First Line Friday + Spotlight - Reclaiming Shilo Snow

Happy Friday!

I received this book this week from the publishers. It was like Christmas when I opened the package. I was left with such conflicting emotions at the end of The Evaporation of Sofi Snow (you can find my review here) that I have been dying to get my hands on a copy of Reclaiming Shilo Snow. Mary Weber is an incredible author and has such vivid stories, that you can't help but be swept away into a different world. Here is the first line and don't forget to start with book 1, The Evaporation of Sofi Snow...

Happy Reading!

Today’s first line is from...

Reclaiming Shilo Snow
Mary Weber

The Taking
Four years to the day after the alien planet arrived above earth, Sofi's papa had collapsed on the rickety front porch of their buttermilk-yellow farmhouse.
GOODREADS | AMAZON

About the Book

Trapped on the ice-planet of Delon, gamer girl Sofi and Ambassador Miguel have discovered that nothing is what it seems, including their friends. On a quest to rescue her brother, Shilo, a boy everyone believes is dead, they must now escape and warn Earth of Delon’s designs on humanity. Except the more they unearth of the planet and Sofi’s past, the more they feel themselves unravelling, as each new revelation has Sofi questioning the very existence of reality.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Sofi’s mom, Inola, is battling a different kind of unravelling: a political one that could cost lives, positions, and a barely-rebuilt society, should they discover the deal made with the Delonese.

But there’s a secret deeper than all that. One locked away inside Sofi and ticking away with the beginnings, endings, and answers to everything. Including how to save humanity.

About the Author

Mary Weber is a ridiculously uncoordinated girl plotting to take over make-believe worlds through books, handstands, and imaginary throwing knives. In her spare time, she feeds unicorns, sings 80’s hairband songs to her three muggle children, and ogles her husband who looks strikingly like Wolverine. They live in California, which is perfect for stalking L.A. bands, Joss Whedon, and the ocean.

 website ⎸ facebook ⎸twitter ⎸instagram

Head over to Hoarding Books to link up with your own FLF post! (Please keep it family 

friendly...Or note otherwise in the link up)

First Line Friday - Siren's Song

Happy Friday!

This week we are celebrating St. Patrick's Day! While this book is not Irish....the cover is quite beautiful! And green...so...that's all that really matters right? Haha! This is book 3 in the Storm Siren Series by Mary Weber. And let me tell you...FANTASTIC!

Happy Reading!

Today’s first line is from...

Siren's Song
Mary Weber

I pull harder on the air currents while starring at the broad-shouldered black man beside me.

GOODREADS | AMAZON
MY REVIEW

Head over to Hoarding Books to link up with your own FLF post! (Please keep it family 
friendly...Or note otherwise in the link up)

Siren's Fury - The Storm Siren Trilogy Bool 2 - Mary Weber

My Rating

★★★★ - You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. (More Info)

About the Book

"I thrust my hand toward the sky as my voice begs the Elemental inside me to waken and rise. But it's no use. The curse I've spent my entire life abhorring—the thing I trained so hard to control—no longer exists."

Nym has saved Faelen only to discover that Draewulf stole everything she valued. Now he’s destroyed her Elemental storm-summoning ability as well.

When Nym sneaks off with a host of delegates to Bron, Lord Myles offers her the chance for a new kind of power and the whispered hope that it may do more than simply defeat the monster she loathes. But the secrets the Bron people have kept concealed, along with the horrors Draewulf has developed,may require more than simply harnessing a darker ability.

They may require who she is.

Set against the stark metallic backdrop of the Bron kingdom, Nym is faced with the chance to change the future. 

Or was that Draewulf’s plan for her all along? (from Goodreads)

My Thoughts

**Please note that this is the second book in The Storm Siren Series. While I always strive to keep my reviews spoiler-FREE, if you have not read the first book, you MAY encounter unknown information in this review**

Mary Weber's unique world is completely incredible. Rich with colorful descriptions and details, I feel like this is a real place I would read about in my history books. Granted...the magical elements kind of give it away as being fiction.

One thing that I have come to appreciate in Young Adult Fiction is the use of symbolism. Reminds me a lot of Ted Dekker's circle trilogy. The evil and darkness vs. The good and pure. The struggle that can occur when we open ourselves to the darkness...And the power that it can have over us IF WE LET IT!  Ahh! SO GOOD!!!! And this story just keeps getting more and more intense. This book has a much more steam punk feel to it vs the first book. Different country, different culture, different feel. I LOVE IT!

I do enjoy a book series that continues the story line because it gives the author a chance to develop the characters and thicken the plot. And also makes me glad that I usually wait till these books are all released before I dive into them...So I can, you know...BINGE READ!!!

