The Best Reader [Search results for kindred] 

The Mayfair Moon by J.A. Redmerski
Published: February 6th, 2012
Reading Level: Young Adult
Paperback: 352 pages
Series: The Darkwoods Trilogy, #1
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Summary:
After a nightmarish encounter with a werewolf, seventeen-year-old Adria Dawson loses her sister, but gains the love of a mysterious young man and his legendary family.

Strange and tragic things begin to happen in the small town of Hallowell, Maine: residents come down with an unexplainable ‘illness’ and some disappear. In the midst of everything, Isaac Mayfair is adamant about keeping Adria safe, even from her sister whom he has warned her to stay away from.

As unspeakable secrets unfold all around Adria, impossible choices become hers to bear. Ultimately, no matter what path she takes, her life and the lives of those she loves will be in peril. As she learns about the werewolf world she also learns why her place in it will change the destinies of many.

Review:

Adria and her sister haven't had an easy life. The end up in Maine and have a werewolf encounter but at the time they have no idea that's what it is. Some people in the town have been sick or disappeared and soon Adria's sister starts acting strange and hanging out with some odd people.

In comes Isaac and his family. Isaac is a good guy who really wants to keep Adria safe. Him and his family introduce her to a world she never imagined existed and now she finds herself in danger at ever turn.

I enjoyed Adria as a character. She had every excuse to be a complete biotch but she wasn't. She remained a good person and cared for her sister even though she refused to listen to her.

Issac wasn't the only person Adria meets in this story. He has a whole slew of"family" she is faced with; some good, some bad. These characters really help build a solid base for this story. I enjoyed getting to know them all and seeing what happened to them as the story progressed.

This story has a complex plot so there are many questions remaining after book 1. The werewolf world is something we just begin to understand through Adria's POV. I highly enjoyed this story!

Kindred by J.A. Redmerski
Published: July 20th, 2012
Reading Level: New Adult
Paperback: 348 pages
Series: The Darkwoods Trilogy, #2
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Summary:
Isaac Mayfair is hiding a dark secret. And just when Adria Dawson thinks the worst of her life among the werewolf world is over, she learns the secret that can rip her and Isaac’s love apart. Adria must come to terms with what the truth means for her. What it means for her life and how much time she has left to live it. She must choose between two different fates, neither of which can offer life as a certainty.
As if Isaac’s betrayal isn’t enough, Adria learns that there are things out there older and more powerful than werewolves could ever be. An archaic entity known only to few as the Praverian, unlike anything Adria has ever known or heard of.
As Adria struggles with her own fateful dilemmas, she must also try to find out why the Praverian is so interested in her and do everything in her power to stay out of its way.

Review:

7 months after the battle, Adria is experiencing some strange symptoms that could be linked to a Blood Bond (something we learn about during the first book). These symptoms make her feel like she is losing her mind and it really takes a toll on her.

I felt that this book explores the werewolf culture a bit more. Although much of it is focused on Adria's situation, we hear a lot about the rival packs, alpha fights, and ancient creatures more powerful than all of them.

As with The Mayfair Moon, the minor characters are just as wonderful. Their roles grow in this story and friendships build and change. Adria's sister is sort of missing from this story but I have a feeling she will return. Also, some parts were a little more difficult to follow and some places just didn't grab me as much as the first book did. Nevertheless, this continues to be a very enjoyable paranormal series and I'm looking forward to reading the final installment.

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By: Tammar Stein

The first time, the only time, I ever saw an angel I was five years old. I know that sounds amazing but it wasn’t some big, miraculous event. It was actually pretty ordinary. We were living in Israel at the time, in a tall apartment building. It had just finished storming and as the rain eased, I saw a rainbow. I had a perfect view of it from my window and I remember resting my elbows on the windowsill, watching it and the dark gray clouds.
There was a particularly odd shaped cloud drifting closer to the rainbow and I watched, curious, wondering why it seemed to be moving with purpose. So I had a perfect view of a hand emerging from that oddly shaped cloud. It reached over, touched the rainbow and just like that, the rainbow and the hand dissipated like mist and the cloud drifted off, all innocent and normal.
I jumped up and raced to my mother. I had seen an angel! It made such sense. I’d read the story of Noah’s ark. I knew the rainbow was a sign from God. It made sense angels kept track of them. Yet my mother, smiling fondly, insisted that all rainbows fade and that clouds often have shapes. Even five-year-olds know condescension when they hear it. I returned to my window, scanning the clouds, looking for proof. There was nothing to show, of course, nothing to point out. But I knew. And to this day, I can still see that hand, can still remember the unnatural way the rainbow simply vanished.
I used to feel disappointed that my one experience with the supernatural was so mundane. There were no fireworks, no goosebumps, no lasting repercussions that I know of. Just a little girl catching a glimpse of something amazing. As I grow older, though, I don’t mind the lack of fireworks, or the unexciting nature of my sighting. It’s kind of nice to think there might be wonders happening all around our oblivious selves. That miracles and marvels don’t need a drum roll to precede them, don’t need life altering meaning to follow. They’re just there, on a rainy afternoon, keeping us company.

