Indie Author Month 2012

Dear Inklings,

I’m super excited to share news of this awesome event with you guys! Throughout the month of February, the wonderful Lovely Lit is hosting Indie Author Month. Interested in learning more? Click the super cute banner to the left and follow it to giveaways, readathons, indie awards, and more!

I would also like to make you all aware of the new Ebook of the Week feature here at Inklings Read. Though the giveaways are not specifically for Indie Author Month, the ones I have coming up just so happen to feature indie authors. It’s almost as if I planned it! So be sure to check back every Wednesday for a new giveaway and book feature.

Though I may not read indie books as often as I would like, here are a couple that I really enjoyed and can recommend to those of you who are interested:

Review | Goodreads	Review | Goodreads

I hope you all will give some indie books a try this month! I know I will. I'm planning on reading Significance by Shelly Crane! Oh, and don't forget to go and enter in the awesome Indie Author Month giveaway that Lovely Lit is hosting. There are over 20 prizes!

Review: Sue’s Fingerprint

Sue’s Fingerprint (Sue, #1) by Andrew D. Carlson
Publisher: Self-Published
Format: Ebook
Source: Received for review from author
Amazon | Goodreads
★★★☆☆

A gel-like substance is suddenly discovered across the country. Ted Stevens, a Director in the Department of Homeland Security, is assigned to investigate. He enlists the help of scientists at a government laboratory to analyze the ‘goo’. They discover the substance was sent to Earth and has unique properties; it can clone animals. Ted soon learns the substance can also clone humans.

Sue is the first of eleven new people cloned from the alien substance. She and the others arrive without prior knowledges (and without clothes!). They are discovered and recovered by Ted and contained on an abandoned military base. While there, the clones learn about themselves and the world around them. They also receive a message. Sue decides she must deliver it, and one morning they find she’s gone.

During the recovery of Sue, Ted learns of the clones’ message and begins to understand their true intentions. He needs to know more about the clones before making a life-changing decision, so he collects samples for DNA fingerprint testing. The fate of the new people will be decided by the results from Ted’s friends at the laboratory.

Sue’s Fingerprint was certainly not what I had expected it to be. I loved the fact that it was Earth-based Sci Fi – A genre we don’t see enough of! It was intelligent, thrilling, creative, and interesting all at once. These things helped the plot to move along quickly and maintain my attention throughout. I liked Carlson’s writing and found it to be clean and efficient. His use of short chapters made reading a breeze and provided plenty of good break points. If I had to pick out one problem, it would be that the writing lacked depth. When I say “depth” I don’t mean background to the story,  I mean emotional depth. While I enjoyed the writing, I wish there was more feeling to it!

I found the story to Sue’s Fingerprint  intriguing, but I did come away with a few qualms. While this is marketed toward a YA audience, there aren’t actually any young adults in it! None of the main characters are within the YA age range, something I found kind of strange. This certainly does not mean that YA readers shouldn’t read this! It’s just, personally, I would have liked to see at least one main character within the age range. I think that the audience for this book may need to be reconsidered.

I would also have liked to see the characters fleshed out a bit more! This goes along with the lack of emotional depth mentioned before. There’s a great story here, but it’s lacking that human element that makes us, as readers, care about the outcome!

Overall, I would recommend Sue’s Fingerprint to readers who are looking for an intelligent read. While it left me a bit dissatisfied with the characters, there is definitely a place in the Sci Fi genre for Sue’s Fingerprint.

I would like to give a special thanks to Andrew for allowing me the opportunity to read and review his book!

Review: Thin Air

Thin Air (Thin Air, #1) by Lynn Seresin
Publisher: Self Published 
Format: Kindle Ebook 
Pages: 452
Source: Author 
Amazon | Goodreads
★★★☆☆ (3.5 stars) 

Alice Ayre is no ordinary teenager. She took her first name from a statue in Central Park, pulled her last name out of the air (literally), and she’s actually almost a thousand years old. In fact, the only “ordinary” thing about Alice is that she’s in love.

Alice was a sylphid—a winged air spirit—when she spotted Daniel Field camping in the Adirondacks and lost her heart to the handsome NYU student. Intangible to the human senses, her only hope of winning his heart resides in becoming mortal, even though transmutation is forbidden by Paralda, ruler of the air. Risking punishment, however, seems a small price to pay for a chance at true happiness.

This is one of those indie books that makes me wonder why it hasn’t already been picked up by a publisher. I feel that with further editing and a few other changes, This Air could be a young adult hit!

The elemental world was fleshed out  so well in Thin Air! I was hooked on the beautiful descriptions from the start. Seresin has a poetic writing style that I absolutely fell in love with. This style really showed through when she was writing about emotion and love. For example, I think she did a wonderful job expressing Aeris’ desperate longing for Daniel. Seresin managed to make Aeris’ love for Daniel believable, even if initially seemed out of place.

