Review: The Balance Project

The Balance Project
by Susie Orman Schnall

Synopsis

The Balance Project is a story of loyalty, choices, and balance that will resonate deeply with all women who struggle with this hot-button issue. Loyal assistant Lucy Cooper works for Katherine Whitney, who seems to have it all: a high-powered job at a multibillion-dollar health and wellness lifestyle company, a successful husband, and two adorable daughters. Now, with the release of her book on work-life balance, Katherine has become a media darling and a hero to working women everywhere. In reality, though, Katherine’s life is starting to fall apart, and Lucy is the one holding it all together, causing her own life―and relationship with her boyfriend Nick―to suffer. When Katherine does something unthinkable to Lucy, Lucy must decide whether to change Katherine’s life forever or continue being her main champion. Her choice will affect the trajectory of both of their lives and lead to opportunities neither one could have imagined.

Review

I was intrigued by the premise of this book because it centers around two females. What? A book that doesn't solely focus on a love story between a man and a woman? This is why I jumped at the opportunity to review it when it came time for the Summer Reading Challenge from BookSparks. 

This book is about two women, Lucy and Katherine, who are on opposite sides of the spectrum. Katherine seems to have it all while Lucy is her loyal assistant. The author covers how women treat other women, in the workplace and otherwise.  The story is about how other people's decisions shape and effect who we are - in both good and bad ways. Although it is fictional, the book portrays struggles women go through every day trying to do-it-all and therefore, trying to have-it-all while trying to maintain a balance. 

Verdict

I believe that women in the workplace and especially those women who have to juggle different "hats" (such as also being a mother) would really get much from this story.

Review: Doon & Destined for Doon

Doon
by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon

Synopsis from Amazon:

Veronica doesn’t think she’s going crazy. But why can’t anyone else see the mysterious blond boy who keeps popping up wherever she goes?

When her best friend, Mackenna, invites her to spend the summer in Scotland, Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months. But the Scottish countryside holds other plans. Not only has the imaginary kilted boy followed her to Alloway, she and Mackenna uncover a strange set of rings and a very unnerving letter from Mackenna’s great aunt—and when the girls test the instructions Aunt Gracie left behind, they find themselves transported to a land that defies explanation.

Doon seems like a real-life fairy tale, complete with one prince who has eyes for Mackenna and another who looks suspiciously like the boy from Veronica’s daydreams. But Doon has a dark underbelly as well. The two girls could have everything they’ve longed for… or they could end up breaking an enchantment and find themselves trapped in a world that has become a nightmare.

Review

I had seen copies of Doon at the local bookstore and it always caught my eye. It caught my eye because it has a gorgeous cover. The green background and that fantastic dress? Yes, please! I still hadn't gotten around to buying it when, suddenly, I was given the opportunity to read it and it's sequel, Destined for Doon, for review. 

Technically, I was offered Destined for Doon to read for review when I joined the BookSparks blog tour - but I cannot start a story on anything but it's first volume. So, I asked if I could read Doon first and voila! So, many thanks to the publisher :)

Now, I was not expecting to get as enthralled as I was with this book. Scotland and its lore has never interested me, but I thought, let's give it a try. I am very glad that I did! The authors of this book do a great job of never letting the story slow down too much - there is action everywhere! Also, I loved how the characters are each given their "turn" to "talk" i.e. each chapter is based on a different character's POV. I very much enjoyed the characters, best friends, Veronica and Mackenna. I loved...LOVED that the book started off almost in the middle of what other books may consider the "main" story. I am completely aware of how much nonsense that sounds like, but hopefully you understand when you read it. 

The story is fully of mystery, friendship, fantasy...and romance. A mysterious boy who shows up when you need him, a friend by your side and an adventure into a gorgeous but unknown land? What is not to like?

Anyone who reads my blog knows that this is a spoiler-free zone. I don't want to ruin any book that you, dear reader, may want to pick up later on. Just know, that I read both Doon and Destined for Doon - and neither disappointed me. Both are gorgeous books giving us a glimpse into a world we can only dream of - and it's fantastic. 

So, read Doon and then read...

...you will NOT regret it.

Verdict

Do you really need more after that opus? :) These are honestly great books and I am not just saying that because I was asked to review them - I can't finish books I don't like!

Buy the book:

• Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/1lhJVUg
• Amazon Hardcover: http://amzn.to/1pL8F7k

About the authors:

Carey Corp lives in the metropolitan Midwest with her loveable yet out-of-control family. Carey wrote her first book at the age of seven, and currently begins each morning consuming copious amounts of coffee while weaving stories that capture her exhaustive imagination. She harbors a voracious passion (in no consistent order) for mohawks, Italy, musical theater, chocolate, and Jane Austen. Carey’s debut novel for teens, The Halo Chronicles: The Guardian, earned her national recognition as 2010 Golden Heart finalist for best young adult fiction and was recently featured at the 2012 RT Booklovers Convention in Chicago in YA Alley.

