Detention. They didn't expect anything out of it. The principle hoped they would clean up their act. No one expected detention to be the place they learned to use their voice ... and form a band.
Meet Stella. She's got green hair and an attitude.
And then there's Wen. Now that guy's got some problems. Why can't he just realize that he loves Olivia?!
Olivia. With her dad in prison and her mom gone, things just don't seem to be working out for her.
And we can't forget about Mo. She'll never be able to live up to be the perfect Indian daughter her parents want her to be.
Last but not least ... Charlie. He's desperately in love with Mo. And she just doesn't see it.
Join Stella, Wen, Olivia, Mo, and Charlie as they learn how to raise their voice.
My thoughts:
Worst book I ever read.
Before I go any further, though, I must tell you. The movie is my favourite. Here's the movie trailer. I could watch it for hours and hours. If you like, humor me, and comment and tell me that you agree how awesome it is.
But now we will talk about the book.
First of all, there was WAY too much swearing. I winced a lot.
EVERYONE IS FAT. Okay, so maybe I like the cliched novel where everyone is thin and beautiful. Shame on me. My deepest apologies.
I guess after I enjoyed the movie so much, I thought I would like the book. But ... what was cute and sweet in the movie was inappropriate in the book. It's not often you would catch me saying that a movie was better than a book.
Another example of this would be: How To Train Your Dragon Books = SECOND WORST BOOKS I EVER READ. How To Train Your Dragon Movie = CUTEST EVER
There are a lot of "oh my god"s used, which kind of ruined the story. Also, Wen looks at nude pictures of his father's girlfriend by mistake and develops a slight crush on her. Mo makes out with a guy and at one point she wonders how far she'll let him go. Mo also kisses Charlie at the end.
Click HERE to read my review of the first installment in the series, Swipe.
In a future United States under the power of a charismatic
leader, everyone gets the Mark at age thirteen. The Mark lets citizen
shop, go to school, and even get medical care—but without it, you are on
your own. Few refuse to get the Mark. Those who do . . . disappear.
The Markless cannot buy food, medicine, or use a tablet. That was not how Logan wanted to live, always hiding from DOME, but he refused the Mark anyway.
When Logan backed out of receiving the Mark and went on the run, no one thought he could do it. They would have laughed if he'd said he wanted to make it to Breacher. So how would they have reacted if he said he wanted to go all the way to Acheron?
Acheron. A remote prison where Logan's sister was being held. DOME sees all. He's going to have his hands full if he wants to work around their ever watching eyes.
I passed this book on to my brother as we both absolutely loved the first one (Swipe), and once again, we thoroughly enjoyed it
Sneak took me some time to get into at the beginning--the scenes with Peck aren't as exciting as the ones with Erin and Logan, I find--and for a while I was confused on who was who. But about 100 pages in, I seriously could not put it down!
While in these times we don't have to be Marked, in some ways, we can still relate to the fact. The ones without Marks are automatically judged--just like, today, people who aren't thin, or even don't have as nice clothes, experience put-downs. And the Marked are like the thin, beautiful people. Everyone loves them.
Language: Things like "dork" and "dummy" are casually thrown around.
Romance/Sexual Content: Light crushes.
Violence: None.
Drug/Alcohol Content: None.
I reviewed this book for
Team Novel Teen.
Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction. Check out other posts about Sneak by Evan Angler by clicking on the links below, and check out www.NovelTeen.com for more information about Team Novel Teen.
I think, is an important pillar of the creative mind. And as an author, it’s an equally important part of any book. It doesn’t matter what the writing is about, and it doesn’t matter what the story is; writing is music. Our words have rhythms and cadence, our sentences make melodic lines. There are fast sections, slow sections, loud paragraphs, quiet paragraphs. Good writing, for me, lights up my brain much like good music does.