As Nym continues on her journey of harnessing her powers and stopping a war before it starts...We meet a few new characters and a few old ones tag along. Forget everything you think you know.......And be prepared to be enchanted by this tale of good vs. evil. Make sure you have book 3 ready to go before you start this one...TRUST ME...You are going to want to keep reading.

I found Siren's Fury at my local library. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

About the Author

Mary Weber is a ridiculously uncoordinated girl plotting to take over make-believe worlds through books, handstands, and imaginary throwing knives. In her spare time, she feeds unicorns, sings 80’s hairband songs to her three muggle children, and ogles her husband who looks strikingly like Wolverine. They live in California, which is perfect for stalking L.A. bands, Joss Whedon, and the ocean.

 website ⎸ facebook ⎸twitter ⎸instagram

More Books by Mary Weber on Bookworm Mama

 

Many thanks to Canva for providing an AMAZING program for me to design all these beautiful graphics. Book covers, publisher/tour logos, and author pictures not owned by me. All other graphics created by Bookworm Mama with public domain photos on Canva unless stated otherwise. 

Storm Siren - Book 1 - Mary Weber

My Rating

★★★★★ - You have bewitched me, body and soul. (More Info)

About the Book

In a world at war, a slave girl’s lethal curse could become one kingdom’s weapon of salvation. If the curse—and the girl—can be controlled.

As a slave in the war-weary kingdom of Faelen, seventeen-year-old Nym isn’t merely devoid of rights, her Elemental kind are only born male and always killed at birth — meaning, she shouldn’t even exist.

Standing on the auction block beneath smoke-drenched mountains, Nym faces her fifteenth sell. But when her hood is removed and her storm-summoning killing curse revealed, Nym is snatched up by a court advisor and given a choice: be trained as the weapon Faelen needs to win the war, or be killed.

Choosing the former, Nym is unleashed into a world of politics, bizarre parties, and rumors of an evil more sinister than she’s being prepared to fight . . . not to mention the handsome trainer whose dark secrets lie behind a mysterious ability to calm every lightning strike she summons.

But what if she doesn’t want to be the weapon they’ve all been waiting for?

Set in a beautifully eclectic world of suspicion, super abilities, and monsters, Storm Siren is a story of power. And whoever controls that power will win.

My Thoughts

Be prepared for a tale full of twists and turns that will knock you off your feet and steal the very breath from your lungs. Infused with the powers of the Elementals Storm Siren has everything a YA Fantasy novel should posses. 

Epic battles, devastating loss, search for purpose, simmering romance, bad guys that are the most vicious sort of people and good guys that will sacrifice everything for the good of the people. Nym has totally swept me into her world and I am looking forward to reading the next books in the series (which I was SMART this time around and placed all three books on hold at the same time at my library*).

While the elements of faith are not blatantly in your face. I do recognize the threads weaving through the story. The constant battle between good and evil, the enemy being a deceiver, the good sacrificing everything. But maybe most importantly is seeing what is inside ourselves...and recognizing it for the GIFT it is rather than a curse. 

If you enjoy Young Adult Fantasy with clean content and decent morals, you should definitely check this series out! Stay tuned for my thoughts on the remainder of the series.

*My regular readers will remember the numerous times I start a series and have to wait an excruciatingly long time to read the next book (you know, like a week) because I was being "unsmart" and didn't place the books on hold at the same time.

I borrowed a copy of Storm Siren from my local library. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

About the Author

Mary Weber is a ridiculously uncoordinated girl plotting to take over make-believe worlds through books, handstands, and imaginary throwing knives. In her spare time, she feeds unicorns, sings 80’s hairband songs to her three muggle children, and ogles her husband who looks strikingly like Wolverine. They live in California, which is perfect for stalking L.A. bands, Joss Whedon, and the ocean.

 website ⎸ facebook ⎸twitter ⎸instagram

Many thanks to Canva for providing an AMAZING program for me to design all these beautiful graphics. Book covers, publisher/tour logos, and author pictures not owned by me. All other graphics created by Bookworm Mama with public domain photos on Canva unless stated otherwise. 

First Line Friday - Siren's Song

Happy Friday!

Summer is here in full force! Thankfully the husband decided we needed a pool this summer! So we got a decent sized above ground and it has been LOVELY! In other news...Do you remember that kitchen project I started the beginning of April? Well, we finally finished (the first round of) painting! We still have to do the clear coat to seal it. But here is what it looks like:

Yay for progress! Now...my first line this week is one of the books that I recently read. Siren's Song recently made the shortlist in the category of Literature for Young Adults for the INSPYs. I truly enjoyed this series! I will be posting my reviews for each of these books soon.

I pull harder on the air currents while staring at the broad-shouldered black man beside me.

Now it's your turn! Post your first line below and blog hop and join in more First Line fun!

