Review: Voices of Angels & Author Interview

Title: Voices of Angels
Author: Hannah M. Davis
Age Rating: M
Publisher: O- Books

Book Synopsis:
When Lizzie Fisher sees a black mark above her teachers head, she has no idea how much it will change her life. Seven days later the teacher is dead and Lizzie must come to terms with a frightening new ability: she sees when people are about to die. Sent to Andalucia to live with a grandmother she has never met, Lizzie falls in love with gifted musician, Rafa. All seems well until one day the black mark appears above her grandmother’s head. Horrified, Lizzie finds herself in a race against time to find out what the gift really means. Will Rafa help her? And can she save her grandmother’s life before it’s too late?


Review:
This has quickly become one of my favorite books! It's a great coming of age story about a 15 year old girl who doesn't quite fit with the world she's living in. That is, until she gets a change of scenery. The main portion of this book takes place in a beautiful location called Andalucia. The main character of this story, Lizzie, is a very interesting person. She is your average teenage girl who wants nothing more than to get along with her peers instead of being teased by them. Things seem to get even worse for her once she discovers that she has a special gift. Although that's not exactly what she would call it. When she gets to Andalucia she begins to embrace who she is & love herself for being different, until a piece of her past shows & threatens to upstage her. That piece is her ex-best friend turned enemy Bee. Bee is that girl in school that has everything. The girl all the guys want to be with and all the girls want to be, but she isn't the nicest person. In fact, she's usually pretty mean to Lizzie. Constantly teasing her for being different.
This is a great coming of age story because we can see Lizzie's journey of finding who she is, learning to love herself and even finding love. Speaking of that, the guy Rafa is one interesting dude. He and Lizzie don't always see eye to eye but he begins to teach Lizzie to live with passion and follow her emotions on things, to truly feel things with her heart. To always do what feels right in the moment. I think every girl needs a Rafa in their life! 
Overall, I loved this book! It's a great inspirational book and I'm sure everyone would enjoy it. 


3 Bookmarks= Finished & in Novel Utopia!




Check Out this fabulous interview with the author herself!

• Where did the idea for Voices of Angels come from?

Strangely, it came from a dream I had - about a boy who could speak to angels. I think it was my own little bit of psychic awareness going on! Actually in the very first draft of the book, Lizzie was a 12 year old boy called Jake. Then I decided to rewrite it from a 15 year girl point of view just because it was easier for me to get under her skin a lot more. I always knew I wanted to write a book about all the unseen things in life - like what happens when you die, are there angels and ghosts etc? That part of life which is hidden fascinates me.

• What or who were the inspirations for the main characters?

I think Lizzie represents a lot of teen girls (and adult women!) who lack a little bit of self esteem. This really bugs me because Western Society has such enormous expectations of what girls should look like and how they should be. I just wanted to capture someone who was more real. So Lizzie is probably a younger, more insecure version of me and Ariadne is the me I want to be when I am older - well traveled, wise and loved for eternity.  I don't really know where Rafa came from  . . .he kind of wrote himself! But I do like a real man who is in touch with his soul. 

• Did anything in the book come from your real life experiences?

I've lived in Spain for about 10 years so the parts in Spain came from my direct experience of living here. I love this country because of its passion and intensity.  I am a little bit psychic but I don't have the ability to foresee death. Thank goodness! Not sure I could handle her gift. 

• The passion between Lizzie & Rafa came across very real & intense. How were you able to convey that so well?

This question made me smile. Not really sure how to answer that! I guess for me living and loving are intense experiences. When I do something I do it body, heart and soul and that includes love.  I love writing about emotions and passion because it 's so alive. They can be overwhelming sometimes - especially when we fall in love - and it's amazing to try and capture them in words. Although I'm not sure words can ever truly capture what we feel - but I can try my hardest! 

• Can you give us a tiny bit about Lizzie's journey over the next two book?

Well, there is a shock death at the start of book 2! But the main thing that is going to happen is that Lizzie's psychic ability is going to awaken big time. She's going to meet up with some other psychics and go on a journey - both emotional and physical. Book 2 is going to be a lot darker - I want to explore the dark side of the soul and then book 3 she's awakens to who she truly is. Oh and there's going to be a rival love interest too - more of a spiritual union than a physical union so it's going to be really really tough to decide who she is going to end up with. I don't even know yet!

• What is the main message you want readers to take from this book?

Believe in yourself.  Always always believe in yourself and know you are infinitely special.

• I can see this book being made into a movie, what are your thoughts on that?

Oh yes, I love that you asked that! My boyfriend is psychic and has already predicted it. It's my next big intention - to land a megabucks Hollywood film deal.

