Readers' Favorite

August 1, 2015

"Full of twists" ~ Follow You Home by Mark Edwards

 cover Follow You Home
It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime, a final adventure before settling down.

After a perfect start, Daniel and Laura’s travels end abruptly when they are thrown off a night train in the middle of nowhere. To find their way back to civilisation, they must hike along the tracks through a forest…a haunting journey that ends in unimaginable terror.

Back in London, Daniel and Laura vow never to talk about what they saw that night. But as they try to fit back into their old lives, it becomes clear that their nightmare is just beginning…

Follow You Home is a chilling tale of secrets, lies and deadly consequences from the author of #1 bestsellers The Magpies and Because She Loves Me.





"Great thriller with lots of surprises" ~ DASchultz



"very intense" ~ Rosebud



"Intense Stephen King-like..." ~ Judith D. Collins





Buy Follow You Home at Amazon

Cover and description from Goodreads.com. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.

July 31, 2015

Review: The Hitwoman's Act of Contrition by @JB_Lynn_author

by Donna Huber


Cover: The Hitwoman's Act of Contrition

Friday 56


My friend beamed her approval. "You might need this, but I'm not sure since you seem to have a lot angels around you."
"Angels? I asked, thinking of the man who'd changed my tire.
Ignoring me, she picked up her oversized purse and began rummaging in it. After a long moment, she triumphantly whipped something gout. "Here you go."
I stared at her offering, a slightly tarnished teaspon.
She waved it at me indicating I should take it.
Grabbing the handle, I murmured, "Ummm, thanks?"
"You're going to need it," she assured me. 56%



The Review

"You know it's going to be a bad day when a nun is giving you the evil eye."

So begins another adventure with Maggie Lee, the slightly neurotic hitwoman.

All summer I kept searching for something fun and fluffy to read. It was becoming quite the unfulfilled craving and I was getting frustrated. I remember thinking I wanted something like JB Lynn's hitwoman books. So when the 10th book in the Hitwoman series hit the shelves I gobbled it up - almost reading the entire book in one sitting.

The Hitwoman's Act of Contrition was a delightful read that would make the perfect poolside reading entertainment.

Maggie's life is crazy as usual but with the quickly approaching time of bringing her niece Katie home to care for, Maggie is almost at the end of her rope. Decisions and changes must be made. Her insane mother isn't helping any and the attack may be the last straw for Maggie's frayed nerves. So her aunt signs her up for a retreat because that's what Maggie needs - rest, relaxation, and some pampering. Unfortunately it was the flaky twin that set up this vacation. But it did have the right location - on the estate of her next hit. Speaking of location, is Maggie really leaving Insuring the Future and going to become a real estate agent? That should provide for some fun times.

If you haven't started the series yet, don't be scared away by this being the 10th book in the series (you can read this book on its own). All the books in the series are quick reads filled with laughter and tears as Maggie bumbles through life collecting a myriad of pets and people that she would kill for.

I love this conversation with Aunt Susan,
"In fact, I'm bringing a new friend home."
"How many legs does it have?" Susan asked suspiciously.
Mortified that Gladys had heard that, I felt my cheeks begin to burn. "She has two. Two legs, two arms, two eyes."
"Is it humans?" Susan asked.
Gladys chuckled.
"Yes, she's human. How else would she have two legs?" I hissed.
"Have you seen that cat of yours?" Susan replied mildly.

I don't think this has ever happened before when reading a book, but when I read the last line I heard "Dun dun da da dumm" as the ending is quite ominous and seemed to require the accompaniment of old mystery movie music.

If you are looking for some fun read for the last few weeks of summer, I highly recommend this book and the entire series!


Buy The Hitwoman's Act of Contrition at Amazon



Book info
available formats: ebook
published: July 2015
genre: cozy mystery, humor, romance
source: author
read: July 2015




A free ebook was provided for the review. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.




July 30, 2015

Blogging with Kids

by Donna Huber


Instilling the love of books in a child is a great accomplishment and gift. Blogging about books with a child can be rewording as well. I loved it when my niece and nephew would write reviews for me to post. They also got a kick out of having their reviews seen by the world.

If you have kids, including them on your blog can be great fun for you and the child. Depending on the age of the kids it can also provide valuable feedback to authors and readers from the target audience. There are also some things to consider in order for it to be successful. Here are my ideas and tips for including kids on your blog.

