Heather Sowalla's Blog

LOVED IT! The author drew me in with the synopsis and I just couldn’t stop reading. I expected to find a story about magic and love but instead I found a story about an initiation rite and how a witch who lives with an aristocratic family and how they were going to sell her to get money and to keep their family afloat. The story kept going and I found myself floating along amazed at how much and how intricate the story was. It was amazing and imaginative and well played out. In a way the way it was told reminded me of old fairy tales and what the old storytellers used to read and explain. It was an amazing story … one that I could read over and over again and I just can’t wait for more from this author.

Tracie Peterson has been one of my favorite authors for a long time. I fell in love with this new book All Things Hidden in a flash.

In this book we see how the Matanuska Project relocates two hundred families to Alaska (which also happens to be a favorite place of mine) to create a new colony. In this story we follow a family from Chicago as they tell their days of this new place in Alaska where very few have come before: Palmer, Alaska. In this story we are confronted with danger and hope and love and secrets. The people in the book are more than just characters, you grow to be a part of their lives and want to know more. We are faced with issues of faith and hope and survival in a land that is hostile and unforgiving. Each day is something new and we watch as the characters overcome giant obstacles in their daily lives. The only question I have is whether or not this is going to be a new series or if it is going to be a single book? If it is just one book and not a series I will be very disappointed as I love following Alaska and books about Alaska especially if they are by Peterson. This is potentially a series that I could read over and over again.

         What everyone can tell about me is that I am a huge dystopian fiction fan. So, when looking for my next book I came across this one, Swipe, by Evan Angler and was drawn into the book from the first chapter. Although at times I was confused and unable to keep track of what was happening it was thoroughly gripping and Angler was able to spin a believable tale where our characters lived in a world that was full of aspects of today’s life with more from the future. For example we see characters using tablets but then they had roller sticks that were more futuristic so we had a nice blend of things that are from the future, the past, and current technologies that blended together in a way that the world became believable and not make-believe. The world in “Swipe” followed characters that were either marked or not marked – and what happens because they didn’t get marked. They were cast out as outcasts and became illegals because they were not marked. They didn’t have access to things that other citizens may have had access to and their lives were made more difficult. This world that Angler created was fictional and yet believable. I could picture the events and the people and what it was like to live during this time and yet we didn’t get thrown for a loop as some other books did. It was believable at the same time that it was fictional and was a story that I feel I could keep on reading as the plot was interesting and kept you guessing.  Purchase On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Swipe-Evan-Angler/dp/140031836X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389058375&sr=8-1&keywords=swipe

Traces of Mercy was an excellent book. I fell in love with the series and the circumstances that Mercy had to endure. She was found bloody and wearing a man’s clothes when she woke up and had no idea who she was, where she was going, or whether or not she knew her surroundings or any of the people. She was a woman of substance and character and had a wonderful heart. I was wowed when I found out what she had done in the past to learn a living compared to how she acted when she woke up without her memory. The story itself flowed smoothly and had a great and believable plot and story line. The characters were fascinating and believable and the story was one of my most recent favorites in a good amount of time. In a way it sort of reminded me of those published by Tracie Peterson. I would read more from this author in the future as I enjoyed the mystery, romance, and historical background to this story.

Purchase on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Traces-Mercy-Novel-Medallion-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00EFLSSLS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1388951674&sr=1-1&keywords=Traces+of+Mercy

I loved reading this story by Jacqueline Wilson. Our main character, Hetty, narrates her own story which begins in London in 1873 where Hetty is abandoned as an infant by her mother at the Foundling Hospital. She didn’t stay at the Hospital for long before she was bundled up and taken to the countryside to live with Peg and a large amount of other brothers and sisters as a foster child. While living there Hetty grows close to her foster brother Jem who sneaks her into a travling circus where she meets Madame Adeline, a performer that Hetty is convinced is her mother. Hetty is chosen from the many others to ride on the horse with her in the circus ring. However, when Hetty turns five she is returned to the Foundling Hospital where she is made to be educated until she reached an age when she can work as a serving girl in a large house. Hetty has a hard time working to learn at the school and she is constantly bullied by other kids though some of the staff is kind to her such as the kitchen maid Ida. Then hetty gets to see the Queen as the kids from the Foundling Hospital get to go to the festivities … but this also means that Hetty may get the chance to search for Madame Adeline …. Or her mother … I cannot wait to read what else will happen during her Journey and this was one book that I fell in love with and cannot wait to read over and over again.
The only thing I do wish is that the cover was a bit different as I am not crazy about the artwork. I think it could be a bit more fantastical and give more credit to the book itself.
Purchase on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hetty-Feather-Jacqueline-Wilson-ebook/dp/B00FASQUO2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388852974&sr=8-1&keywords=Hetty+Feather

