Thursday, March 31, 2016

March End of the Month Challenge Wrap-Up

Well, this month I got my Sunday Posts done, but I don't know if I did that well on my other Challenges.  I also joined a new challenge, the 2016 Discussion Challenge.  I got one post this month, Fiction is Fiction, and as my goal is 1-12 posts, I'd say I've already completed the minimum for that.  Also just by doing this post, I'm keeping up on this goal of doing end of the month posts.  And I'm 5 books ahead on my Goodreads goal, so I'm doing well this month!  So let's check out all my challenge results for the month.





Starting with the new challenge I'm hosting this year.  Unfortunately I didn't really do much towards what I'd planned.  If I change the guidelines like I've said I would, for people to even just try new to them authors, then I can say I got more done this month.  Really, there is only one that fits the original series guidelines HERE.
  • Taking Chances by Molly McAdams
  • If I count a new author towards this, then I have finally read a book by Wendy Higgins, and love it, The Great Hunt

I only got one book again this month, but that's okay since my goal is 11-20, as you can see on my sign up post HERE.  But the one that I did do was on my original sign up list.  I just finished it today, won't have the review up for a week or so though, so I'll link it to the Goodreads info.

This month I gave feedback on five books, bringing my Feedback ratio up to 70%.  My goal was to try to get back up the 80% ratio, or at least get a total of 10 done for the year, as I listed on the original post HERE.   So I am at least at 7 of the 10.  Three of the books I actually read, and the other two are ones that I couldn't finish, so I went ahead and left that as the feedback.  Here are the 5 books:


Well, let's go through what I did this month, you can check out the original post HERE
  • I'm still doing really well with not downloading tons of e-galleys.  It helps to just write them down in my calendar, and then I don't go to download them until it is closer to the time of publishing/when I'll be reading them.  I'm also trying to make sure I read the Netgalley ones first if I can, so I can work on the challenge I talked about above.
  • I still ended up posting almost every day again.  But I am trying hard to not sign up for tours unless they are books I know I'm going to read and really want to promote.  However I did skip one Sunday post, because I had several other things I wanted to post instead.
  • Still doing my best to comment on other blogs.  
  • Again, using this post monthly to keep up with my challenges.
  • I've had two reviews every week this month, although only one so far this week.  I'm planning another tomorrow!
  • Personal goals:  Still no money saved, but I have finally decided on what I'm going to do with my air conditioner.  I met my going to the gym and walking once a week goal, and got my reward of a tattoo, which you can see a picture of HERE.  I set a new goal of going to the gym and walking twice a week until the end of May, when summer break starts from school.  I think my reward for that will be buying a new pair of Nike tennis shoes for walking at the Nike Outlet store when my family goes to Branson over Memorial Day weekend for our annual trip.

I didn't really get anything for this goal this past month.  Unless the Maybe series by Colleen Hoover isn't going to have any more than the two books it already has.  And I kind of feel like it is, since there haven't been any more since 2014. 

For April this year, I'm not participating in the A to Z Challenge for a change.  It doesn't go with my goal of posting less.  I'm also really starting to feel like writing again.  I've decided that I am going to go back and finish the NaNo story from several years ago, but re-write it as a New Adult instead of just a straight contemporary romance.  Not sure when I'll find the time to write.  I'll probably just wait till this summer. 

So, how did your March go? 

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday: The Last Star (The 5th Wave #3) by Rick Yancey

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting.  I've picked the final book in a trilogy that I've really enjoyed so far.  I listened the 2nd book on audiotape a few months ago, and am really ready to find out how it will all end.  Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

We’re here, then we’re gone, and that was true before they came. That’s always been true. The Others didn’t invent death; they just perfected it. Gave death a face to put back in our face, because they knew that was the only way to crush us. It won’t end on any continent or ocean, no mountain or plain, jungle or desert. It will end where it began, where it had been from the beginning, on the battlefield of the last beating human heart.

Master storyteller Rick Yancey invokes triumph, loss, and unrelenting action as the fate of the planet is decided in the conclusion to this epic series.






So that's my book that I'm waiting on this week, I have a little less than 2 months to wait now!  What book are you eagerly awaiting this week?

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Promo Post and Giveaway: Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend by Alan Cumyn with Top 5 Pterodactyl/Human romantic pairings List


ABOUT HOT PTERODACTYL BOYFRIEND:
Sheils is very pleased with her perfectly controlled life (controlling others while she’s at it). She’s smart, powerful, the Student Body Chair, and she even has a loving boyfriend. What more could a girl ask for?

