Waiting On Wednesday #21

Title: Faking Faith
Author: Josie Bloss

Summary:

"After a humiliating "sexting" incident involving a hot and popular senior, seventeen-year-old Dylan has become a social outcast—harassed, ignored, and estranged from her two best friends.
When Dylan discovers the blogs of homeschooled fundamentalist Christian girls, she's fascinated by their old-fashioned conversation themes, like practicing submission to one's future husband. Blogging as Faith, her devout alter ego, Dylan befriends Abigail, the group's queen bee. But growing closer to Abigail (and her intriguing older brother) forces Dylan to choose: keep living a lie or come clean and face the consequences."

Publishing Date: November 8, 2011.

Giveaway: Win one of three (e-book) copies of Rian of the Elves: Welcome to the Spire!!!

Hey everyone!

Welcome to another giveaway here at Turning Pages! What's up for grabs this time you may ask (if you only read the "Giveaway" part of the title), well you could win one of three e-book copies of Welcome to the Spire; the first book in the Rian of the Elves series!

Of course, as always, there's a ton of extra entry opportunities that I hope you take advantage of! Good luck everyone(:

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*Must be a follower.

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*Ends September 30Th.

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*INTERNATIONAL.

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Book Review #45: Rian of the Elves: Welcome to the Spire

Title: Rian of the Elves: Welcome to the Spire.
Author: Erin Hassinger.
Format: E-book.
Source: Author (Review Copy)
Series: Rian of the Elves #1.
Publisher: Indie.
Published Date: August 2011.

Summary:

"What if the person you loved more than anyone found it too hard to share their darkest secret? Samuel Mangus quickly discovers that his dad has had a pretty good reason to keep his hidden. A powerful Elf, Aubrey Mangus chose to leave his homeland long ago, taking nothing along besides his most prized possession--a mortal son.

For fourteen years, Sam’s life couldn’t have been more pleasingly plain. Yet, the last day of school was anything but that. His teacher sends a gift home to his handsome father, while he’s just had a conversation with a talking bird named Justus Sneeble. Worse than that, the Sneeble claims he’s come to warn him of something. Sam hopes he’s imagined the meeting, but once home is greeted by an evil creature called Recene. What happens next is too much to believe.

In Rian of the Elves: Welcome to the Spire, Sam meets new friends, each of them a different breed, each born with extraordinary gifts of their own. The Guild they form will be unprecedented and each has the honest intention of helping him succeed. Their Spire is the most magical place he’s ever been. So why is it that no one can tell him what lies beyond the plain, wooden door atop the Anteroom’s stairs? Oddly enough, Sam finds it more mesmerizing than anything else there. In the end, the answer is nearly heartbreaking and Sam must face the ultimate test of bravery and goodness on his own."

Cover:

Erin Hassinger (a.k.a. the author) herself actually designed it. I think she did a amazing job! Every element within this cover, ties well into the story. Just looking at it, you could guess what it might be about!

My favorite part though has to be the font used to write out the title. It looks very out of this world, just like the story itself(:

Characters-

Honestly in this book I didn't have a favorite or least favorite character. Every single person was interesting in their own way; whither it was their past, their breed, or the powers they possessed.

Once Sam (the main character) is brought to the Spire (his soon to be home) he meets a ton of new people. Sam even becomes close friends with a hummingbird name Justus, who is appointed his Protector. He also becomes friends with Leo, a half Mangus elf and half mortal who helps him through some dangerous times, but also Emmett, Laurel and a few others too!

Again I really like all of the characters, their powers, the different breeds, and how they interacted with one another(:

Story Line:

At the beginning of the book, you would never know Sam would be the Rian of the Elves. He's just a fourteen year boy, who doesn't really have friends or fits in at school. But when his dad finally comes out with the truth after being attack by a mythical creature (a Recene), Sam learns about a whole new world, and a whole new life he should be living.

Aubrey (Sam's dad), takes him to this new place, called the Spire. Many different creatures, from Faeries, Elders, Hags, Enchantus', Elves to tons of other mystical creatures live within this world.

