I'm really excited to be a part of the cover reveal for Carol Oates' upcoming novel, Iridescent, sequel to Ember!
Publication date: October 2012
Synopsis:
**WARNING: SPOILERS**
Candra Ember used to dream of saving the world one person at a time. She never expected to become an angelic weapon and the last hope in the battle against ultimate darkness.
Falling for a Nephilim wasn’t part of Sebastian’s plan. Distraction is something he can’t afford when his rival, Draven, wants what Sebastian has.
Lies, manipulation and corruption are twisting the lives of the citizens in Acheron. The Arch is missing from Heaven and a demon is intent on claiming the city. At a time they should be growing closer, grief and paranoia is driving Candra and Sebastian apart.
If the price of restoring the Watchers to Heaven is a human soul, who deserves to be saved?
Here's the cover for the first book, Ember, to help you compare:
I really enjoyed the first book. Read my review of Ember here.
Title: Ember Author: Carol Oates Publisher: Omnific Publishing Publish Date: July 19, 2011 Genre: YA, paranomal Pages: 256 (ebook) Source: From publisher for review Series: Ember #1
1. Ember
2. Iridescent (expected pub 2012)
Synopsis: When Candra Ember wakes up in hospital after a dangerous encounter with a red-haired woman, she is shocked to discover that seeing a winged boy wasn’t her imagination. Candra is exposed to a world of rivalry and sacrifice she never knew existed, and the aftermath of a war to save humanity thousands of years ago. Soon she finds herself relentlessly stalked by Sebastian, a beautiful and arrogant Watcher Angel and romantically pursued by his darkly seductive rival, Draven. Ultimately, dubious about her own goodness, Candra’s very existence compromises a tentative peace in the city of Acheron.
Anyone who tries to get between me and an angel book better be careful. I devour them like nobody’s business. As soon as I started reading Ember, I couldn’t stop. The characters drew me right in. So did all of the questions that are brought to light within the first few chapters. I had to read more to figure out what was going on and what kind of situation Candra was stuck in.
I got the feeling from the synopsis that there would be a love triangle, but not like the one I got. Candra’s relationship with Sebastian was... difficult to say the least. And what goes on between Candra and Draven... I don’t really know what to call it or say about it. It’s odd and complicated. But Sebastian is my guy for sure. It was a bit hard equating Sebastian’s thoughts and feelings. He’s not supposed to like Candra for what she is, but he’s trying to protect her. He knows he feels something more, but tries to deny it. It was so frustrating knowing that he cared about Candra, but was trying so hard to avoid his feelings. He was a jerk a lot of the time because of this. And very hot-and-cold. Sometimes it was so quick I felt like I was getting whiplash, and I know Candra felt the same way. He is a very complex character with lots of layers.
It was really interesting seeing Candra slowly learn about who she is and who Sebastian, Lofi, and Brie are. It was confusing at some points, where I felt there were gaps in the story or that I’d missed something. I actually skipped back a couple of times to see if I’d forgotten something I’d read because I was confused, but only realized that it hadn’t really been explained at all. Eventually, these gaps were closed in later or by method of deduction on my part. So I feel like there were some continuity issues that could have been better handled.
Ember is another great angel story to add to the list. I can’t seem to get enough of angel stories. Although it is comparable to some stories purely because of the angel lore, it definitely stands on its own as a strong story with great characters. Aside from the continuity issues, this is a fantastic novel that I’m super happy I got to review!
Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading.
Here's what you do:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two sentences from somewhere on that page
Share the title and author Try not to include spoilers!
I have two teasers for you this week! I never do this, but I want to share from both since I'll probably be finished them next week.
I'm reading Lauren Oliver's Pandemonium, sequel to Delirium, which was one of my favourite books of 2011. I'm also reading an ebook review copy of Ember by Carol Oates. Here's my teasers:
Everything is wrong here, upside down and inverted: the door frames that open into air, invisible structures - buildings, signposts, streets, still casting the shadow of the past over everything. I can feel them, can hear the rush of hundreds of feet, can hear old laughter running underneath the birdsong: a place built of memory and echo.
I am suddenly exhausted.
"How did this happen? Why are you here?" Candra whispered only to Brie.
At exactly that moment Sebastian decided to speak up, banging his fist off the wall by his hip and stepping further away from the wall. "Enough!" he spat at Gabe. "She can't be expected to take everything in right now."
I thought of doing short teasers since I have two this week, but I couldn't help it. I loved both of these parts too much not to share.
Feel free to share your teasers with me! I'd love to see what you're reading.
Hello all and welcome to my blog for the Shades of Atlantis Blog Tour! I'm so excited to be part of this tour since it's the first that I've ever participated in! I hope you are having as much fun as I am. Read on to learn more about the book and the author, and to read my review!
About the author
Carol was introduced to the world of supernatural books when, as a child, her family moved to a coastal suburb on the northern border of Dublin known as Clontarf, famous as the birthplace of Bram Stoker, the prolific author responsible for breathing life into the legendary story Dracula. This stirred in Carol an early passion for reading about all things supernatural. Combine that passion with a deep interest in the history and folklore of Ireland, as well as an active and vivid imagination, and Carol Oates the author was born. Carol's love of writing about anything not entirely "human" emerged, and the premise for her debut novel, Shades of Atlantis, was born.
