Monday, April 25, 2016

REVIEW: Reckless Magic by Rachel Higginson (Star-Crossed, bk 1)

RECKLESS MAGIC
Star-Crossed #1
by Rachel Higginson
2/5 stars

First, I'd like to thank the author for providing me with a review copy in return for an honest review.

Let's start with what I liked about Reckless Magic:

For a YA romance centered around a forbidden romance plot, I was very happy to see that there wasn't a love triangle in sight. Complications for the romance arise from misunderstandings and genuine differences between the characters -and, you know, that whole 'forbidden' part. This led to a more believable and interesting development for the love story.

Kiran, the snobby love interest, is a big part of what's good about this story. He's a jerk. Our heroine Eden knows he's a jerk. The best thing about him is that -even when she starts to fall for him despite his jerk face tendencies- he doesn't magically lose his jerkness. We see a softer side of him, we see sincerity in him, and we see the trials and reasons for his being a jerk but we also see his impatience and possessiveness and he never actually stops being a jerk. He becomes a sympathetic jerk, that readers will care about and relate to, but he still does those facepalming, stupid-boy-jerk things throughout the story, too.

Eden also knows he's quite a jerk; she spends the first half of the book avoiding him because of it. She's not blinded by love which, especially for YA, is a big win in my book. She sees past his status and his jaw-dropping good looks to the person he really is. When she falls for Kiran, its for his flaws and all, which was really the best part of the story.

Kiran was a very interesting character and I would be curious to know how he develops in the future.


Now for what didn't work for me:

Aside from the intriguing Kiran, the other characters in Reckless Magic are sadly underdeveloped and, especially our heroine and POV character Eden, lack much personality.

Eden is born into a secret magical society but must be raised in ignorance, due to politics and a developing 'savior' story line. Still, she knows there is something weird about her because she feels a powerful electricity in her body and has caused more than one inexplicable incident. This is not an unusual or even bad start to a typical magic series, but this one was poorly executed.

Eden is too ignorant, to the point of disbelief, and she remains ignorant for far too long, despite hints and prodding from several characters, who she chooses to ignore, and the fact that she starts to literally blow things up, which she decides not to question or confide in anyone about. Because of this, the book has a very slow and frustrating first 100 pages, made worse by the prologue that offers up all the details on a silver platter that are than dragged out as a 'mystery' through the first half of the book. When she does finally come to terms with the reality of magic, her ignorance is passed off as her being stubborn and self-absorbed, neither of which I really got a sense of up to that point. As the story progresses, neither her ignorance nor her curiosity improves, and she continues to bumble around this new magical society, making no real effort on her own to learn more, and killing most of the interest I had in the tale.

I feel like Eden's ignorance was used as a writing tool to build mystery and suspense for the reader, but it was not well executed. There was not enough story outside of the mystery to make such a long bout of unconvincing ignorance worthwhile.

The first 100 pages or so were in dire need of tightening up. Eden doesn't actually develop a story goal until well passed the midpoint, which did kick up my interest level again. Because I was unable to connect with Eden or sympathize with her plight, the drama and stakes of the tale did not overly concern me.


The final 50 pages did improve the story a lot and they did make me more invested in the characters' romance, but unfortunately not enough to pique my interest. It's entirely possible that the subsequent books in the series carry on with the improvements of the ending, but the possibility is not enough to convince me to grab the next book.

I found the book underwhelming and I didn't like Eden as a character. I found her insincere and sometimes artificial, so I couldn't sympathize or connect with her. I will specify that paranormal YA is not a genre I read a lot. It's entirely possible the issues I had with this book are characteristics of the genre, in which case you might love it. I, unfortunately, didn't.


About the Author:
You can find out more about Rachel Higginson and her books at her website. Her next book, Bet on Me, is the second book of the Bet on Love series and will be released on May 16. It is currently available for pre-order. Until then, allow this 'making of' video entertain you.

Friday, April 8, 2016

GRAND FINALE | Trix & the Faerie Queen by Alethea Kontis

On Tour with Prism Book Tours.

Because a book tour as awesome as this one needs a grand finale! If you missed any of the posts of the week, you can catch them all right here, plus one last chance to enter the epic giveaway! -Amanda


Review & Excerpt Tour Grand Finale for
Trix and the Faerie Queen
By Alethea Kontis

We hope you enjoyed hearing about Trix Woodcutter, who finally has his own adventure! If you missed any of the stops, go back and check them out now and read the first chapter of the book...

Launch - Welcome to Faerie

Trix Woodcutter and I invite you all to join us on this newest adventure. Trix and the Faerie Queen is filled with more talking animals than I ever thought I would write and a journey to a place from my dreams: Under the Hill, to the high seat of the Faerie Queen. There are so many characters in this story (Alastair is going to hurt me when he starts making notes for the audio)--I won’t tell you which one is my favorite. That is a choice you must make yourself.


Prism Book Tours - Excerpt: Chapter 1, Part 1

Most people with common sense would have remembered that gold did not float. Trix Woodcutter rarely qualified as “most people.”

“Trixie, you are a prize idiot,” he said to himself, because neither Peter nor Saturday were there to say it for him. He took a deep breath and dove hard.


