KYLIE RIPPONS is a SpongeBob pajama bottom wearing, Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 driving, USDA certified klutz, coffee-addicted mortal, seeking a normal life despite the constant harassment of gods and the ability to braid time.
Constant immortal harassment forces Kylie to take drastic action, and she must braid time to save friends, her son, and herself, as the gods drive her into situations in which she must choose: kill a friend and permanently hide her son, leaving him motherless, or become a slave in exchange for his safety, leaving her soulless and insane.
I was given this book as an ARC for an honest review. I gave this book 5 stars.
If you like books about Mythology you will love this book.
I didn't know what to expect when I first started reading this and I for sure didn't expect to be sucked into Kylie's world as fast as I did. I could not put this book down!
Kylie Can braid, she sees strings in her head in different colors and can weave them to manipulate time and go back and change events that have already happened. Because of this she is hunted by many different Immortal Gods. They want her to side with them and use her power to help them win wars.
The problem with Kylie's gift is that each time she uses it she has to pay a price and that price is a piece of her mortal soul. She loses a part of it each time she braids.
A war is upon her and many Immortals are after her, and she has to choose what to do. Help or run? She starts braiding to save souls and her friends and to fix things that the Immortals have messed up. And each time she does Kylie becomes a little more numb and without feeling. And if she keeps it up she will be left with nothing and she will go insane. But does she have a choice?
She meets two Immortals that help her in this battle and has several others that have her back, she has choices to make and no matter what she will lose something in the end. And she only has so much time to do it in. She faces enemies and people that turn against her that she thought were honest and on her side.
I really got sucked into this book, it was full of so much information that I do believe if I read it again I would learn more! Kylie quickly became one of my favorite characters she has a very strong will and knows what she wants and she stand behind her decisions no matter what. She does things and doesn't think about how it will effect her in the long run. Physically and emotionally. She is a giving person with a big heart. She is a coffee nut! And she has an obsession with crazy pajamas !!
I laughed .. I cried.. (yeah I did.) TJ gave this book a great twist and made all of this seem real. I was left wanting more.
A dragon, Valkyries, Mythic Gods and tons of adventure are waiting for you in this book! Give it a chance and pick it up. You won't be disappointed.
I have to admit when I picked this one up I had no idea what to expect. I didn't read the excerpt and I looked at the cover and didn't expect anything close to what it was. So it was a thrill to have been so captivated. It's rare that I fall upon a book that takes my knowledge for a ride. I loved it. I'm not super knowledgeable about Norse Mythology, though I heard the stories growing up I knew some. However, it didn't matter to me. The story sucked me in and held me tight like a hug. My emotions quickly joined suit. I didn't want characters to die, I didn't want the endings of certain scenario's to happen. I made my own endings, until I read the true one and I ached with each turmoil. Kylie truly went through hell. I laughed with her klutziness. I was intrigued with each and every new character. If I wasn't so caught up in the story I would have stopped and investigated each and every one that I didn't remember. I had tears when Aki died. I secretly hoped he'd resurface. The ending...as a mother, I wept. I closed the book and whispered "Noooooo!" I checked for a hidden page! I wanted more. Even when I couldn't have it I wanted more. I still do! What a great read. Powerfully imaginative!
Gave this a chance after reading the blurb and becoming intrigued with a unique concept and plot but was left disappointed.
Kylie has the age old ability of being a Braider, a weaver of time and paths but the price of using it is her soul. She's run from and avoided the ancient Gods but they've stepped up their game and want to use her power for their own gain regardless of what it costs her.
I found the whole story drawn out and over the top. Kylie spent most of the time crying, running or unconscious. Alot of the braiding seemed too complicated and the ending was inevitable so she could have saved herself and family months of heartache if she'd just given in at the beginning. Also the gods wanted to use her to braid but they never said what, they didn't want to fight anymore but surely as they knew they didn't want that they could just stop? There was no real reason or urgency as to why they were forcing her hand.
Feel a little let down at the ending as it's not a happily ever after atall which is what I would have expected after reading through all the turmoil.
If you want a book to keep you on the edge of your seat, this is the one for you. The book is about a mortal gal trying to fight the immortal world - god/goddess/mythical creatures. As the book progresses, Kylie finds some immortal friends that live among the mortal and they swear their alligiance to her. With them by her side, she takes on the immortals trying to get her to use her powers for their side. (The immortals are also fighting each other and everyone wants Kylie and her powers).