This relationship, of course, goes both ways. If writing informs music, then it stands to reason that music must also inform writing. Certainly, I’ve found this in my own experience. With my first book, SWIPE, I wrote almost everything either in the dark, or on the run, in the motion of electrobuses and boxcars, with my hood up and my oversized headphones on. For some of that time, indeed, my focus demanded quiet. But for much of my writing and drafting and thinking, I was immersed in a blanket of music. Loud music. And I found that its genre dictated the writing’s tone. With SWIPE, my musical selections often gravitated toward electroclash, a genre I didn’t even know existed until I found myself craving it for the underscore of SWIPE’s scenes. Often, I’d play the music so loud that I needed to stuff my ears with tissue paper, because I liked the feel of the heavy beats hitting my brain, pushing me forward, relentless, unforgiving…. The gritty, electronic timbre of the music just seemed to belong with the tech-filled but flawed world of the American Union, and the energy conveyed by that music–both in the faster and in the more somber selections–captured for me the sense of foreboding, anxiety, excitement and, ultimately, determination that Logan feels over the course of his journey.
SNEAK, on the other hand, called for a very different sort of sound. In trying to capture the setting and mood of the Unmarked River, I often found myself gravitating toward pre-Unity bluegrass and folk music, another genre that had never captured my attention–until I the writing called for it. The acoustic guitars, the banjos, the fiddles, the harmonies…in many ways, SNEAK is about the loneliness and uncertainty of venturing out on one’s own, of a search for simplicity and truth. In a world of high-tech stakes, the Dust’s journey through much of SNEAK is practically of a different era. Horse rides, hiking, camp fires, radios…after the events of SWIPE, Logan is truly an outcast, and there’s just no place for him in the more modern world of the American Union. What better way to capture that then with the oldest traditions of music that American history has to offer? Bluegrass and folk, there’s nothing else like it.
The third book in the Swipe Series has yet another soundtrack altogether. I can’t wait for you to hear it, and to discover all that its soundscape implies. But that is a story for another day, and that is a playlist for another time….
So if you’ll excuse me, I have some headphones I need to find…
Who had been there? Who had snuck in through the window? Who had sipped the glass and knocked the picture askew? No one.
No one, Logan told himself. You're being insane. ... Right? And Logan's heart snapped in his chest--so hart that it hurt--when across the room, the door to the outside stairway clicked quietly shut.
Logan Langly dreads a gift--at least, some people might call it that.The beautiful new girl, Erin Arbitor, sure thinks it is. But after what he's seen and heard, he's starting to think of 'the gift' as a curse.
His thirteenth birthday is going to be the biggest day of his life. He will at last be marked. He will be able to get jobs, use public transportation ... buy his own concert tickets. He will become free--or so he is told.
But five years ago ... his sister lost freedom. She went to be marked ... and never came back.
My thoughts:
I had some trouble getting into the book, but once I did ... wow. I could NOT put it down. And my brother didn't think the beginning was slow at all, so maybe I'm a special case. :)
Okay ... I love the characters and I love the plot. Swipe is the beginning of a trilogy where Matched meets Left Behind.
I love Erin. I don't like Logan's best friend. I LOVE LOGAN.
I honestly don't have a lot to say. It's a page turner and very intense. The characters are good and I love the genre. Definitely recommend! :)
No objectionable content. The romance is kept to crushes and discussing crushes, the language is clean ...
I reviewed this book for
Team Novel Teen.
Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction. Check out other posts about Swipe by Evan Angler by clicking on the links below, and check out www.NovelTeen.com for more information about Team Novel Teen.
Jane Purdy is fifteen and ready to grow up. She never dreamed growing up would begin at that bratty Sandra Norton's house.
But when Stan Crandall - the neighborhood's cute delivery boy - stops by the Nortons', Jane finds reason to anticipate babysitting - even if Sandra won't behave.
Jane struggles for a reasonable way to get Stan's phone number, but finds out the chivalrous boy is not going to make her wait.
The night of their first meeting, he looks Jane up
But Jane has never dated before, and everything is new to her. She can't let on that she doesn't know how to eat with chopsticks, nor the fact that she'd rather have ice cream over sophisticated coffee. Suddenly her life is very difficult.
When her old friendly nemesis Buzz and her best friend Julie double date with her and Stan, Jane Purdy is surprised to hear Buzz tell her she has turned into a real "Purdy" girl and, in an attempt, to be like ultra-popular Marcy, she consents to him paying fifty cents to give her a kiss.
Stan's mad, Jane can tell. But he can't be that angry with her, can he? He hasn't asked her to the school dance or phoned her, but surely there's a reasonable explanation ... right?