But everything changes when the first-ever interspecies transfer student, a pterodactyl named Pyke, enrolls at her school. There’s something about him—something primal—that causes the students to lose control whenever he’s around. Even Sheils, the seemingly perfect self-confident girl that she is, can’t keep her mind off of him, despite her doting boyfriend and despite the fact that Pyke immediately starts dating Jocelyn, the school’s fastest runner who Sheils has always discounted as a nobody.

Pyke, hugely popular in a school whose motto is to embrace differences, is asked to join a band, and when his band plays at the Autumn Whirl dance, his preternatural shrieking music sends everyone into a literal frenzy. No one can remember what happened the next day, but Shiels learns that she danced far too long with Pyke, her nose has turned purple, and she may have done something with her boyfriend that she shouldn’t have. Who’s in control now?

Hilarious and relatable (despite the dinosaur), Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend is about a teen who must come to terms with not being in control of all things at all times, break free of her mundane life, discover who her true self is, and, oh, finding out that going primal isn’t always a bad thing.

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | iBooks | The Book Depository


Top 5 Pterodactyl/Human romantic pairings (as chosen by the author):

“Pterodactyl” is the old-fashioned name for what is now commonly known as pterosaurs, flying reptiles from the dinosaur days. Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend posits a heartthrob pterodactyl coming to high school and disrupting the well-ordered love life of student body chair Shiels Krane, a highly-focused, A-type personality not known for taking wild risks. Here are some other intriguing pterosaur/human pairings. (For illustrations of these ancient beauties, please see freelance paleontologist Mark P. Witton’s quirky and informative volume PTEROSAURS):

Dimorphodon and Madonna: The Dimorphodons were among the earliest pterosaurs, fast runners, tenacious climbers, and innovative flyers. They also sported a range of teeth, evidence of an ability to adapt to the changing pop scene. Maybe in her next phase Madonna will get us all in touch with our lizard brains?
 




Hatzegopteryx and Taylor Swift: Known for height and wingspan, Hatzegopteryx might well catch the eye of pop giant Taylor Swift. Who wouldn’t want to fly to untold heights on the back of an elegant giraffe?
 




Anhangeura and Stephen Colbert: Colbert, who finished dead last in the Charleston to Bermuda sailing race, could do well to hook up with prodigious marine flyer Anhangeura, known for her narrow skull, broadening of the jaw, and impeccable sense of direction.
 




Tupandactylus imperator and Donald Trump: Stupendously large-crested, but not tall enough to overshadow The Donald, this showy creature would complement whatever headcovering the billionaire politician might want to display.
 




Nyctosaurus and Cate Blanchett: Whether soaring overhead with his elegant, two-pronged head crest, or gracing the red carpet with his sharp angles and quick wit, Nyctosaurus is one of the few creatures able to hold a candle to the luminous Blanchett.






  ABOUT ALAN CUMYN:
lan Cumyn is the author of twelve wide-ranging and often wildly different novels. A two-time winner of the Ottawa Book Award, he has also had work shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award, the Giller Prize, and the Trillium Award. He teaches through the Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a past Chair of The Writers’ Union of Canada. He lives in Ontario, Canada.

LINKS:

 Website 
 Twitter 
 Facebook   








 Giveaway:
  • 3 Finished Copies of HOT PTERODACTYL BOYFRIEND
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:
Week 1:
3/21: Swoony Boys Podcast - Character Interview
3/22: Part Time Book Nerd - Review
3/23: No BS Book Reviews - Hot Pterodactyl Makeup
3/24: Rachel's Boom Reviews - Review
3/25: Fiction Fare - Q and A

Week 2:
3/28: Katie's Book Blog - Review
3/29: Lisa Loves Literature - Top 10 (YOU ARE HERE)
3/30: Fangirl Confessions - Review
3/31: YA Bookmark - Playlist
4/1: Resch Reads and Reviews - Review

Monday, March 28, 2016

Audiobook Review: Taking Chances by Molly McAdams

This is a book that I decided to listen to when I was searching for new digital audiobooks on my library website while I waited for others to be available.  I'd heard a lot of good things about it, and it sounded like a really good story.  Overall it was a pretty good story, especially the first three-quarters of the book.  After that, well, it kind of got boring.  Really I guess that shows me that you have got to have some kind of turmoil or obstacle to keep the story interesting.  Although honestly, the majority of the people and relationships in the book were kind of good ones.  The kinds of relationships that I know I would have with my family, and would hope to have with any guy I really dated or ended up with.  And really, a story about my life would be pretty boring.  However, the first part kept me wanting to get back in the car and listen some more, or spend extra time at the gym so I could keep listening.  And even the end, when I was a little bored, knowing that there had to be at least one more conflict coming, even though I was kind of sure of what it would be, and I was right, that kept me reading.

