DARKNESS ECHOES anthology of YA #Hallowween stories @del_connor #Bookreview #wwwblogs

Darkness Echoes by L.A. Starkey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Darkness Echoes is an anthology if six YA short Halloween style stories.

Till Death Do Us Part by L.A Starkey involves Jennifer, cheer leader and troubled child after the death of her Grandmother. She has a school project to do and because she loves all things horror, she’d like to do it on the local haunted mansion. Friend Zack has been absent all summer and she persuades him to go with her to the mansion, where she gets more than one surprise.

Witch Moth by Kelly Hall. A teenage love triangle between Kitty and best friend Jenn over a boy called Colt, ends on the night they visit a haunted house. Kitty meets brother and sister duo Dahlia and Dominic Dane at the house and falls for Dominic’s good looks and manners. But there is something more to this pair and danger lurks for all the teenagers.

The Coming Of The Skin Walker by D.E.L. Connor can be read as a prequel to her Spirit Warrior series. Walking Bear and Nine Fingers are early native American hunters. They spot a young girl being chased by a figure who turns into a wolf before their eyes. They rescue the girl who tells them of a powerful medicine man called a Skin Walker who wants her dead.

Darkness Echoes by Chess Desalls is about a strange glowing lantern in the garden of Tori’s grandmother. She discovers that inside is a young man named Jared who was once a disabled apprentice to a clever man. Tori must find a way to help Jared escape from the lantern.

Cloak of Echoes by CK Dawn is the story of Emma. She is an empathy and can feel emotions of those around her. Mattox Daniels the new boy in school has eyes only for her. But he is more than just an ordinary boy, sent to protect Emma from the Netherwalkers he has come from Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table.

Hallowed Eve by DB Neilsen introduces us to Evee Hale, a troubled child who can see ghosts. Told to run by her dead father, Evee heads to the house of Dr Crane. Evee learns she has been chosen as a Soul Guardian and must face the real evil which surrounds the story of The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow.

A good mix of spooky tales for the YA market.

This review is abased on a free copy of the book given to me by the authors.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Destroyed – Book 2 in the Soul-Keeper Series by L.A Starkey

Destroyed by L.A. Starkey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Destroyed is book 2 in the Soul Keeper fantasy series, it’s a YA read but very suitable for adults too. In the first book we met Sam an adopted teenager. She’s had dreams with a couple of love interests who have recently appeared at her local school. Her best friend has just died in a traffic accident and she’s finding it really hard to come to terms with this, whilst she’s been given an interesting book about a prophecy and the Greek Gods. It all seems rather vaguely familiar to her but Sam can’t quite put her finger on it and she has a lot of questions.

In book 2 the story continues, Sam accepts Marcus and Nicholas into her life, she has been told that she is their Soul Keeper and that they are all about to live out the prophecy which looks like it may have a tragic ending unless they can find an alternative. There may just be one spark of hope as the teenagers head off on a trail to find a lost exit clause.

The author does a really good job of helping the reader get their heads around all the complicated relationships between the Greek Gods, all the sons, daughters, half sisters, cousins, nephews etc that Greek history has thrown at us. I like the pace of the book and the love triangle is intense and tantalising. This book ends on a cliff hanger which will have fans screaming NO!!! But book 3 is now available so that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

From the second book in the Soul Keeper Series…

Now I lay me down to sleep,
Whom shall I trust my soul to keep?
If I should die before I wake,
I leave to fate my soul to take.

The seal has been broken and the Soul Keeper Prophecy set in motion. Marcus and Nicolas are battling for the heart of one woman, Pandora’s only daughter; however, not everyone is playing by the rules. With interference from both sides of the lines and too many deities with hidden agendas, the trio must take matters into their own hands and look for another ending, one that removes control from fate.

Can they find the missing page from the prophecy that has the ability to change everything?

Will the new stranger they’ve been given as a guide assist or mislead them?

Will Samantha make a decision on who it is that she truly loves, saving one and destroying the other?

What if her choice is no choice at all?

