Release Day/Book Bomb Review! Cobweb Bride by Vera Nazarian

Today is the release day of Cobweb Bride by Vera Nazarian! Very exciting, because this is such a lovely book (I will be saying that in a variety of ways in my review. Really, you have no idea.) and it makes me very happy to support lovely authors and share lovely books with lovely people (Such as Vera Nazarian, Cobweb Bride and yourselves).


Cobweb Bride
by Vera Nazarian

Genre: Fantasy

Ages: 14 and up

I received an advance e-galley through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

You can find the official Cobweb Bride site here with more information and purchase links.

 Description: 

 Many are called... She alone can save the world and become Death's bride.

COBWEB BRIDE (Cobweb Bride Trilogy, Book One) is a history-flavored fantasy novel with romantic elements of the Persephone myth, about Death's ultimatum to the world.

What if you killed someone and then fell in love with them?

In an alternate Renaissance world, somewhere in an imaginary "pocket" of Europe called the Kingdom of Lethe, Death comes, in the form of a grim Spaniard, to claim his Bride. Until she is found, in a single time-stopping moment all dying stops. There is no relief for the mortally wounded and the terminally ill....

Covered in white cobwebs of a thousand snow spiders she lies in the darkness... Her skin is cold as snow... Her eyes, frozen... Her gaze, fiercely alive...

While kings and emperors send expeditions to search for a suitable Bride for Death, armies of the undead wage an endless war... A black knight roams the forest at the command of his undead father... Spies and political treacheries abound at the imperial Silver Court.... Murdered lovers find themselves locked in the realm of the living...

Look closer--through the cobweb filaments of her hair and along each strand shine stars...

And one small village girl, Percy--an unwanted, ungainly middle daughter--is faced with the responsibility of granting her dying grandmother the desperate release she needs.

As a result, Percy joins the crowds of other young women of the land in a desperate quest to Death's own mysterious holding in the deepest forests of the North...

And everyone is trying to stop her.

My Thoughts:

I read this book in one sitting, and was left speechless. I love Vera Nazarian's previous novels, but they pale in comparison to the utter perfection that is Cobweb Bride. It is quite simply one of the most beautifully written stories I have ever read.

The eerie descriptions paint a wintery world of shadow and breathless anticipation seemingly without effort. You know how in some books you find yourself skimming over the descriptions to get to the interesting part? Not in this book, you don't. The world is a living, breathing character.

In many ways, this story is a fairy-tale. A dark, shivery fairy-tale with an intensity that grabs hold and doesn't let go. I am having trouble describing the atmosphere, it is so different from other books. It is macabre and wondrous, beautiful and frightening, all at the same time.

I generally dislike books with multiple main characters and story-lines, but it didn't bother me for a moment in Cobweb Bride, so skillfully were they woven together. The murdered princess unable to die, the unappreciated daughter who finds purpose, the conflicted young knight...their unconnected lives suddenly inextricably bound together. I found it fascinating to watch everyone react to a world where people were suddenly unable to die. Wonder, horror, revulsion, fear, grief - everyone reacts differently.

The author does a wonderful job in explaining how important death is, in ways both obvious and unexpected. When suddenly no one and nothing dies, the world becomes, oddly enough, a scarier place. It is rare to find a fantasy novel of such depth.

I would recommend this book to pretty much everybody. I honestly can't think of a single complaint or flaw. This story can be enjoyed equally by men and women, teens and adults. It's the closest to a perfect book I've come across in a long time.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
I rate it a 4.10 for some mid-level swearing and name-calling.

Sexuality:
I give it a 2.10 for some innuendos and mild references.

Violence:
I rate it a 7.10 for murder, battle and some descriptive gore.

                                     Lieder Madchen
 

Book Review: Smitten by Lacey Weatherford

Smitten
by Lacey Weatherford

Genre: New Adult / Mystery / Thriller / Romance

Ages: 15 and up

I received an advance e-copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you, Lacey, for listening to our pleas for a sequel to Crush!

Description:

Cami thinks life with her boyfriend, Hunter Wilder, is perfect. Then she finds out, not only is he wrapped up in a gang whose specialty is stealing cars, he’s with another girl as well.