Kindred by Tammar Stein Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (February 8th, 2011) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardcover: 272 pages The first time I meet an angel, it is Raphael and I am eighteen.

Miriam is an unassuming college freshman stuck on campus after her spring break plans fall through. She's not a religious girl--when pressed she admits reluctantly to believing in a higher power. Truth be told, she's about as comfortable speaking about her faith as she is about her love life, which is to say, not at all. And then the archangel Raphael pays Miriam a visit, and she finds herself on a desperate mission to save two of her contemporaries. To top it all off, her twin brother, Mo, has also had a visitation, but from the opposite end of the good-evil spectrum, which leaves Miriam to wonder--has she been blessed and her brother cursed or vice versa? And what is the real purpose behind her mission?

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive a signed copy of Light Years by Tammar Stein.

• You must be at least 13 to enter.
• Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US ONLY and ends October 22nd.
• Once contacted the winner will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

- Thank you so much Tammar for the story and the book donation!
Find out more about Tammar Stein Tammar Stein / Blog
Pre-Order Kindred
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Borders

* Check out Lisa's Haunted Halloween post.

*Reminder: If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address with your comment for an extra entry! Please read full entry rules here.

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive an ARC of Kindred by Tammar Stein and a copy of Future Imperfect by K. Ryer Breese.

• Swag includes a Dark Days of the Supernatural tour bookmark, a signed Soul Savers postcard, a button, a Losing Faith bookmark, and a Return the Heart bookmark.

• You must be at least 13 to enter.
• Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US Only and ends May 31st.
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

More blogoversary giveaways will be added! Sign up to receive the post via email (on the right sidebar), or check this page each day for updates. I will add each new giveaway to that list and have it on the left sidebar.

This holiday season, get Entangled Under the Mistletoe!
Entangled Publishing is hosting its very first blog hop and with over 50 authors participating, all of whom are signed with Entangled Publishing, this is your chance to win a ton of fantastic prizes from your favourite authors!
The hop runs from December 7th to 14th, and make sure to visit all these authors’ blogs during that week!
You really don’t want to miss these giveaways.
The authors participating in the hop are:
Links have now been updated. They go to the direct page where the giveaway can be located. Diane Alberts
Rachel Harris
Ophelia London
Lisa Burstein
Nicola Marsh
Jenna Bennett
Barbara DeLeo
Sarah Gilman
Chloe Jacobs
Kate Avelynn
Aleah Barley
Candace Havens-
Tiffany Allee
Natalie J. Damschroder
Robin Covington
Coleen Kwan
Karen Erickson
Crista McHugh
Patricia Eimer
Roxanne Snopek
Taryn Elliott
Michelle McLean
Melissa Bourbon Ramirez
Victoria James
Annie Seaton
Boone Brux
Robin Bielman
Lisa Kessler
Christine Warner
Jus Accardo
Rosalie Lario
Stacey Kennedy
Robyn DeHart
Laura Kaye
Cari Quinn
Stephanie Draven
Paige Cuccaro
Katee Robert
Bronwen Evans
Rita Oberlies
Nina Croft
Marisa Cleveland
Michele de Winton
Jennifer Shirk
Amy Andrews and Heidi Rice
Ros Clarke
Rachel Lyndhurst
Hope Tarr
Aimee Carson and Kate Hardy
Sara Daniel
Lea Nolan
Abby Niles
Jane Kindred

In celebration of it, there will also be a #EntangledUndertheMistletoe Twitter Party!

Yes, that means more giveaways!

If you’re a fan of the holidays, believe me, you want to be a part of this.

We have loads of fun stuff planned for the party so, join us!

Date: 7th December, 2012 (Tonight).

Time: 9pm EST.

Hash-tag: #EntangledUndertheMistletoe

What: We’ll be asking fun holiday themed questions and each question has prizes to be won!
Answer right for a chance to win some of the many fabulous prizes!

Where: Follow the instructions below!

1. Go to http://tweetgrid.com/party
2. Fill in the the hash-tag as #EntangledUndertheMistletoe
3. Fill in the hosts @entangledpub
   @thebestreader
   @babsbookbistro
   @anjanavasan
4. Enter your twitter handle, follow the tweets, answer the questions
   and you may just get lucky!