Book Review: Kindred by Erica Stevens

Kindred is a paranormal novel bursting with emotional turmoil, spilling feelings all over the prose like the wet tears of Cassie, the protagonist.
From the first page I was held captive by a scene of unrest. We learn that events of the past have dictated a rather unsteady future for Cassie and her two best friends. Born vampire hunters with inherent gifts to equip them against the fanged miscreants intent on wiping out their race, they've come to accept their responsibilities. In the first few chapters this is made quite clear, a scene even detailing a face off between hunter and vampire - action at its best.
Then a stranger by the name of Devon moves to town, and suddenly Cassie is disarmed by his charm, the effect he has on her and the aloof manner that sets him apart from others. What is it about her that draws him near, and for that matter, why can't he seem to stay away from her?
Honestly, I had to take a step back and remind myself that not every book that starts with action and twisted secrets will continue on that path. This novel is clearly an exploration of romance and the conflicted emotions of two people at war with their own inner demons - the journey being how they overcome their differences.
I appreciated the author's dedication to honesty and the insatiable urge to describe every little caress, thought and expression crossing her character's faces. I never doubted the significance of each encounter or the feelings portrayed. What did annoy me was the constant repetition, paragraph after paragraph of the same conflicting emotions readdressed without resolve or reason for reminding the reader of its significance. I also found the prose heavily burdened with unnecessary adverbs; 'sighing softly', 'laughing lightly', 'frowning heavily' - just to name a few.
Apart from a few personal grievances, I did appreciate the simplicity of the story and the heightened sense of drama crafted in every page. I'll be rating Kindred three out of five fangs.

Synopsis:

What do you do when the one you love is also you worst enemy? Trapped in a destiny she does not want, Cassie finds herself lost and adrift, until he walks into her life, turning it upside down and awakening her in ways that she never dreamed possible. 
Cassie is stunned and devastated to learn that she belongs to a long line of vampire slayers known as The Hunters. A murderous rampage by a group of elder vampires has left the Hunter line decimated and the remaining Hunters scattered around the world. With her friends Chris and Melissa’s aid, Cassie struggles to rid the world of the monsters that murdered her parents. Though Cassie knows it is her fate, she chafes against her heritage, and is resentful of the shortened lifespan that has been placed upon her by the circumstances of birth. Struggling to get through every day, Cassie finds herself simply going through the motions of living. That is, until Devon arrives. Tall, dark, and mysterious his arrival turns the school, and Cassie’s life, upside down. Fighting against her fierce attraction to him, and the chaos he represents in her carefully ordered days, she is irresistibly drawn to him. Though worried that what she truly is will place Devon in danger, she is unable to fight her feelings for him. He is the one light, and the only source of hope she has in a world that revolves around death and fear. What she does not know is that Devon has some dark secrets of his own, secrets even more frightening and dangerous than hers. Secrets that threaten to tear them apart forever.

Crowd Funding - Diary of a teenage Zombie

Hey guys,

So I gotta tell you, this isn't an ordinary post. This is a post where you'll receive visuals and an incentive to help out an almost bum author. Right now, you should see me, on my hands and knees, grovelling for a small bit of your time and hopefully all of your money! Kidding, but some would be great.
You see, I'm trying the crowd-funding avenue, hoping that the fans and readers of my books will help fund the next release novel - Diary of a Teenage Zombie.
Naturally, you are guaranteed lots of special gifts even for the smallest of donation which is only $10, and plenty of good Karma. I'd love it if you checked out my pledge below, and headed over to the Pozible site to support my venture. At least this way I can keep the books coming thick and fast. And, if you can't help out, please tell someone who might.
Cheers guys, I really appreciate the support!

Kristy

This is the link to the pozible site for more information and to pledge: pozible.com/teenagezombie

The Damned is Coming ...

Hey guys,

Guess what? I finally have my files for The Damned, the second installation in my Hunted Series. And because you've all been waiting so long for this release, it is my gift to you to provide 5 free days of Kindle downloads of The Hunted to get you ready! (Go here for Download)
Yes, you heard me. I am putting the first novel The Hunted for free on Kindle for five days!
This is your chance to grab a copy, tell your friends and family and generally just share the information so when the Damned is released everyone is ready for round two.
The promotion starts on the 23/2/2013 and will run until the 27/2/2013. Remember  these promos run on Pacific Standard time, so keep checking in if it's not registering free when you read this post.
If you've never heard of The Hunted series, check out the two trailers below to whet your whistle, view the upcoming cover for The Damned and read the synopsis's right here!
Cheers guys, thanks as always for your support and don't forget to share, share share!

