Welcome to my stop on the Owlet Tour! This tour is brought to you by Tribute Books. Thank you to Emma Michaels & Tribute Books for providing the book to review. There is also a tour-wide giveaway for some nifty goodies!
Owlet
Society of Feathers, #1
by Emma Michaels
Publication Date:October 13, 2012
Published by: Tribute Books
ISBN: 9780985792213
ISBN: 9781476473338
Pages: 170
Format Reviewed: eARC (from publisher)
Synopsis:
Somewhere between falling and flying… there is a girl.
Iris has a secret. She lost her memory eight years ago and never told a living soul. After an asthma attack one night she finds out that her dreams of a strange house on a snowy island may be a memory resurfacing but the more she learns about the past the more she realizes the life she has been living is a lie. As the façade her father has built starts to crumble around her she will have to decide which means more to her; the truth or her life.
My Thoughts:
Imagine being confined to your home: no school, no work, no play. Imagine never being allowed to play or run like a normal kid. Now imagine having to keep all your emotions in check as a teenager so that you won't have to end up intubated because you can't breathe. This is the life that Iris (Izzy) has had to lead because of her sever asthma. She lives in a secluded area with only her father and her caretaker Diana where she is homeschooled and watched 24/7. The only time she is free is when she dreams. She dreams of an island that is blanketed in feathers like snow. In her dreams she flys to this island, to a house with a red door, but is not allowed to enter. In her latest dream, becoming so distraught that she is being shut out of a place she knows she belongs, she begs the house to let her in, but once again she is pulled away from her dream. Izzy wakes up intubated in her father's study because she worked herself up so much in her dream that she had an attack while she was sleeping. I can't imagine how Izzy feels waking up to not being able to talk, to move in fear of damaging her airway. I would be afraid of going to sleep. At least when she is awake they can just give her the inhaler. But to Izzy, this is normal, a life of always fearing for her next breath.
When Izzy's father tells her he is sending her away to an island, the island, the one in her dreams, life become surreal for Izzy. She wasn't just having vivid dreams, she was remembering things her memory has blocked from her consiousness. She doesn't remember anything until she arrives on the island, and then real memories start to form. She lived on the island with her family when her mother was still alive. She has connections to people, a boy in particular -Falcom- that she knows instantly. In fact, there are things all over the island that hold secrets that are just waiting to be revealed. Izzy has been living a lie her whole life. Her father has been keeping her hidden, not only because of her asthma, but because she is being hunted. And the biggest secret of all is that Izzy isn't exactly human...she is an Owlet, a part of The Society of Feathers.
Ms. Michaels has created a beautiful yet haunting world where nothing is ever as it seems. Owlet's words are emotional and exciting. The story is written beautifully and the world Ms. Michaels has woven is intricate, magical and enthralling. I instanly felt for Izzy and became attatched to her character. She is fragile, but she still fights despite everything and everyone that is in her way. I can't wait to see how Izzy learns to control and live in her new world. She is on her way to becoming independent and stronger than she ever had to be before. I can't wait for book two, Eyrie because this is only the beginning of andventure and is only the tip of the iceburg of secrets and legends.
On a personal note, Owlet really resonated with me, because like Iris I have asthma. It kept me indoors and from doing so much in my life for fear of not being able to breathe. I knew I had to read this book when I saw that what Izzy's plight was. My blog, for those who don't know, is named Breathe In BooKs because as a kid I couldn't do anything overly strenuous so I stayed inside and read which created a life of inhaling books. Thank you to Emma Michaels for writing a book that gives people insight into the lives of those who are always fighting to breathe.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
FTC Advisory: I was given a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review as part of a blog tour. No backroom deals or whispered promises were made.
Read Along Excerpt:
“Really?” she asked.
“Yes of course, Izzy. You know...well, maybe you don’t, but...I would tell you anything.” The look in his eyes was so sincere that Iris was rendered completely speechless. He watched her reaction and stood there giving her time to think. She felt like his eyes could see straight through into her thoughts, but instead of shying away she smiled.