Hunter knows the gang leader, Ripper, is suspected of murder and he’ll do anything to keep Cami safe—even faking a relationship with someone else. There’s only one problem—Ripper’s fallen hard for Cami, leaving Hunter to stand by and watch as he puts the moves on his girl.

Both Cami and Hunter quickly learn it’s hard to watch the one you love in the arms of another. Will the two of them make it through this together? Or will their hot stolen kisses destroy everything?

My Thoughts:

Oh, I had so much fun with this book! I laughed and cringed along with the characters at the embarrassing moments, sighed and swooned over the many, many, MANY romantic scenes while catching my breath and holding onto my metaphorical hat at the perils Cami and Hunter face during their second adventure.

Hunter is sent undercover with a dangerous car thief and suspected murderer who goes by the inauspicious name of 'Ripper' at the beginning of Smitten. He does his best to keep Cami out of his work, but with one careless (albeit very romantic) mistake, he inadvertently pulls her right into the middle of it. Hunter's protective nature is strained to the very limit. I won't say more except that it gets very, very messy and is highly entertaining.

The villains were nicely done; I found myself looking at Ripper and wondering, going back and forth in my mind whether to believe he had committed all of the crimes he was suspected of or not. By the end I had a pretty good idea, but I was still surprised by a couple of things.

For those who haven't read it, I will say this without spoilers. For those who have read it, you know what I'm talking about. Page 226 (page number may vary slightly depending on the format). Oh. My. Freaking. Goodness. Only Lacey Weatherford could have pulled that off, and it was AMAZING. Other than that, my lips are sealed.

While Smitten didn't replace Crush as my favorite Lacey Weatherford book, it was a wonderful sequel. While it appears to be the end of Cami and Hunter's story, maybe with some well-aimed and not at all subtle hints she could be talked into another one...? We can always hope.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
I rate it a 4.10 for some mid-level swearing and name-calling.

Sexuality:
I give it a 5.10 for a vague scene of sexuality, many innuendos and references, as well as a lot of steamy kisses.

Violence:
I rate it a 5.10 for murder committed in the past, attempted murder and multiple injuries.

                              Lieder Madchen

Armored Hearts Blog Tour: Book Review & Tea with Jessamine

Good Morning! Today I have a lovely lady by the name of Jessamine over for tea. Jessamine is the heroine of Armored Hearts, a new indie steampunk adventurous romance by Melissa Turner Lee and Pauline Creeden. She has graciously consented to answer a few questions, which I will follow with my thoughts on the book.

Dear Jessamine, thank you so much for coming to visit Songs & Stories! Please make
yourself comfortable and try the scones. How do you take your tea?

 

Sweet and iced. I’m a southern girl.  

Could you tell us your side of the story of how you first met Gareth?

How I first met him was…I cannot say. I’ve never told a living soul about that. I knew it was the way he wanted and I am nothing if not loyal.

What was your first reaction upon seeing him again as an adult?

I know many before me found him difficult and only saw his wheelchair and what he could not do. I saw what he was capable of and chose to love the man he was meant to be until he came to be it. He too is loyal. I mean look at his commitment to Tabitha. He would do anything in the world for her. Not many easy-tempered men would be willing to sacrifice so much.

What was your childhood like in the wilds of America?

Well my father mostly raised me. My mom is quite the genius and is given to obsession when it comes to her work. I grew up in boy’s trousers playing with the local Cherokee boys learning to throw knives, wading through streams and climbing trees. I was fearless.


Would you please tell us a little bit about the bonnet making club of which you are a
member, it sounds most intriguing!

Well, in my time, women are not regarded as smart. The medical books even say extensive reading and study will hurt the female mind, resulting in sterility. Have you ever heard anything so ridiculous? They misuse Bible quotes too to make it seem we should be ashamed of being smart. What kind of God would give an idiot as an assistant? The president doesn’t want an idiot running mate. We have the bonnet club as a place where women with a mind for mechanical innovation can gather and be themselves. Their efforts will be applauded and not ridiculed.

Are you working on any new 'bonnets'?

Why yes, I am. Tabitha and I are trying to fit Gareth with braces to possibly make walking possible for him. So far every prototype falls apart as soon as he tries them. Thompton swears it’s the curse. You cannot get rid of a curse with technology, he says.