My thoughts:
I once told a friend if she had never read Beverly Cleary she had no childhood ... and it turns out she's never read Beverly Cleary. So I immediately sent her off to the library to check out some of Cleary's books.
Beverly Cleary writes clean, cute reads that will have you laughing and worrying along with the characters. The writing style is unique and very realistic to what probably goes on inside a teen's brain.
Fifteen dates back to the 1950s, so it's been around a while. Definitely a classic.
Scarlett O'Hara is beautiful and a practiced flirt. Being knee-deep in beaus is nothing new to her. And it's all for one thing--to get Ashley Wilkes' attention. "Ashley, tell me you love me!"
But two brothers vying for her attentions reveal to Scarlett the party she is invited to has this purpose--to announce the engagement of the man she secretly loves ... to another woman!
You want to dislike Melanie, Ashley's fiance, fragile and gentle, but it is truly impossible to find fault. Rhett Butler, a hated womanizer, tells Scarlett that Melanie is one of the only people he has ever met who really is as good as she acts. Ashley, it would seem, agrees.
Scarlett's overdone flirting results in a marriage to Charles, a shy, pleasant-looking youth. And when he dies, no time is wasted in her marrying again--this time to the beau of her sister, Frank Kennedy. But Scarlett must lie her way into the marriage, which could result in some hurt hearts along the way.
In the dark of the night, Scarlett kills Frank by accident. She is free to marry again ... and Rhett seems to have his eye on her. But is it to ruin her or to marry her?
My thoughts:
This is the most pathetic, most tragic, best, and worst book I have ever read. I LOVED IT.
Scarlett is awesome to begin with. My mom, sister, and friend all disliked her immensely but I loved her. ♥ She's stuck-up, annoying, and pretty. Men like her and that makes her desirable. Women, on the other hand, dislike her.
Rhett Butler is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. He is the worst at the end of Gone With The Wind, but towards the middle of the book I think he's cool. He's clever and handsome and likes Scarlett--which is a big plus in my books. :) Of course, he also compromises women until he meets Scarlett, so he's also not so cool.
Rhett ruins the ending. I couldn't believe it. I've never cried over a book before. HOW COULD HE DO THAT??! Poor Scarlett.
While this is an excellent book, I would definitely not recommend it for people under fourteen. It can be a bit dry in some spots, but I say this mainly because there was no lack of swear words or romance. This book is a classic, however, and at some point in their life everyone must read it.
Objectional content:
Language: "hell" "damn"
Romance/Sexual content: Kissing (descriptive and non). Rhett compromises women and it is mentioned throughout the book. Scarlett is in love with a man (before he gets married) and they kiss even though he is married.
Rhett begins to see another woman when he gets frustrated with Scarlett even though they are married.
Scarlett marries three times.
Violence: Scarlett shoots her husband in the head and kills him by mistake. Otherwise, nothing detailed.
Drug/Alcohol content: Rhett is drunk once or twice.
Within hours of Allie's mom's funeral, she is moved from Tennessee to Maine to be adopted daughter to Miss Beatrice Lovell, a woman with a strong faith in God - the problem is that as much as Miss Beatrice wants another daughter, Allie doesn't want another mom.
They have a bad beginning and no mother-daughter relationship to start - Beatrice, however, cannot help but think that maybe over time ...
Life in Maine is never boring. An old acquaintance from Tennessee shows up who used to have a crush on Allie and it seems he could still ... but she doesn't return the sentiments, so getting stuck on a ride at the fair with him and going on a "double date" with him isn't her idea of fun.
World War II looms over everyone, Allie may lose her chance to love and to be loved if she chooses to hold on to the past.
This is the book trailer:
My thoughts:
I. LOVE. THIS. BOOK.
It is the best I've read in a long time. The writing was excellent, and the whole time I read it I was thinking "The author is only three or so years older than me." Seriously, this is the best writing I've read in forever.
I didn't like the cover art at first, but now I THINK IT IS AMAZING.
I LOVE ALLIE. I love it that she plays piano and I love it that she hits Sam Carroll with her shoe when she's trying to tell him she loves him and I love it that she writes poetry. And I love it that she loves Emily Dickinson. And I love her love for her mom.
