Comes the Night Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway!!

Comes the Night (Caster Series, #1) by Norah Wilson & Heather Doherty Release date: November 27, 2012
Published by: Something Shiny Press
Age Group: Young Adult/New Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Formats Available: Paperback, eBook ~330 pages
Tour Hosted by: AToMR

Book Blurb:
How far would you go to escape your own personal teenage hell? Would you run away, break away from everything you know—even your own body?

Alex Robbins, Brooke Saunders and Maryanne Hemlock could not be more different, yet they all have something in common — deep and soul-searing pain. They are also all students at Streep Academy, a boarding school just one step away from juvie, where they've come to complete high school. The three have been relegated to Harvell House, the residence reserved for the hardest cases, the so-called Rejects from Reject Row. In the forbidden attic of the old Victorian house-turned-residence, the girls discover the diary of Connie Harvell, a young woman who was confined and abused there some 50 years ago. In the end, Connie’s attic prison couldn't hold her—not completely. She found a way out. At least a dark part of her did. And after reading her diary, the girls discover they can escape at will too. A terrifying, thrilling flight from their bodies and their troubles.

But God help them, their pain isn't all they leave behind when they join with the night. And God help anyone who’s wronged them...

Amazon Print/Amazon eBook - Barnes & Noble - Smashwords

First I want to say just how stunning the cover of this book is. I am in cover love with the girl in the corset, sitting - almost in a prayer position - in the woods. I makes the book look dark and complex and witchy. However, despite the book being part of the Caster series, it is sadly not a book about witches. The casting is a whole different type of cast, one in which they "cast" their souls or essences outside of their bodies. Casting, in short, is just another term for astral projection.

The basics of the plot is that there are three high school girls who are all at boarding school and end up in the same house/dorm. This dorm is used to hold the rejects or those who have been deemed trouble in one  way or another. We first meet Alex after she has awoken to the realization that she had been raped, but has no recollection of who did it. I felt for Alex and her pain, but that was about the extent of how involved I got into the characters. The other two are Brooke and Maryanne. Brooke is a grade A bitch and she relishes in it. Maryanne is an escapist. After her brother passed and her parent's marriage was in trouble she found a way out and came to boarding school.  It was hard for me to get passed the lack of relatability the girls had. Aside from Alex, the girls were wholly unlikeable.

Alex finds a diary of Connie, a girl who lived in the house before it was turning into school housing and her story was the most relatable and harrowing of all the characters. She was abused and beaten, but found a way out by casting herself outside her body. Each of the girls learn to do this and use their astral bodies to wreck havoc on those who harmed them. This wasn't what casting was supposed to be used for, it was a way to get away, but the girls - namely Brooke - used it to punish those who jilted her. And this is where I found myself having a hard time with the story. They knew from the diary that in their astral states they could harm animals, but Brooke didn't care and used it against a guy by harming his horses. It was at this point that I just was sick. They do some good by helping the lost astral body of Connie find some peace and punish the person who raped Alex - the one person who actually deserved punishment.

Overall, I found the book Comes the Night somewhat of a mixed bag. I was expecting so much from it and it turned out to just not be my cup of tea. However, there will be a lot of people who will enjoy the book because it is a quick read and it did keep my interest all the way through. The writing was done well and it was edited nicely - a big plus. It also was an interesting concept using astral projection as a way to escape from the pains of regular life. You will have to decide for yourselves what your take on the actions of the girls were (my main beef with the book), but it is a book that will keep you guessing and trying to figure out the mystery that lies within. I will be reading on in the series to see where the author takes the plot, I have to see what, if anything, the girls learn about themselves and what more there is to casting.

FTC Advisory: I was given a copy of this book from the author for an honest review as part of a blog tour. No backroom deals or whispered promises were made.

NORAH WILSON is a Kindle best-selling author of romantic suspense and paranormal romance. She lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, with her husband, two adult children, dog Chloe, and kitty, Ruckus.