If you could collaborate with any inventor, who would it be?

The Wright Brothers have a special place in my heart, for obvious reasons. So probably them.

Thank you so much for coming! I hope to see you again one day.

*****

Armored Hearts

by Melissa Turner Lee & Pauline Creeden

Genre: Indie / Steampunk / Romance / Adventure / Fantasy

Ages: 15 and up

I received an e-copy of this book from The Experience Tours as part of a blog tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Description:

When a crippled young lord rescues a girl falling from a tree, it reveals a secret about himself and his mother's side of the family that could put him at the center of a war with beings he thought only existed in fairy tales.

Tristan Gareth Smyth lived his entire life stuck at home at Waverly Park and left behind while his Grandfather makes trips to London, all because of his blasted wheelchair.

Then an American heiress falls in his lap, literally, and he must find a way to keep her at a distance to protect not only his secret, but everyone around him from an assassin sent to kill him.

My Thoughts:

I love steampunk, and I love romance, so this book jumped out at me as one to try. The idea of a wheelchair-bound hero made it sound even more interesting. Despite the promising premise, it took me a little while to warm up to the book.

Tristan Gareth Smyth, called Gareth, is a very prickly character. Isolated and lonely, he's developed a thick barrier between his heart and the world. The only one he lets in is his several-years-younger aunt, Tabitha, who is like a little sister to him. It was much easier to warm up to Tabitha than to Gareth.

It wasn't until Jessamine arrived on the scene that something in the story clicked for me. Her mix of stubborn optimism and cheerful scheming was just fun. She knew exactly what she wanted and went for it, never taking no for an answer - and she wanted Gareth. I won't say anything more except that I laughed out loud at a couple of...interesting conversations.

Ah, and since it's steampunk, I must mention the gadgets! The gadgets are pretty good in this story, particularly the one about 3/4 through the book. An important part of the story is that Tabitha and Jessamine are members of a secret 'bonnet making club', which is a code for a ladies' inventing society. I laughed a few more times when I met them.

All in all, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped, but it did have several good points. I thought the romance was a little awkward and Gareth was really hard to like, but other than that the story was fun. I liked the second half of the story a lot more than the first and the sequel has great potential, so I'll definitely be back for book 2.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence

1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:

I give it a 2.10 for mild exclamations and some name-calling.

Sexuality:

I give it a 3.10 for some sensuality and innuendos.

Violence:

I rate it a 5.10 for suicide, attempted murder and other violence, including a large quantity of blood.

                                     Lieder Madchen

Jane Nickerson Guest Post + Giveaway!

 Today I have a guest post, provided by Random Buzzers as part of their Ambuzzador program, by Jane Nickerson! I also have an ARC of her new novel, Strands of Bronze and Gold to give away, along with five special codes for free books!

Top Ten Changes I Would Make in Fairy Tales 

It’s obvious that there are many problematic aspects in most famous fairy tales. Why must everyone be beautiful? Why is there so much royalty going around? So many poor woodcutters? (Oh, now that I think of it, there probably really were so many poor woodcutters in that day and age.) Why so many childless couples who end up with either doomed or miniscule only children? Most of the problems are explained away because “it’s a magic thing.” However here are ten changes I would make if I were Queen of Fairy Tale Land:

10. The youngest child would not always be the most good-looking and clever, and the step-parent would never be evil, since step-parents have enough problems taking on a ready-made family as it is. But then again, one would hate to make the biological parent evil instead…

9. I would give the bright and beautiful heroine more choices for a love interest. A single prince should not be her only option. By the same token, it’s sad when only one sibling gets matched up. I would introduce the eleven unmatched dancing princesses to the (coincidentally) eleven unmatched princely brothers of “The Wild Swans” princess. That’s eleven options for each of them. If you stir them up, there’s bound to be one that each of them likes…but what if they all want the same one?

8 ½. Seven league boots for everyone!!! It’s only fair.