Wishful Endings - Excerpt: Chapter 1, Part 2

“Perhaps our next attempt at swimming should be in a shallower pond,” she said when she caught her breath.

“Perhaps indeed. Thank you, friends!” Trix patted the heads of the turtles and bid them farewell before turning back to Lizinia. “I’m sorry. I did not think about the gold.”




Brooke Blogs - Excerpt: Chapter 1, Part 3

“What? Trix, you’re staring at me.”

“And here I thought the stars were amazing.”

“It’s not amazing. It’s just how I am.”

“Trust me,” said Trix. “To the rest of the world, you’re pretty amazing.”



"Trix and the Faerie Queen, by Alethea Kontis, is just as awesome as the previous book, Trixter. I love these two of all the Books of Arriland most of all because they are so full of light and laughter, as opposed to the creepy dark magic in a few of the others. I also love how all the books tie together so perfectly."


deal sharing aunt - Excerpt: Chapter 1, Part 4

Trix held fast to Lizinia’s hand, but he did not move. The noise had happened, but he felt no vibrations beneath his feet. Not so much as a breath of wind stirred the leaves in the trees of the forest around them. He closed his eyes and searched inside himself for the Fear that Needa the spider had taught him about. There was a sort of…tingle…at the back of his neck and in his belly. This might have been the animal magic inside him telling him flee, but his instincts were still not strong enough to know where.





"Readers will enjoy the blossoming fairy tale friendship between Trix and his golden girl Lizinia. Their budding relationship is totally fairy tale--Lizinia is the perfect companion and Trix is completely appreciative of her talents. Fans of Arilland will be happy to see a couple of Trix's sisters and hear about more. Readers will be left clamoring for more at the end of the novel and eagerly await the next installment."


Becky on Books - Excerpt: Chapter 1, Part 5

“Have a care, Trix Woodcutter. It would not do to to have you falling to your death right when I need you most.”

Power. The woman’s voice that filled his ears was powerful. It reminded him of someone—a member of his family?—but he could not place it.


Colorimetry - Excerpt: Chapter 1, Part 6

The moment Trix put all the pieces together, he was too shocked to reply. What in the world did the Faerie Queen want with him? If this even was the world…on this grassy mound, surrounded by a ring of mushrooms. Even the mushrooms bowed, bonnets to the queen.




Mel's Shelves - Excerpt: Chapter 1, Part 7

“You are the Boy Who Talks to Animals,” she said. “And with the fey magic bound, anyone under the Hill with animal magic has been turned into a beast. They cannot talk to us, nor can they talk to each other. Soon there will be nothing but chaos, and such an imbalance can tear this world apart.” The Faerie Queen clasped her hands together as she made her plea. “I want to make you my Emissary, Trix Woodcutter. You must speak for the animals. Save Faerie. And save the world.”


A Backwards Story - Review of Trixter

"I'm really glad there's more than one book about Trix and his journey because the first book, TRIXTER, is novella-length and we don't spend nearly enough time with Trix or his new, gold-dipped friend Lizinia. . . . I love the way Trix is also at the center of an epic prophecy, as are many of the Woodcutters."



Though not a long story, Trix & the Faerie Queen packs a powerful punch. It doesn't slow its pace for a moment as our lovable scamp Trix and his golden companion Lizinia fall into one scrape after another. We get the chance to reunite with some familiar faces, and to put faces with a few of the names we've heard about. And we finally get to go to Faerie. *squee!* . . . With the ending I am left with here, waiting even until fall for Alethea's next book seems far too long a wait.


Whatever - Special Author Interview

“TEHETHJO” is one heck of an acronym, but Alethea Kontis knows what it means, why it’s important, and how it relates to her new novel Trix and the Faerie Queen.

Thanks for visiting the fantasy world of Arriland! Don't forget to enter the giveaway below...


Trix and the Faerie Queen (Books of Arilland Book #6)
Trix and the Faerie Queen
(Books of Arriland #6)
by Alethea Kontis
YA Fantasy
Paperback & ebook, 210 Pages
March 28th 2016

Join Trix Woodcutter on an epic new animal-filled adventure!

Fey magic and animal magic: that troublemaking imp Trix Woodcutter has both, if not the ability to use them to their full potential. While traveling with his companion—the golden girl Lizinia—to see the King of Eagles, Trix is sent a vision of the Faerie Queen, who is in desperate need of his help. An evil sorceress has stormed Faerie and trapped all the fey magic under the Hill, leaving the Faerie Queen powerless! Trix’s talent for communicating with animals is desperately needed…but before he braves the wild world of Faerie he must arm himself, with nothing less than the bow and arrows of a god.

With the help of his gilded companion, her ghost-cat godfather, a blind brownie and a sister or two, the Boy Who Talks to Animals must befriend a mischievous leprechaun, best a wolf, and journey into the depths of Faerie to restore order and free the fey magic before the imbalance destroys the world.

Trix and the Faerie Queen is second in The Trix Adventures and sixth in the Books of Arilland.

Fans of the Woodcutter Sisters: Desperate to know what happened to Saturday and Peregrine after they found Trix at the end of HERO? Here’s your chance!