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Good Deeds Challenge Year 2, Week 44

Welcome to my second Year of Good Deeds, a challenge I set myself during April 2013. I decided to do at least one Good Deed a day for a whole year, now I am into my second year.

This week I’ve been doing the following;

February 15th – A lovely sunny day, I went out in the fresh air tidying the front gardens on mine and my neighbours house.

February 16th – Today I’ve been reading A Single Step by Georgia Rose. Just had to close my review list, I have around 50 books to review and I need time to get them done.

February 17th – Walked to the post box and saw a neighbour had left her keys hanging in her car door that was parked on the road, so knocked on her door to let her know. Today I read Humming by Rachel McAlpine A book set in New Zealand one of my favourite countries.

February 18th – Finished reading The Long and The Short by Jan Ruth picked up litter on my walk and at the supermarket.

February 19th – Read Septembers by Christopher Prendergast and posted my review on Amazon, it’s a debut short novel which I described as noir fiction.

February 20th – My lunchtime walk and litter picking today, plus I finished reading Destroyed by L.A Starkey, book 2 in the Soul Keeper YA Greek Gods series.

February 21st – Exciting news Terry Tyler’s sequel to Kings and Queens is out today, so I’ve sent out some tweets to help promote Last Child.

I’ve been reading Loved and Lost by Allison Christie.

February editions of Magazines I review books for are now delivered and on-line

February 1st and the latest editions of the local magazines I wrote book reviews for have now been delivered locally and are also on-line.

This month’s books featured in Fleet Life are;

After The Evil by Cary Allen Stone

Marlin Darlin’ by Margarette Langstaffe

Deceived by L.A Starkey

Secrets Of The Heart by Adrienne Vaughan

and Dreaming Of Love by Melissa Foster

Go to http://www.fleetlife.org.uk, click on the online directory and turn to page 6

Books featured in the February issue of Elvetham Heath Directory are;

The Parrot Told Me by Rachael Rawlings

Hawk’s Gift by Mary Forbes

Sheer Fear by Geoffrey West

Stories For Feelings  For Children by Hilary Hawkes

Stable Mates by Zara Stonely

Go to http://www.ehd.org.uk, click on the online directory and turn to page 6

Deceived by L.A Starkey

Deceived, by L.A. Starkey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Deceived is a YA fantasy and the first book in a series. Sam and Julie are best friends and live in Manchester, New Hampshire. They are Juniors at High School. The book opens with a very vivid dream scene for Sam, she’s in a dream meeting a boy she has met in many of her life-times, yet she doesn’t remember him. He has to suffer the pain of her leaving him once more. Yet Sam hears another voice calling her too.

Sam and Julie are both adopted, they were at the same orphanage and became firm friends and stayed friends after their separate adoptions. At school Sam is very athletic, not usually one to chase the boys, she can’t help it when her hormones are attracted to Ken, although her head knows he can be a serial player, her heart wants some fun. A history project on the ancient Greeks has Sam borrowing a strange book from the library called “The Soul Keeper”.

Nick and Marcus are brothers, Grandsons of Zeus, to them Sam is their Dream-catcher and they vie for her attention in her dreams. Yet they are all destined to be players in a much larger fight. A prophecy is about to be opened by the Time Guardian, Nick and Marcus have been waiting for their destiny to unfold for hundred of years.

I read this book in one day because it kept me so engaged with the story that I didn’t want to put it down. There’s lots going on in the story, but it all flows really well and I like books with the ancient Gods and mythology of any nation. I would definitely pick up the next book in the series, I am dying to know what happens to them all.

They say a soul is the immaterial essence, the animating principle, the actuating cause of an individual life.

But what if you had to share yours with the one person you hated the most?

The soul mate principle states that for every one soul there is another that will recognize its match, hence creating the perfect union.

But what if you had two soul mates, which would you choose?

What if your choices had eternal ramification?