Plus I used to work in the London film industry reading film scripts for a living. So I have this innate ability to write visually and think filmically. But yes, I love that you said that because that's what I'd love to happen to this trilogy.

• Why is your favorite word infinity?

Because it means forever. Even when our physical bodies go - we're still around floating around in time and space. In fact, the trilogy is called The Infinity Trilogy. Nothing ever really dies. 

A quick game of this or that!

• Spain or America

Spain but only because I've lived here so long. I love America too and I can see myself spending time out there soon. . .  when the film deal comes in!

• Curly or straight hair

Wavy. ;)

• Spending or saving

I have to confess as much as I'd love to be a saver, I do tend to be a spender but I am trying to save. 

• Indoors or outdoors

Outdoors living all the way.

• Messy or tidy

Tidy -except my tables. They always tend to be cluttered.

If you haven't already done so, go ahead and get yourself a copy of Voices of Angels. You won't regret it!

FREe-Book Friday #3

Welcome to FREe-Book Friday!! It's a new weekly meme hosted here by me. It's a great way to show off the new e-books we've gotten over the week.

Here's my top 3 of the week!

Here By Ella James

Milo Mitchell's life used to be charmed, but that was before her family dissolved, she went a little crazy, and her best friends started acting more like strangers. Spending Saturday morning in a treehouse with a stun gun for company and a herd of deer for friends is the only exciting thing in her life...until she shoots a fawn and finds her dart stuck in a guy.

Her gorgeous victim is dressed in a Brioni tux and armed with a hanky. He has no idea who or where he is. Afraid her dart caused his amnesia, Milo takes him in, names him Nick, and vows to help him solve his mystery. Soon the pair find Nick's face in a newspaper obituary, and Nick begins to have strange, ethereal memories of Milo--who is sure she's never met him. Suddenly Nick knows things he shouldn't know and is doing things he shouldn't do. When the Department of Defense shows up, Nick and Milo run--toward a shocking conclusion that could destroy both their worlds. 





Son of Eden By Brianna Merrill
Imagine a moment of unseen intervention on your behalf. What would you do if you discovered invisible beings surrounding you? What if you were the key to their survival? SON OF EDEN introduces a world where unseen beings really do exist, love has no limits, and the realization of one’s self worth is pivotal. Tormented by sadness over her mother’s death, Emily Wallace wonders if life really has any purpose. Her question is answered when she meets Alexander. After transgressing the laws of his kind, Alexander reveals his true nature to Emily and the two find life without one another is not an option. But, forming such a cosmically unique relationship comes with a price. It becomes apparent that some will stop at nothing to ensure an ancient prophecy surrounding these two is never fulfilled. Is the Opposition motivated by knowledge of Alexander’s true identity? Or, are they more concerned with who Emily is destined to become. 





Revenge By Mark Young

When a trained killer threatens ex-cop Travis Mays—and those Travis loves—he finds a skilled adversary and an unexpected fight. 

After a high stakes gamble ends in personal tragedy, Travis walks away from years of training and a highly successful law enforcement career. Determined never to look back, he starts a new life and a new career, teaching criminology at the university and building a cabin in the idyllic Idaho Mountains. He hires a beautiful river guide, Jessie White Eagle from the Nez Perce tribe, to guide him safely down the Lochsa. The turbulence of the whitewater, however, is just the beginning of his troubles. Travis finds himself in the crosshairs of a killer—calling himself Creasy—bent on revenge.

This fast-paced thriller takes readers on a wild ride down Idaho’s whitewater rivers, along the historic Lolo Trails once tread by the Nez Perce nation, and onto the city streets of California. Tighten your helmet. This ride never stops until the last shot is fired and the final body falls. 





Want to participate? It's simple, take the logo, post your entry with your top 3 or 4 free ebooks of the week and then leave your link in the comment section below!!  

Fresh Writes Spotlight: Jennifer Comeaux

Jennifer Comeaux earned a Master of Accounting from Tulane University and is a Certified Public Accountant in south Louisiana. While working in the corporate world, she sought a creative outlet and decided to put on paper a story that had played in her head for years. That story became Life on the Edge, her first published novel.

When not working or writing, she is an avid follower of the sport of figure skating, travelling to competitions around the country. Those experiences allow her to see a different side of the sport and serve as an inspiration for her writing. Jennifer is blessed with a wonderful family and many friends who have encouraged her to pursue her dream of being a published author.

Visit Jennifer at her blog: http://jennifercomeaux.blogspot.com and on Facebook at Jennifer Comeaux Author. She loves chatting with readers! 

