Riven

Holy.... Wow.

I had no idea what to expect when I started this book, but I'm so glad I did.

Emily Alvey is trying so hard to be a typical 17 year old girl and raise her three siblings, but that's hard to do when your father is in prison and your mother is drugged up... 

One day she wakes up with runes burned into her arm. The hot lifeguard, Gabe, happens to notice them, but ignores it and takes an interest in Emily, even though she kicks him square in the face and proceeds to have a panic attack in his presence. 

That day the voices start back, the little girl and the stern older lady begin telling Emma how she should live her life. Could it be because her father is getting out of prison? Could it be because there's a new boy hanging around? Could it be because her mother is finally in a good mood instead of a drug induced coma? It's possible... But it's actually a combination of all of those. The voices started when she was a little girl. "Hannah" the child in her mind, wants to keep her innocence and believe in magic. But Margaret wants to protect their secrets. 

The First Realm was created by Emily in a fairytale she told her siblings. However, Emily can see the Fae and the Faeries. She can talk to the insects. She can cross between Realms. When she begins telling the story again, picking up exactly where they left off years earlier, she gets stuck in a trance and cannot break free even when her mother has overdosed. She believes her family has to fight the crimbal to save her mother and all the power she holds.

Aunt Nancy, Aunt Meg, and Uncle Ian intervene and start taking care of the siblings, but why? They don't like the family... While Emily and her siblings are in their care, Emily's vision start getting worse. Her trances are lasting longer. The voices are getting stronger. Another voice has emerged. But what do they want from her?! Nancy suggests listening to what the voices are trying to say...

Could that hurt Emily?

Could it all be in her head?

Mental disorders are growing in our society. We cannot turn a blind eye to the things that are happening all around us. Yes, it's scary to think about. But some people need our support and help. They don't understand what is happening to them. Fantasy becomes reality and that is accurately portrayed in Jane Alvey Harris's debut novel. I love that someone finally tackled this topic and even made it a teen novel!

If you or someone you know is experiencing something like this, get help. 

Mental and physical abuse happens daily.

Please utilize these resources if necessary.

Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453

Adult Survivors: www.ascasupport.org

A huge thank you to Jane Alvey Harris for sending me a copy of Riven through a Goodreads Giveaway!

Looking for the rest of the series?
Secret Keeper (My Myth #2)

Want to know more about the author?
Meet Jane Harris

Spotlight: Twisted

Check out this exclusive excerpt of Twisted by Hannah Jayne, courtesy of Sourcebooks Fire!!

"Miss?"

Bex Andrews surged forward, eyes pulled open wider than she ever thought they could be, heart hammering like a fire bell.

"I'm so sorry," the soothing voice continued. "I didn't mean to startle you. We're going to be landing in a few minutes, and I need you to put your tray table up."

"Oh." Bex looked at her hands, her knuckles white as she gripped the tray table in front of her, then back to the flight attendant. She felt the familiar heat of embarrassment singe across her cheeks. "Sure. I'm sorry."

The flight attendant straightened. "Thank you." Her smile was as bright as a Crest commercial and her hair swirled behind her as she continued up the aisle, reminding the other passengers that they were landing soon.

Bex's heart didn't stop its relentless thump. "Excuse me," she said, leaning forward in her seat. The flight attendant turned. "Mmm-hmm?"

"Do I have time to use the restroom?"

"Quickly."

Bex made her way down the narrow aisle, wobbling with the rocking of the plane. She glanced away as people looked up at her, letting out her breath only when she escaped into the tiny lavatory and slid the little lever to Occupied. Under the glaring, yellow light, Beth Anne Reimer hardly recognized herself.

Her once white-blond, shoulder-length hair was blunt cut to her ears, the curls gone so that her new sandy-brown hair and pixie cut framed her face, hugging her cheekbones and falling against her darkened eyebrows. Her long bangs hung into her hazel eyes, and several coats of mascara made her short lashes stand out. She was wearing an outfit that made her look like every other teenager in the free world: tight jeans faded at the knees and fraying at the ankles, flip-flops, and a white zip-up hoodie with a surfer print. Instinctively, she puller the hood over her head, and the fabric shaded her face and instantly darkened her cheekbones. Her bright eyes were suddenly small and menacing. She pushed the hood back. She was a new person, at the other side of her home state and about to start a new life. No way was she going to fade into her hoodie and let people think she was a serial killer just because her father was.

Not anymore.

That was Beth Anne Reimer. And she was Bex Andrews now.

***

Bex stared out the car's passenger-side window as the scenery zoomed by. She has never been to Kill Devil Hills, though she had seen postcards and TV shows set here, but what was whizzing by her- nondescript strip malls, Target shopping centers, and fast-food places- made her feel like the puddle-jumper flight from Raleigh, North Carolina, had landed her right back there. If it hadn't been for the woman in the driver's seat who was chatting happily about something Bex couldn't focus on, she would have wondered if this whole moving-across-the-state thing was just a big hoax.

