What the heck is a hermetica?

Available Dec 8th, 2011 - Hardcover  

Don't let the title of the book confuse or scare you off. `The Hermetica of Elysium' is the first book in the Elysium Texts Series, written by new author Annemarie Banks. For those who aren't familiar with the term `hermetica', it is a series of secret texts from various authors or teachers that contain and discuss ideas regarding philosophy, nature, and the divine, meant to enlighten those who read it.

As the daughter of a fallen princess who was sold into slavery to a wealthy merchant, Nadira has learned many things. Chief among them is the ability to read, which is uncommon for most men in late 15th century Barcelona, even those who are born to a higher station. Taken against her will from the only home she has ever known in order to decipher a dangerous text, Nadira must accept her fate and trust that the men who have taken her will do her no harm.

In the journey to avenge his brother's death, Lord Montrose has sworn to protect Nadira if she helps him translate the hermetica and stop it from falling into the wrong hands. What he didn't count on was falling in love with her. Together, Nadira and Lord Montrose must make the best of a number of bad situations in order to survive and fulfill their quest.

Annemarie Banks has delivered a book rich in detail and history. The supernatural plot is enhanced by the historical details, but only if you like books that have a base in historical facts. I enjoyed the interwoven mystery and romance of the main characters, but really enjoyed all the other players as well. Nadira begins as a servant and blossoms into a powerful woman with exposure not only to her protector, but to those who can appreciate her unique gifts and help her world-view expand - her character is the most transformed throughout the book. I can't wait to see what new dangers the sequel will bring, and how they will affect Nadira's relationship with Lord Montrose.

`The Hermetica of Elysium' is available for purchase December 8th, 2011 from Knox Robinson Publishing.

Book Reviews, Wherefore Art Thou?

There aren't enough hours in my day at the moment to be able to answer that question with any amount of satisfaction.  The shameful answer is that every book I plan on reviewing is currently in a stack on my dresser.  Or on my nightstand.  Or in the bag from the store from which the book was purchased. 

This is what happens when my eyes are bigger than the ticking clock.

Eventually....they will get done.

New vs. Old Books - To Review or Not To Review

It seems like most book review sites tend to review new books, and being a new reviewer, I followed the trend.  However, this weekend I spent a few hours at a friend's house helping clean out their garage only to find myself shopping the pre-sale pile of books.  I walked away with a whole box.  A WHOLE BOX.  As if I didn't have enough to read and no time to do it, now I have another box full of books to read. 

What I'm contemplating is if I should review the books I picked up even though they aren't new.  If you were looking for a good read and paid attention to a book blogger, would you follow a recommendation even if the book was over a year or two years old?

Let me know what you think by commenting below!

One Little Book Blog Inspires Conversation!

Awesome! Author Emma Campion uses my review to further discuss her book, 'The King's Mistress', and her style of writing. What an honor to have inspired the topic of her blog!

 Check out her newest post here: http://ecampion.wordpress.com/

'Fallen' by Lauren Kate

 Now available on Kindle and in Paperback.

I'm sure you've heard the old saying, "Don't judge a book by it's cover."  This is a pure crap, if you ask me.  If you're looking for a book in the middle of your shopping trip, your visit to the local gas station, or perhaps the gift shop whilst on vacation, the cover of a book is what will draw you in.  Sure, the obvious choice is to select a book by an author which you are familiar with - but what to do when your favorite author isn't up on those shelves? 

This was the case for me during my quick trip to Walmart, where I was frantically searching for just the right pens to purchase for use on my sister's baby shower invitations.  One and done, I was headed out, when something caught my eye.  A dark beauty, her face in her hands, surrounded by darkness.  The cover called to me.  Seeing two more books with similar artwork standing next to her, I eagerly grabbed for it.  My weakness has always been a book series.

'Fallen' has a great cover - smooth but with a matte finish, with just enough mysterious cover art to force a glance at the back page to see what it's all about.  The brief (VERY BRIEF) blurb on the back only drew me further in and before I knew it, I was standing at the counter, paying for God only knew what.

These days, it's all about the paranormal romance.  Don't misunderstand me, I love a good paranormal romance - my shelves are covered in them.  However, sometimes too much of a good thing can start to look like the same old thing, just on a different day.

Lauren Kate's 'Fallen' is anything but the same old story.  The plot screams for a young adult audience a la 'Twilight', but I was sucked in as well, my age mattering very little.  Our young heroine Luce, short for Lucinda, lands herself in a reform school under mysterious circumstances.  Her classmates seem to be the general reform school types: thieves, psychos, and various ankle-bracelet outlaws.  With no contact to the outside world as part of the school's rules, Luce has to make the best of her situation and gain friends where she can.  The only problem is, she can't tell who her real friends are and who is out to hurt her.  As the shadows only she can see chase her and threaten her very sanity, Luce is forced to deal with the past that brought her to Sword & Cross boarding school, and feelings she doesn't understand for a boy who keeps her at arms length. You won't see the plot twist coming in this book, unless you cheat and go look at a review of the book online.  I won't ruin the surprise for you, reader.  It's not my style.  What I will say is that this is a well thought-out plot, with characters who feel real, at least until you figure out the twist in the story.  