I had a great time reading this book, even though I don't really enjoy staring into a computer screen for hours. I would recommend Welcome to the Spire, if your looking for something new, that doesn't have star crossed lovers or romance in it, but is filled to the brim with action!

Teaser Tuesday #21: Rian of the Elves: Welcome to the Spire

Hey, and welcome to another Teaser Tuesday! Today is going to be an exciting day! Yesterday, if you've been keeping up with my posts (I have two or three a day, so that's pretty much impossible) than you should have already meet Erin Hassinger through my author interview(:

So here's a sneak peek of her AWESOME book!:D

1.) "Then they waited. Each and every eye in the room was directed at Sam's pale face. His hair was white and he looked painfully thin."

2.)"There was am ample coating of green pond slime covering just about everything he could manage to see. The only thing light was coming from the glow of Justus' necklace and the very dim cave behind him."

Author Interview: Erin Hassinger

Hey everyone,

Today it's not just me, we also have a special guest! Welcome to Turning Pages, Erin Hassinger (author of Rian of the Elves: Welcome to the Spire), please give a warm welcome!

First of all could you tell us a little about yourself and your book?

I've always enjoyed magical stories. And while I love reading them, writing one was much more fun. It was “anything goes” in my mind and I really had a great time putting the story together.

I love art and books and people. Sadly, I think my favorite food is chocolate. I’m in love with my kids and my family. I’m a mom of a six-year-old boy and two-year-old twins. There's a ton of twins in my book. I wrote the majority of it while in the hospital on bedrest for the twins, so their influence is definitely present.

The book tells the story of Samuel Mangus, a part-Elfin boy who is thrown into another world. In the opening, he meets a Sneeble named Justus, who can be both a hummingbird or transform into a boy. Although Sneebles don’t usually speak to humans, Justus intentionally seeks Sam out in the forest one morning in the hope of providing Sam with protection from the horrible Recenes who will come to challenge him. From there, the story moves pretty fast, and Sam finds that every new kid he meets is from a different, magical breed with different abilities and gifts. The further along I got, the more in love with the story I became. I knew it had to have a strong ending--something with purpose--so that people wouldn't get the “that’s it?” feeling at the end of it all. (I hate that feeling.) So, it did take me a bit longer to write and fine tune the ending. But I think what I ended up with is just what I wanted.

Here are some short questions to warm you up!

Reading or Writing?

I love both.

Books First or Movie?

I prefer books (that is, unless we’re talking about The Hobbit, Harry Potter or something as equally visual). For those, I love seeing it translated to the screen just as much as reading the books.

Coffee or Hot Cocoa ?

Coffee in the morning. Hot cocoa at night.

Candy or Chocolate?

Chocolate.

Cats or Dogs?

They’re both great. But I do have a soft spot for big, sloppy dogs. I think that’s why the Welkhound showed up in my book.

Here are some short answer questions!

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I paint and sketch a lot. I illustrated the cover art for the book as well. My husband suggested I post some of the unused character drawings on my blog for people to see, so I’ll be doing that pretty soon. Because I’ve gotten the most questions about him, the first will probably be Justus the Sneeble.

If you could have any super powers, what would they be?

I’m not sure about super powers, unless there’s one that’ll do my laundry. My sister and I agreed that the "cleaning doors" in my book would be dreamy.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

A singer, but I can’t sing.

What made you decide to become a author?

The story.

How did you decide on writing Young Adult?

The story was young adult, so I just took it from there.

Where do you prefer to write? Outside? In an office?

In an office.

When writing this book, what obstacles did you have to overcome?

Physically, I was about to burst from being pregnant with twins and typed the first half while using my stomach as a table. As far as the story went, I think fact checking was the hardest. A lot of googling took place. I didn't want to use creatures or words that people have ever heard of, so I made my own and that took a while.

Are any of the characters in Rian of the Elves: Welcome to the Spire based of off real people?

Some are. Sam reminds me of my nephew. Laurel is a combination of my nieces. Justus and Emmett are my husband and brother (and my dad, my mom, my best friend. . .the list goes on and on).

When writing this book, did you know where it was going? Or did it come to you while writing?

A little of both, I think.