Life On The Edge Synopsis:

Nineteen-year-old Emily is new to pairs skating, but she and her partner Chris have a big dream–to be the first American team to win Olympic gold. Their young coach Sergei, who left Russia after a mysterious end to his skating career, believes they can break through and make history.

Emily and Chris are on track to be top contenders at the 2002 Winter Games. But when forbidden feelings spark between Emily and Sergei, broken trust and an unexpected enemy threaten to derail Emily’s dreams of gold.

The book was released January 3, 2012 and can be purchased on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and AstraeaPress.com, and the paperback can be purchased on Amazon and Createspace.

Get your copy today!!!

Coming up!

Hey guys! Things have been really crazy for me this past week so I'm trying to catch up on a lot. I have some great reviews coming for you very soon so check back daily to see if they're up yet. I have an amazing author interview that you won't want to miss also.

FREe-Book Friday #2

Welcome to the 2nd FREe-Book Friday!!! It's a new weekly meme hosted here by me. It's a great way to show off the new e-books we've gotten over the week.

Here's my top 3 of the this week!

Swag: The Floss Series
Noelle Dresden stepped out on faith and left her full-time job to pursue her passion: singing. Six months later, her singing career hasn't gone much of anywhere and neither has her relationship with her charismatic, yet sneaky boyfriend, Jonah. Although Jonah loves Noelle, he’s not willing to give her the commitment and ring she so desperately wants. After Jonah uses Noelle’s hopes of an engagement for his benefit, Noelle gets fed up and decides to move forward with her career…with or without Jonah.
Her pursuit leads her to accept an invitation to be a house guest on the popular, hit reality show, House of Swag. On the show, aspiring entertainers with the potential to take it to the next level are trained to become multifaceted mega stars. While in the house, Noelle catches the eye of the show’s creator, Monroe "Paper" Chase. He uses his good looks and smooth talk to charm her, then he uses his money and power to attempt to subtract Jonah from the equation. Drama only escalates when Noelle has to deal with an envious, hating house guest who is not beyond trying to bring Noelle down to get ahead.
As Noelle rises toward super stardom, she has some difficult choices to make. What lies ahead of her looks so much better than what she has left behind. Will she work to keep the love that she and Jonah shares alive, or will she choose fame, fortune and a man who can make all of her dreams come true? 


All For One

Mary Austin is the kind of teacher that parents adore and children wish for. Firm and compassionate, a guiding light in their lives, she would do anything to protect her students.

But that loyalty is tested when the school's sadistic bully is found dead on campus, and suspicion falls on six children in her class. None willing to talk. To point the finger.
To reveal the killer.
Faced with this, Mary finds herself confronted with dark memories from her own childhood. Fragmentary flashes from the past that test the bounds of her reality, the onslaught worsening when a tenacious detective is brought in to close the case.
On loan from the Seattle Police Department, Detective Dooley Ashe is plagued by his own demons, but focuses on breaking through the wall of silence the children have erected. Up against a town indifferent toward the crime and suspects virtually untouchable by the law, Dooley turns to Mary as an avenue to the truth.
As an unlikely closeness develops between Dooley and Mary, the suspected children close ranks, worried that one of their own is ready to break and give the detective what he wants.
But when unseen adversaries push back, with both damaging and deadly results, Dooley and Mary are forced to face their personal limits as they each discover the unthinkable identity of the real killer. 


ForNevermore: Episode 2
THE PARANORMAL SERIAL THRILLER CONTINUES WITH EPISODE 2

All 17 year old Noella Snow ever wanted was a normal life.
But normal died with her mother, minutes after she was born. And again when her father was murdered before her eyes on her seventh birthday. It was as though true love could never touch her.
Now Noella lives with her aunt in Aurora Falls, a sleepy town in upstate New York where she spends school days hiding from the people who torment her, and weekends working at a coffee shop in quiet misery, harboring a secret crush on her best friend, Sam.
Noella’s only happiness comes when she closes her eyes and visits her dream world, a place where her father still lives, and she’s in love with a mysterious man named Dante, a stranger with a pure heart and death in his fingers.
Noella never imagined the dream world was real, buried within our own. Until her dreams, and nightmares, started spilling into her waking life, alongside a series of grisly murders.
Just when she thinks she’s losing her mind, Dante appears with a dire warning: Noella is not who, or what, she believes. Nothing is what it seems, and she is in mortal danger.
Dante has been searching for Noella for all his lives.
He has loved her nearly as long.
But if he touches her, she will die.
Death isn’t done with Noella. Dreams crash into reality in a paranormal dark fantasy of love, fate, horror, and secrets which threaten to unravel Noella, and everything around her.
Can they survive the evil that haunts them or are they doomed to be ForNevermore?