The main character is a girl named Harper.  Harper was raised by a single dad, a very strict military dad.  So she has lived her whole life surrounded by Marines.  When she gets to college, things are going to change.  And she wants them to, that's one reason she chose to go to college so far away from her father.  She ends up with an awesome roommate, really, so awesome I was a bit worried and had flashbacks of Steph in the After series at first, I may be scarred because of that series.  Her roommate knows a "house" of guys, not sure if it is a fraternity?  One of the guys is her roommate's brother.  Since Harper is ready to kind of go crazy and get wild, she starts by going to a party at their house.  Most of the guys are really friendly, but there is this one guy, one of the hottest guys she's ever seen, who she sees with a different girl almost every time she sees him.  But he's kind of an arrogant ass to her at first.  Soon she finds out this is her roommate's brother, Chase.  Of course all the guys find out when her drunk roommate lets it slip that she is a virgin.  A virgin in every way, not even having ever been kissed.

While there is a definite attraction between Chase and Harper, she also meets another guy who lives in the house named Brandon.  She and Brandon also have an almost instant attraction, and hit it off right away.  Brandon seems to be extremely infatuated with her right away, and really is the perfect gentleman in all ways.  There is a bit of a competition/rivalry between Chase and Brandon, but Harper knows that she really likes Brandon.  So the romance between Brandon and Harper takes off.  Every once in awhile though, Chase sneaks into her thoughts and even tries to get her to show she is attracted to him as well.  One slip up between Chase and Harper leads to a major change and things between Harper and Brandon will come to a screeching halt, while she will have to look at how she really feels about Chase, and if he can be a good part of her life.  Later on the loss of one of the guys will lead us to find out just how perfect both of these guys are, when the one who is left is happy to be back in her life, no matter what happened before, and will accept her no matter what, because all they ever wanted is for her to be happy because they loved her.

Honestly, the guys were perfect, possibly a little too perfect.  But hey, after people criticizing so many dysfunctional relationships in books as being a bad example for younger readers, then maybe the guys in these books that are so perfect and loving and would never hurt Harper are the ones they should read about?  The "real" and "modern" Prince Charmings?  I'm not complaining.  When I like to kind of sit and fantasize in my head, on long road trips, boring meetings, whatever, I often prefer to have the guys be this perfect in those stories.  And maybe after the crazy back and forth, up and down relationship between Tessa and Hardin in the After series, this was a little bit of a break.  I do have to warn that if you didn't already get it from my review, there is a love triangle, and actually even a 3rd guy in there at one point, does that make a love square?

I would say this is a sweet read, maybe a tad bit boring towards the end, and the perfect guys definitely a bit unbelievable, but if you can overlook that, and can at least enjoy the boring parts for being more like every day life could be, then you might enjoy this book.

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Sunday Post #52 and Stacking the Shelves March 27th, 2016

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted  @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme. I didn't get this done last week, so I'll include those as well.
Last two weeks on the blog:
I got a lot of reviews done the past two weeks, met my goal of 2 reviews a week by getting 3 each week!  However, I am now in the spot that I hear many other bloggers talk about, one I've not been in any other time, my reviews are not being done as soon as I finish the book, like they used to always be.  I now have the last book that I finished yesterday that will not be reviewed until April 4th.  I need to go ahead and start getting those done when I finish the book instead of waiting. During my spring break I got to meet Cassandra Clare for the first time, and also talk to Sarah Rees Brennan again.  I also decided to join into the Discussion Challenge.  I've had a few things about books that I get tired of people criticizing or making a big deal of, and so I started with my first post this past week, Fiction is Fiction, the link is above if you want to go check it out!  My spring break goal of reading one book a day, for at least five of those days was kind of met.  Now, two weeks ago though, I met my goal of getting to the gym and walking 3 miles once a week up until my spring break.  My reward for that was to get a tattoo, and so I got the infinity symbol that is part of the After series by Anna Todd.  Here is a picture of that:




This week on the blog:

