Wednesday, December 17, 2014

The Fatal Tree by Stephen Lawhead - CSFF Tour

The Fatal Tree
Bright Empires Series Book 5
Author: Stephen Lawhead
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 9781595548085
Hardcover: 368 pages
May be purchased here.

About the Book:
Kit stared at his fellow questors. “Is this it . . . the End of Everything?”

It started with small, seemingly insignificant wrinkles in time: A busy bridge suddenly disappears, spilling cars into the sea. A beast from another realm roams modern streets. Napoleon’s army appears in 1930s Damascus ready for battle. But that’s only the beginning as entire realities collide and collapse.

The questors are spread throughout the universe. Mina is stuck on a plain of solid ice, her only companion an angry cave lion. Tony and Gianni are monitoring the cataclysmic reversal of the cosmic expansion—but coming up short on answers. And Burleigh is languishing in a dreary underground dungeon—his only hope of survival the very man he tried to murder.

Kit and Cass are back in the Stone Age trying to reach the Spirit Well. But an enormous yew tree has grown over the portal, effectively cutting off any chance of return. Unless someone can find a solution—and fast—all Creation will be destroyed in the universal apocalypse known as The End of Everything.

In this final volume of the fantastic Bright Empires series, Stephen R. Lawhead brings this multi-stranded tale to a stunning and immensely satisfying conclusion.
My Thoughts:

As much as I wanted to read this book, I didn't want to start because I knew it would end a great series. I had come to know each of the characters so well. Some I absolutely adored and some I greatly disliked and I really didn't want to say goodbye to them. One I started this bittersweet read, I so wanted to find out the ending and just had to keep going, staying up past my bedtime and devoured the book.

Was I satisfied with the ending? Yes and no. Yes, it was great - no because it ended :) There were some surprises I didn't see coming and some of my favorites seemed to get themselves into some fascinating and heartpounding situations. I am thrilled that I finally got a chance to read this book, but so sad the series is over.

If you have not read any of The Bright Empires series, please, please don't start with this one. You really need to start at the beginning as these books build on each other. If you have read the series, don't miss out on this exciting conclusion - I'm sure you won't be disappointed with how everything turns out.

This whole series comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

About the Author:

Stephen R. Lawhead is a prolific and bestselling author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. He is best known for his King Raven trilogy, a re-telling of the Robin Hood legend, and Pendragon Cycle, centering on the King Arthur legend. Other notable works include the Song of Albion, Celtic Crusades and Dragon King Trilogies, Byzantium, Patrick, Avalon, and the works of science-fiction Dream Thief and Empyrion saga. Lawhead makes his home in Oxford, England, with his wife.

To learn more about the series or about the author himself, Stephen's website can be found at: http://www.stephenlawhead.com/
or on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/StephenRLawhead
and Twitter: https://twitter.com/StephenLawhead



Make sure to visit the other participating tour members listed below and see what they have to say about The Fatal Tree:

Julie Bihn
Thomas Clayton Booher
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
Karri Compton
April Erwin
Victor Gentile
Jason Joyner
Janeen Ippolito
Carol Keen
Emileigh Latham
Rebekah Loper
Shannon McDermott
Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
Jalynn Patterson
Writer Rani
Nathan Reimer
Audrey Sauble
Jojo Sutis
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Shane Werlinger
Phyllis Wheeler


In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a favorable review.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Earth & Sky by Megan Crewe - Review

Earth & Sky
The Earth & Sky Trilogy - Book 1
Author: Megan Crewe
Publisher: Skyscape (October 28, 2014)
Paperback: 306 pages
ISBN: 9781477847848

About the Book:
Seventeen-year-old Skylar has been haunted for as long as she can remember by fleeting yet powerful sensations that something is horribly wrong. But despite the visions of disaster that torment her, nothing ever happens, and Sky’s beginning to think she’s crazy. Then she meets a mysterious, otherworldly boy named Win and discovers the shocking truth her premonitions have tapped into: that our world no longer belongs to us. For thousands of years, life on Earth has been at the mercy of alien scientists who care nothing for humans and are using us as the unwitting subjects of their time-manipulating experiments. Win belongs to a rebel faction seeking to put a stop to it, and he needs Skylar’s help to save the world and keep the very fabric of reality together. Megan Crewe’s latest tale takes readers on a mind-bending journey through time with a cast of unforgettable characters.

My Thoughts:

Skylar is 17 and has always had the strange feeling around certain places or things that something is wrong. These sensations are at times so terrible that she ends up sick or really "out of it". When she meets Win, she finally finds out that these feelings aren't because she is crazy but because they are real and she finds out why and the truth behind them and what she has to do because of them.

Skylar is an interesting girl and Win... well he's just adorable on so many levels. Their partnership, although unlikely at first, ends up being one in which they both need - some for the same reason, some for different reasons.

This is a great young adult sci-fi time travel adventure/romance that will keep the reader engaged from beginning to end. It is quite fast paced with an unusual story line and a little mystery thrown in. This is a clean read with a few off-colored words and the romance is clean with some kissing.

Although marketed to young adults, Earth & Sky should appeal to anyone who enjoys time travel and a strong young female protagonist. One word of warning - this book is the first part of a trilogy, so the ending is going to leave you wanting more!

This book was supplied through the Amazon Vine Program for me to honestly review.