Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway for Fields of Elysium by A. B. Whelan

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Title: Fields of Elysium
Author: A. B. Whelan
Published by: InMotion Capitol
Pages: 420
Source: Blog Tour
Format: ebook

Summary:  How can love mend a heart full of hate? Small town girl, Molly Bennett, moves to Los Angeles where she becomes an outsider while attending Beverly Hills High School. It seems life cannot be any more dreadful. Then one day after school, something magical happens. On a secluded hike in the Hollywood Hills, Molly chases her disobedient mutt and only friend into a hidden cavern. She stumbles upon a strange glimmering gateway that transports her to Arkana, a planet that is the cradle of an advanced human race. There, teenagers navigate amazing flying vehicles, compete in perilous games for glory, and possess supernatural powers. While Molly tries to wrap her mind around this unbelievable discovery, she meets the alluring and mysterious Victor Sorren. He is a Sentinel Apprentice, whose hatred toward people from Earth is beyond understanding. Yet every time Victor unpredictably saves Molly's life, his heart draws closer to hers, no matter how much he tries to fight against it. It further complicates things that their growing friendship is strictly forbidden. Earth people are prohibited in Arkana, yet Molly continues to cross through the portal to Arkana to see Victor. Torn between their double lives, they go down a dangerous path, from where there is no return and multiple endings. Fields of Elysium is a suspenseful, romantic tale full of forbidden secrets, unimaginable danger, deception, and the never-ending fight for true love.

My Review: Have you ever been behind on your trends compared to others?  This happens with me all the time and again the whole time travel/different world travel thing has never really interested me, but after reading Fields of Elysium I'm hooked.

Molly is a great character to lead us through our adventure.  She's brave and courageous, which often comes in hand when getting suck in perilous situations.  Good thing Victor was there to lend a helping hand.  The one thing I didn't connect with for Molly's character is how easy she fell into the ideas of different worlds.  I think I would have been more freaked out and a bit more skeptical.  

I really enjoyed the story line.  It was different and refreshing.  Plus I kept wanting to know more about this mysterious world and it's inhabitants, especially Victor.  While reading this story, I kept guessing it's direction, but was often surprised.  I liked that the author kept me on my toes and didn't always give me the expected.  

Overall I enjoyed this story and didn't want it to end.     

Extras and Giveaway!

Where to buy:
Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Goodreads * Facebook</ a>

PRAISE "The novel's take on otherworldly travel is a compelling one, and the romantic plot will likely appeal to Twilight fans." - Kirkus Reviews "I expected a good love story with a paranormal twist. I got so much more. I think you should take the chance and read it. Let this book take you on the adventure, fall in love." - Young Adult and Teen Readers "Fields of Elysium is a fabulous read. ... Whelan paints her faith into the fabric of her story with deft, light brushstrokes, making her work accessible to all, no matter their spiritual beliefs or background." - Readers Favorite "I escaped into this fantasy world, author, A.B.Whelan, created and I didn’t want Molly to go. From detailed descriptions, to sweet romance, and to all the twist and turns in the story, it had me captivated from page one." - Mary Ting, author of the Crossroads Saga "Whelan's writing is very vivid and descriptive. It's more formal than the average YA novel, but I enjoyed the lyrical and mesmerizing quality to it. I thought the overall story read like a fairy tale--very sweet." - Megan Thomason, author of Daynight

Author A.B. Whelan A.B.Whelan is a Hungarian born, American writer. She currently lives with her husband and two children in Southern California. While growing up in a wealthy Eastern European family, she had a chance to travel Europe. Later as an adult, she visited Africa and the Middle East and lived in Ecuador and in Crete.

Website * Facebook * Twitter</ b>

   Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash A gift bag of one signed copy of Fields of Elysium, a scrabble-tile pendant on a necklace, and a fridge magnet Ends 5/15/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://www.iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Absent

I wanted to apologize for my prolonged absences and sporadic posts.  I am finishing up my Ph.D. in Chemistry and I just don't always have the effort or the time to write a post.  I'm writing my dissertation and at the end of the day I just don't always feel like writing more.  I will however try to be better about posting, but I'm guessing it will be sporadic until sometime this summer.  Happy reading!

Blogger confusion + Bloglovin' + a call for help to understand what is going on

Hi all,
I've jumped on the bandwagon of not really understanding what is going on with blogger and GFC and everything.  I'm still really confused about everything, but just in case when Google Reader goes away so does GFC I'm adding Bloglovin (at least I think I am).  If you all have any advice I'm happy to hear it (please help!).  I'm not sure what's really going on and what is going to go away. 

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Audio Review of Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Title: Seraphina (Seraphina, #1)

Author: Rachel Hartman

Narrator: Mandy Williams and Justine Eyre
Published by: Listening Library
Length: 13hrs; 15mins
Source: Library
Format: Audio
Rating: 4 stars

Summary from Goodreads: Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high. 

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

Seraphina was an unexpected delight.  

I didn't honestly think I would enjoy this book as much as I did.  A while ago Seraphina seemed to be popping up on my blogger feed all the time so when I was at the library last and saw the audio, I thought I would give it a try.  I should realize by now that when I don't think I'm going to like I book, I usually end up loving it. 

Dragons; that was my fear with this book.  Besides Pete's Dragon and the little they showed up in the Harry Potter series, my exposure to these creatures was limited and not very appealing.  Rachel Hartman gave dragons an interesting twist by having them be able to take a human form.  I don't yet know if I'm a fan of them or not, but I do love how they tried to assimilate and understand human emotions.  It was quite funny listening to how uncomfortable they were when they started to care about someone.    

The story itself, was exciting and adventurous.  It was action, mystery and a little bit of romance all wrapped up in an adorable story.  The characters were beautifully built and quite complex.  I enjoyed spending time with them and can not wait to see where this story goes.  

I  thoroughly enjoyed the audio version of Seraphina.  Mandy Williams and Justine Eyre did a wonderful job and kept me engaged throughout the entire story.  I think listening to the audio version is a great thing in this case because some of the words and terms were phonetically difficult for me, so instead of trying to figure out how to say something (even in my head...does anyone else do this or am I just crazy?) I didn't have to worry about that as it was done for me.

The moral of my story is...if you think you may not enjoy a book, pick it up anyways and you may be surprised.