The Hunted Book Trailer (Book one)

The Damned Book Trailer (Book two)

The Hunted Synopsis:

Elena Manory is by no means an ordinary teenage girl. Being born with the ability to heal herself from any injury, and with the knowledge that on her eighteenth birthday she will become a Vampire, Elena is aware that she is more than a little different from other girls her age. 

It isn’t until she meets William Granville, an alluring and impossibly handsome vampire, that she begins to question her destiny and what secrets the Institute of Magical Intervention and her adopted family have withheld—secrets that could change the fates of not only her own life, but of the lives of all the immortals.

As events spiral out of control, William may be the only person Elena can place her trust in. He, and Elena’s magical family, must fight to save her, joining forces to defeat a common, deadly foe. For William, it is his chance to save the girl that he has searched eternity to find.

The Damned Synopsis:

Life for Elena Manory skipped past ordinary just over a month ago. Discovering she was born a practically invulnerable vampire-werewolf hybrid was shocking enough, but she’s also become a target. Elena is being hunted by the Alpha werewolf Roshan, who’s fixated on the properties of her unique blood and the pleasurable possibilities of her flesh.

Moving to the Institute of Magical Intervention in Romania was supposed to provide her with protection and anonymity, but Elena soon realises her enemies are legion. None are as they seem, with no agenda truly without nefarious intentions. 

A strange twist of fate and the actions of a vampire previously pressing for her affections lead Elena into the arms of another—one whose middle name spells trouble. Himself a vampire, Sebastian is perplexingly familiar, handsome, and arrogant. He introduces Elena to a world she never thought possible, uncovers a past believed long buried, and unearths a future she may not survive.

Kristy :)

Follow Friday #40

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: Worst cover? What is the worst cover of a book that you've read and loved?

My answer: This is easy - The bloody Twilight saga. I mean seriously, what the hell does a hand holding an apple have to do with Twilight (despite one fleeting moment where Edward kicks the crap out of one by the salad bar in the movie)? And for New Moon's book cover - a droopy flower? Then we have a cheap ass ribbon for Eclipse and chess pieces for Breaking Dawn.
I still shake my head at those covers - talk about a lazy graphic designer.

Anyway, since you're all over here nodding your heads in agreement, why don't you check out the competition I have running at the moment? Follow this link (click here) and it will take you to my "Damned good Giveaway". If you're not keen on the whole entering via photography, that is fine, you can still enter via raffle-copter and be in the chance to win, it's easy as!

Happy Friday!

Book Review: "Dead Radiance" A Valkyrie Novel by TG Ayer

Thanks to a generous author, I downloaded Dead Radiance via a Kindle freebie day. I'd never read a book based on Norse Mythology before, and I was curious but also reluctant. There was something about the cover of the novel that gave me pause and I'm still unsure why.
Regardless, I thought, try something new.
Dead radiance centers around an orphan girl by the name of Bryn Halbrook. Passed around from foster home to foster home, Bryn finally settles into a semi-ordinary life in the town of Craven. An understanding foster mother, loving foster siblings, and friend to now ease the all consuming feelings of neglect deep down, Bryn still can't find happiness.
The past and the present haunt her.
A strange glow is emitted from the people she cares about and it soon becomes clear that Bryn is far from ordinary, the glow not some essence of gleaming goodness, but a foretelling of certain death.
Losing people starts to become familiar for Bryn. A heart already rocked by the death of her father and a childhood of broken homes, foreseeing death adds to the pile of questions surrounding her unnatural gift. Finding Aidan never came at a better time. Handsome, intriguing, and downright distracting, Bryn is soon desperately in love with the biker boy filled with the promise of hope but also burdened with a twisted agenda. He knows the truth of her origins, the truth of her abilities, and now also holds the key to her heart. The crazy thing is - it's only the beginning. An unfolding of a whole other realm and backlog of historical information is soon thrown at you. Wings, swords, Asgard and the food of the Gods. How did such an  ordinary story about girl meets boy soon become the epic telling of the Valkyries?
You'll have to read Dead Radiance to find out.
What I truly appreciated the most in this novel was that the author had a real sense of appreciation for words. The imagery was beautiful, each sentence hand-crafted to paint an explicit picture of detail. I always had a sense of what I was looking at in my mind's eye - a clear image of character detail and surrounding scenes. Yes, there were some spelling and punctuation errors, but aren't there always some in a novel? And it certainly wasn't enough to be distracting.
The characters themselves were well written and easy to relate. There were no major deviations in character growth or portrayal which was greatly appreciated given the course of ultimate change that the novel takes on. There was nothing about the story that I didn't especially like but again, just like the cover image, there was something about it that didn't quite speak to me. However, I can happily give the book three out of five well deserved fangs.

