google-site-verification: google935433b691795853.html KRISTY BERRIDGE: 2012-03-25

Saturday 31 March 2012

The Hunted Book Tour!


Welcome everyone to The Hunted's book tour hosted by the illustrious Miss P Wadkins of Missy Reads and Reviews! I am so excited about this. I didn't even know what a blog was six months ago, now I have one of my own and I'll be visiting eighteen others over the next three weeks. So it's going to be a hectic schedule full of guest posts, interviews, and of course, what I'm hoping are fabulous reviews (hint hint). So needless to say April is going to be a busy month, and I'd love it if you all joined me on this adventure by following the schedule below and keeping track of events!
So without further ado, below is a complete list of the tour stops. Please join in on the fun, leave comments and try not to snicker too loudly if someone says my book sucks ... my vampires will get you.
Seriously.

April 2nd - Review - Esther's Ever After
(Also my 30th birthday today so make it a good one, I'm already depressed)
April 3rd - Guest Post - Hazel The Witch
April 4th - Review - Missy Reads and Reviews
April 5th - Author Interview - Personal Literary Book Frenzy
April 6th - Review - The Reader's Antidote
April 7th - Author Interview - Chocolate Coffee Books
April 8th - Review - Death Books and Tea
April 9th - Guest Post - Esther's Ever After
April 10th - Review - J Bronder Book Reviews
Guest post - The Unread Reader
April 11th - Review - Missy Reads & Reviews
April 12th - Review - Mimi Valentine
Guest Post - Nicole's Library
April 13th - Author Interview - The Adventures of an Obsessed Bookworm Blogger
April 14th - Review - Book Briefs
April 15th - Guest Post - Dead Trees and Silver Screens
Review - Arianne Cruz
April 16th - Review - Rondo of a Possible World
April 17th - Guest Post - Death Books and Tea
April 18th - Review - Curse of the Bibliophile
Author Interview - The Reader's Antidote
April 19th - Guest Post - Mimi Valentine
April 20th - Review - The Magic Attic
April 21st - Tour Wrap up - Missy Reads & Reviews
Author Interview - Book Briefs


Friday 30 March 2012

Follow Friday #26

Happy Friday everyone!
Yes, it’s that time of week again where bloggers unite to participate in the Follow Friday venture. The idea behind #FF is to promote traffic to your own blog, make new friends with other like-minded bloggers and discuss new and interesting topics each week.
Participating is simple. First you need to follow my blog because I’m totally awesome, then you can follow me on Twitter @kristyberridge (actually you don’t have to do this, it’s wishful thinking), but do follow my blog or assassins will get you …
Then you must follow our illustrious hosts Rachel of http://www.parajunkee.com/ and Alison of http://www.alisoncanread.com/ If you want more details on how to enter your own blog in the follow and hop, all directions are on their webpages
Now, once you’ve followed, check out my answer to this week’s questions and don’t forget to leave a comment so I can do the right thing and follow you back!

This week's question: Do you read one book at a time or do you switch back and forth between two or more?

Answer: I used to have book OCD. I could never, ever pollute the story line of one book by introducing a new one. Then, one late and stormy night, I was sitting in front of my computer, reading one of the most badly written self-published books I've ever laid eyes upon. Stricken by the use of bad vocabulary, over excessive expletives in a supposed YA novel, and just stunned by overall bad characterisation and plot, I found myself thinking of other books. Alas, I reached across the keyboard and thumbed the other covers glistening at me on the bookshelf. And that's when I did it. I cheated on one book with another and haven't looked back since.
Although I am now a self-confessed book adulteress, I still go steady with no more than two books at once. There isn't enough of me to go around otherwise.

Kristy :)

Thursday 29 March 2012

Pre-Hunted Tour Giveaway!