  • Reviews:  Taking Chances by Molly McAdams, Summer of Firsts by Chen Yan Chang, Flawed by Cecelia Ahern
  • Promo Tour:  Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend by Alan Cumyn
  • Waiting on Wednesday
  • End of March Challenge Wrap-Up
 I have a new goal for the gym, going twice a week until my summer break starts.  My reward isn't quite as cool as the tattoo this time, but I will let myself buy a new pair of Nike tennis shoes for walking when I'm down in Branson over Memorial Day weekend, at the Nike outlet.  And I will buy those along with my usual yearly purchase of a Coach purse at their outlet store in Branson.  I got one gift sent to my OTSP Secret Sister for March, but am planning a little bigger gift for April, using part of my March money limit for something a little bigger.  

 Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  It is a way for us to share the new books we have collected.  Still keep adding to the shelves!  But I did get a couple this week in the mail that I'm not sure why I got them.  I don't remember entering contests for them, so it's kinda weird.


Physical books:








I won the first book, an ARC of Ruined.  The 2nd book is one that I emailed the publisher and begged for a copy of it, it sounds so cute!  The third one is a book I know I've seen around, but don't know quite how I got it?  I can't remember if I signed up for it through Shelf Awareness, or if I won it.  Ooops.  The next two are books I purchased.  Stray Hearts is two books together by Jill Shalvis and I found it at the Dollar Tree, for $1, so I grabbed it.  The Drawing In of Breath is a self-published poetry book by some students at my school.  And the last book, one that I've read, but don't own, and my awesome OTSP Secret Sister sent it to me!  So excited to now own it!



I honestly have no idea why I got these kids books in the mail.  I guess I will pass them on to some elementary librarians in my school district if they want them.

Ebooks:






The first two are e-novellas, for a series that I had meant to get started on this month, but didn't.  Maybe next month.  Both were free, although The Mirror and the Maze won't be available till May.  The bottom two both cost, I rarely buy ebooks, but they were deals, and I had a $5 Amazon gift card to spend, so I used it for those.  

So those are the things I added to my shelves this week.  What did you add to your shelves?

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Review: Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan

Well, first I was lucky enough to get an egalley of this on Netgalley from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group. Then, I found someone willing to do a book trade for this.  I wanted a physical copy because I found out that the author was going to be in town with Cassandra Clare a couple weeks ago.  So that was awesome, and actually what I read. But even cooler, was the fact that for the book tour, they went ahead and brought the published copies of this book to sell to those who attended the event.  Here it is:





I still just read my ARC, and I am keeping my ARC, I had it signed to me. The finished copy that I bought I immediately donated to the school library where I work.  It was so much fun listening to Sarah Rees Brennan ask Cassandra Clare the audience's questions.  I've seen Brennan in action before, back at the RT Convention when it was in Kansas City.  So I knew everyone there was in for a hilarious time.  One of the thing the two authors talked about was how Brennan laughs as she is writing parts that will make her readers cry. And I have to say that she must have been dying laughing as she wrote the end of this book, because I was crying a lot!  As with all of Brennan's books so far, I loved this one.  It started out a tiny bit slow, but in no time, it picked right up and there were the types of characters that I love so much from this author, as well as a very interesting new world that she had created.  The title is awesome, and it was neat to realize it is a quote from a Charles Dickens book, A Tale of Two Cities, which is fitting, because it has definite characteristics that make it a similar story.

The main character is a girl named Lucie.  Lucie is really from the Dark city, the Dark New York, but because of how she went about saving her father from a horrible punishment, she and her father were brought to the Light New York, back to where he came from before he met her mother in the dark city.  The notoriety Lucie got from this whole thing ensured that she was able to go to one of the best schools in town as well.  It was there that she met Ethan Stryker, son of the most powerful men in Light New York.  Ethan isn't like his father and uncle, he is very sweet, and not as much into all the politics.  When we first meet these two, they are coming back to the city on a train from a vacation.  Somewhere along the way, during the night, Ethan is ripped out of the train by Light Guards who are calling him a traitor. Saying they have proof, an eye witness.  Lucie tries to get the guards to back off by telling them just who he is.  But the guards already know who he is, that is why they stopped the train and pulled him off.  Before they can kill him, the punishment for his crime, another person steps off the train, a person who is basically Ethan's twin.