Carol still lives in Dublin, but spends a great deal of time traveling though the counties of Ireland and Northern Ireland with her partner and son. When not travelling through the countryside, Carol spends her days at the office and her evenings immersed in the world of Legends and Mythical Creatures.
About the book
Title: Shades of Atlantis Author: Carol Oates Publisher: Omnific Publishing Publish Date: 2010 Genre: YA, paranormal, romance Pages: 308 Source: From publisher for review
Synopsis: Since the death of their parents, Triona Pryor and her brother, Ben, have lived with their aunt and uncle in Camden, Maine. Now in her senior year of high school, Triona loves her family and friends, but she has always felt that she didn't quite fit in...in Camden, or anywhere else.
Enter Caleb Wallace, the devilishly handsome man who has recently moved to Triona's small town. While their attraction to each other is instantaneous, it also proves to be dangerous...and deadly.
When tragedy strikes, Triona flees to London for solace and to start her life anew. It's there she discovers from an unlikely source that her family has been keeping secrets from her - secrets about not only her birthright, but her ultimate destiny as well. Armed with this knowledge, Triona finds herself thrown into a whole new world and into a battle to save the lives of everyone she loves.
Review:
I have to say that there is a lot that happens in this book. It starts out with Triona finishing up her senior year of high school, working as a waitress to make enough money to jet off to London after graduation. But then she meets Caleb, one of the young, drop-dead gorgeous new owners of the restaurant where she works. Neither of them know what’s going on, but there’s this undeniable pull of attraction between the two of them. When Triona’s life falls apart around her, she pulls herself together and moves to London. While in London, she tries to recover from the horrible memories she tried to leave behind in Camden. But eventually, stuff starts getting weird and Triona finds out she’s not who she thought she was, nor is Caleb’s family.
This book could almost easily be split into two books: Camden and London. The tone of the book changes completely between when Triona is living at home and finishing high school, and when she finally travels to London. They’re so different that I actually felt like I had finished one book and picked up the next. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, though, it totally works for the book.
I honestly don’t know anything about Irish myths. Like, totally clueless. So I really can’t compare the parts of Irish history that Carol used to create this world for Triona and her characters. However, I did recognize a few things: she integrated the stories of the lost city of Atlantis, and also incorporated Excalibur, King Arthur’s “Sword in the Stone.” The part that was really interesting for me was how she used these stories and the Irish myths and put them together to create this awesome, paranormal world.
The romance in this story is very prominent and very strong. Triona and Caleb are undeniably attracted to each other, an attraction so strong that she can sense when he’s in the room and feels incomplete without him. Their relationship is sexy and heartfelt, but also littered with mystery because of all the secrets Caleb keeps from Triona. I don’t want to say more because if I do, I will ruin a lot of things. So you’ll just have to read it in order to see what their secrets are and how Triona and Caleb try to make their relationship work.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Like I said, there is a lot going on, but it’s not too overwhelming because of the way it splits in the middle. It’s a fresh start. It allows for a great balance. This story is very imaginative, romantic, sexy, and exciting. I definitely recommend it.
And because I love book trailers, here's the one for SHADES OF ATLANTIS:
Giveaway:
Here's the rules:
- You must leave one comment on each blog participating in the tour. Please do not leave your email in the comments.
- You will have to complete the form on A Tale of Many Reviews on April 19, the last tour stop.
- Winners will be chosen by Random.org from the final form
- Giveaway is open internationally
- You do not have to be a follower of any participating blogs
Here's what you can win:
There will be 4 winners total: one will win this awesome prize pack, a second will win this prize pack minus the mug, and two more will win an ebook copy of SHADES OF ATLANTIS.
Check out my post from before the tour to get the full list of blogs participating, with direct links to their posts, and go comment away! Remember, you need to comment on each blog post in the tour to be eligible to win those awesome prizes.
Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
DO NOT INCLUDE SPOILERS (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away, so that you don't ruin the book for others)
Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR list is they like your teasers!
I’m currently reading Shades of Atlantis by Carol Oates for a book tour that I’m part of in April. It’s the first ever book tour that I’m participating in so I’m really excited. Right now, I’m about halfway through the book and it’s a real roller coaster ride and a great story! Here’s my teaser for the week:
Chris moved nearer, and I felt the palm of his hand push against my hip. His stale breath blew in my face. I grimaced, closing my eyes and turning my head sideways, searching for some air not contaminated by him.
The thing I like about this book is that it has a lot of little differences from typical YA paranormal stories, but they make a big difference. For example, the love interest isn’t a high school student like the main character, he’s 21-years-old. Also, the whole story doesn’t take place in the same small town typical of these stories, but it changes around halfway to London. I like the way that’s done.
If you want to see a list of the blog participating in the blog tour, check out Carol's site here. More information is to come.
Feel free to share links to your teasers! I’d love to see what you’re reading.