HEATHER DOHERTY fell in love with writing while taking creative writing courses with Athabasca University. Motivated by her university success, and a life-long dream of becoming a novelist, she later enrolled in the Humber School for Writers under the mentorship of David Adams Richards. Her first literary novel was published in 2006. While still writing dark literary (as well as not-so-dark children's lit), she is beyond thrilled to be writing paranormal/horror with Norah. Heather lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick with her family. (No pets, but I swear Norah's dog, Chloe, calls me Aunt Heather).

Together, Heather and Norah write dark, edgy, frightening young adult paranormal/horror.

Twitter - Website - Facebook Norah - Facebook Heather

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#1: Five (5) unsigned print copies of Comes the Night sent from CreateSpace - open internationally; #2: Five (5) eBook copies of Comes the Night (Smashword coupon code) - open internationally; #3: Three (3) $10 gift cards - choice of Amazon, B&N, or Book Depository

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The Harvesting Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

"Thank You" to Julie at AToMR for being an awesome host and for giving me the opportunity to participate in this tour. Another "Thank You" to Melanie Karsak for providing a copy of The Harvesting for review. I am truly appreciative of being a part of The Harvesting Blog Tour.
*Make sure to check out the video with Melanie - the link is under Extras. Also, don't forget to enter the Giveaway for your very own ecopy of The Harvesting or a The Harvesting theme T-Shirt!!

The Harvesting
(The Harvesting, #1)
by Melanie Karsak
Publication Date: September 18, 2012
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Horror and Fantasy, Zombie
Formats Available: eBook, Paperback ~386 pages
Tour organized by: AToMR Tours

Book Blurb: 
It's all fun and games until someone ends up undead.

Though Layla reluctantly returns home to rural Hamletville after a desperate call from her psychic grandmother, she could never have anticipated the horror of what Grandma Petrovich has foreseen. The residents of Hamletville will need Layla's help if they are to survive the zombie apocalypse that's upon them. But that is not the only problem. With mankind silenced, it soon becomes apparent that we were never alone. As the beings living on the fringe seek to reclaim power, Layla must find a way to protect the ones she loves or all humanity may be lost.

"To label this a zombie book would be a false pretense . . . this is so much more than that. What you start out with and what you end up with are very different, and those twists and turns in the middle will make your heart beat faster over and over again."-- Colossal Pop

Amazon   -   Smashwords   -   Barnes & Noble

"If you ever need to slice someone's head off, this is the blade you want..."

Layla is a museum curator who specializes in Medieval weaponry (how cool is that?!) who also teaches sword-play classes. She is in the middle of teaching one of her classes to a group of kids when she receives a very cryptic phone call from her Grandmother who tells her to come home. No explanations, nothing. So because Layla knows that her Grandmother would not call if it wasn't important, she gets in her car, cancels a date with a sexy German, and takes off to the little town she was raised in which does not hold such great memories...or people.

When she arrives, Grandma Petrovich gives her money and a list and tells her to go and run errands, still without any explanations which Layla knows not to argue with because Grandma knows things and is a seer or a witch or a medium, depending on who you are asking. When Layla finally gets home and talks to her Grandmother, she is still met with half answers and Layla is getting anxious - her Grandmother has an artillery that the NRA would covet! But all Grandma says is that her own Grandmother knew when she was to see the spirits and then drugs Layla. When she wakes up the next day, she also has the ability to see the spirits and is told by one to "Help them!"

Meanwhile, in the real world, there is an epidemic that is causing people to get sick with a flu like illness, but with a 100% mortality rate.The weird thing is that while all the people with the illness die, post mortem they still have some brain functions. And the first thing that happens after Layla sees a spirit is that she sees two people on her property that are bloody and seem to be dead, but are still upright and quick. After a quick lesson on how to kill these people - or zombies - she has to kill her own Grandmother who was bitten by one of the monsters and has turned herself. With her own set of artillery, swords, and a mission from the spirits, she goes into town to help the rest of the living population - even if Ian, her once lover, is there.