This book would make a good movie.
The romance was kept to loving someone and proposals, no kissing. :) This I liked. I wouldn't use the word "gosh," but most people don't have a problem with that word, and that was the worst the language got. There was no violence and no drug/alcohol content.
I reviewed this book for
Team Novel Teen
Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction. Check out other posts about Interrupted by Rachel Coker by clicking on the links above, and check out www.NovelTeen.com for more information about Team Novel Teen.
Gooding, Texas, doesn't know what hit them when Taylor Bestman, woman doctor, comes to town. With her sparkling personality, clever mind, and good looks, Taylor is a temptress. But there is one thing holding the men back ...
A woman doctor is unheard of. In school Taylor was the brunt of teasing, and here people refuse to let her treat them. And that includes Karl Van der Vort, a traditional and arrogant man. On the first page we find him drinking tea with a kind old widow who is keeping her eyes pealed for a wife for Karl. So we know the rest of the book will be a fulfilling of this prophecy.
But Karl is against woman doctors, so he can't marry Taylor ... right? When he is injured on the job, however, his opinion of her skills might just change ...
Speaking of marriage, Taylor's veterinarian brother, Enoch, has his eye on Mercy, a beautiful widowed mother of one. But after a big surgery, Mercy doesn't think she has what it takes to make Enoch content, and it could ruin their happy ending.
The town cannot resist Taylor's services forever. She's smart and she's got her brother supporting her all the way. That's what she hopes, anyway.
My thoughts:
I have mixed feelings about this book. One thing I appreciated was Taylor and her brother's obvious love for the Lord.
I love Taylor. She's so spirited that when I first started reading the book I thought "Wow. I want my novel to have a character like this," which is a good thing. But I thought the other characters were kind of silly and ... shallow. And I don't like Karl. And it's never good to not like the guy the main character marries. :)
One way to measure a good book is the amount of time you can get away from it without thinking about it, and my mind was never far from That Certain Spark. It is not often that you find a "clean" romance, but I think this was just that. Despite my disliking the characters (not everyone will, anyway) I thoroughly enjoyed this book (even if it is a little cliche).
Objectionable Content:
Language: None. Romance/Sexual Content: Kissing. Mercy thinks after her surgery she can't marry Enoch because she won't fulfill his "desires as a man." Violence: None. Drugs/Alcohol: None.
Cassia lives in a perfect society where life is black and white. You have no choices and your life is a map that others use but you will never see. Cassia is wearing a green dress and she's going to finally see the man she will be spending her life with.
And it's ... Xander. Her best friend. It's not often that you get matched with someone in the same Province as you! Cassia is very fortunate. But then there's Ky. After a big mistake she finds herself falling in love with him. But is it him or a desire to best the Society that draws them together?
People don't die on their eightieth birthday, the Society kills them. Why did she not see that before? The Society says they want the best for them ... but can someone willing to lie to hide the truth care about you? Can someone who takes your words and gives back theirs want what is best for you? And, last of all, can someone who destroys love and hope be someone you can trust?
Matched book trailer:
My thoughts:
Dystopian novel? YES. Told in present tense? YES. Society that is never wrong? YES. Girl rebel? Cliche, but YES. :)
I like this book.
You really feel like you're really a part of and are swept along in the story. The whole love-triangle, dystopian story thing is kind like The Hunger Games. You'll love it.
I love Cassia because she's beautiful, because she's different, and because she's willing to fight. All of these things are cliched, but cliche can be good.
Today at work I was pondering what I learned from Matched and, frankly, I can
think of nothing. So I asked my sister. She shrugged and said "True love
conquers all?" and smiled. So, in other words, I don't think she learned
anything either. ;) I'm still looking in to that. Have you read it? Did you
learn anything?
I love dystopian stories, in case you didn't already notice that. :) Cruel governments and rebels. Mwahahaha. :)
Note to the author: PLEASE don't let Cassia end up with Xander. I like Ky a lot better.
Objectionable Content:
Language: None Romance/Sexual Content: Kissing. People being forced into marriages that are usually perfect because the society is never wrong. Violence: None. Drugs/Alcohol Content: None.
will test friendships and the desires of a young woman's heart.