In this future world, there are doppelgangers.  These are created by magic, dark magic, in order to save the life of the person they are the exact copy of.  But the doppelgangers are supposedly not good, they seem to have lots of dark magic, supposedly they have all the dark in them that has been taken away from the original to save the original.  The person who stepped off the train to save Ethan is a boy named Carwyn.  Seeing Carwyn, and knowing that they now don't know for sure who is the person that was being traitorous, the guards let both of the boys back on the train, to go back to the city.

Lucie feels such a level of gratitude to Carwyn.  But Carwyn is who he is because of his life, where he's lived, knowing what he knew about his mother and family, the family who left him in the Dark city.  While all of Ethan's family wants him gone.  If anyone sees him it would get out that his father created a doppelganger, something that is very frowned upon.  So first the guards who tried to arrest Ethan disappear.  While the Strykers want Carwyn to disappear, Lucie tries to be nice and show him she is grateful. But in her effort, she gives him a chance to feel normal for a while, by taking off the collar that all doppelgangers are required to wear. The only thing that really identifies him.   Around this time, so many things begin to happen.  Lucie must keep up her front, of who she is, and how she can take care of her dad.  Her dad was almost broken in the cage they used for punishment on him.  But all these things they've begun to feel can be their new normal take a turn for the worse when Carwyn disappears, and people start dying. 

I really loved the two worlds.  I would even love to know more about them.  I would love to go back into the earlier world where Lucie's parents were.  Or learn more about what will happen after the end of the book.  I feel like this is probably a standalone book, and it does end satisfactorily for that.  But the wonderful characters, and the rich world building, made it a story I wanted to keep myself lost in as long as I could. 

The night of the author presentation and signing, they wouldn't let us take our own pictures with the authors, we had to just look for the pictures the professional photographer took.  This really disappointed me with Cassandra Clare, as it was my first time meeting her. And the whole lining up and signature part of the event was very disappointing to me.  Probably because it wasn't my first one of those, and I know how they usually go.  I've even been to ones with either just the library where it took place, and it went find there.  I've been to some with the bookstore that was also a part of the event, and those have been fine as well.  So I don't know just how everything got to be so messed up.  I do have to say there were some people/fans in line that didn't seem to know how to act either, and when the person working in line was being really slow about putting the post its with my name inside my books, the people behind me tried to go around me.  It was very irritating.  I didn't need the post its, the woman was being a pain, I already had the ones I needed, and I had the books arranged by what author they were for. And she wanted me to put all of the books together instead.  Of course once I got up to the front of the line, the way she'd had it was wrong, just like I knew.  Oh well, it was still great to listen to the authors, and get to talk to them for a minute in the line.  Here is my picture as I got to talk to Sarah Rees Brennan.  I'm in the background, you can barely see me.  :-( 


Friday, March 25, 2016

Promo Post and Giveaway - The Enaya: Solace of Time by Justin C. Trout


Book Details:
Enaya: Solace of Time by Justin C. Trout
Publication date: December 14th 2015
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:
Nile Whitman thought he had withstood the test of Time, but when he discovers an ancient artifact known as Enaya, his life will change forever.

Enaya, a powerful and magical stone, alters time by bringing a futuristic city into Nile’s time period. The leader of this city, Norcross Kenneth, falls in love with Nile’s world and the magic within it, and he will stop at nothing until both their worlds are united. After Nile’s kingdom is destroyed by this new unknown force, he sets out on an adventure to send the future back into their dimension.

It’s not just this new threat that opposes Nile; the Lucian Empire has risen, and the Snake Queen wants Nile all to herself. When Nile forms a resistance with an unlikely band of heroes, he is forced to come to terms with his past and with the decisions that will affect his future.

Nile will have to embrace who he is if he is going to protect the people he loves, and in doing so, he will have to depend on Enaya, the element of time.


Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28217939-enaya?ac=1&from_search=1

Purchase:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Enaya-Solace-Justin-C-Trout-ebook/dp/B018Y9R1SM

AUTHOR BIO:
Justin C. Trout was born in Richlands, V.A. Justin spent a majority of his childhood writing stories. When he was in kindergarten, he shared his first “dinosaur” story with his classmates. With a passion to draw and share his stories, Justin began writing novels when he was only 12 years old. It was at this age that the Enaya series was born. He wrote a majority of the first drafts while he attended Lebanon High School. As he got older, Justin worked several odd jobs such as fast food, cashier, work study and retail. Justin decided to go back to college to obtain his degree where he could work in the mental health profession. It was in college when he decided to pursue publishing. Obtaining a master’s in education with specialization in counseling from Lindsey Wilson College, Justin is a children’s therapeutic day treatment counselor and an avid writer. He has also appeared in a number of short films and recently wrote and directed his first indie film, Fade Out. Enaya: Solace of Time is book 1 in an 8 part series.