Kylie will have to make the decision to live and lose her son or to die and her son lives. Which will she choose. You have to read the book to find out :)
I vo!untarily reviewed this book and I am so happy I read it! This is a really uniqe book in the genre and absolutly one of the best I read this year! The book is exciting, fun and with a unusal theme. Kylie is a woman who is chased by all pantheons of gods and godess that ever been worshiped on earth. All of them want Kylie to help them battle the other pantheons because of a special gift she has. They try a lot of diffrent ways to succed. I have both giggled and almost cry during the story. The author have done a fantasic book! I want to read the next book in the serie, the name have number 1 in it so I asume there must be a nr 2 someday. I really hope you will enjoy the book as much I did.
The back cover's first sentence won me over. Then I read the book. very interesting take on a wildly strange storyline. The woman can rewrite history, at the cost of a part of her soul. It seemed like there were 3 major religions/gods represented all vying for control over our big blue marble. There's a bit of sex inside, but nothing over the top to turn you away if that's not your thing.
Kylie is fascinating in that she yearns to lead a boring life. But her ability to pull at the strings of time makes her a much sought after commodity for the array of Gods which have been at war forever . What's worse is that the wars are now spilling out into the mortal world for all to see.
Just as she is ready to give up and give in, a new allay emerges the fallen Valkyrie Brunhilde, lovingly dubbed Bru by our forsaken hero. Her goal in fining Kylie is to keep her safe, and try to repair the damage of the braiding. The two for a bond tighter than sisters, both emotionally and spiritually. But the Gods are far from finished with her. And another searches her out... Aki. He is a Berserker, he is stunning and he is Immortal.... Having stolen his immortality from the Gods, he has waited for a millennium, for Kylie to appear and fulfill a prophecy which binds them.
This poor unfortunate girl is pulled through the world and the realms. From Nashville, to the heights of Mount Olympus she proceeds to hand the mighty Zeus his ass on a stick, in the pyramids of Giza the black dragon Goddess Tiamat pulls her from certain death. All of this because the Gods want to force her to choose a pantheon and will them to win the wars.
To evade the outcomes of her kidnapping at the hands of the vengeful Artemis and Thor she must braid. Taking the strands of time, rearranging them so that she might change the outcome of her own destiny. She fights for her very soul, as each braid will cost her exactly that. A piece of that which makes her human....
Kylie is a Braider; a mortal with the ability to serve as a link between the worlds of humans and the immortals. Because of this, many of the immortals both hate and fear her, while others seek to protect her. For Kylie, though, the only objective that matters is to save her son, born of a union between her and the son of Thor, the god of thunder. In T. J. Loveless’s Going Thru Hell, we follow Kylie’s often madcap adventures as she comes to grips with the true limits of her powers; deals with raging emotions; and tries to survive. Loveless has woven a fascinating tale of fantasy, adventure, laced with generous helpings of ribald humor that will keep you reading until the last page, and then gasping for breath, and wanting more. Go on a wild ride with Kylie from one end of the U.S. to another, from the world of humans to the realm of the pantheons of a wild variety of immortals, as she tries to save humanity, even if it costs her her own soul. I received a review copy of this book, but would gladly dig into my pocket for the shekels to buy it. The only thing that keeps me from giving it five stars are a few typos that unfortunately intrude at some of the most interesting places in the narrative, but fortunately, don’t detract from a fascinating tale.
When my editor recommended this to me, she told me it was a bit of a chick flick, but she thought I would like it. Boy was she right. With this book you get a world where all of the pantheons of gods of legend actually exist – just in another plane of existence we can’t see.
You’ve got your Greek, Roman and Norse gods that we all know and love, Thor, Artemis, Zeus, etc. But then you’ve got lesser known gods, such as the Persian gods or a Mesopotamian goddess. They’re all fighting one another, and the ability that the main character, Kylie, possesses, can help one or another pantheon win the eternal struggle that goes on between the pantheons.
So begins a wild ride of Kylie being hounded by gods, forced to use her powers time and time again. The thing is, such use of power comes at a price….
TJ Loveless brings amazing, rich characters to life with realistic dialogue, smart comments and great action. As the book draws to an end, you finally see some romantic elements that you might expect in a pure romance book, but it only enhances the fantastic element of the book.