Recommendations and other lists

Your children may be too young to write their own reviews, but there are plenty of posts they can do to contribute to your blog. Book hauls and reading lists can be fun ways for your kid to show off what they are reading. Do you go to the library weekly? Have your kids put together a list of the books they picked up and then when they are done reading them have them choose their favorite book or two from that week's library haul to feature in a new post.

Similarly, during holidays or other special occasions ask them to make a list of books they want to read or are favorites. Book recommendation lists are always popular on my blog. Also it can be difficult for parents to recommend new books to their kids because they haven't had a chance to check out the newest fair.

Reviews

Do you read together? When you write your review of the book ask your child what they though of it and include it. It can be something as simple as a thumbs up or thumbs down to several sentences.

If your children are old enough to write their own reviews it can be great practice in forming an opinion and supporting it. It also helps with reading comprehension as they have to recall the story. I used a questionnaire to guide my niece and nephew.

Your kid doesn't want to write? Then perhaps record their review. Most computers come with some basic software to recording audio and/or video. The child can just talk about the book or if they require a bit of prompting then you can do it interview style. If both of you read the book it might be fun to record you just chatting together about the book.

photo credit: IMG_6033.JPG via photopin (license)
Do memes

There are several memes that your kids can participate in that will make reading and blogging fun. Most of them are for general bloggers, meaning both adult and kid books are featured. But you could always make a kid friendly version of the memes. I know that there is a YA edition of It's Monday, What are you reading? Contact the blogger who hosts the meme and see if they would be interested in either making a linky for kid friendly book bloggers or if it would be okay for you to host it yourself. If they let you host it yourself they may be willing to mention it when they post the general linky for the meme.

This may have the extra benefit of your kids finding other kid bloggers to befriend. This can be good if they don't have a lot of reading friends in real life.

Think safety

I'm sure you are careful with your kid on the internet and your blog is no place to be slacking on those precautions. I never used my niece's and nephew's names. One was referred to kid who reads and the other boy who reads.

You will also need to decide how much interaction your kids will have with authors and other bloggers. My niece and nephew didn't care too much about the interaction, though my niece did like when she did an email interview with her favorite author. Even in that instance I was the go between for emailing the interview.

Have fun

The most important thing to keep in mind when blogging with kids is to have fun. If it seems like work or there's not much reward, your kids may grow tired of it and it may even make them want to stop reading all together. My niece and nephew thought it was cool when they received an ARC or was asked in particular for a review.




Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.

July 29, 2015

Andrew Joyce: When a character shows up and asks for her story to be told

Molly Lee
My name is Andrew Joyce, and I write books for a living. Donna has been kind enough to allow me a little space on her blog to promote my new book, MOLLY LEE. The story is a female-driven account of a young naive girl’s journey into an independent, strong woman and all the trouble she gets into along the way.

Now you may possibly be asking yourself, What is a guy doing writing in a woman’s voice? And that’s a good question. I can only say that I did not start out to write about Molly; she just came to me one day and asked that I tell her story.

Perhaps I should start at the beginning.

My first book was a 164,000-word historical novel. And in the publishing world, anything over 80,000 words for a first-time author is heresy. Or so I was told time and time again when I approached an agent for representation. After two years of research and writing, and a year of trying to secure the services of an agent, I got angry. To be told that my efforts were meaningless was somewhat demoralizing to say the least. I mean, those rejections were coming from people who had never even read my book.

“So you want an 80,000-word novel?” I said to no one in particular, unless you count my dog, because he was the only one around at the time. Consequently, I decided to show them City Slickers that I could write an 80,000-word novel!

I had just finished reading Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn for the third time, and I started thinking about what ever happened to those boys, Tom and Huck. They must have grown up, but then what? So I sat down at my computer and banged out REDEMPTION: The Further Adventures of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer (2014, Amazon) in two months. Then sent out query letters to agents.

Less than a month later, the chairman of one of the biggest agencies in New York City emailed me that he loved the story. We signed a contract and it was off to the races, or so I thought. But then the real fun began: the serious editing. Seven months later, I gave birth to Huck and Tom as adults. And just for the record, the final word count is 79,914. The book went on to reach #1 status on Amazon twice, and the rest, as they say, is history.

But not quite.