8. There should be more than three wishes. And the wishes are not allowed to be tricksy. Fairness again.

7. Several fairy tales involve the hero in burglary—The Tinderbox, Jack in the Beanstalk, Aladdin. The idea is that, because the owner of the object is evil, the hero isn’t really a thief. Huh. That doesn’t actually make sense. Therefore, there must be some clever, lawful way for them to get the loot. Gambling (if that’s legal in Fairy Tale land), labor, performing a service for the owner, some sort of trade, etc. Of course then the evil owner would probably try to cheat them out of the object, and then the hero would have to steal it…

6. How can King Midas turn everything he touches into gold and not be gold himself? It boggles the mind.

5. There’s got to be some reason why Little Red Riding Hood can’t tell that her grandmother has a furry face and pointy nose. It could be too dark, except that we need to keep those classic lines—“What big eyes, hands, teeth.” Perhaps the grandmother has some skin disease and needs bandages all over, except for the eyes and mouth. Leprosy?

4 ½. How can the wolf even blow that hard? Are wolves known for lung capacity?

4. Prince Charming has got to be able to recognize Cinderella in some other way than by her shoe size. For one thing, just how miniscule are her feet? Does she teeter about on points like
Barbie dolls do? Having a body part that is so different from every other human your age is sort of the definition of a freak. And yet the glass slipper and big-footed stepsisters are such fun components. Maybe Cinderella also develops a sudden skin disease so her feet really are the only way she can be recognized.

3. I don’t want the miller’s daughter in “Rumpelstiltskin” to end up married to the king. He’s a greedy guy who only wants her because she can spin straw into gold. How about she runs off before she has to marry him? And even before she spins any straw or meets Rumpelstiltskin. Except then there’d be no story. A problem.

2. Rapunzel’s hair is simply too long. It would totally get in the way, be absolutely disgusting because it would be crawling with dust bunnies and impossible to wash, and get yanked out of her head if anyone tried to climb up it. Unless, of course, the young man and witch were tiny. Perhaps we could mix together one of the miniscule only children stories with this. Then again, I’ve seen some illustrations for the story that involve special hooks and pulleys to fix the weight problem, but still…Must be magic.

1. Isn’t it icky that the prince kisses Snow White’s corpse? And how long has she lain there supposedly dead, but not rotting and without nourishment? The nourishment thing also causes problems with Sleeping Beauty. Must be magic.

You know, all the solutions I can come up with are so problematic that, in the end, maybe we should continue to say that it’s a magic thing and leave it all as it is.

*****

Giveaway!

Just fill out this rafflecopter form to enter! I haven't done much with rafflecopter, so if there are any problems, let me know. I'm sorry, but I can't afford international shipping so this is US only. The codes are for prizes that are only redeemable in the U.S. as well. :(

The first prize winner will get the ARC, and five runner-ups will receive special referral cards for Random Buzzers. These codes, if entered when signing up for a free account, will give each winner 20,000 'buzz bucks', enough for a free book of their choice. These 'buzz bucks' don't have to be used immediately, so if there isn't anything you want in the store you can wait for something new. I'll give more detailed instructions to the winners.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson

Strands of Bronze and Gold
by Jane Nickerson

Genre: YA Fantasy / Romance / Fairytale Re-telling / Horror

Ages: 14 and up

I received an ARC of this book from Random Buzzers as part of their Ambuzzador program in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Note: I shared an interview with the heroine, Sophie Petheram, here.

Description:

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 Thoughts:

This book is utterly bewitching. The author weaves a tapestry of magic and madness that is irresistible. Reading this book, I came to really admire her subtlety. Very little actually happens during the first third of the book, yet I was never bored and I kept getting this shivery sense of anticipation that something awful was drawing near.

The story starts with Sophie. She's a trusting girl, full of excitement about going to live with her mysterious godfather. When she first arrives, it is like she has entered a magical world full of delightful things. She's just a little spoiled, but in such an innocent, young way that you can't hold it against her. Sophie is also a girl of firm opinions, and even her godfather's best efforts can't get her to fully compromise her beliefs.

Into this sparkling house of wonder and beauty creep dark little shadows, slowly stripping away the glamour and leaving only unvarnished truth behind. And the truth is scary as heck. I mean, really. The story goes straight into the realm of horror, gluing your eyes to the page and removing any chance of sleeping when you're done. This book was amazing, but not for the faint of heart.

I would recommend this book for lovers of Gothic romance, horror and dark fairytales. If you're looking for an easy happily-ever-after, this is not the book for you.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
I give it a 1.10 for some swearing, though no actual swearwords were used.

