A Wild and Unremarkable Thing Review and Giveaway

Goodreads Review

Cayda has spent her entire life training to slay a Fire Scale. Now the time has come to leave her dragon-ravaged village behind, march into the Summer Alps, and reap the rewards of a Champion. But the road between poverty and prosperity is rife with beasts, betrayals, and baser temptations. Sensible Cayda soon discovers she’s not the only Champion with her eye on the prize, or the only one wearing a disguise.

A Wild and Unremarkable Thing pits girl against dragon in a stunning blend of Greek mythology and medieval lore. Don’t miss the thrilling novella that readers are calling poetic, enchanting, and a must-read for fans of fantasy!

My Thoughts

For me A Wild and Unremarkable Thing was a exciting and fast fantasy read. A book about dragons or red scales, is a book that draws me in quickly. With Mulan feels and a Medieval Times setting in this novel, an adventure awaits you. Dragons/Fire Scales mixed with feminism and family bonds, there are a lot of great ingredients to this fantasy.

The mythology element of the death God added an extra finesse to the story. I loved Cody's character!  She was very real and driven.  This story is character-driven and done so quite well. Penn was another great character in this story for me.  One might not think they would like the God of Death, I know personally before his character arch, I pictured Hades from hercules...  but his character developed and quickly became a key role for Cody's livelihood and destiny.  

Cody and Penn met my expectations mostly. Where I felt some of the language to describe certain body parts in the novel may have been blunt or vulgar, the romantic scenes could have been lengthened with more detail. The romance itself did not feel rushed but the intimate moments did.

 I loved Prince Fares role in the story as well, his extremely friendly nature with both men and women, kept the story lighthearted and at times comical.   Wolfe not so much.  I loved him in the beginning of the book and I thought he would do something great but I felt the author must have had a change of heart on his character somewhere in the middle of the book and decided she didn't like him anymore.  I was ok with the same feeling towards Zoe, but I never cared for her anyway.  The book was short and felt rushed and was a fast read for me and I actually read it in about 4 hours and that is a first for me. I read it that quickly for two reasons. One it was a short book and two it was an exciting book. I wish the story could have been dragged out a little longer with more relationship details but the excitement and adventure with dragons and hunting made up for it and I will surely be dreaming of becoming a dragon slayer tonight in my slumber. Although thanks to A Wild and Unremarkable Thing, I may consider the dragons feelings...

My Favorite Quotes

"Small of sature, gentle of heart, " he says.  "You might write your own story, Cody.  But men will write stories about you too."

"You're getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you?"  he says.  Now she's gliding through his veins.  Now is blood is silk and his pulse is fluttering.

He's sure he will die a dreadful, unimpressive death, sixty years from today, if he does not do something great. 

All manner of things can happen to a girl traveling alone, even a girl with bound breasts and sheered-off hair. 

About the Author:

Jen Castleberry lives and writes in Virginia Beach.

Her background is in Animal Welfare.

All of her pets are named after superheroes.

TOUR SCHEDULE

Blog tour schedule link: http://fantasticflyingbookclub.blogspot.com/2018/01/tour-schedule-wild-unremarkable-thing.html

GIVEAWAY

•       Prize: 1 signed paperback copy of A WILD AND UNREMARKABLE THING by Jen Castleberry

•       US Only

•       Starts: January 23

•       Ends: February 2

•       Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d9681b86277/?

BOOK LINKS

•       Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35279009-a-wild-and-unremarkable-thing

•       Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Unremarkable-Thing-Jen-Castleberry-ebook/dp/B077YWP41D/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513089600&sr=8-1&keywords=jen+castleberry

•       Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-wild-and-unremarkable-thing-jen-castleberry/1126511000?ean=9781386117117

•       iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-wild-and-unremarkable-thing/id1323945806?mt=11

•       Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-wild-and-unremarkable-thing-1

•       IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781981673704

Strands of Bronze and Gold

      Jane Nickerson

Goodreads Review:

The Bluebeard fairy tale retold. . . .

When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.

Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.

Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.

My Feelings:

I listened to this one on an audio book.  I couldn’t have been happier with my choice of reading.  After just finishing an exhilarating historical fiction novel, I was worried of falling into a reading slump. Needless to say, I’m so glad I came across this beauty by Jane Nickerson.  

I just recently discovered that I could borrow books from my library, that were audio books and I could download them right to my phone.  I now sit at work and listen to and from work different stories that help my work week to simply fly by.   

I’ve never been one to read a fairy tale novel because I’ve seen all the princess movies as a child, and Strands of Bronze and Gold is not a fairy tale as it is folk lore about Bluebeard.  I had heard the name but had no idea what the story about him was.  Also, I should mention, that I’m a little picky with my audio books.  I like the narrators voice to be a specific way.  As a I prefer to listen to a woman’s voice, I still hope for a steady tone.  No one high pitched and definitely not too low of voice either.  If I listen to a man, then I prefer an American accent and none other.  Needless to say, the narrator of Strands of Bronze and Gold, Caitlin Prennace, has a perfect voice for this story.  Very calm American for Sofia, our heroine, and a perfect french accent for Bluebeard or Monsieur Bernard,our antagonist. Prennace definitely kept my attention.  

