Feature and Follow #12

Feature and Follow is a weekly feature hosted by TWO hosts: Alison from Alison Can Read and Parajunkee from Parajunkee's View. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way they will be able to show off more new blogs. 

Rules:

1.) (REQUIRED) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts

(Alison Can Read and Parajunkee)

2.) (REQUIRED) Follow the Featured Bloggers

3.) Put your Blog name and URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to put it in your post.

4.) Grab the button and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say ''hi'' and that they are now following you. 

5.) If you are using Wordpress or another CMS that doesn't have GFC (Google Friend Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed.

6.) Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also don't just follow, comment and say ''hi''. Another blogger might not know you're a new follower if you don't say ''HI". 

7.) If someone comments and say they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers. 

8.) If you're new to the Follow Friday hop, comment and let the hosts know so they can check out your blog.

This Weeks Question:

If you had the money what would your own personal library look like? What would be in it? What colors, decorations, etc would you put in it?


My Answer:

It's every book lovers dream to have their own personal library, and while we all have that one thing common, we differ in the style and setup of that dream. For me personally I like the whole idea of like a secret room with a secret passage way maybe concealed behind an ordinary bookshelf. My little secret sanctuary would have at least 2 levels and all the decorations would be bookish in some way but I really would like it to be primitive and not the country primitives you see everywhere (although those are cute, just not my vision). I've found some pictures on Pinterest that I like, it's just a few ideas and not exactly how I envision my dream library but close.

I really like this forest style. I would like to have the trees in my little escape, and think it would be really neat if the bookshelves could be made out of logs instead of boards. It's no secret that I love the woods as much as I love reading so it would be awesome if I could merge the two in my own home.

I would love to have a spiral staircase leading to the 2nd level, but instead of the iron work on the side I would love to have the designs made out of dried grape vines, and like the bookshelves I would like the railing to be made out of logs.

I really liked this and think it would be neat to add to my spiral staircase. Maybe not these exact book titles but you get the idea.

And then all kinds of bookish decorations like this.

So what would your library look like?

REVIEW: Arcane by: Sever Bronny

Author: Sever Bronny
Publisher: Sever Bronny Ltd.
Release Date: November 24, 2014

Synopsis: 

Fourteen-year-old Augum and friends Bridget and Leera dream of becoming warlocks. But with a kingdom in total chaos, it will take courage, sacrifice, and an iron will to make that dream come true.

The Lord of the Legion, a vicious tyrant, has overthrown the king in a relentless and murderous quest for seven mythic artifacts--and Augum's mentor, the legendary Anna Atticus Stone, possesses one. While Augum struggles with demons from a painful childhood, a betrayal puts him, his friends, and his mentor through a harrowing ordeal that threatens to destroy them all ... and change the course of history.


Arcane, the debut novel in the fantasy adventure series The Arinthian Line, follows three friends as they navigate an ancient abandoned castle, endure grueling training, challenge old mysteries, and learn that a bond forged in tragedy might just be the only thing to save them from a ruthless enemy.

Review:

Augum is a fourteen year old boy who has had it a lot harder in life than most other kids around him. For as long as he can remember he has been an orphan. He's constantly being made fun of and mistreated because of it. Augum loses a lot throughout Arcane but he gains a lot when he befriends Bridget and Leera. Together the three friends are thrust into an epic journey of survival and self discovery. 

I can't even describe how cool I thought Arcane was. I enjoyed it so much, I didn't want to put it down. Everything within the scenery, setting and dialect screamed medieval times, and I found that very refreshing. I've always been fascinated with that time period.

Sever Bronny did  an amazing job with the character development, story progression and the story line. Within the first chapter I was invested with what happened with Augum. Sever wrote with such clarity that I was instantly transported to the world in which Arcane is centered around.      

Augum was a really well developed character and I got attached to him fairly quick. I loved how despite everything that he has to go through he never gives up. Yeah, it may get him down but he still manages to keep persevering and manages to overcome every obstacle thrown at him.  I really liked that even though he gets bullied he's determined to stand up for himself and others. Augum, because of being an orphan, has never had any friends until Bridget comes into the picture and I liked watching him learn what goes along with friendship and what it means to have friendships. You get a chance to see a lot of his backstory too, which gave the story that much more depth.