Clara Carter is the social season's brightest cost ...
but at what cost?
Clara is going to make her debut a year earlier than planned. Her governess, friend to her since her mother died, is fired by her controlling aunt ... leaving her without anyone to teach her mathematics and literature. Instead she learns the importance of communication with a fan and dancing.
The dashing De Vries heir is desired by all, but competition is scarce. He is looking for just the right girl and has found what he wants in Clara ... and Clara's best friend. They promise each other nothing will come between them, but can they withstand the pressure of their parents pushing them away from each other and one man who can't decide between the two of them?
My thoughts:
I had mixed feelings about She Walks in Beauty.
Let's start with the good things.
THE COVER ART IS GORGEOUS AND I L♥VE THE TITLE. (Now that that's off my chest...)
The time period is AMAZING. I LOVE THIS ERA.
Clara is sooooooooo easy to relate to. Although near the end she started to bug me.
Not so good things...
Don't you hate it when you find a great book and it has some things that make it not as great???!
Clara finds out that her mother died when her womb fell out of her body because her corset was too tight. It makes my heart constrict just thinking about it. Maybe that's not a "bad" thing, but it was kind of awkward.
The De Vries heir asks Clara to "do it" with him and she refuses. I was thinking GO CLARA!!!! but I wish they had not put that in the book.
Clara's best friend, Lizzie, bugs me to no end. But I had to read this book through twice, and the second time she seemed a little better. Still, though.
Clara's aunt is kind of frustrating, but you also have to feel kind of sorry for her. Come to think on it, I actually found Clara frustrating. But I don't know why. She's pretty cool. She just ... I don't know. Maybe it's just me. :) Have you read it? What did you think of her?
The book has no language or alcohol content or violence. Just ... romance. :)
Olivia Keene is fleeing her own secret. She never intended to overhear HIS.
But she cannot go back. And now that she knows the truth about Lord Bradley, what will he do to her? Any uncouth comment to the wrong person could result in the truth being revealed. He stands to lose everything - fortune, reputation, and home.
He forces Olivia to stay with him at Brightwell Court where he can keep an eye on her. Was it not once said, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer"?
But as they begin to see into each other's hearts, things change ... suddenly they are no longer enemies. They look at each other in an entirely different way.
But Olivia is hiding something, and Lord Bradley cannot be entirely sure that it's not this clever woman who is leaving mysterious and threatening notes in his room.
Enter a 1900th century manor house run by the handsome and secretive Edward Bradley where all is not as it seems.
My thoughts:
This book is one of the. Best. EVER.
I love it.
One of the best things is that Olivia gets this neck injury so she can't talk anymore and she has to be a governess to these kids without talking to them. It's a really awesome plot idea.
I just LOVE Olivia Keene. She's clever and sticks up for herself. I love the cover art on this book. I love stories where the mean guy falls for the sweet girl and becomes nice. :)
I thought the story was slightly spoiled by the fact that there's this other guy who takes a romantic interest in Olivia and gets temporarily locked into a closet with her where he tries to kiss her. But aside from that I loved. This. Story.
Objectionable Content:
Language: None. Romance/Sexual Content: Kissing.
Edward Bradley finds out his parents weren't married.
A servant has a baby and she isn't married. Violence: Wild dogs attack Olivia. Drugs/Alchol Content: None.
Sixteen year-old Olivia Mansfield dreams of a land far, far away...
A land far away from her stepfather's abuse and torment.
A land far away from her mother's blind eye.
A land far away from the haunting memories of her past.
No one can be perfect, but it does seem like Olivia's parents could both do some things better. When Olivia's dad was alive, everything was different. Her mom would never have needed a spa day. Or had the money for it.
But he's gone. Forever. And with change, people change. Olivia's mother included. There's no way to talk to her, no way to have a glimpse of the mother she once knew.
In a confused state, Olivia makes some poor choices and finds herself in the middle of her best friend's unexpected death, leaving her at a crossroads.
She can choose to get help, or she can let life work itself out. Will the demons from her past prevent her from having a happy future? Or will she go down the right path, towards eternal hope and healing?
Watch the trailer for The Wishing Pearl...
