Monday 30 November 2015

A Thousand Nights

Presenting A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston.

Here is the summary of the book:

Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to her village, looking for a wife. When she sees the dust cloud on the horizon, she knows he has arrived. She knows he will want the loveliest girl: her sister. She vows she will not let her be next.

And so she is taken in her sister's place, and she believes death will soon follow. Lo-Melkhiin's court is a dangerous palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time. But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was not always a cruel ruler. Something went wrong.

Far away, in their village, her sister is mourning. Through her pain, she calls upon the desert winds, conjuring a subtle unseen magic, and something besides death stirs the air.

Back at the palace, the words she speaks to Lo-Melkhiin every night are given a strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. With each tale she spins, her power grows. Soon she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a king, if she can put an end to the rule of a monster.


With the rage of re-tellings in the literary sphere, particularly of fairytales and folktales of the Western world, it is now time to look towards the scorching hot Arabia. While Aladdin, Alibaba and the forty thiefs and Sindbad The Sailor have already been part of the Western culture for quite sometime. The end of the year 2015 seems particularly rife with re-tellings and re-imaginings of the Arabian Nights. It is time to look towards newer avenues, like 'One Thousand and One Nights'. E.K. Johnston's A THOUSAND NIGHTS is one such re-telling of the classic and while it got mixed reviews, I on the other hand liked the mysticism of the approach.

A Thousand Nights, on a closer look loosely follows the original tale and adding magic and magical realism to its plot. Wildly universal in its approach, the story follows the King Lo-Melkiin, a good man but changed to a much crueler variety after a hunt in the desert gone bad. Since then none of his wives survive the first night of marriage, each and everyone of them mysteriously dying off. But then with his current wife, he pauses. She survives Lo-Melchiin on their wedding night when others had died. This one is brave. This one dauntless. This one proves worthy. This one volunteered in place of her sister. This one had magic of her own.

While the original version of the tale tells of the emotion at play, E.K. Johnston's A Thousand Nights depends all the most on magic. Universal in its plot is the element of magic. Pretty much everyone has it. Lo-Melchiin has it, his 'wife' has it, her sister has it and apparently their mothers know it too. Another thing to add pretty much all the characters are nameless aside from Lo-Melchiin. Our protagonist is only referred to as "Lady Bless", "Star of my Skies" and so on throughout the stretch of the book and likewise for all of them. The language of the book while English (obviously!) has a formal touch and clearly the author was trying to portray that this is happening in the Arab country and back in time. So it does take a bit getting used to but once you get past the slow, you can enjoy the beauty and majesty of this standalone re-telling.

The plot of the book has a much darker tone than what you would expect. As such romance does not play a part in this tale. Of course there are hints of it but that's just about it and I appreciate it very much for it. We know the dark intentions of Lo-Melchiin. We know his wife realizes the truth about him and while fearing for her death, stands tall to battle whatever 'her husband' throws at her and tries her best to save anybody that comes in the crossfire. We observe a silent kingdom fearing the demon King, who was once a good man. We know the "sister's" determination to make certain of Lady Bless's survival and ensure the end of Lo-Melchiin. But most of all we observe Johnston spinning and weaving a timeless classic, in her own style filled with lush and vibrant details, with a magic that defies all bounds and awes us with its mystical majesty.

"Magically exotic. Lush. Vibrantly detailed. A Classical re-telling"

Genre :     Young Adult, Re-telling, Paranormal, Fantasy

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Release Date: 6th October, 2015

My Copy: publisher & netgalley

Rate:             4/5 (Really Liked It)

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository 

Saturday 28 November 2015

Department 19 #1 Department 19

Presenting Department 19 #1 Department 19 by Will Hill.

Here is the summary of the book:

Jamie Carpenter's life will never be the same. His father is dead, his mother is missing, and he was just rescued by an enormous man named Frankenstein. Jamie is brought to Department 19, where he is pulled into a secret organization responsible for policing the supernatural, founded more than a century ago by Abraham Van Helsing and the other survivors of Dracula. Aided by Frankenstein's monster, a beautiful vampire girl with her own agenda, and the members of the agency, Jamie must attempt to save his mother from a terrifyingly powerful vampire.
"Department 19" takes us through history, across Europe, and beyond - from the cobbled streets of Victorian London to prohibition-era New York, from the icy wastes of Arctic Russia to the treacherous mountains of Transylvania. Part modern thriller, part classic horror, it's packed with mystery, mayhem, and a level of suspense that makes a Darren Shan novel look like a romantic comedy.

With a cover reminiscent of the 'Expendables' emblem, Will Hill's Deaprtment 19 is Dracula meets the (above mentioned) Expendables. A tale for boys (girls too) who love the gore and the wicked. Department 19 is the story of a secret British organization created and operating with the purpose of destroying Dracula's brros of blood suckers without the sparkles and the human boy Jaime Carpenter who will do everything he can to save his mother who has been kidnapped by the Vampires.

Following an alternate history, literary figures like Frankenstein, Abraham Van Helsing, Mina Murray, Jonathan Harker, Dracula, Bram Stoker, Dr. John Seward, Quincey Morris, Arthur Holmwood and the like are real historical beings. And Department 19 was created by Prof. Van Helsing and his associated after the events that transpired in Castle Dracula, after seeing that the Count was the only one of his kind, there were more.

Frankly, I began this with much gusto but the pick up felt too slow for me. I do appreciate the work the author put together for his book. The plot is well detailed and the words flow through the pages well but I just could't feel the connection at all. Jaime just felt too aggressive and rather insolent. Larissa worked well as a vampire but again I didn't think much about Jaime & her smooching it out. I did like the military aspect of the story, that was definitely well written part and loved the mystery and conspiracies surrounding its history and its employees. Frankenstein was pretty much the only character I liked here ..... badass ,,,, Maybe I would have liked it more if I read it when it came out but in all this is a good beginning.

"Expandable meets Dracula"
Genre :     Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Action, Adventure

Publisher: Harper Collins

Release Date: 1st March, 2011

My Copy: bought (paperback)

Rate:             3/5 (Liked It)

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository 

Sunday 8 November 2015

Cover Reveal: Elementals by Michelle Madow [+ GIVEAWAY]



Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows is the first in a new series that fans of Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle will love!

Title: Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows
Author: Michelle Madow
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Release Date: January 26, 2016
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing
Series: Elementals #1
Format: eBook
ISBN: 2940152448849

Synopsis:

When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret coven of witches. Even more surprisingly … she’s apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers—and, to her dismay, by Blake—the school’s notorious bad-boy.

Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle’s wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance.

When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious powers. But the comet has another effect—it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it’s up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town … and possibly the world.

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Pre-order:  Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  iBooks 


Giveaway:


Michelle is offering one lucky winner a signed paperback ARC of Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway


About the Author:

Michelle Madow grew up in Baltimore, graduated Rollins College in Orlando, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida. She wrote her first book in her junior year of college, and has been writing novels since. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.

To chat with Michelle and other fans about her books, join Michelle Madow's Street Team on Facebook!


Connect with Michelle:  Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Goodreads




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