Want to participate? It's simple, take the logo, post your entry with your top 3 or 4 free ebooks of the week and then leave your link below!! 

FREe-Book Friday #1

Welcome to the first ever FREe-Book Friday! It's a new meme I'm hosting every week to spotlight the great free e-books that are out there. This week I got some fantastic books that I wanted to share with you all. Take a look!


Pyxis by K.C. Neal
Corinne lives an average teenage life working at her dad’s cafe, hanging out with her best friend, and trying to forget a falling-out with her almost-boyfriend Mason. Things take a strange turn when she uses her late grandmother’s food dyes for a bake sale, and her customers suddenly find her irresistibly alluring. Then she discovers she and Mason are haunted by the same dreams of a dark force that consumes everything in its path. Pursued by shadowy figures and a crazy woman with secrets from the past, Corinne must find out who her grandmother really was. In her quest to unravel her family’s history, she learns she is destined to protect this world--and the dark world of her dreams. She races to find the answers she seeks before her nightmares break free.






Cheyenne By Lisa L. Wiedmeier
Murder, romance, secrets and hidden pasts. Deception from every angle—who's telling the truth?

Cheyenne Wilson's life is thrown into turmoil after her adoptive parents are killed in an accident. With only her best friend Colt to comfort her, she scours through the family archives, hoping to quell her grief. Instead she begins to unravel the mystery behind her birth parents, and her secret heritage. She is a Timeless- a being that ages one year for every hundred human years when they reach their twenties- and of the royal line, destined to gain great power.

But Cheyenne has other problems. The ones who killed her parents want her too, and Colt is hiding something of his own. Surrounded by danger and with few she can trust, Cheyenne must face the dark truth of her past, and choose between a forbidden love that will forever hold her heart, or her destiny...




Darwin's Children by Natasha Larry
Life can get pretty complicated for any seventeen-year-old girl, but for a home-schooled telepathic black girl trying to survive in a prestigious private school in small-town Jonesborough, Tennessee, it can be maddening - especially when her telepathic father keeps eavesdropping on her thoughts!

Jaycie Lerner's family isn't the usual mom-dad-kid setup. Jaycie's mom's MIA, but Allison, her personal live-in 'trainer,' is more than a mom, with her own special abilities, like being able to lift cars and run incredibly fast. And Jaycie's godfather John is more than persuasive - he can literally convince anyone to do anything.

As far as the rest of the world's concerned, Jaycie's on the outside looking in. The townsfolk love Jaycie's pediatrician father, but she doesn't fit in with 'normal' kids, and she doesn't really want to. Most of her free time is spent training to keep her telekinetic and telepathic powers under control. But there's one thing she can't control - and that's her feelings, especially when her best friend Matt is nearby. If only he knew what she was truly capable of...

Everything seems to be status quo for Jaycie until she receives a cryptic message from a stranger and meets a very unusual girl new to Jonesborough. Then all hell breaks loose!






Want to participate? It's simple, take the logo, post your entry with your top 3 or 4 free ebooks of the week and then leave your link below!!

Fresh Writes Spotlight: Emmalee Aple

Emmalee Aple was born and raised in Wisconsin, but always dreamed of life on the coast. Now, grown with a handsome computer geeky husband and two beautiful blonde monsters of her own, she uses what spare time she can manage to squeeze out of her day, writing, sewing and crafting. Emmalee’s debut novel, Neophyte, was released in February 2012. She is excited to share the beginning of this story with you, and is currently busy working on Rogue, the second book in this series.




Synopsis:
Addisyn White thought she had her new life, her after life, all figured out. Granted death had not brought her to the pearly white gates, she hadn’t even left Earth. But death had its perks; she got to live forever with her best friend and her assigned Link of Angels, in a beautiful beach house. Even with the changes she was going through to turn her human body into an angelic one, everything seemed pretty easy. Until a gray winged angel comes into her life, then all the secrets and lies her Link had been keeping start crumbling away, exposing a whole new world of dangers she didn’t even know about.
Now Addisyn must fill in the blanks before things escalate too far. Will she save her Link? Or will she be buried in their secrets forever?


This book was released Feb 22, 2012 and is available in e-book format from many online retailers for $2.99

New Meme: FreE-Book Fridays

Who doesn't love free e-books to add to their already insane TBR list? I know I sure do! So I came up with this easy to do meme for us bloggers to share the great books we have found over the week.

