Bookworm News / Writing Update: January Goals / Wattpad Wednesdays: Reborn Chapter 15

BOOKS READ

The Initiate by M. Pax
Hellsbane Hereafter by Paige Cuccaro
The Trouble with Faking by Rachel Morgan
Vitamins and Death by Medeia Sharif

BOOK REVIEWS

The Initiate by M. Pax

Saving the world is more complicated than it looks for Daelin and Earl in M. Pax's The Initiate. This book picks up where The Rifters leaves off. Daelin, an Initiate in the Rifters, must learn lesson number one, if she has a hope to help her sister and their world. Daelin grows a lot in this book, and she's quickly become one of my favorite characters. Earl must atone for his past before he can focus on his future. I enjoyed learning more about Earl. A few more questions are answered and more mysteries abound in this series. Pax has created quite the adventure here, and I can't wait for the next book! For a fast-paced thrilling novel filled with strange creatures, fascinating inventions, and unique characters, look no further than The Initiate by M. Pax.

Hellsbane Hereafter by Paige Cuccaro

Emma Jane Hellsbane must choose between Heaven, Hell, or something all her making in Paige Cuccaro's Hellsbane Hereafter. I've been a big fan of Emma Jane since reading the prequel novella Commencement. It took me a little while to get into this book since it's been so long since I've read book two, but once I got into it a bit and remembered who was who and the like, I didn't want to put the book down. Emma Jane is strong and pretty badass, but Cuccaro really forces Emma Jane to grow in this last book of the series. We see new characters, old characters, and the return of characters we haven't seen since the prequel novella. My favorite thing about this series is no one seems completely good or evil. There are so many shades of gray, even among angels, the Fallen, and demons. The ending is really perfect for the series as well. I highly recommend Paige Cuccaro's Hellsbane series and Hellsbane Hereafter doesn't disappoint!

The Trouble with Faking by Rachel Morgan

Andi has longed for the boy next door for years, but can she finally make him fall for her in Rachel Morgan's The Trouble with Faking? Morgan packs some powerful twists and turns into this novel. Andi has been one of my favorite characters of the series. She's quirky and confident and bold on the outside, yet she hides who she is and what she feels from almost everyone, even herself. I wish I could be friends with Andi in real life. She's so cool with her book reviews on YouTube and the stuff she crafts on Etsy. She gets into complicated situations, which almost ruin everything. I enjoyed the sweetness of a school girl crush between her and Damien and loved the interaction between her and Damien's best friend. I love how Morgan has set this series in South Africa where she lives. It's exotic at times and so normal at others. The Trouble with Faking by Rachel Morgan is a great addition to the Trouble series. I'm looking forward to the next book!

Vitamins and Death by Medeia Sharif

Deidra's mother screwed up, yet it is Deidra who almost pays the ultimate price in Medeia Sharif's Vitamins and Death. The stigma of being the daughter of a teacher who slept with a student haunts Deidra and follows her mother and her to their new high school. This novel is emotionally hard to read. Many times I wanted to shake or slap Deidra's mom. She needed to woman-up and become an adult for her daughter. Deidra has the potential for a promising future, and I craved that for her. Her growth and how she comes out of her depression is the shining light in this story. I loved her growing relationship with Malcolm too. Children don't have to be their parents, and this book displays that so well. Medeia Sharif has written a heartbreaking, gut-punching, and edgy book. Vitamins and Death is not light, fun reading, but I recommend it.

BOOK PROMO

VITAMINS AND DEATH, Prizm Books/Torquere Press, December 10, 2014

Purchase from Prizm, Amazon – Vendor sites will be updated on the author’s site.

Deidra Battle wants nothing more than to be invisible. After her mother, a public school teacher, engages in an embarrassing teacher-student affair at Lincoln High, they relocate to a different neighborhood and school. Being her mother's briefcase, Deidra joins her mother at her new workplace, Hodge High. Since her mother has reverted to her maiden name and changed her appearance, she thinks no one will figure out they're the Battles from recent news and that they're safe. Neither of them is. Hodge brings a fresh set of bullies who discover details about the scandal that changed Deidra's life. Feeling trapped at home with an emotionally abusive, pill-addicted mother and at school with hostile classmates who attempt to assault and blackmail her, Deidra yearns for freedom, even if she has to act out of character and hurt others in the process. Freedom comes at a price.

Find Medeia – YA and MG Author

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BOOKS RELEASED IN DECEMBER

Vitamins and Death by Medeia Sharif

Sleeping Jenny by Aubrie Dionne

People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors by Cherie Reich
Marriage to Measure by Talli Roland
Fantasy Uprising by Untethered Realms authors
The Trouble with Faking by Rachel Morgan
Across the Ages by RaShelle Workman
 The Insecure Writers Support Group Guide to Publishing and Beyond by IWSG authors
Debt Collector Season Two by Susan Kaye Quinn
Hellsbane Hereafter by Paige Cuccaro

Happy Wednesday! I can't believe the year is almost over already! How did that happen?

My December goal to work on Once upon a Nightmare didn't really happen. I should've remembered that December is a very busy work month. But I do have two weeks off from work and hope to come back in January refreshed and ready to get to work on my 2015 goals.

Want to know how Foxwick came to be? I'm talking about the inspiration behind the Kingdom of Foxwick on Christine Rains' blog.

If you're in the Roanoke, VA area, Liz Long and I will be signing books at Paperback Phoenix on Saturday, December 20 from 1 PM - 3 PM, weather permitting, which at the moment doesn't look quite as promising as I'd like.

Here are my goals in January:

• Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection - I hope to publish the second edition of this collection by March. It might take me a little more time to get the money for the new cover, which is why it might take longer to publish.
• Marked - Originally titled Remarked, I hope to start back to writing this novella told from Liam's POV in January.

Are you ready for the new year? What are your January goals?

2014 Stats

45,420 Words Written

2709 Pages Edited

*Stats taken from 1/1/14 - 12/16/14

Due to the upcoming holidays, this is my last post for this year. Look for my next post on January 7, 2015.

It's time for another chapter of Reborn to go up on Wattpad. You can read from the beginning here or read Chapter Fifteen here.