Though I wasn’t entirely impressed with the main character Sofia’s personality, just a little to naive and that made me want to scream through the book at her, she was pretty well rounded character.  There are other times throughout the book that I felt she showed strength and bravery.  The story was different from most YA that is out now.  And though it’s a bit older of a book, Jane Nickerson has a unique way of world building that will draw you in and keep you hooked.

Mosaics Volume 2

Mosaics Volume 2

Curated by Kim Wells and P.K. Tyler

I was so excited to be given the chance to read and review volume 2 of Mosaics, because I had loved volume 1 so much.  Feminism is presented with pride and boldness in these short stories, poems and essays.  I love that women’s voices are loud and clear in these words and express love, pain, and encouragement for other women of every race.  

The book starts with “Painted Truths and Prayer Beads” by Nillu Nasser Stelter a story about a mother, a refugee from Uganda with her twin sons that are now living in London.  This mother had left her only home in fear of hers and her sons lives and so fled to London. A place where she was faced with judgement, prejudices, and fear once again.  She pushes through these feelings of displacement and discrimination, in order to be strong for her sons and try and give them the best life possible.  All the while a British woman fights for her safety and independence.  A white woman who learns to take a stand and become a feminist for her rights and the rights of others that may be different.  Stelter, wrote this story well and drew me into this novel right from the beginning.

Adderall on the Rocks by Lana Bella was a poem that really stood out to me.  The word usage Bella uses is graceful and full of life.  A woman so easily sacrifices herself for another’s happiness and usually is not returned the favor so easily.  Bella displays with her words, the pain a woman feels when she is used and abused.  How easy it is to get depressed when she feels like she has failed or been failed.  A short but strong read.

Though this book has so many great stories, my last favorite to mention is El Naddaha by P.K. Tyler.  Based on an Egyptian legend, Tyler shares the dreams of Nadirah who seems to society, to have mental handicaps, but does she really?  I love that Tyler builds this dream world so vividly that its so hard to decipher what is real and what is not.  

Mosaics volume 2 did not let me down in any way as a sequel to volume 1.  I now can only hope for a volume 3!!

I received a copy of Mosaics Volume 2 in exchange for an honest review.

Mosaics: A Collection of Independent Women

Mosaics:  A Collection of Independent Women

Description:  

Mosaics: A Collection of Independent Women will inspire and shock you with its multi-faceted look at the history and culture surrounding femininity. If gender is a construct, this anthology is the house it built. Look through its many rooms, some bright and airy, some terrifying– with monsters lurking in the shadows.

Mosaics Volume One features twenty self-identified female authors writing about Intersectionality, including women of color, and members of the disability, trans, and GLB/ GSD* (Gender and Sexual Diversities) communities. We have curated amazing short fiction, flash fiction, poetry, essays, and art. It’s personal, political, and a great read.
This collection includes Hugo Award Nominees, Tiptree Shortlists, Pushcart Prize Winners, USA Today Bestsellers, indie superstars and traditionally published talents alike. The anthology combines leading and new voices all proclaiming their identity as Women, and their ability to Roar.

My Review:
I’ve never really read a book with a collection of stories quite like this.  This anthology holds very intriguing stories that all come from women of different ethnic backgrounds and different beliefs.  The simple fact that this novel holds stores by not only women, but women that hold prestigious awards, or have been nominated for them and women who have already been labeled as national best sellers, screams to a potential reader, to pick this up and don’t put it back down. 

Starting the collection of stories, Deborah Walker, an author who resides in London, writes a fascinating tale of what its like to be A Wax Anatomist’s Daughter and how a young woman who initially wants nothing to do with her mother, finds that ultimately, her mother is exactly who she wants to be with.

The Book of Lilith by P.K.Tyler is another exciting recant of so many versions of Adam and Eve, but Tyler shows the life of Lilith in such a way that most would never even begin to imagine was possible.  I loved her descriptive sense of the characters and her world building of a place that so many people have been told about throughout history. 

Elizabeth S. Wolf is an expert of poems and stories and allows her readers to experience that through her marvelous works.  In Synergy/Contradictions, Wolf’s words draw you in and force you to be in “the survivor’s” shoes.  These stories among the rest, speak to the reader and allow each and every one of us to experience a different life.  A different voice.  A light to our darkness.  A sound to our silence.  I absolutely cannot wait for Volume 2.  I highly recommend this to all readers, reviewers and the like!

 I received a free copy of Mosaics:  A Collection of Independent Women in exchange for an honest review.