Synopsis:
Bryn Halbrook had always seen the glow. But it is only when her best friend dies that she discovers the meaning of those beautiful golden auras - death. Alone, lost in the foster system, she struggles to understand who she is and why she was cursed with the ability to see the soon-to-be-dead.
The foster kid, Aidan, isn't helping any. Mr Perfect seems to fit in no matter what, making her feel even more pathetic. But when his affections turn to her, Bryn finds him hard to resist. Impossible actually. A mystery himself, Aidan disappears, leaving behind a broken heart and a mysterious book that suggests Bryn might not be entirely human.
Bryn stands at the threshold of a journey of discovery. Will destiny help her find herself, find her purpose and her place in a world in which she'd never belonged?

Kristy :)

Book Review: S.P.I.R.I.T Firestorm by Dawn Gray

First of all, let me start off by saying that I wasn't particularly eager to read this novel, mostly because the cover image doesn't speak to me. There's nothing about it that jumps out and says, 'pick me up and read me'. The monotone wash of grey and the old creepy house feel a little generic, as do the unstylistic font and general lack of 'wow' factor. But alas, after reading the novel, the image is in fact the essence of this very story, and I now understand why the author chose such imagery.
S.P.I.R.I.T follows the story of Samantha and Zander, two seemingly ordinary people thrust together under the strangest of circumstances. As they learn of developing gifts, past connections, and an unsettling truth that the supernatural realm is very real and very present, it forces them to uncover the mystery surrounding their coupling and the double layered reality crossing paths in the most unimaginable way. Ghosts, demons, and lies from the past see them struggling to unlock the reasons for their current endangerment but it also sees the strength and abilities within each of them grow - their blossoming love forging a connection stronger than even death itself.
S.P.I.R.I.T, despite the non-stop revelation of mystery, followed by battles with the unseen, or tangible crossovers from past encounters, was heavily littered with romance. The interaction between Samantha and Zander bordered on the fast-pace unrealistic connections of Mills & Boons characters. I did however appreciate Samantha's initial reluctance to trust anyone given the situation thrust upon her. She seemed to take a little longer to warm to heavy petting rather than her male protagonist that basically shadowed her every footstep.
The characterization was good, however, there was a lack of descriptive text on other minor characters. Alas, when something unfavourable occurred, I found that I cared little for their welfare as I was given no reason to embrace these minor characters as anything other than props to continue the story of Zander and Samantha.
What I did enjoy was the overall story, a thoroughly interesting concept that straddled just the right amount of supernatural element and action sequences. I also didn't mind the romance, bar the pet names and it's actual relevance to the story as a whole.
What I didn't like were the grammatical errors. I'm an author, and I make mistakes too, and usually I do overlook these knowing how hard an author works to produce any novel, but unfortunately there was one every couple of paragraphs - often very distracting.
Overall, S.P.I.R.I.T Firestorm was an enjoyable read with a little bit of something extra to your standard paranormal romance. With a carefully unfolding plot and an expected, yet satisfying ending, it was easy to give this book three out of five stars.

Synopsis:

When Samantha Ricketts finds herself in a town half-way across the country, her only worry is how did she get there, but when her life is saved by a handsome and mysterious man, the connection they feel is almost more than she can stand.
Zander Smith was only acting on his instincts and training when he moved the dark-haired woman to safety but what he got from his heroics wasn't the distressed woman that he thought he was helping but a fireball of fury that sparked a storm within himself.
Together they tap into the supernatural to uncover the mysteries surrounding the strange town they were slowly growing fond of before they became a part of its history.

Kristy :)

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 :)

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!

250 Follower Giveaway!

Hey everyone! I'm so close to 250 followers on the blog that I thought I'd do another giveaway! Basically I will be giving away three copies of my book The Hunted in celebration of the fact that I will be releasing the second book in the series, The Damned in the up and coming months.
I appreciate all the support you've all shown me so far, so here's hoping you like my book too if you are a winner!


To enter, just click on the READ MORE text at the bottom of this page.

Synopsis:

Elena Manory is by no means an ordinary teenage girl. Being born with the ability to heal herself from any injury, and with the knowledge that on her eighteenth birthday she will become a Vampire, Elena is aware that she is more than a little different from other girls her age.

It isn’t until she meets William Granville, an alluring and impossibly handsome vampire, that she begins to question her destiny and what secrets the Institute of Magical Intervention and her adopted family have withheld—secrets that could change the fates of not only her own life, but of the lives of all the immortals.

As events spiral out of control, William may be the only person Elena can place her trust in. He, and Elena’s magical family, must fight to save her, joining forces to defeat a common, deadly foe. For William, it is his chance to save the girl that he has searched eternity to find.