A Baker's Perspective // All the Book Blog Names are Taken // Bibliophile Reviews //

C Jane Read // Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen // Faithfully Bookish // 

Fiction Aficionado // Joy of Reading // Kathleen Denly // Lauraine's Notes //  

Molly's Cafinated-Reads // Moments Dipped in Ink // Radiant Light // 

Reading is my SuperPower // Robin's Nest // Romances of the Cross // Singing Librarian // With a Joyful Noise

If you would like to host First Line Fridays on your blog, contact Carrie on Reading is my SuperPower.

The Evaporation of Sofi Snow (GIVEAWAY) - Mary Weber

Welcome to the: Thomas Nelson's Young Adult Summer of 2017 Feature with

 

About the Book

Title:  The Evaporation of Sofi Snow

Series: The Evaporation of Sofi Snow, Book 1

Author:  Mary Weber

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date:  June 6, 2017

Genre: Young Adult Fiction / Sci-Fi

For fans of Ender’s Game and Blade Runner comes a story of video gaming, blood, and power.

Ever since the Delonese ice-planet arrived eleven years ago, Sofi’s dreams have been vivid. Alien. In a system where Earth’s corporations rule in place of governments and the humanoid race orbiting the moon are allies, her only constant has been her younger brother, Shilo. As an online gamer, Sofi battles behind the scenes of Earth’s Fantasy Fighting arena where Shilo is forced to compete in a mix of real and virtual blood sport. But when a bomb takes out a quarter of the arena, Sofi’s the only one who believes Shilo survived. She has dreams of him. And she’s convinced he’s been taken to the ice-planet.

Except no one but ambassadors are allowed there.

For Miguel—Earth’s charming young playboy—the games are of a different sort. As Ambassador to the Delonese, his career has been built on trading secrets and seduction. Until the Fantasy Fight’s bomb goes off. Now the tables have turned and he’s a target for blackmail. The game is simple: Help the blackmailers, or lose more than anyone can fathom, or Earth can afford.

From the award-winning author of the Storm Siren Trilogy, step into a diverse cast of characters spanning from the electric metropolises of earth to the chilling alien planet above, in a story of re-finding yourself in the midst of losing the one thing you love. Before it all evaporates.

Purchase Options

Amazon
Goodreads
Book Depository
Indiebound
Itunes
CBD

My Thoughts

Talk about a book hangover! I have spent the last few days trying to sort through all the emotions and feelings this book evoked in me. 

Sofi Snow is a young woman with a lot of confusion about her self worth. She has had her fair share of rejection in life. Miguel had been satisfied with his life...that is until he met Sofi. As their lives get thrown into a web of lies, deceit, blackmail, and hidden agendas. Will Sofi and Miguel be able to push their past aside and work together for the future of Earth and all of its inhabitants? 

There is SO MUCH that happens in this book. It started off fast paced and ended with a major cliff hanger in the middle of a VERY INTENSE scene. (We do get a little breather from all the action in the middle of the book.) Between Sofi's struggle to find herself, Miguel's determination to be a "new man", and the whole mess with Shiloh...My brain was on overload. There were a few aspects to the story that still sit uneasy with me regarding Sofi and Miguel's past. I do think the situation calls for the background our characters have and I am curious to see how Mary Weber addresses this and where she takes them in the next book. 

One of the main themes in this story is Human Trafficking. I commend Mary for addressing the very real and very serious issue that has been swept under the rug for too long. To hear her heart, you will want to read this book! I look forward to reading more from Mary and finding out how Sofi's story ends.

I received a complimentary copy of The Evaporation of Sofi Snow from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
The copy of the book I read is an ARC. All quotes taken from this edition, not the final copy.
Thank you to Just Commonly for hosting this fabulous Blog Tour!

About the Author

Mary Weber is a ridiculously uncoordinated girl plotting to take over make-believe worlds through books, handstands, and imaginary throwing knives. In her spare time, she feeds unicorns, sings 80’s hairband songs to her three muggle children, and ogles her husband who looks strikingly like Wolverine. They live in California, which is perfect for stalking L.A. bands, Joss Whedon, and the ocean.

 website ⎸ facebook ⎸twitter ⎸instagram

Tour Schedule

5/15 - Reading is My SuperPower (review)

5/16 - Thorn & Vine (review) & A Baker's Perspective (review)

5/17 - My So Called Chaos (review) & Between the Pages of This Bookish Life (Spotlight)

5/18 - Bibliophile Reviews (Review),  Singing Librarian Books (Spotlight) & Thinking Thoughts (Spotlight)

5/19 - Bookworm Mama (review) & YA Book Divas (Spotlight & Excerpt)

5/20 - Just Commonly (review)

Giveaway

(3) Winners will each win a finished hard copy of The Evaporation of Sofi Snow by Mary Weber, courtesy of Thomas Nelson Publishers. Giveaway ends on May 26, 2017, 11:59 PM EST.

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