Deceived, the debut novel in the Soul Keeper Series, is a modern day love story about the implications of having more than one soul mate, and having to choose between the two of them. The decisions of the gods has left the next generation, their heirs, torn between fate and reality, and the balance of the future hangs in anticipation of what’s to come.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Good Deeds Challenge, Year 2, weeks 36 – 38

Welcome to my second Year of Good Deeds, a challenge I set myself during April 2013. I decided to do at least one Good Deed a day for a whole year, now I am into my second year.

This week I’ve been doing the following;

Week 36

December 21st – Visiting relatives today, took lots of goodies, Christmas presents and helped out with washing up etc.

December 22nd – Dropping off more Christmas gifts. Am reading Feeling Lucky by Kathy Bryson.

December 23rd – Read a very good YA fantasy novel today called Deceived by L.A Starkey

December 24th – Today I’ve read and reviewed 2 books for Hilary Hawkes, they are books for English Primary aged children about kindness and friendship. Stories for feelings for Children and The Friendship Adventure programme from Strawberry Jam Books.

December 25th – I’m cooking lunch for 8 today so that no-one gets left out. Reading Secrets of the Heart by Adrienne Vaughan, the 3rd book in the Heartfelt series set on an island off the west coast of Ireland.

December 26th – Trying to get as many books read from my list while it’s the holidays, plus aiming for my highest year on the Goodreads challenge. So today I’m reading Eyes Of The Enemy by Kelly Hess, a middle grade reading book.

December 27th – Read Unexpected Partners by Sterna Kruger today and wrote my review.

Week 37

December 28th – January issues of Fleet Life and Elvetham Heath Directory are being delivered to approximately 8000 homes today which feature my book reviews. The on-line version will be available around January 1st. I’m reading Stable Mates by Zara Stonely

December 29th – Reading To Eternity by Daisy Banks, which is due for release mid January.

December 30th – Marked For Magic by Daisy Banks is my book today, this will be released in April.

December 31st – Read S.C.A.R.S by Julia Ibbotson today, a children’s adventure book. My final book for the year was To Fall In Love Again by David Burnett. Phew! Clocked up 181 books in this years challenge. Had a lovely surprise in the post a book from Melisa Foster which I’d won and some promotional material from Sophia Grey for more of her books.

January 1st – Online versions of Fleet Life and Elvetham Heath Directory are now out featuring my book reviews, I have drafted my post and will post as we return after the break. Off out for tea later and taking cakes. Helped move some cattle before out tea.

January 2nd – Today I shared an article from The Daily Telegraph about VAT increases on e-books amongst the writing community. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/businessclub/11320318/Controversial-VAT-change-means-e-books-are-about-to-get-more-expensive.html

January 3rd – Drafted and sent my February book reviews for the magazines I write for, ten more books and authors get some extra free publicity for their writing.

Week 38

January 4th – Had a lovely shout-out for the blog today from Terry Tyler’s article at Uk Arts Directory http://ukartsdirectory.com/terry-tylers-literary-blog-34/. Decided to post my book reviews in Fleet Life and EHD January issue article today making use of Terry’s publicity of the blog and using the popular #SundayBlogShare to get the books and authors some extra publicity.

January 5th – Back to school this morning, with my voluntary work. A copy of Sea Witch by Helen Hollick arrived in the post today, my competition win.

January 6th – Got a lift into town this afternoon and enjoyed a brisk walk back through the park, picked up litter on my way.

January 7th – Feel the need to get outside for fresh air an exercise after the Christmas break so took my self off for a lunch-time walk, picked up litter. Received a copy of Alison Morton’s second book Perfiditas in the post after winning a copy. Really looking forward to it as I loved the first book in the Roma Nova series.

January 8th – Rained hard all morning, but when the sun came out at lunch, nipped out to make the most of it, picked up litter on my way.

January 9th – Really into this walking and getting fit lark. Needed to go to town for one or two things and a quick browse in my favourite bargain book store. Bought two books which begged to me at 20 pence each, strolled home picking up litter.

January 10th – Reading Just Two Weeks by Amanda Sington-Williams ready for a Brook Cottage Book promotion in February, it’s a psychological thriller set in Sri Lanka. My reading review list has toppled over the 20 book mark again.