She gives you a romance and every way possible encompassing all the little nuances but not making you uncomfortable knowing that these are just 17 or 18 year olds kids, magic or no magic. There's also real-world problems that these characters deal with but they are handled so amazingly. I can honestly say I am a really big fan is Kristen Day. Not to mention she has a way of writing their dialogue that is true to their age but also hands to a wisdom beyond her years. I particularly like reading how Carmen interacts with people. And while this story has a lot of that's how I get your heart and make you a little teary eyed you also get full blown laughter. At least I did as I read this book.

5 Quills

If you haven't read this series, if you've been planning on reading this series, if you weren't sure if you wanted to read this series, if you're like me and you've been busy but own one of the books in this series then stop procrastinating, stop making excuses and just read it I honestly think it's worth your time. But don't be surprised if you suffer from sleepless nights trying to read through the complete series in one shot.

About The Author

I am a southern belle at heart with a crazy streak that desperately tries to escape at every opportunity. I love all things nostalgic, rustic, and quirky.

I’ve been told I see the world through rose-colored glasses, but I prefer to think of them as kaleidoscope glasses – swirling and morphing reality into something I can digest (who hasn’t pretended those pasty lima beans were really kiwi strawberry jelly beans?).

When I’m not writing I’m making jewelry, painting, drinking sweet tea, watching the discovery channel, or going on random adventures in the mountains of North Carolina with my amazing husband.

Connect with Kirsten
 

    Thanks for stopping by,

Book Tour Organized By:

 “I received a free copy of the book from the author/publisher for my honest opinion. I was in no way compensated for this review and all opinions are expressly my own”