Layla is a natural leader and is probably the smartest and most courageous person in that town and becomes the de facto leader. I love Layla's character. She is strong and methodical and never acts rashly. Unlike some people who just run into a situation, she sits and waits and plans. Layla is the epitome of a female heroine: smart, intelligent, and kick-ass! I want to be like Layla, sword and all! She is able to rally together the townspeople and bring order to a chaotic apocalyptic situation. There is a bit of romance in the book too,but thankfully it does not overshadow the rest of the book. The team of Layla, Ian, and Jamie (Ian's brother) are a force to be reckoned with, and yet comical at the same time.

The plot is creative and action packed! The author Melanie Karsak brought together the paranormal, an account of a post-apocalyptic scenario, and fantasy elements to a story that is a completely powerful and gripping story. The world-building Ms. Karsak imagined and brought to life is vivid and gory and terrible (in an awesome way!) The scene with the Boy Scouts is one of my most favorite depictions of the dichotomy of survival and compassion that The Harvesting brings.This is not just a "Zombie" book, it is an epic tale told with impeccable writing skills and many storylines interwoven to shape a tale that twists and turns and brings you to a place you never thought you would be.

I am in genuine awe of Melanie Karsak and her prowess as an author and I can't even fathom what she will bring in book two. Full of suspense, captivating writing, endearing characters - even the ones that are not quite secondary characters, and a storyline that will keep you guessing, The Harvesting is a book that I would definitely recommend! In fact, I want to read it again because there is so much about The Harvesting to love!

Five brightly burning candles!!

FTC Advisory: I was given a copy of this book from the author for an honest review as part of a blog tour. No backroom deals or whispered promises were made.

From the author: I was interviewed on a local TV show, a Halloween special, about zombies. I am first up in the special and I talk about zombies in general and the novel in particular--and I have horrible posture and they made me wear my t-shirt--but this might be something nice for people to watch if they are interested in the paranormal.

Video: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGHrhTv5YAA

Melanie Karsak, steampunk connoisseur, white elephant collector, and caffeine junkie, resides in Florida with her husband and two children. Melanie is the author of "The Harvesting" series. Visit the author at her blog, melaniekarsak.blogspot.com, to learn more about upcoming projects, book signings, and other neato things.

Blog   -   Facebook   -   Twitter   -   Goodreads

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(1) eBook of THE HARVESTING (International) 
and 
(1) eBook or Print copy of THE HARVESTING and theme t-shirt (US/Canada)

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Cover Reveal: Flukes by Nichole Chase

Flukes

by Nichole Chase

Expected Release Date: October 8, 2012
Cover Design by Stephanie Mooney
 Mooney Designs

Meena has a secret guarded closely by her family—a secret as dangerous as the sea, and buried just as deep. When court appointed community service workers are assigned to Flukes, the family-owned animal habitat, everyone is on high alert. It doesn’t help that Meena finds herself attracted to sexy-as-sin Blake Weathering, one of the new workers. If he wasn’t so distracting, she might be able to land Flukes a much-needed cruise line contract.

Blake Weathering, the first in his family to attend public school, has developed a tough image. Unfortunately it lands him in trouble. Now banned from his high school graduation ceremony, getting his diploma is dependent upon a community service gig cleaning fish crap. No diploma, no trust fund fortune—and no way to escape his overbearing father. The last thing he needs is the distraction of a mysterious girl with teal eyes who pulls at his heart strings.

When Blake discovers Meena’s secret, they are both thrown into a desperate search for information about her past. Two worlds pull them in opposite directions, and they will have to fight to hold onto all that really matters.

Gorgeous cover, isn't it? I can't wait to read Flukes when it is released. What do you think of the cover?

About the Author:

Nichole Chase is a daydreamer. No, really, just ask any of the math teachers that had the misfortune of seeing her name appear on their class schedule. For years she has had story lines and characters begging for attention, but she resolutely pushed them aside to focus on more normal (read, boring) jobs. Well, no longer! She is currently heeding the voices in her head and frantically writing their stories. Nichole resides in South Georgia with her husband, energetic toddler, three dogs, and two cats. When not devouring novels by the dozens, you may find her writing, painting, crafting, or chasing her daughter around the house while making monster noises.

Website     Twitter     Facebook     Blog

Cover Reveal organized by AToMR Tours