Lorie Langdon has over ten years of experience writing online and print advertising for a Fortune 500 company, and left her thriving corporate career to satisfy the voices in her head. Now as a full-time author and stay-at-home mom, she spends her summers editing poolside while dodging automatic water-gun fire, and the rest of the year tucked into her cozy office, Havanese puppy by her side, working to translate her effusive imagination into the written word and continue to build the young-adult-focused blog, HonestlyYA.

Connect with the authors:

Carey Corp:

• Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1qqj0BL
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/careycorp
• Website: http://www.doonseries.com/
• Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1pez6SL

Lorie Langdon:

• Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1nagUFl
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/LorieLangdon
• Website: http://www.lorielangdon.com/
• Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1AyddRT

Review: Birth of an Assassin

Birth of an Assassin
by Rik Stone

Synopsis

Set against the backdrop of Soviet, post-war Russia, Birth of an Assassin follows the transformation of Jez Kornfeld from wide-eyed recruit to avenging outlaw. Amidst a murky underworld of flesh-trafficking, prostitution and institutionalized corruption, the elite Jewish soldier is thrown into a world where nothing is what it seems, nobody can be trusted, and everything can be violently torn from him.

Given the order to disperse and arrest a crowd of Jewish demonstrators in Red Square, Jez breaks up the rally but discovers his sisters in their ranks. Rushed for a solution, he sneaks the girls from under the noses of secret police and hides them in downtown Moscow. But he knows they will no longer be safe in Russia. He has to find them a safe route out. 


The journey begins, but he is unaware that his every move is being observed and that he has set in motion a chain of events that will plunge his life into a headlong battle to stay alive.

Review

I've become a sucker for a good assassin story - especially one that is as detailed as this one. Although I have a fondness for history, I pretty much suck at any reference toward any part of history. This is what made this book stand out because I didn't need to remember bits and pieces of history in order to make the story work. That is how detailed Birth of an Assassin is. 

Jez is quite a dynamic character which helps in the whirlwind of events in his life. The reader cares about it's character and is right alongside him with every action packed moment. The book is all about his sacrifices, choices and consequences which is what makes the story such a non-stop-read, but what also makes Jez a character and not just a character - if you know what I mean. It is truly a story that should be experienced and not just "blurbed" about. 

Verdict

Fans of history and action-packed stories will love this one. Let yourself be caught up in it. I'm glad I did.

Review: Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass
by Sarah J. Maas

Synopsis

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien. 

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.



Review

I've owned this book for awhile and finally picked it up a few days ago. I've been in a kind of reading slump so it took me a bit to get into the story. However, when I finally sat down and just read - wow. I just love this story! It could be because I've gotten into fantasy/adventure stories lately and my on-going love for all kick ass girls. I just simply love LOVE the character of Celaena Sardothien. She's a contradiction in how simple she is (a girl who loves books, food and music and flirting every now and then) and complicated (her sad past and assassin ways). I found her to be quite refreshing since she was able to make sacrifices and work toward her goal of being free. Celaena is loyal and caring and fierce as well. 

Although the love triangle is nothing unique, I did find the male characters to be. An arrogant prince is nothing new - but a prince who plays arrogant who actually has a kind heart? Yeah, I'm up for that even though I am totally loving Chaol. He's my favorite for being so quiet, loyal, strong and caring. Ugh, just LOVE. 

Anyway - add magic and mystery the mix and I'm hooked. I already ordered the second book and the collection of novellas. 

And as a plus - look at the cover. Just look at it. It's beautiful. There's a second hardcover going around that is less than lovely, so I'm glad I got this one in paperback with this cover. The two books I ordered are hardback, so I won't have a matching set :( but that's okay because LOOK AT THE COVER. 

Okay. Done.

Verdict

If you like a strong female character who isn't afraid of being honest but who is also caring and fun - Celaena is your girl. Plus magic - yes, please!

Top Shelf Short Stories: Lawyer's League

Lawyer's League
by Sherman Alexie

Alexie's short story, "Lawyer's League," is about Richard, a half Indian half African American who believes he's on the road to the White House. He talks about how he's spent his life getting a good education and being semi-good at basketball while trying to convince Indians to vote. 

Racism is really the core of this story. Richard experiences racism throughout the story, like when he talks about how any college would want him due to being Indian and then his encounter with Big Bill. 