When is your book coming out in paper?

Right now, it’s an Indie on Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble. An iBook is coming soon, but I can’t really say if we’ll do a print book.

Do you plan to write and publish more books? Is something already in the works?

I do. There are three books in the Rian of the Elves series. I'm currently finishing Book Two. To thank all the bloggers who've asked to read and review it, we’ll be selling it for .99 for a few weeks so their readers can have a chance to read it, too.

And again, thanks to you and everyone who has shown interest in the story. It really is great to hear from you all!

Thank you so much for stopping by Erin, and answering all of our questions! I really enjoyed your book and can't wait to finish reading the rest of the series.

Everything That Happened This Week!

Monday:

Everything That Happened Last Week

Tuesday:

Teaser Tuesday
Book Review: But I Love Him

Wednesday:

Beyond the Magic: J.K. Rowling Story
Gripped Into Book 1000 Follower Giveaway!
Waiting On Wednesday

Thursday & Friday:

None:/

Saturday:

What's Coming Next Week?

Sunday:

In My Mailbox
Book Review: Cryer's Cross

Book Review #44: Cryer's Cross

Title: Cryer's Cross.
Author: Lisa McMann.
Format: Audio Book.
Pages: 5 1/2 hours.
Series: Nope.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster.
Published Date: February 8, 2011.

Summary:

"Kendall loves her life in small town Cryer's Cross, Montana, but she also longs for something more. She knows the chances of going to school in New York are small, but she's not the type to give up easily. Even though it will mean leaving Nico, the world's sweetest boyfriend, behind.
But when Cryer's Cross is rocked by unspeakable tragedy, Kendall shoves her dreams aside and focuses on just one goal: help find her missing friends. Even if it means spending time with the one boy she shouldn't get close to... the one boy who makes her question everything she feels for Nico.
Determined to help and to stay true to the boy she's always loved, Kendall keeps up the search--and stumbles upon some frightening local history. She knows she can't stop digging, but Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried...."

Cover:

Just looking at the cover, it gives me the creeps. I'm not exactly one for scary books or movies, but I really enjoyed Lisa McMann's Wake (another series, which I need to finish).

Characters-

Favorite:

Jacian, my favorite (cute!) soccer player! First getting to know him, he comes across as a total jerk. Which is very understandable, since he was forced to move to the small town of Cryer's Cross, away from his girl and friends, his high school, and the shot of playing in front of scouts.

Through out the story, Jacian changes. Instead of having that hard and rough exterior, he opens up and becomes really sweet (especially when he starts having feelings for Kendall!).

Least Favorite:

In Lisa McMann's Cryer's Cross, I don't think I have a least favorite character.

Kendall the main character, seemed really sweet! Jacian, was a cutie! Nico, seemed really nice, even though I really could of have done without the whole, "Baby, I love you....I'll never stop lovin you baby...!". It was a little awkward for me.

But I did kind of wish Kendall also had a best girlfriend, instead of just Nico. Someone she could lean on and have girl talk with!(:

Story Line:

I don't know if you guys have ever noticed, but most scary books or movies take place in small and out of the way towns (Wax House, Cryer's Cross, I Spit on Your Grave, Straw Dogs, etc)...where no one will or would ever know what REALLY happened.

So yeah...just wanted to point that out.

Cryer's Cross, takes place in a the small town (duh) of, you guessed it Cryer's Cross!! This small town and it's people have just been through a lot, a senior from Kendall's high school went missing a few months back.

No body was ever found, and people went back to their normal life (well as best as they could). *SPOILER ALERT!* When Nico, Kendall's best guy friend (and some what boyfriend), also goes missing, the town starts taking safety precautions.

No teenagers can be out late, and are assigned to a partner; who they will always have to be with, going to school and back home. When Kendall is assigned to Jacian, (a.k.a the jerk and soccer player) she gets to know and learn more about him.

I really enjoyed this book! Even though I would listen to it, while driving my car it still gave me that creep factor. (Thank goodness, I didn't listen to it at night!)

If you enjoyed Lisa McMann's Wake series, you LOVE Cryer's Cross!:D