This book left me on the edge of my seat asking, nay, begging for more. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series, Riot. Check out “Going Thru Hell” on Amazon.com today. It’s well worth the price.
Some parts, mostly the parts with Tiamat were epic. The relationship between Kylie and Tiamat drew me in and let me feel. It was a beautiful bond. The rest of the characters interaction, however, left me puzzled. I couldn't understand the relationship between Aki and Kylie beyond physical. Most of the time she was curt, condescending and whiny around him. I can't understand how they fell for each other.
There is a list of ups and downs in this book. It kept me reading to the end, but the decisions Kylie made frustrated me.
In the end there was one question as a reader that I needed answered. It would have made the book satisfying and help me get beyond some of the things that confused me. Why were the gods really after Kylie? Why was the power of braiding so important? I understand that she could change the past, but to what end? All the times that she braided didn't truly help the outcome, it just changed the things that happened from one point to another. Why would the gods desire something that could not give them whatever it was they really wanted? Why would they mistreat her when the gods know more than any how to seduce a mortal to whatever end they want them to go in?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this book and started turning pages. Good looking girl on the cover. How was she going to go thru hell? I found my answer as I read. How wasn't she? Ooooh boy. If you are looking to read a piece of fluff, this is not it. This book has intense, well thought out characters and involves mythology. Kylie has a lot of pieces to the puzzle, and those that she doesn't hold, are within her reach. That is all I am going to say about the plot without revealing any spoilers. Author T.J. Loveless twists, turns, then twists again with the plot. I loved this book so much that I put it down with about 30 pages to go. Why? Why not gobble it up and finish it in a quick minute? No, I wanted to think it through. I went through all of the what ifs and maybes in my own head. Simple, I didn't want it to end. Then when I could wait no more, I finished the book. I was not disappointed. I would definitely read a follow up to this book. Or simply anything else that T.J. Loveless writes.
I wasn't for sure I'd like this book because the first of it I just couldn't understand. It wasn't the way the chapter was written. It was Me. So, after finishing the chapter, I reread it. Now I was getting somewhere. I read my books in the Kindle form when available. So reading for me is an hour at lunch while working, then a few hours after work. I usually fall asleep reading. This book made me want to stay awake at nights, not return to work after my lunch hour was over. Seemed that every time I had to shut the Kindle off, I'd be at an interesting part of the story. Get the book. It's worth it. I do hope there will be more following about Kylie. I'd love to see how the story could go on. She's made sacrifices that should be rewarded in some way. Please Tonya, write more!
T J creates a heck of a fantasy world. At first the characters ran together but I admit I'm not used to this genre. But after a while no worries. And I completely forgot I was in a paranormal world. Is it? Or isn't it? Ummm.... That is the sign of a good writer.
T J also has a dry wit and she can't help dropping that into the story, scary and dark as it is.
The ending isn't what you would expect but you will be left wanting more. I hope she has sequels lined up.
**Full disclosure, I received a free copy in return for an honest review **
How do I review this story? Where should I begin? Well, I can't. Know that the story came alive for me. I wasn't reading the story, I was there. I smelled the spices, the apples. I recited Princess Bride quotes. I can feel a dragon's breath. I felt love, betrayal, joy. I was really pissed at Thor. Know that he isn't the same as the Thor in the comic books. I am a geek, book nerd. Dungeons and Dragons nut. This story had it all for me. Read it for yourself. PS: Big Bang Theory <3
Awesome wild ride. It was a fresh take on mythology and how those gods interact with mortals. Totally unique and it totally sucked me in and refused to release me until I finished the whole book. I related to the strong female lead and the decisions she had to make for the world and her own family. She wasn't perfect, she was real. And there were twists and turns in the plot that kept me turning the pages and laughing or crying out loud! Can't wait to read more from this author!
I gave the story three stars because it was well written and flowed easily. However, the story takes place on several planes, both mortal and immortal. The gods are battling and demand the main character, Kylie to choose a side. Kylie has special powers called braiding. Each time she uses her powers she loses a part of her soul. I found the story confusing and there were too many characters to keep track of.
This book keeps you on your toes. Kylie wants to be a average girl, but fate played a trick on her. She is a weaver, she can control what happens by weaving lines she sees. But all things come at a cost, hers being each time she does a piece of her sole is taken. The gods are all at war and each want to control her so they win. But she won't allow it, so they push her to the point of no return...can she make it out with her life??