However, that isn't the only kind of racism the reader sees in the story. Richard shows his tendency to be racist as well. This comes off the best when he meets a woman at a dinner that he really likes. He talks about how he'd love for her to "rain" on him and even compares himself to a teenage girl drooling over a wedding magazine. In the end, Richard decides to pass on making any leeway with the woman. Why? Because she's blonde and blue-eyed and how would that look in the media? As much as Richard is aware of how people look at him, he has no self-awareness of his own prejudices. What's heartbreaking is that Richard deprives himself of what could possibly make him happy - just because of how it would look on the outside to everyone else. 

Verdict

It's Alexie so, of course, I'm going to recommend it. Racism is described in the best way in this story - subtle and heartbreaking. 

Top Shelf Short Stories: Some Desperado

Some Desperado
by Joe Abercrombie

This is going to be an interesting review as I'm currently posting from my iPhone at a coffeehouse as I'm waiting for my husband to come get me. Photos and fancy banner to come later. 

Today I'm reviewing Joe Abercrombie's "Some Desperado" from the collection, Dangerous Women. "Some Desperado" is a story that takes place in the time of riding horses and bank robberies. It's about tough girl, Shy (sometimes referred to as Smoke) who is on the run after robbing a bank herself. Why had partnered up with a small band of thieves who suddenly decided the bank money wasn't enough and decide to turn Shy in for her reward money. 

Not waiting for anyone (especially a man) to come to her rescue, Shy has her brains and kickass strength to fall back on. That's when the hunters become the hunted, that's for sure!

I've never read anything by Abercrombie, but I'm definitely going to look for more stories by him! So far, I really enjoy how he writes his female character. To tell you the truth, his story just happened to be the first in the Dangerous Women collection I'm sampling from Amazon on my Kindle. It was a happy coincidence. 

Verdict

If you like kickass women and a bloody fight, you'll like this story!

Top Shelf Short Stories: Haunted

Haunted
by Chuck Palahniuk

Okay - so I need to read more carefully. I read that the book was a collection of short stories so I started reading the first story. Then I realized that the stories all make up the novel. Heh - so, this might be breaking the rules a bit, but because the short stories all make up a novel - I'm still going to count it as a short story. 

Now that that's all dealt with, let's move on.

Palahniuk beings each of these stories with a poem. In this first poem and story, we get an introduction to a bus load of individuals on the road to a seemingly secluded area for 3 months for a workshop. The workshop is to become short story writers. In this story, Palahniuk hints that this trip is indeed the last one for all of these people. Very ominous. 

This is the first work of Palahniuk's that I read, and I've heard that he includes some humor in his seriousness - and this story is no exception. In it, Palahniuk points out how we tend to give others nicknames based on their sins, habits and stories. He introduces each of the characters and their sins, habits and stories. Often times during this first section he breaks "the fourth wall" and beckons the reader to think about certain aspects of the story. It's truly fantastic. 

Verdict

Though it's only the first story, I can tell that Palahniuk's writing is truly great. It sucked me right in and I can't wait to get to the other stories in this book in order to know why this book is called Haunted. Definitely recommend!

Review: Beautiful Disaster

Beautiful Disaster
by Jamie McGuire

Synopsis

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.  

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

Review

*sigh* I don't know what to tell you, reader. I saw fantastic ratings for this book and it even suckered me in at the beginning of it. I mean, what's not to like, right? There's a hot guy (motorcycle, tattoos, illegal fighting and all) and a smart girl who isn't going to be taking any of his crap. Or so we think. Things got pretty unbelievable (a water boiler breaks causing Abby to stay at Travis's apartment...I mean, come on) and then they got REALLY unbelievable (a bet caused her to stay there for a month...COME ON). 

But, hey! I can suspend disbelief for fiction. Of course I can! I mean, I watch Korean dramas - I can suspend my disbelief most definitely. 

And I thought I was doing pretty well! I was going on 200+ pages...but I learned something about myself while reading this book, dear reader. I learned that I can suspend my disbelief for only so long. It got so bad that I did not finish reading this book - even though I was thisclose to finishing it. 

It was not only the situation and after situation they kept finding themselves in that drove me to stop reading. It was also the fact that both Travis and Abby were getting annoying. The changes in their characters were too abrupt and the lack of flow ruined it for me. I don't know how the story got such high ratings. Was it because of Travis? Was it the quick romance and somewhat action? I usually like that, but it didn't work for me this time. 

For fans of

I don't know, 50 Shades of Grey?