Hey everyone,
To celebrate my blog tour starting on Sunday the 1st of April 2012, I am giving away the Kindle edition of The Hunted for free! Yes you heard me, for FREE!
The giveaway only lasts for one day and will be available for download tomorrow, Thursday the 29th of March 2012 from 12.00am Pacific standard time, and finishes at 11.59pm Pacific standard time. Don't miss out on your chance to grab a copy and get involved with the tour! Also, if you could follow my blog while you're here and click the 'like' button to help wit the promotion and my ranking on Amazon, I'd really appreciate it!
I hope you all enjoy. If you do, post a review on Amazon and Goodreads. If you don't - keep it to yourself! (Kidding ... no I'm not.)
Have a great day everyone!

Kristy :)

Tuesday 27 March 2012

Book Review: Frost Arch by Kate Bloomfield

What do you say about a book that begins with a little history? Not the sort that takes you back to the conquerors of our globe or the discoverers of modern medicine. I'm talking about the history of our race, the dying breed of the human being and the rise of something else, something more advanced.
No, I'm not talking about cyborgs or futuristic ideals of space crafts and alien technology, either. I'm talking about the mutation of our most basic possibilities. I'm talking about a future where our ignorance has destroyed the world that we know and what has risen from the ashes of our destruction holds the key to powers beyond our wildest expectations.
This is how Frost Arch begins, a tantalizing look into the world we once knew and left behind. A world where humans are considered the scum of the earth, powerless and pathetic. A world where all that now exists in peaceful cohabitation are the Mages - advanced humans with abilities beyond everyday reach.
Avalon Redding is one such Mage. Barely eighteen years of age she wields the gift of fire yet she is unable to control it, unable to prevent hurting those she loves. So she leaves her family in the dead of night and heads for the city of Frost Arch. Her future seemingly grim, she stumbles upon Hawthorne, a winged, fox-like creature that offers her comfort and adoration when her confidence is at its lowest.
Hiding both the secret of a deserted family and her new furry friend, Avalon takes a job in a wealthy manor, her days soon filled with the tiresome whims of the rich. But her free time is consumed with the mysteries of her master's past, a rapidly growing Hawthorne, and her new friends Jack and Camryn.
Jack a healer and Camryn an animal whisperer, they soon find that Avalon is both naive yet endearing, causing more trouble than seems plausible. They say curiosity killed the cat, but for Avalon, curiosity is a part of her nature, leading her into a precarious situation that soon sees her without her power of fire for protection. Will she be able to overcome the trials that befall her? Will she be able to save the ones she loves and stay strong within herself?
Time will tell.
Frost Arch was a surprisingly enjoyable read. After the opening Prologue, I expected a lot of destruction and mayhem, suppression and anger. What unfolded was what I've come to think of as the future written in the past. Quaint villages with taverns and market places, manor homes with servants and stables. The mixture of magic carefully integrated into an era seemingly left in our past. I was captivated by the forgotten time and imagery of make-believe, and I was amazed at how natural it seemed to splice the fantasy proposition with something of a historical fiction.
Frost Arch was well written, the characterisation right on the money for my tastes. I didn't doubt the intentions of the characters at all, and no conversation or exchange seemed unbelievable or rushed. The story line itself was for lack of a better word sweet, although, there were moments of torment that gave the overall plot more depth. There wasn't a lot of action or violence which I tend to like to keep a novel fast-paced, however, the docile nature of the story lended itself quite nicely to the temperament of the characters and the era in which was transcribed.
I rate this book four out of five stars. It was a most enjoyable read that I will definitely venture for the second book in the series to discover what happens to the lovely Avalon, the tireless Jack, and the lovable Hawthorne.

Synopsis: Avalon lives in a post-apocalyptic world where Mages are the dominant lifeforms and humans are uneducated and enslaved. As a fire Mage who can't control her powers, Avalon flees her home town after almost killing her little sister.
What Avalon doesn't expect, however, is that her life will take a dramatic change when she moves to Frost Arch, a snowy city where she gets a job as a maid, and befriends a local healer.
Before she knows it, Avalon is on the run from the law.