Evan Angler’s third installment titled “Storm” is another book that has been on my shelf and once I got to reading it I couldn’t put it down. This book is a young adult dystopian where there is a group of young people known as Dust (markless individuals). In this series we see how the government marked people as a means of keeping track of them but also allows for them to have access to their citizen rights and if you do not have your mark you are considered to be outcasts from society and can even be arrested. In this story we see how our main character Logan (a dust member) escaped from the Archeron prison where there is a facility for brainwashing those that are not marked into following the governments cause.   While inside the facility Logan found his sister, Lily, but found out that she had been brainwashed to follow the government’s ways. While in the facility Logan learns of a  disease that was developed to use against those without the mark to control them and he and his allies have to race to find a cure so that the world is not destroyed as he knows it. The characters do not want to conform to the ways of the marked and if they don’t figure out a cure they will all be brainwashed individuals at the control of the government.
For me, I was hooked from the first page of this book. The novel ends, however, with a cliffhanger which I hate when books do as they then leave you waiting until the next book comes out. But then again that just means that I am going to be sitting here waiting to find out what happens next. This was a great book and a series I would recommend to many others.  Purchase on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Swipe-Series-Evan-Angler/dp/1400321972/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388851845&sr=8-1&keywords=storm+evan+angler

Lizzy Ford …. An author I recently found and have fallen in love with. This new book is no exception. Cursed (Voodoo Nights, #1) is an amazing read, one that I could read over and over again. In this story we follow Adrienne as she returns to the home of her father and is marked by a curse. The plot is fascinating as we explore voodoo curses and a way of life that I have never paid much attention to before. We see the story unfold as Jayden meets Adrienne – both of whom have been touched by curses …. With Adrienne being marked and Jayden holding the key and yet there is even more that happens in this story with a man (The Red Man) who haunts them and a man in a skeleton mask and a voodoo gang member… this story is full of twists and turns and you never know what is going to happen. Who is responsible? Who will protect Adrienne? Who is cursed to damn her? This book is one that I would recommend to others and definitely one of my favorites that I have read by Lizzy Ford to date.


Available For Puchase: Feb 9 2014     

 
  Ruth Silver is one of my favorite authors nowadays. I fell in love with the Aberrant Series from the very first book, and this third installment is no exception. Ruth Silver has a flair with words that leaves us with awesome characters, plots, and filled with a sense of accomplishment and happiness. It definitely helps that I am a huge fan of books that are futuristic / dystopian in nature. This series looks at the damage that humanity has done and comes up with ways to fight back and fix the problems. This book, like the first two, always keeps you guessing of what will happen next. There is a lot of suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat gripping for what is going to happen next. I loved that there were some new characters added to the story which leaves us wondering what was going to happen and who was going to be responsible. It was an amazing story in a world similar and yet so different than our own. I can definitely see this series as being made into a motion picture – and it is one that I would flee to the theaters to watch. Isaura is an awesome book in this new series but you have to read them all you cannot pick up mid series and expect to know what is happening. I was lucky enough to have read the others before attacking this one. Overall awesome job and I would read anything that this author was to put out for us. Purchase on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Isaura-Aberrant-Volume-Ruth-Silver/dp/1927940028/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388850965&sr=8-1&keywords=isaura 

Unite is a book that caught my attention from page one. I fell in love with this urban fantasy novel published by Jamie Campbell. Throughout Unite we follow Amery Jones who was actually a part of a program that brought aliens to Earth to live as their world was dying. So these children were brought to Earth and given to foster parents but someone doesn’t want them to survive. Someone is killing off the seed children. In the story we see where Amery along with her friends Lockie and Lola she had to fight to stay alive. There was a lot of action in this story and I fell in love with the plot. I have a love for science fiction and this book hit the spot and fulfilled all of my wishes for the moment. In a way it reminded me of the book/movie Fallen as it entailed an alien that lived on earth and someone wanted them dead. In a way it was similar but I actually preferred this book over the other. I would suggest this book for young adults and children in middle school though adults would probably enjoy this book as well as it fits the bill for many aspects of science fiction. All in all I truly enjoyed it and cannot wait to read the other books in the series.  Purchase on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Unite-Project-Integrate-Series-Campbell-ebook/dp/B00GXU5JHU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386775078&sr=8-1&keywords=jamie+unite