As far as the plot goes, I found it to be quite predictable. Being predictable however, did not take away from my enjoyment of the story and of the writing. I found that the story’s strongest points were the beginning and the end. In the beginning, I just loved reading about the naiveté and innocence that Aeris possessed once she became human. Seresin did a great job making Aeris’ transformation to a human realistic.  It was reminiscent of the 1984 mermaid film, Splash, starring Tom Hanks. Unfortunately, Thin Air did hit some dry spells in the middle for me. During that time, some circumstances and events seemed forced to push the story along. Overall I found the story to be enjoyable, but predictable.

I found the romance between Alice (Aeris’ human name) and Daniel to be cute and sultry (if that makes sense). They had some great chemistry from the start. Despite my love for Daniel, I secretly hoped for a love triangle between Alice, Daniel, and Terra. I would like to see Terra make an appearance in the second book! *crosses fingers*

It’s not often that you see books about elementals. This would be my first, but I don’t think it will be my last. I’m definitely looking forward to reading the second installment in the Thin Air Saga! Thin Air had a strong ending and left me wanting to find out what happens next!

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This review is featured as part of the Thin Air Book Tour

 

Goodreads | Lulu | Barnes and Noble | Amazon | Facebook

As a grand prize, Lynn's giving away a signed paperback copy of Thin Air, and a gorgeous pair of earrings to one lucky, randomly chosen entrant! Here's how you can enter for this amazing prize: Visit the blogs listed on the main tour site and collect all of the letters. The letters are only featured on some of the blogs, not all of them. Once you have collected the letters, they should form two words that you can enter in THIS FORM to win!

Next Tour Stop (10/5): Everything To Do With Books (Giveaway)

Review: Solid

Solid (Solid, #1) by Shelley Workinger
Publisher: Self-Published
Format: Kindle eBook 
Pages: 221
Source: Author
Buy It!? Paperback | Kindle
★★★☆☆

Teens who discover they were secretly genetically altered before birth are
brought together at a classified site where they develop
"super-abilities", while at the same time forging new friendships,
finding love and unearthing a conspiracy.

 

I was so excited to finally get around to reading this. Unfortunately, Solid just didn’t live up to my expectations…  Would I recommend it to others? Yes. I think it depends on what you’re looking for. I expected this to be an epic story, not the quick, light adventure that it was. It was a super fast read for me: slow at parts, but it was definitely entertaining.

I found this to be lacking in the plot department. I liked the characters, but felt I didn’t have enough time with them. Some parts of the story were a little unrealistic. For example: Government offices were left unlocked? What happened to security? I would think it would have to be a bit more in this sort of operation.

If you are looking for a fast, solid (no pun intended!), and entertaining read, then this is for you! I enjoyed it, but I wanted more depth. Will I still be reading the next in the series? Yes, most definitely. I’m just really hoping that Settling, book 2, will give me the depth and expansion I was looking for in Solid.

Review: Eden

Eden by Keary Taylor
Publisher: Self-Published
Format: Kindle eBook
Pages: 408
Source: Author
Buy It!? Paperback | Kindle
★★★★☆

Eve knew the stories of the Fall, of a time before she wandered into the colony of Eden, unable to recall anything but her name. She's seen the aftermath of the technology that infused human DNA with cybernetic matter, able to grow new organs and limbs, how it evolved out of control. The machine took over and the soul vanished. A world quickly losing its humanity isn't just a story to her though. At eighteen, this world is Eve's reality.

In their Fallen world, love feels like a selfish luxury, but not understanding what it is makes it difficult to choose between West, who makes her feel alive but keeps too many secrets, and Avian, who has always been there for her, but is seven years her senior.

The technology wants to spread and it won't stop until there is no new flesh to assimilate. With only two percent of the human population left, mankind is on the brink of extinction. While fighting to keep Eden alive, Eve will discover that being human is about what you will do for those you love, not what your insides may be made of. And even if it gets you killed, love is always what separates them from the Fallen.

First thing’s first: Take a look at this amazing cover! I’m happy to say that Eden is one of a few books I know of with a great story and a beautiful, informative cover.Taylor created a post-apocalyptic world where people are few and far between. What was meant to help people turned into an infection: A mechanical one that spread via touch. Think: zombie/terminator combo. Eden has a great mixture of love, technology, and post-apocalyptic elements.

The storyline of Eden is extremely intriguing, making it hard to put down. It completely gripped me from the start. I loved uncovering bits and pieces of Eve’s past. The mystery of it all had me hooked the entire time. Unfortunately, I cannot go too in depth describing the storyline without giving away spoilers. If you all have followed my reviews before, then you know I am a sucker for action! There was more than enough action in Eden to keep me satisfied. I did, however, find that the action scenes became predictable and repetitive as the story progressed. That's probably me being picky though!

There is a terrible love triangle here. I say “terrible” because it really pulled me along. It was torturous. I, like Eve, was constantly swaying back and forth trying to decide which one I liked better. Taylor made this very difficult as she created two really great male leads. While both relationships were real and developed (no “insta-love” here), I didn’t like the never-ending debate in her head. When I say "never-ending" I mean it; She must have had a debate with herself on every other page. To be honest, it took away from the story at parts. But, I can say that at the conclusion I was satisfied with her choice.