"Does that sound good to you?"

The woman driving the Honda SUV smiled at Bed, her light-blue eyes sparkling even in the dim hint of twilight.

Bex felt her mouth drop open. "I'm sorry, what?"

Denise tucked a strand of deep-brown hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry, Bex. That's such a cool name, by the way. I'm probably just talking your ear off. We're just really happy to have you here. I know it can't be easy for you..."

The familiar lump started to form in the back of her throat and Bex shifted in the car seat, working the seat belt strap between her fingers. Her grandmother's face flashed in her mind, and the familiar smells of the house where Bex had lived since she was seven years old filled her nostrils- her grandmother's powdery, lavender smell; the sweet, cloying scent of night jasmine when it wafted through her bedroom curtains; the earthy smell of hot gross as she tromped barefoot through it.

But that was a world away in another life. Her grandmother had passed seven months ago and Bex's home had been sold. She'd been shifted into a "temporary care situation," which basically meant she was stuck in a cross between an orphanage and juvenile hall until a foster home willing to take her opened up.

And when one did, it was across the state in the Outer Banks with Denise and Michael Pierson, a couple in their early forties who only knew that Bex had lived with her grandmother.

They didn't know the truth.

They didn't know that Bex's own mother had disappeared when Bex was only five years old and still called her Beth Anne Reimer. They didn't know that Beth Anne was doted by a father who lavished her with costume jewelry and funky purses.

 They didn't know that all the gifts Beth Anne's father gave her had once belonged to women in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. Women who Beth Anne's father- dubbed the Wife Collector in the press-had murdered.

Allegedly. The word gnawed at Bex's periphery.

It was Beth Anne herself, a shy, moon-eyed seven-year-old, who had pointed a chubby finger at her own father when the police came to her house. Yes, she knew the pretty blond woman from the photograph, she had said to the police officer. The girl had been with them for two days before getting into the car with Beth Anne's daddy. No, she didn't know where they had gone. All she knew was that the blond lady never came back to the house, never came back for the nubby scarf she had wound around Beth Anne's neck, so Beth Anne had kept it for herself.

It was just a few days later that Beth Anne's daddy was locked in that police cruiser and shuttled down to the courthouse. The newspapers and local news station splashed headlines everywhere and that single word- allegedly- seemed to grow smaller, to fade into the enormous text around it.

Jackson Reimer, Alleged Wife Collector Murderer, Held in Local Jail.

I have also been provided an excerpt of The Revenge by Hannah Jayne!
Want to win a copy? 
Check out the link here!

Life on Planet Rock

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to party with Axl and Slash? 

What about Motley Crue? 

Can't forget about Skid Row!

Hangout with Motorhead for Lemmy's birthday?

Tour the world with Metallica?

Play golf with Alice Cooper?

Meet the remaining members of the Beatles?

Actually experience the Doors and all their mystical glory?

Get to know everything there is to know about Gene Simmons?

Be personally insulted by Kurt Cobain?

Discover bands like Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam?

Rock Europe with Jon Bon Jovi?

Tell Chuck Berry stories to Aerosmith?

 Be recognized by Linkin Park?

Lonn Friend did all this and more. Starting with dirty magazine Hustler, he began his journalistic journey. Lonn knew he was more than porn, which caused him to take a position at infamous RIP magazine. Rock journalism is an entirely different ball field, but he took it on and basked in the glory of it all. Lonn became a friend to rockstars all over the planet. He lived on Planet Rock for 20+ years, touring with legendary bands, partying with rockstars and groupies, getting the inside scoop on every important band, all while creating rock history for RIP. This man did so much for rock music, publicity was the key factor and he always brought the best photos, stories, info, and honesty to the magazine. They covered every popular rock band, and even some lesser knowns, all in for the love of music. I could not stop myself from looking up many of the songs mentioned in the book. I couldn't stop myself from looking up video after video of events mentioned. Plus, I didn't mind all of the music puns thrown in there (I think my mom and I were the only ones who truly appreciated that). 

I'm so glad I picked up this book and I hope all of you will too.

So thank you Lonn, for being a Friend.

Looking for other books on Kurt Cobain?
Heavier than Heaven
27
Who Killed Kurt Cobain?

Kurt Cobain: The Last Interview

Looking for other books on Nikki Sixx?
The Heroin Diaries

The First 21

Looking for other books on Tommy Lee?
Tommyland

Looking for other books on Jim Morrison?
27

First Look at Carve the Mark

Can I start by saying LOOK HOW GORGEOUS THIS COVER IS.