All you have to do is write a post of the top 3 or 4 free e-books you have legally downloaded over the week.
Make sure you link back to my page so people know where to get the information and then come back to Novel Utopia and add your name to the list.
Try to post a few comments on some of the blogs; it's not a requirement but it's nice to do :-)
You can write about any genre you want to, it doesn't have to be YA
You can do any kind of post you want to, regular post, audio post & even vlogs. It's all up to you!
I'll be posting every week but you can do it as often as you like!

See you on Friday!
Have fun sharing & happy reading!

2012 Challenge: E-Book Challenge

Here's another challenge I decided to do this year. The e-book challenge hosted by: Workday Reads. 

I've chosen to start on Level 2:CD which is 10 e-books this year. I may end up moving to level 3 at some point though.

Can't wait to see how this turns out!

2012 Challenge: Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge

So I've decided to join a few challenges this year. It's March so I've got plenty of time. One that caught my eye was the Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge hosted by: Reading With Tequila.

I've chosen to do level 1: read 5 books from the list

Here are the 5 I chose:

• Jane Eyre By Charlotte Bronte
• Delirium By Lauren Oliver
• Tiger's Curse By Colleen Houck
• Divergent By Veronica Roth 
• Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Review: Rot & Ruin by Jonathon Maberry

Title: Rot & Ruin
Author: Jonathan Maberry
Pages: 464
Age Rating: M
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers




Synopsis from Amazon:
It’s been 14 years since First Night, when the dead came back to life. Six billion people have died (and reanimated) since then, and America has collapsed into isolated communities living within the great “Rot and Ruin.” Benny is 15, which means it’s time to get a job or face cut rations, but his general laziness leaves him with only one employment option: join his stuffy, sword-swinging, Japanese half-brother, Tom, as an apprentice bounty hunter. This means heading beyond the gates to slice and dice “zoms,” but Benny quickly begins to see the undead in a new light—as well as realizing that Tom is much more than he ever let on.

Rot & Ruin is a book I had been looking forward to reading for a while. It was sitting on my shelf begging to be read and finally I obliged. I am sooo glad I did. This book is amazing! It captivated me from the very beginning, it's a true page turner. You are easily able to connect with the characters and their emotional journey, all of us have had secret crushes and fights with our siblings.

One thing I loved about this book was that even though some characters were only 15, they had real raw & deep emotions. There world is not & possibly will never be like the world we know today and they know it. You get to see them battle feelings of staying in their comfort zone & wanting more from their life & world. You also get to see them grow in maturity over the course of the book. It's an amazing journey considering the time frame of the book is only about a month or so. You see them evolve from having a teenagers maturity to that of an adult.

Another thing about this book is that it's focused around the subject of the living dead, only this isn't your typical zombie book. This looks at zombies from another angle. One of "humaness" (yes I do believe I have created a word). This book shows that zombies are people too, or that they used to be. They have families who love them and grieve for them. It's not their fault that they are the way they are. In most movies you see zombies being killed left & right in all kinds of ways, but this book looks into another way to do it. One very hard, emotional way to do it. I must say I am a bit of a sap & I have teared up once or twice reading this book. One of those times being at the end.

Rating: 3 Bookmarks - Finished & in Novel Utopia!

I gave this book an age rating of a M just for the fact that the book did have a few curse words here & there and there were 15 year old boys with raging hormones :-). If you're looking for a great book to curl up with & read over a weekend then I highly suggest this one.

Fresh Writes Spotlight: Heather Anastasiu

 *Bio taken from Goodreads.
Heather lives just south of Austin, Texas and is currently finishing up her Master's in Literature with an emphasis in Children’s Literature at Texas State University. She’s a self-proclaimed nerd, attracted to anything fantasy or sci-fi, especially if there’s kissing involved. She spends her free time writing, reading, and loving on her hubster and cutie-pie kiddo. 

Glitch Synopsis:

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network. 

When Zoe starts to malfunction (or "glitch"), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers. 

As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse. 

Glitch's expected release date is Aug 7, 2012 so mark your calendars!!

Big Things Coming Up!

Hey guys!

Stay tuned for the next few months to see all the big things that I have in the works. Great reviews, author interviews and even some giveaways!
If you're not following the blog, go ahead and do so today and invite your friends to follow also! Help me make it to my goal of 100 followers.

Also, I decided to stop doing recommendation wednesdays and want something to replace it. If you have any good ideas on topics for a weekly post leave a comment! Maybe your ideas will be featured! This is your chance to have your voice heard so go ahead and leave a comment. Your opinion matters to me.