My thoughts:
The Wishing Pearl is seriously amazing! I could not put it down. Everything in it is so nicely done. The cover art is gorgeous. I sat there staring at it for probably fifteen minutes before I actually opened the book.
One thing I did not like, however, was the little Kira-being-pregnant-thing. The romance between Olivia and Justin is innocent and cute, but Kira's pregnancy kind of spoiled the book for me. I know a lot of people would probably laugh at me for that, but it does matter. It was kind of necessary to the book, but it still bothered me.
Objectionable Content:
Language: I don't remember any... Romance/Sexual Content: Kira is pregnant before she comes to Diamond Estates. She tries to make everyone believe Justin is the father.
Justin tells Olivia he loves her. Violence: Olivia is in a car crash. Drugs/Alcohol Content: Lots of drinking. One girl sneaks in some marijuana. Another girl is trying to lose weight, so she eats speed, which I have read a lot on, and it's really not good.
I reviewed this book for
Team Novel Teen.
Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction. Check out other posts about The Wishing Pearl by Nicole O'Dell by clicking on the links below , and check out www.NovelTeen.com for more information about Team Novel Teen.
Kira is an orphan with a big heart and a twisted leg. She lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. Where the unwanted are sent to the Field and never seen again. Where no questions are asked. Where the all-powerful Council of Guardians can create dreams... or smash them.
Vandara would like nothing better than to see Kira dead... especially so she can have the property that Kira lives off of. Her plans are to fence in animals and children on it... to keep them out of trouble.
The hate in Vandara's heart is so great that she brings it up with the Council of Guardians, resulting in half win, half loss. She gets her coveted property, but she does not, however, get to see Kira dead.
Vandara doesn't hesitate to remind Kira that if it weren't for her mother fighting the law, Kira would already be dead, a fact that she already knows all too well.
Now without parents or home, Kira is put up in a building with two other people, Thomas, the carver, and somebody else... a little girl with a talent for singing... that she isn't supposed to know about...
Kira's mother was a gifted weaver and passed on the talent into her daughter. But her daughter's talents go far beyond anything she was ever taught...
Kira's gift for weaving is the only thing keeping her alive...
No one can know her plans to find the truth about her world.
My thoughts:
Wow was this an interesting book!
Gathering Blue has some very excellent points. It doesn't really seem to ever get fully explained, though. The end makes you think there might be a sequel, but sadly, there is not. If you think about it, The Giver (which I reviewed HERE), could be a sequel, but not really.
Gathering Blue is not a supernatural book, but it is certainly not natural either. :) It's... odd.
Anyway, the characters are really well written. Their personalities can be almost confusing at times! :)
Objectional Content:
Language: None. Romance/Sexual Content: A little boy thinks Kira should marry someone. Violence: There may have been some fighting. Drugs/Alcohol: None.
Martyr - J:3:3 - is only one insignificant clone out of hundreds kept in a facility - or prison! - called Jason Farms. He is content as he is, helping the brokens and learning new things, because he is told he has a purpose... to save humanity.
But Martyr has a natural curiosity to see outside the facility he is kept in. He knows he will "expire" soon... and his one last wish it to see the sky.
Abby Goyer weighs the pros and cons of living in Alaska and so far it would seem that the bad outweighs the good. Her dad may be caught up in something illegal, a guy in school just won't leave her alone, and then, if that isn't bad enough, she finds a clone in her bedroom!
Martyr must decide if living with Abby is worth giving up his purpose, which is starting to look like one big lie.
My thoughts:
I am a huge fan of Jill Williamson, and so I awaited this book in the mail with much anticipation. It didn't leave me wanting. The concept is amazing. I love scientific stories. The characters are unique. I love Abby because she is spunky and Martyr because he is so sweet and curious.
I was a little disappointed, however, as I felt some of the romance-y things puts in here were not necessary. I felt the book would have been a much better read without them.
Objectionable Content:
Language: None Romance/Sexual Content: Three kisses. A guy in Abby's school takes an unhealthy romantic interest in her and in one sentence it specifies his eyes "wandering where they shouldn't be wandering." Talk of marriage. Violence: Some fighting, not in detail. Some of the clones have needles inserted into them. Drugs/Alcohol Content: None.
Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction.