Other Books in the Series


Hero (Woodcutter Sisters #2)
Trixter (Books of Arilland #3)Dearest (Woodcutter Sisters, #3)Tales of Arilland (Books of Arilland #5)


Alethea Kontis is a princess, author, fairy godmother, and geek. Her bestselling Books of Arilland fairytale series won two Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Awards (Enchanted and Tales of Arilland), and was twice nominated for the Andre Norton Award. Alethea also penned the AlphaOops picture books, The Wonderland Alphabet, Diary of a Mad Scientist Garden Gnome, Beauty & Dynamite, The Dark-Hunter Companion (w/Sherrilyn Kenyon), and a myriad of poems, essays, and short stories. Princess Alethea lives and writes on the Space Coast of Florida with her teddy bear, Charlie. You can find her on her YouTube channel, all the social media, and at www.aletheakontis.com.

Tour Giveaway

3 copies of Trixter and Trix and the Faerie Queen (signed copies if US, ebooks if INT)
Ends April 15th

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Grab Our Button!

Thursday, April 7, 2016

BOOK TOUR | REVIEW | Trix & the Faerie Queen by Alethea Kontis (Books of Arilland #6)

On Tour with Prism Book Tours.

Hello, everybody! I'm happy to be the next stop on this fantastic blog tour. Enjoy your visit! ^_^



Trix and the Faerie Queen (Books of Arilland Book #6)
Trix and the Faerie Queen
(Books of Arilland #6)
by Alethea Kontis
YA Fantasy
Paperback & ebook, 210 Pages
March 28th 2016

Join Trix Woodcutter on an epic new animal-filled adventure!

Fey magic and animal magic: that troublemaking imp Trix Woodcutter has both, if not the ability to use them to their full potential. While traveling with his companion—the golden girl Lizinia—to see the King of Eagles, Trix is sent a vision of the Faerie Queen, who is in desperate need of his help. An evil sorceress has stormed Faerie and trapped all the fey magic under the Hill, leaving the Faerie Queen powerless! Trix’s talent for communicating with animals is desperately needed…but before he braves the wild world of Faerie he must arm himself, with nothing less than the bow and arrows of a god.

With the help of his gilded companion, her ghost-cat godfather, a blind brownie and a sister or two, the Boy Who Talks to Animals must befriend a mischievous leprechaun, best a wolf, and journey into the depths of Faerie to restore order and free the fey magic before the imbalance destroys the world.

Trix and the Faerie Queen is second in The Trix Adventures and sixth in the Books of Arilland.

Fans of the Woodcutter Sisters: Desperate to know what happened to Saturday and Peregrine after they found Trix at the end of HERO? Here’s your chance!


Amanda's Review
4/5 stars

Buckle up, because everything in Arilland is about to intensify.


Though not a long story, Trix & the Faerie Queen packs a powerful punch. It doesn't slow its pace for a moment as our lovable scamp Trix and his golden companion Lizinia fall into one scrape after another. We get the chance to reunite with some familiar faces, and to put faces with a few of the names we've heard about. And we finally get to go to Faerie. *squee!*

Again and again, I talk about what an intricate and beautiful world Alethea has made from classic fairy tales, mythology, folklore, and the magic of her own imagination, and the deeper I dive into this series, the more astounded by its depth and magnitude I become. Trix & the Faerie Queen especially has wrapped itself in the eerie cloak of traditional European folklore and I love the additional flavor it adds to the entire ensemble.


I do love that Lizinia is a worthy companion for Trix; not only a suitable mix of the qualities of his six sisters, she also boasts an adventurous streak as strong as Trix's. She is a proper match for him, in wit and mischief both, and I love watching them develop and interact. She can hold her own, sometimes better than he can, and I can't wait to see what happens with them next.

Hero and Dearest have hinted and alluded to a grander story coming our way, and it is Trix & the Faerie Queen that has the honor of weaving these threads into the beginning of what will doubtless be a masterful tapestry. With the ending I am left with here, waiting even until fall for Alethea's next book seems far too long a wait.

Other Books in the Series


Hero (Woodcutter Sisters #2)
Trixter (Books of Arilland #3)Dearest (Woodcutter Sisters, #3)Tales of Arilland (Books of Arilland #5)


Alethea Kontis is a princess, author, fairy godmother, and geek. Her bestselling Books of Arilland fairytale series won two Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Awards (Enchanted and Tales of Arilland), and was twice nominated for the Andre Norton Award. Alethea also penned the AlphaOops picture books, The Wonderland Alphabet, Diary of a Mad Scientist Garden Gnome, Beauty & Dynamite, The Dark-Hunter Companion (w/Sherrilyn Kenyon), and a myriad of poems, essays, and short stories. Princess Alethea lives and writes on the Space Coast of Florida with her teddy bear, Charlie. You can find her on her YouTube channel, all the social media, and at www.aletheakontis.com.

Tour Schedule

Tour Giveaway

3 copies of Trixter and Trix and the Faerie Queen (signed copies if US, ebooks if INT)
Ends April 15th

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Grab Our Button!