Sexuality:
I give it a 4.10 for several references, an attempted rape and references to past rape.

Violence:
I rate it a 6.10 for murder, attempted rape and other scenes of assorted violence as well as some gruesomeness.

                             Lieder Madchen

Ambuzzador Interview with Sophia Petheram, heroine of Strands of Bronze and Gold

Hello!

Today I have a Q & A to share with you courtesy of Random Buzzers through their Ambuzzador program. Please say hello to Sophia Petheram, heroine of Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson!


An Interview with an Adventurous Young Lady

“The Girls’ Friendly Companion of New England” takes this opportunity to interview a young lady who is about to commence a considerable journey. Seventeen-year-old Miss Sophia Petheram, of Boston, is shortly to leave the bosom of her loving family to travel the great distance southward to Mississippi, a destination that many in the more long-settled regions of our great country consider “the back of beyond.”

Q. Miss Petheram, will you tell our gentle readers what causes you to launch on this undertaking?

SP: My dear father passed away during the spring, and so my godfather and guardian, Monsieur Bernard de Cressac—along with his wife, of course—has invited me to come live with them at their home. It’s a house with a name—isn’t that charming? Wyndriven Abbey. He wrote once that it was brought all the way across the ocean from England. In pieces, of course.

Q. And is your guardian well-known to you?

SP: Not in person. He only came to our home once when I was a mere babe, and of course I do not remember that meeting, and neither do my siblings. It makes him quite mysterious. My brother Harry calls him my fairy godfather, and plagues me by descriptions of M. de Cressac as an ogre with tusks of pure gold. Harry is a silly goose. But my father knew my guardian from long ago and says he is a distinguished gentleman. I do feel I know him, though, through his letters to me. Such lovely letters. Through the years he has written of his travels and explorations with great detail. He even penned fanciful little tales in which I was the heroine. And that he would take so much time for a motherless little girl, makes me believe he is a person composed of kindness itself. And then there’s the delightful gifts.

Q. Has he been generous with you? I believe he is internationally well-known as a successful man of business.

SP: Indeed he has. I cannot tell you how we all anticipated the arrival of his parcels. Sumptuous is the only word for them. There was a rocking horse with a mane of real horse hair—his name is Araby, since he is an Arabian steed. And a doll with a wardrobe fit for a princess—her name is Elodie, since she is French. Oh, I wish your readers could see her clothing! Glorious gowns in the height of style and underthings trimmed with the daintiest broderie anglaise. Tiny kid slippers and plumed bonnets. I still love them, even now when I am grown; there is something so enchanting about miniature things, isn’t there? I visit Araby and Elodie now and again in the attic. Of course when I was older the gifts were more appropriate for my age.

Q. Did he never send presents for your siblings?

SP: Well…no. But then he is not their godparent. They were not jealous. I do not think. I have always shared everything.

Q. Did you ever expect that the day would come when you would actually live with him and his wife?

SP: I suppose it has always been one of my fancies. For one thing, he has arranged for me to take riding and music lessons, and I have wondered if, perhaps, he were preparing me for at least an extended visit to his estate.

Q. The southern states of our country are very different from our own New England. Have you any trepidation?

SP: Of course. Some. I shall miss my family dreadfully. I have never been anywhere, so everything will be new to me. Also, my people have abolitionist leanings. I must worry about living in a region that does not share those views. However, mostly I am excited. My heart begins palpitating when I think of where I am about to go. I hear that Mississippi has a lush and beautiful landscape.

Q. You appear to be a modern young lady, most brave and adventurous. Thank you so much for your time. We wish you great good fortune.

SP: Thank you for speaking to me. I adore your periodical. Especially the serial stories. They provide such scope for imagination. I sometimes daydream that I am living in one of them. I hope I would be as brave as those heroines.

***

Thank you for coming! Stay tuned for my upcoming review of the novel as well as a giveaway! 

                                        Lieder Madchen

Jane Nickerson is on Random Buzzers!

Starting tomorrow, Jane Nickerson will be on Random Buzzers, answering questions. Make sure to go say hi and ask her about her book, Strands of Bronze and Gold. To pose your questions, go here.

 Lieder Madchen, Spring Ambuzzador for Strands of Bronze and Gold