Mrs. Stone is something else. Her character has such depth. She's like 70 or 80 years old and can kick so major behind  but she's also like a strict no nonsense grandmother. As the story develops you get a glimpse into her past and how she ended up where she is in life. I really enjoyed how Mrs. Stone took on the responsibility of being a guardian to the kids and being there for them when the needed it. I did find her teaching techniques a little odd but I guess whatever gets the job done. 

Bridget was someone that you would instantly want as your friend. She's very kind, considerate, polite, and loyal. From the moment that Bridget was first introduced she's instantly likable.  

Leera was so funny and she said what was on her mind the minuet that it popped into her head. She's also very loyal to her friends and instantly took up with Augum. I really enjoyed the repertoire that occurred when you got her together with Augum and Bridget, and the comments that were spoken whenever the prince would be in her presence. 

I really enjoyed reading Arcane and following along with Augum's story. I felt that the pace was perfect and exactly how it should be for each particular part of the book. Everything is in there for a wonderful book, character development, pacing, action, heartache, discovery, growth, and many, many more things. Sever Bronny did an exceptional job with Arcane and I can't wait to get my hands on Riven, the second book in The Arinthian Line series.

I highly suggest giving Arcane a try, it's a very fun, fast and entertaining read. This is a book that I feel most ages could get into easily. Although it is intended for the teen years I see no reason why an adult wouldn't be able to enjoy this book, I know I absolutely LOVED it!! So go out right now and find a copy of Arcane by Sever Bronny! I've listed a link at the bottom of where it can be found.



Amazon

And while you're here you can take a look at Sever Bronny's webpage also. He posts all kinds of things pertaining to the book world. http://severbronny.com/

June Recap

We Are Watching by: M. Stephen Stewart

Henry Malone's childhood was shattered by the unexplained suicide of his father. Now a teenager, his days are spent studying to become a Neural Implant Technician for Planetary Link Corporation, helping them maintain an iron grip over his walled country and every iota of knowledge contained within—but he leads a double life. Henry’s nights are spent helping his mother wage a cyber war against them in her quest to find the truth behind his father’s death. 

He's managed to keep his two lives separate, a delicate balance that's endangered after he repairs the neural implant of a stranger. He finds she’s in possession of illegal memories from the outside world, unauthorized knowledge of his father, and a message: speak to me later and tell no one. Henry has a choice to make—ignore the message and maintain his double-life, or answer and risk everything to uncover secrets Planetary Link would kill to keep buried. 

Rarity from the Hollow by: Robert Eggleton

Lacy Dawn is a true daughter of Appalachia, and then some. She lives in a hollow with her worn-out mom, her Iraq War disabled dad, and her mutt Brownie, a dog who's very skilled at laying fiber optic cable. Lacy Dawn's android boyfriend, DotCom, has come to the hollow with a mission. His equipment includes infomercial videos of Earth's earliest proto-humans from millennia ago. DotCom has been sent by the Manager of the Mall on planet Shptiludrp: he must recruit Lacy Dawn to save the Universe in exchange for the designation of Earth as a planet which is eligible for continued existence within a universal economic structure that exploits underdeveloped planets for their mineral content. Lacy Dawn’s magic enables her to save the universe, Earth, and, most importantly, her own family.


The 13th: Destiny Awaits by: Ela Lond

Kate, the school outcast, has always been able to see ghosts, and she constantly fears that someday, her so-called 'gift' will drive her mad like it did her mother, who has now been confined to a mental asylum. With the ever-present ghosts, her institutionalized mother, the unwanted attention from a bully and everything else going on in a teenage girl’s life, all Kate wants is to graduate quickly and without troubles. But that becomes impossible when Ethan, a gorgeous new transfer student, takes an interest in her, claiming that she is the Soul Reaper, and that he is there to train her. Things get even worse when her nemesis, the school bully Sandra, decides that she wants Ethan for herself. 



The 13th: Frozen Destiny by: Ela Lond

This is a short (15,000 words long) paranormal fantasy. 


In the haunted ruins of an old monastery, seven teenagers have gone missing in recent years. Kate, who is the Soul Reaper and helps ghosts who can't cross over by themselves, goes with her friends during their summer vacation to investigate. Once there, they find themselves tangled up in the deceptions of the dead, trapped like flies in a spider web.







Book of the Month:

Upcoming Reviews:

Arcane by Sever Bronny
The City Center by: Simone Pond
The Edge of the Woods by:  Ceinwen Langley
Trespassers by: Todd Wynn and Tim Wynn