The ending was great: a real nail-biter. Taylor concluded things very well. I do think that it was left open for a possible sequel! Read Eden. Especially if you have a Kindle! It’s only 99 cents.

Review: Starcrossed: Perigee

Title: Starcrossed: Perigee (Starcrossed, #1)
Author: Tracey Lee Campbell
Source: Author provided, Kindle edition
Release Date: May 3rd, 2011
★★★★☆

Summary
After surviving a peculiar and unsettled childhood, Lucy Doyle's relatively normal teenage existence is turned upside down with the arrival of the enigmatic, impossibly good looking Aric Brennan - her uncle's new ranch hand. Lucy's suspicion that there's something 'different' about Aric is confirmed when she learns that his uncanny ability to mind read and charm the socks off of any female isn't just an accident - he was bred for this purpose. Aric is a 'whisperer' - a genetically manipulated human hybrid created by the Innaki - an alien race involved in a sinister abduction program.

When Lucy is stalked by Aric's unearthly creators, she must put her trust in the charismatic, 'perfect' stranger, unaware he holds a chilling secret which could destroy her world forever.

Review
I am SO happy that Tracey sent me her debut novel, Starcrossed: Perigee to review. It is a really, REALLY awesome book! It has a completely original concept that made it hard to put down. I must say that this is not my typical read… but I am very happy I gave it a shot.

The book started off a bit slow for me, but that quickly changed when Lucy met Aric! He was such a captivating character on the page, I can’t imagine what he’d be like in person! I definitely give Tracey two-thumbs up for writing such a kick-ass male lead. Lucy and Aric’s relationship progresses naturally. It was borderline twilight-y at some points, but only because Lucy had not known him that long and he has the ability to charm people. Other than that, it was a great relationship to observe.

You’ll quickly realize when reading Starcrossed: Perigee that there is a whole lot more going on in the world than everyone is aware of. Aliens and vampire-type creatures? Somehow she made it all work flawlessly! She creates a chilling world where you cannot be sure of anything. And not-to-mention she was great at keeping me on my toes! This book is filled with twists and turns that I wouldn’t have seen coming in a million years. I can’t wait to see where Tracey takes this series next! I imagine the next book will be quite epic judging from where this one left off. Thanks again Tracey and I’ll be looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy!

Oh, and if you buy the Kindle Edition on Amazon, it is only $0.99!! Can’t beat it. Trust me, it’s worth the dollar!

Review: The Advice Girl

The Advice Girl (The Dalara Series, #1) by L.A. Shaw 
Publisher: Self Published
Format: Ebook
Source: Author  Amazon | Goodreads
★★★★☆

Kira and Sophia have been best friends since they were five years old. They share an apartment together, and tell each other everything.
Everyone loves Sophia, and she is often called the advice girl by people who know her. Kira believes she knows her friend better than anyone. But in a mysterious accident, Sophia loses her life.

Kira is mourning the devastating loss when she finds a note addressed to her from beyond the grave. Kira realizes she doesn't know her friend as well as she thought, as she starts to uncover the truth. She falls into a deep depression, confused and lost, until a visit from a strange man puts her in the middle of a war between two secret societies.
Kira soon understands that she is in danger, and doesn't know who to trust. She has to fight for her own life now

Don’t judge this book by it’s summary! There is a lot more going on in this quick read than you might think: Assassins, secret societies, romance, suspense, mystery. There is quite a bit of story packed into this less than 200 page book.

To begin: This is Shaw’s debut book! How exciting right? I’ll be totally honest that I was a bit skeptical after reading the blurb on goodreads. I was given an opportunity to read the prologue and first two chapters and I was hooked. I needed to find out what was going on! Please note that I will not be able to reveal much of the story for fear I may spoil something… I definitely don’t want to do that!

This story centers around the friendship between Kira and Sophie. I found their relationship to be quite realistic and believable. We learn that Sophie has always been extremely intuitive and that she tends to see the best in everyone. After what appears to be Sophie’s violent death, Kira is lost. Upon finding a note left behind from Sophie, everything changes. This is where the story really begins…

I enjoyed this book very much! Shaw had more than enough suspense to keep me hooked and make The Advice Girl hard to put down. I loved that there was a lot of action in this book as well. I actually tensed up a few times while reading it, thinking that something might pop from around the corner. Kira, our main character, was portrayed very realistically. We see a lot of emotions from her and not once did they seem forced. Shaw certainly has a knack for writing emotion.. I also enjoyed the underlying love story as well, though it did develop quite fast.

As much as I liked this book, there were still a few things I would have preferred to be done differently. I really wanted the entire story fleshed out more… I feel as though only 1/2 of this story’s potential was tapped into. I mean, there is a really amazing base story here that could be SO epic, but something was missing! The ending, which was a cliffhanger, seemed more like the end of the chapter not the book. I could think of much better points in the story for Shaw to have concluded this book. Like Sophie, who always sees the good, this means two awesome things: There will be a sequel and there is an an opportunity to tap into that unused potential in the next book!

I’m most definitely looking forward to reading the sequel to The Advice Girl and I recommend any lover of YA or paranormal books give this a shot!