Okay, so Carve the Mark is the newest duology from Veronica Roth, otherwise known as author of the Divergent Trilogy. I was lucky enough to receive a first look (Chapter 7) of Carve the Mark! So far, it is 100% different from Divergent. This takes place in a very futuristic setting, setting the genre as teen fantasy. I'm not a huge fantasy fan, but I can see so much potential. 

What you need to know:

Carve the Mark is told from a female point of view.

Veronica has created new languages for the different cultures.

The characters have something called "currentgifts."

The oracle can see visions for the future, but the newest oracle supposedly cannot see these visions.

Ryzek, the POV's brother, wants to lead the Assembly.

Personally, I cannot wait to see what Veronica Roth has in store for us.

January 17, 2017 

carvethemarkbooks.com 

*CLOSED GIVEAWAY*

 

I am pleased to announce the second giveaway on A Reader's Diary!

Here's how it works:
Email your first and last name to jessicalynn1784@gmail.com

  I will pick one lucky reader to receive the copy of My Heart and Other Black Holes shown above! 

Another way to enter is by following areaders.diary on Instagram!

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Lucky winner:

Instagram user lottiesbookshelf!

Thanks to everyone for entering!
Follow A Reader's Diary for more giveaways and chances to win!

 If you haven't heard of this YA novel, check out my review: My Heart and Other Black Holes!

Tales of a Receding Hairline

Tales of a Receding Hairline is a collection of poems that show us the life of a guy that is truly down on his luck. This entire collection has a deep, deep south feel to it. While I was reading, I was imagining dive bars, trailer parks, the open plain, and the smell of moonshine. The old rock 'n' roll side definitely kicked in too! For someone who doesn't enjoy poetry, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. I kept imagining them as songs, not to mention they rolled right off of the tongue (highly recommend reading them out loud). But one band stuck in my mind when reading, Old Crow Medicine Show. Each poem would sound absolutely amazing if performed by them. K.W. Peery does an amazing job of incorporating his songwriting skills into his poetry. Some of my favorites included Born to Trouble, Darkness, and Drifter! 

Ball is in your court now Peery, we need another collection!

Special thanks to K.W. Peery for sending me a copy of Tales of a Receding Hairline via Goodreads Giveaways!

Rising from the Mire

Special thanks to author Christine Grace for setting up a Goodreads Giveaway, which allowed me to receive a copy of Rising from the Mire!

This collection of short stories caught my attention from the very first one. Leya's Serengeti begins with a woman who walks us through her past. Someone who was completely against having dogs, but after her children's first dog passed away she couldn't imagine life without one. This story leads into the second story, The Neighborhood. A block party where all but one set of neighbors get together with friends, family, and pets to learn more about each other. While those two stories are companions to each other, the others are not. A Sharp Mind, Infinite Compassion, The Indian Affair, and Across the Saraha Desert have a very different feel to them. These short stories made me feel like an outsider, while I was still part of the story I truly imagine myself as a bystander watching the story unfold...However, that may just be in introvert in me. The last story, The Presence, has me dying for more. I want to know Emma's background I want to know what Victoria's thinking. I want to know why Sydney sees what she can see. I want to know so much about these three characters that I need Christine Grace to expand this story and give me more!! If anyone knows where I can find a copy of Sydney's Skeletons, please let me know!

Tru & Nelle

Tru & Nelle will be THE book of 2016.

We get to explore the eccentric friendship of Truman Capote and Nelle Harper Lee in this wonderful book for children. In Monroeville, AL, a tomboy girl and an ever so proper boy become close friends when discovering their shared love for Sherlock Holmes and unsolved mysteries. These two outcasts, and cousin Big Boy, start their own detective agency in their treehouse headquarters. They grab a few crimes that are far too big for their little agency and find themselves in over their heads. They come face to face with some of the horrors in their little Alabama town. They even create a few horrors of their own. 

Throughout the whole novel you begin to see how Tru and Nelle worked together to become the writers they are known to be today. They challenge each other. They want the other to succeed as much as they want to themselves. G. Neri, the author, even hinted toward Truman's nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood. 

Whether you are young or old, you will love this book.

If you are a fan of Truman Capote, Harper Lee, or both, you will love this book.

If you live in Alabama or know any of the history, you will love this book.

Get your hands on a copy of Tru & Nelle, YOU WILL LOVE IT.

Looking for the rest of the series?
Tru & Nelle: A Christmas Tale (Tru & Nelle #2)

Looking for books by Truman Capote?
In Cold Blood
Other Voices, Other Rooms
The Grass Harp

Breakfast at Tiffany's

The Complete Stories of Truman Capote

Music for Chameleons

Answered Prayers

Looking for other books featuring Truman Capote and Harper Lee?
No Saints in Kansas