Check out other posts about Replication: The Jason Experiment by: Jill Williamson by clicking on the links below, and check out www.NovelTeen.com for more information about Team Novel Teen.
So. Jill Williamson has offered to give one commenter a hot-off-the-press copy of Replication: The Jason Experiment. For FREE! Due to the realities of shipping, this will only be open to the people of USA. Sorry, Canadians. I feel your pain (I'm one of you! :).
How to enter:
1). Leave a comment on this blog post either asking Jill Williamson a question or telling her how awesome this book sounds (leave your email address on the comment!). 2). Blog about the giveaway (and leave me a link!). 3). Facebook about the giveaway (tell me if you do so).
Be sure to leave your email address!!!
Giveaway ends February sixth at midnight. I'll try to post the winner as soon as possible! :)
First off, I thought I should say, the author of this book is an amazing girl and I am proud to call her my "adopted sister."
So. That's taken care of.
Now, this is her book. The Crimson Banner.
Lady Melinda Llewllyn thought she was just escaping her betrothed - Lord Pemberton - when she boarded the Cosette. She did not realize that she was fulfilling her destiny.
Captain Jack Breen knew there was something special about Melinda the moment he saw her. He did not realize just how much he would come to love her.
Selena wants to marry the man who will one day take over the throne, she never realized how hard she would have to work for true love.
Felicia "Toby" Pemberton is sister to a hated man. Will anyone ever come to trust her?
This group of unlikely friends come together along with several others to put the right man on the throne.
But at what costs?
My thoughts:
This is a very sweet book and was WAY too short. I wanted more!!
It is amazing how Jennifer has used this book to glorify our Creator. She incorporates scripture with expertise and I look forward to seeing what the Lord has planned for her in the future.
The Crimson Banner has got a mix or mystery, romance, and suspense. The characters are realistic, too. Each person has their own role to play, no matter how big or small.
Objectional Content... Language: None. Romance/Sexual Content: Marriage, one or two kisses. Violence: None that I remember. Drugs/Alcohol: None.
An interview with the author, Jennifer Sauer!
When did you first start writing?
I’ve been telling tales ever since I could talk and before that I probably told them to myself. When I was about nine or ten, I realized that writers actually got paid to write and that I could make a career out of it. Then, I was probably thirteen when I started taking my writing seriously and trying to improve it.
That's very neat, Jennifer! Did you take any classes?
I took several classes for school but the one that most influenced my writing was the One Year Adventure Novel. Even though I didn’t agree with everything to curriculum said, it challenged me to strengthen my writing and to make it much more realistic. It emphasized on the importance of the story rather than structure so, there was a lot of things that I had never thought about and I hadn’t learned in other classes.
But, mostly, what strengthened my writing the most was me just simply writing. For, the only thing that can truly make a writer a writer is that they write.
The One Year Adventure Novel curriculum is excellent. I've been using it myself. So, who or what most inspired your writing?
First of all, what most inspires my writing is the burning passion within me to write words and create stories. It’s a God-given desire to tell tales and I love the feeling of joy and satisfaction that the simple putting together of words to form sentences gives me.
As for who inspires my writing, I would say it’s all the authors who wrote so beautifully and- in my opinion- used their talents to write junk. I’ve read too many books that had great storylines but were filled with inappropriate content. So, I was inspired to write the books I couldn’t find- ones with good storylines and nothing objectionable content-wise.
That's awesome! That desire certainly took you a long way. What was your first reaction when you found out you were going to be published?
I literally jumped up and down and screamed with excitement!!
Haha, I'm sure. :) Do you have any hobbies aside from writing?
Besides reading and writing, my hobbies (or, my passions, as I call them) are sewing and baking.
You've told me about your sewing projects before; They sound awesome! And are you working on any novels right now?
A few months ago, I finished writing my second novel, a western called The Sheriff of Colsen Creek. Now, I’m working on a science fiction called The Colony about a group of people who live in a Colony under Governmental control and the sequel to The Crimson Banner, called Walls of Refuge, furthering the adventures of Tom Rogers and Toby Pemberton.
Well, that's very exciting. I would love a sequel to The Crimson Banner! Thanks for doing this Jennifer! And you all be sure to check out her book!!