Author links:
http://justinctrout.com/index.html
https://www.facebook.com/Justin-C-Trout-192489244420289/
https://twitter.com/JustinCTrout99

Excerpt:
     Nile had a sense of floating. He looked to his side and saw Leo’s feet. He realized then that Leo was upside down, hanging in the blue haze that surrounded them. Woodlands had disappeared, and Nile suspected it was somewhere far below them, hidden beyond the blue mist and, somehow, they were flying high in the sky. He expected a sense of fear, but instead was amazed at the calm that overwhelmed him. He felt a tug on his ankle and looked down at Leo, who was moving his mouth but making no sound. Above him, a pinhole size of yellow grew swiftly in the distance. A sudden gust of air took his breath away, and he felt for a moment that he had been punched in the gut. The yellow spread out in all directions, swallowing the pleasant blue haze and, quicker than the blue flash that had ignited the voyage, their trip came to an abrupt halt as the bubble they were in seemed to spit them to the ground. The hard surface met them with a violent impact. Nile tried in vain to stop his uncontrolled roll. They came to rest together.
     “I said to turn me back on my feet!” Leo said, rubbing the back of his head.
     “What?”
     “When I was tuggin’ on your ankle and you were lookin’ over at me, I said to turn me back on my feet.”
     Nile’s eyes widened as he looked past Leo, climbing to his feet.
     “You have got to stop ignorin’ me," Leo said as he stood. “Did you hear me, Nile?”
     Nile remained silent, gazing past Leo into the sky. “What kingdom is this?” Nile asked. His voice cracked with fear.
     Leo spun around. He joined Nile’s awe at the sight before them.
     Towers stretched into the clouds. Signs displayed over the streets read what each shop harbored, and the sight of moving humanoids became clear. Loud metallic noises roared through the kingdom, and a contraption above them quickly slithered toward them on a sort of track. Smoke rose from several of the towers.
     “So many castles and so very high,” Nile said.
     “It . . . it’s a kingdom of giants,” Leo spat out.
     Out in the distance, from the towering architectures, a giant bird came into view. It was shiny, with blue waves imprinted on the black metal. Nile gulped nervously and grabbed Leo’s arm.
     “Dragons” he muttered.
     The dragon turned toward them, slowly hovering their way. Nile’s heart raced faster as the fear became hard to control. His knees buckled and he cowered behind Leo.
      The dragon didn’t move as quickly as Nile had heard, but a dragon was a dragon, and whether it was slow or fast, he didn’t want to find out. It landed near a building and the side of it opened. People began to scurry out of it.
     “What?” Nile asked, stepping closer to it, confused as to what it actually was.
     “Do you think it will kill us?” Leo asked.
     “No, look!” Nile said, pointing.
     From in-between two buildings, Nile could see figures passing by on the street.
     “What a relief, we’re the same size,” Leo said, and started toward them.
     Nile grabbed Leo’s arm. “Wait! The same size doesn’t mean they are the same, Leo. We have to be careful. This isn’t Woodlands.”
     “But we have to be near it. We were only—”
     “I don’t think we are anywhere near Woodlands,” Nile responded. “Follow me. And please keep quiet.”
      They passed under a sign that read “Della’s Bakery.” Nile looked through the window to see joyous consumers sampling baked bread. Nile was reminded of the baked goods in Woodlands. Leo bumped into him and licked his lips, hungry for the different loaves of bread that were displayed beyond the glass.
     Nile turned around and noticed that people were crowding over them. Several of them were laughing and applauding. Nile was bewildered, and he discreetly reached for Leo’s arm to get his attention. Leo slowly turned around and together they gazed into the crowd of villagers in this strange, new world.
     “They’re dressed odd,” Leo whispered to Nile.
     Nile noticed that they wore tighter clothes and held small devices in their hands. Some of them seemed to be talking through the square object. Most of the shirts had wild designs or several buttons vertically in the center. Some of them wore long coats, short coats, and others had shirts without sleeves. 
 

Giveaway:
Tour-wide giveaway
  • 2 signed copies of Enaya: Solace of Time (US/CAN)
  • 2 ebook copies of Enaya: Solace of Time (INTL)
  • 2 posters of the book cover (INTL)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the rest of the tour HERE.