My agent then wanted me to write a sequel, but I had other plans. I was in the middle of editing down my first novel (that had been rejected by 1,876,324 agents . . . or so it seemed) from 164,000 words to the present 125,000. However, he was insistent, so I started to think about it. Now, one thing you have to understand is that I tied up all the loose ends at the end of REDEMPTION, so there was no way that I could write a sequel. And that is when Molly asked me to tell her story. Molly was a character that we met briefly in the first chapter of REDEMPTION, and then she is not heard from again.

This is the description from MOLLY LEE:

Molly is about to set off on the adventure of a lifetime . . . of two lifetimes.

It’s 1861 and the Civil War has just started. Molly is an eighteen-year-old girl living on her family’s farm in Virginia when two deserters from the Southern Cause enter her life. One of them—a twenty-four-year-old Huck Finn—ends up saving her virtue, if not her life.

Molly is so enamored with Huck, she wants to run away with him. But Huck has other plans and is gone the next morning before she awakens. Thus starts a sequence of events that leads Molly into adventure after adventure; most of them not so nice.

We follow the travails of Molly Lee, starting when she is eighteen and ending when she is fifty-six. Even then Life has one more surprise in store for her.

As I had wondered whatever became of Huck and Tom, I also wondered what Molly did when she found Huck gone.

I know this has been a long-winded set up, but I felt I had to tell the backstory. Now I can move on and tell you about Molly.

As stated earlier, Molly starts out as a naive young girl. Over time she develops into a strong, independent woman. The change is gradual. Her strengths come from the adversities she encounters along the road that is her life.

With each setback, Molly follows that first rule she set against self-pity and simply moves on to make the best of whatever life throws her way. From working as a whore to owning a saloon, from going to prison to running a ranch, Molly plays to win with the cards she’s dealt. But she always keeps her humanity. She will kill to defend herself and she has no problem killing to protect the weak and preyed upon. However, when a band of Indians (for instance) have been run off their land and have nowhere else to go, Molly allows them to live on her ranch, and in time they become extended family.

This is from a review on Amazon:
A young female in nineteenth-century rural America would have needed courage, fortitude, and firm resolve to thrive in the best of circumstances. Molly Lee possesses all of these, along with an iron will and an inherent ability to read people accurately and respond accordingly.

I reckon that about sums up Molly.

I would like to say that I wrote MOLLY LEE in one sitting and everything in it is my pure genius. But that would be a lie. I have three editors (two women and one guy). They kept me honest with regard to Molly. When I made her a little too hard, they would point out that she had to be softer or show more emotion in a particular scene.

I set out to write a book where every chapter ended with a cliffhanger. I wanted the reader to be forced to turn to the next chapter. And I pretty much accomplished that, but I also wrote a few chapters where Molly and my readers could catch their collective breath.

One last thing: Everything in MOLLY LEE is historically correct from the languages of the Indians to the descriptions of the way people dressed, spoke, and lived. I spend as much time on research as I do in writing my stories. Sometimes more.

It looks as though I’ve used up my allotted word count (self-imposed), so I reckon I’ll ride off into the sunset and rustle up a little vodka and cranberry juice (with extra lime).

It’s been a pleasure,


Andrew Joyce


Buy Molly Lee at Amazon


About the author:


Andrew Joyce left high school at seventeen to hitchhike throughout the US, Canada and Mexico. He wouldn’t return from his journey until decades later when he decided to become a writer. Joyce has written three books, and a collection of almost one hundred forty short stories that is comprised of his hitching adventures, written as veiled non-fiction called BEDTIME STORIES FOR GROWN-UPS, and his latest novel, MOLLY LEE. He now lives aboard a boat in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with his dog, Danny.


The views, opinions, and beliefs expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Girl Who Reads. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.


July 28, 2015

Review: Hollywood Witch Hunter by Valerie Tejeda

by Donna Huber



Hollywood Witch Hunter
First Chapter, First Paragraph

There are two types of people in Hollywood: the hunted and the hunters.
Iris Maria Bently was born to be a Hunter.
She always knew her family was different. Not just because they lived in a lavish mansion in the Hollywood Hills, or because they were always rubbing elbows with the rich and famous. But because of the many secrets surrounding her family's business.
What kind of secrets exactly? Nothing she could pinpoint. Just lots of whispers behind locked doors, echoes of screams, and the occasional lifeless body marked with a silver star that would have left most children with nightmares. But not Iris.