The trick to any successful book series is to leave the reader wanting more, questioning the plot and what could possibly come next.  Lauren Kate answers one question with the end of 'Fallen' and hands you a handful more to mull over in order to read the next installment of the series, 'Torment'.  Once the first of what I believe will be many twists is revealed, there is a sense of urgency to figure out what comes next for Luce and those she has come to care for.  Will we discover why Luce is haunted by black shadows? How much danger is she really in? Who is friend and who is foe? The carrot has been dangled - but you can only reach it by picking up the next book.

While I enjoy the premise, one that is not that familiar to me, the way the book is written seems to be very slow-going.  The opening scene is confusing, and only understood once you get to the end, when the big reveal takes place, which wasn't really that big of a reveal, considering the reader is left with more questions than answers.  There were many different characters, some who seemed to be friendly, others who weren't, but none of them were exactly predictable in regards to whether or not they had Luce's best interests at heart.   

The style would definitely keep the attention of the intended audience, but basically failed to keep mine. When it comes to complicated back story, sometimes the moments leading up to a character realizing what the truth is can be too heavy in the first book.  I would have liked to see better pacing, if not for story, then at least to keep the reader interested.  I found myself almost skimming pages to get to the point, which I hate doing.  

I'm intrigued by the premise, which I won't reveal here because it would give the entire plot away, so I will probably pick up the second in the series in the hopes that it will get to the meat of the story and explain some of the secrets surrounding Luce and who she really is.

Reviews in process!

Halfway through 'Fallen' for my book review blog - Definitely aimed at the teen set, but still an interesting mystery... Looking forward to finding out the big secret plot twist!

I really must re-read 'The Tudor Secret' - I devoured it the first time and hadn't yet started the blog so didn't get a review done.  I stopped writing for myself when I began my Associates degree, so it's been a lovely experience to write something for my own joy instead of a grade.  

So many books, so little time.  

'The King's Mistress' by Emma Campion

Now available on Kindle and Paperback.

Before picking up this book, I'd never heard of Alice Perrers.  For those who are fans of historical fiction, this novel follows much the same plot as others within the genre.  A woman of modest birth is bound by an arranged marriage to a wealthier family, and then through twists and turns, finds herself as lady in waiting to the queen of England.  We all know how those arrangements turn out.

A merchant's daughter raised with an eye for business is wed to a wealthy widower twenty years her senior.  While Alice Salisbury and Janyn Perrers take to one another immediately, a family secret threatens to eclipse their happiness.  Dangerous connections to the royal family of King Edward III separate Alice from her husband, child, and home, thrusting her into a life she is not prepared for.  Her knowledge of trading and business brings her ever closer to King Edward and his wife, as Alice becomes a lady in waiting to Queen Philippa.  While the royal family vows to keep Alice safe from those who would harm her over the Perrers family secret, her husband goes missing and she is forced to pay the price for her safety.  The King's affections add to the danger at court, even as her obedience to her King turns to love.  Her new position as his mistress ruins her reputation and sets her in the middle of a political power struggle, where she cannot hope to survive without sacrificing her heart and her ideals.

However common the premise, this novel is different from the normal historical fiction titles I've read of late.  Alice is not bound to a loveless marriage, though she experiences the same suffering as other protagonists of this time period wherein obedience is expected above all else.  Emma Campion does not favor purple prose as many historical novels so often do, and instead allows just enough description to draw the reader into fourteenth century England and the life she has given to the title character.  One of the things I love most about this author is that she lets the country serve as a background for her tale without allowing it to overpower the story. The relationships created in 'The King's Mistress' had purpose, which I also enjoyed.  I pride myself on being able to see a storyline coming before it actually appears, and I was pleasantly surprised that the intrigue of the connections with each new character were not immediately apparent. 

In truth, I will likely have to re-read the book, mostly because I enjoyed the depth of the characters, the mystery that surrounded them, and the author's style of writing.  Many historical novelists tend to lose their readers because they try too hard to write as if they were from that time period, which leaves the reader checking dictionaries or Wikipedia to figure out what it is they've just read.  This is not the case with Emma Campion's style, which reads like the time period without making me scratch my head. 

'The King's Mistress' gives a voice to a woman whose life was fraught with danger, scandal, and heartbreak.  While she may have been the notorious mistress of King Edward III and the scapegoat for his heirs, there was more to Alice Perrers than what history tells us.  Emma Campion brings to life a beautiful, heartrending tale of love, loss, and the inextinguishable spirit of a woman destined to be misunderstood by those who condemned her relationship to the King of England.