Rating

Review: Black Sun Reich

The Spear of Destiny: Part One
Black Sun Reich

by Trey Garrison

Publisher: Harper Voyager 
Available: December 18, 2012

Book Synopsis:


Black Sun Reich: Part One of three in The Spear of Destiny, the first novel in a new steampunk, horror, alternate history, action-adventure series set in a 1920s where the Nazi’s have begun their subjugation of the world using the occult, advanced science, and a holy relic with awesome powers.



And don’t miss the other parts of this serialized novel - Part Two: Death’s Head Legion and Part Three: Shadows Will Fall.



Trey Garrison recaptures the unapologetic adventure, wonder and excitement of the classic pulp fiction of the 1930s and 1940s, blending elements of steampunk with deeply-researched historical fiction and a good dose of humor. The novel also explores major philosophical and moral issues relevant to our contemporary world: the trade-off between security and liberty, the morality of pre-emptive war, and what fundamentally separates good from evil.



The North American continent is made up of several rival nations, and a Cold War is building between them. The Nazis rose to power a decade earlier. People travel by airship and powerful organizations calculate with Babbage’s Difference Engine. The Nazis have hatched a plot to raise a legion of undead soldiers.



Enter Sean Fox Rucker, Jesus D’Anconia Lago, two Great War veterans and freelance pilots who are pulled into the quest. They are joined by a brash Greek merchant, a brilliant Jewish cowboy, and the woman who once broke Rucker’s heart. This ragtag band of reluctant, bickering, swashbuckling heroes soon is locked in a globe-spanning race against Nazi occultists, clockwork assassins, and a darkly charismatic commando. In a world where science and the supernatural co-exist, and the monsters of legend are as real necromancers who summon them from dark realms, our heroes alone stand before the rising darkness. But all their efforts may not be enough.

Review:

More than one group of people are after the Spear of Destiny - and some unlikely characters are teaming up to stop the release of darkness into the world.

This book is truly one of a kind, in my opinion. Containing the theme of a political background with a twist of steampunk, it will take the reader on a thrilling adventure with dynamic characters. With its twinges of humor, it allows the reader to be fully entertained. The background of the story is also prepared well since it includes not only historical elements, but large corporations as a backdrop of the adventure as well. This book is the first of a trilogy, and although we are no strangers to the Trilogy (everyone seems to be doing one nowadays), the reader will not be able to wait to get their hands on the next book in the series!

Black Sun Reich was an easy and fun read. It was my first dabble into the steampunk AND alternative history genres. It can be a bit daunting at first, but if given the chance, this story will not disappoint you! 

Social Media:

https://www.facebook.com/HarperVoyagerBooksUS?fref=ts

@HarperVoyagerUS

@TreyGarrison

Rating: 

Review: Trouganda: Silver Tears Book 1

Trouganda: Silver Tears Book 1

by Daniel J. Strait

Synopsis:

A prophecy written over millennia ago. A baby girl is born with a birthmark matching the one described in the prophecy. Her parents feared the worst so they fled from the elders. They found solace in the small village of Jin, where Nakiata would be trained by the greatest SOT Master ever known. After years of intense training, Nakiata must face her Final Test. A test that would send her out into a world of danger, mystery, and death. Nakiata would have to use every skill she knew in order to survive the dangers and wonders of...Trouganda.


Review:

As someone who doesn't read much science fiction or action, this book was a pleasant surprise! The character of Nakiata is a strong (and lethal) girl who grows up in a world of weapons and danger. When she reaches the time of her final test, she is placed on a journey by herself which are meant to test her abilities. Before embarking on her journey, she realizes that she is part of a prophecy and is actually only one piece of a puzzle of that prophecy. 

I found myself really liking Nakiata - she is a strong girl who is at the top of her ability. An ability, by the way, that no other girl has ever had. That alone was awesome, but to have a leading lady in a story that is not clouded in judgement by a love story is a major plus.

I really did enjoy this book, however, I also had some thoughts as I was reading it. The main one being that for all the action and graphic violence (yes, it is graphic - but enjoyable if you like action!), I would have wanted more of an in depth look into the character of Nakiata and whether or not there was any conflict with her training. The reader sees a glimpse of that when she is on the verge of being told about her final test, but then it gets overshadowed by the test itself. Perhaps it's because of the couple of action/science fiction books I have read before, but I felt that I needed something more personal in terms of understanding Nakiata. 

Regardless, this book is part of a series and the Nakiata's story and the prophecy was intriguing enough that I want to know what happens in the other books of the series! I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fun and interesting quick science fiction/action read!

About Daniel

Daniel J. Strait lives in central Ohio, where he works in the field of aviation. During his time off he writes the stories he has dreamed of for many years.