“No one else has. Everyone else has refused to answer my questions; until earlier and...that didn’t work out too well.”
“I am not everyone else,” he said and smiled at her again before turning around and continuing to lead the way.
“Where are we going?” Iris asked. She could feel her eyebrows knit together and was glad Falcon had turned away. She was sure it was the least attractive pose her face could make at that moment. A wave of panic ran through her as she was suddenly all too aware that she was wearing the same jeans and t-shirt she had worn on the plane and didn’t have even a pinch of make-up on.
He wouldn’t care if you had horns and a tail.
“Now that one I was hoping you wouldn’t ask. I wanted it to be a surprise. But since you asked,” he said with a wink. “I am taking you to see eagles dance.”
“Eagles...
dance?”
Guest Post by Emma Michaels:
Entertaining Bird Facts
The study of Ornithology is a fascinating science. For my novel, Owlet, I did a lot of research on birds. I encountered some very interesting and entertaining bird facts that served to both inspire and enlighten me during me writing process.
Did you know that falcons mate by locking talons high up in the sky and then together go into a spiral dive? The peregrine falcon is also the fastest bird. This downward spiral is as deadly as they are beautiful. If the two falcons do not trust each other completely, and watch out for one another, they will not be able to pull up in time, ending in tragedy. Yet we learn some fascinating things from this that we might apply to our own lives. Iris and Falcon become locked in their own dive, and if they don’t trust one another they might have their own tragic end.
The Secretary Bird, who inspired characters within my book, is known as the most vicious kicker. When you first see them, you might do double-take. They are unusual to look at, but very majestic. Watch out, however, because there is a reason there are known as the most vicious kicker.
The barn swallow is known as the bird with the sexiest tail. No, I’m not kidding. The Hoatzin has the biggest belly, but you will never forget these beautiful birds as they soar through the sky. Then there is the Comb-crested Jacana, known as having the longest toes of any bird. Now you might think this sounds silly, but watch them walk on water. Yes, they can actually walk on water!
Let us not forget the smelliest bird of them all, the Crested Auklet. Born with a goofy looking smile, this bird will remind you of a penguin, but don’t be fooled, because your nose will be in for one heck of a surprise!
Owlet was a delight for me to write, and I learned many entertaining bird facts during my journey that translated over into some of the small nuances of characters (not the smelly one or the one with the toes :-p). I would encourage readers to look into the world of ornithology more as they read Owlet. This is such a beautiful world we live in, filled with exotic birds that seem to be a part of our own souls.
About the Author:
Emma Michaels is the author of the ‘A Sense of Truth’ and ‘Society of Feathers’ series. Her goal with her latest YA novel 'Owlet' is to give others what she did not have growing up; a strong female protagonist with asthma. While her previous aspiration was to be a lady knight she realized that not being able to run more than a few feet might become a hindrance so turned to writing instead. Her day jobs include being a cover artist, marketing consultant and silk screen designer.
As the founder of The Writers Voice blog (
http://OurBooksOurVoice.Blogspot.com) she loves to connect authors and readers. As a
book blogger turned author, she was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, until she moved at eighteen to Washington State. Suddenly, the world was a new place filled with tall green trees that reached further for the sky with every moment, making her want to do the same. Ever since, she has tried to make her life something new and different from what it was before, pursuing her future career, setting high goals and reaching for them. With the support of her fiancé, Chihuahua, and her amazing blog followers and fellow bloggers, she wants to prove to the world that anything is possible and help inspire fellow literary lovers to reach for their dreams.
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Karice BoltonKarice Bolton is a paranormal romance/urban fantasy author living in the Pacific Northwest. All three books in The Watchers Trilogy are available now, Awakening, Legions, and Cataclysm. Lonely Souls, which is the first book in her new series Witch Avenue, was released in June 2012!