The Review

I was looking for a fluffy read and I thought Hollywood Witch Hunter would be something my niece would read so I decided to try it for myself. Unfortunately, it a little too cheesy for me and it wound up just being a long, painful read.

It looked a little like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I loved the television show.

I was a bit concerned about the messages this book would send to impressionable girls. First, Iris is a high school drop out. Second,females in general are portrayed in less than spectacular light in this book. The witches, who are supposedly the bad "guys" are all female who are shallow, only concerned about their looks and wealth. Then there are the Hunters, who are supposedly the good guys. There has never been a female hunter until Iris. Only men have the gene to be a hunter. And finally there are the Hunter wives who are just to do the biding of their husbands.
Iris was never allowed to discuss hunter business with her mother. For the most part, her mom's knowledge of the witch-hunting world was limited. Like all Hunters' wives, she knew witches were a threat that needed to be eliminated, but not much else. If she ever learned more than was deemed necessary, she would be subjects to an Idas spell, wiping her memory clean and planting a new one.
Iris hated how often her mother's mind was altered, but Hunters' wives knew exactly what they'd gotten themselves into. Apparently, they considered it an honor just to be married to a Hunter... (Chapter 4)
There were some plot inconsistencies which really caused me to be pulled out of the story. But this was an ARC so I can hope they were cleared up in the final product. The reading level was little lower than what I usually read in young adult, but I know there is a need for that.

My biggest problems though were with the characters. Their interactions felt stilted and awkward. I wish Iris had been a bit smarter. For all the "superior"genes hunters are suppose to have, intelligence isn't one of those traits. Or maybe she just has too much blind loyalty. I would have liked for her to have a defining moment of what she believed. She came close at the end, but I still think if her mom, dad, or another hunter gave her an explanation she would just go along with it. She did with Silos, Helmer, even Levana.

The plot threads felt like a jumble mess to me most of the time. I could not lose myself in the story. I'm sure there will be kids that eat this up because they will not be over thinking the story and just go with it at face value (much like the character Iris did with everything through the story).

Buy Hollywood Witch Hunter at Amazon


Book info:
available formats: ebook (232 pages)
published: July 2015 by Bloomsbury Spark
genres: fantasy
audience: young adult
source: Netgalley




A free egalley was provided for this review. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.





July 27, 2015

Interview with #LAPunkQueen Brenda Perlin

by Donna Huber


Hi Brenda! Welcome back to Girl Who Reads. While you aren't a stranger here (see Brenda's past appearances), please tell us a little about yourself and what you have been up to.

Thank you for your ongoing kindness and generosity. Girl Who Reads is a wonderful website and asset to all authors. I am a California girl who got bit by the writing bug pretty late in life. It wasn’t until I was in my forties that I decided to put my real-life drama into book form while my life was spiraling out of control. I was going through a gruesome divorce and I do believe it was writing that was my saving grace. Without that, I might have gone bonkers or at the very least needed extensive therapy.

Now, things have settled down and I have managed to publish three novels, two short stories with one on the way. It’s almost like giving birth. Each one is exciting in its own way. I have had the luxury of writing about things that I am passionate about such as bullies and saving stray dogs. To me it’s a blessing and a true gift.


Your newest book, L.A. Punk Rocker, hit the shelves last week. Your previous works have been fictionalize reality. Have you taken this same direction with L.A. Punk Rocker

Thank you, Donna. You have a good memory! In L.A. Punk Rocker none of my stories are fictionalized other than a few name changes to protect the identities of some of my friends. These are all personal accounts that date back to the eighties. My teenage years when I discovered punk rock music and got lost into the Hollywood scene. All of the other authors stories are from real life experience as well except for Mark Barry’s two pieces that he writes from Billy Idol’s perspective. It could be called “fan fiction” and he does a brilliant job of bringing the King Rocker to life. There is even a paranormal twist. Personally, I think he should take what he started and do a full length novel. I would pay fat to read that!


You have written about your life some through your series Brooklyn and Bo Chronicles, did you find it more difficult writing L.A. Punk Rocker without having fictional characters to put somewhat of a barrier between you and the world?

Actually, writing L.A. Punk Rocker was very much like writing Shattered Reality (Blossoming Press, 2014, Amazon) and Burnt Promises (Blossoming Press, 2014, Amazon) since they are all based on my true-life experience. Same thing with Alex the Mutt (Blossoming Press, 2014, Amazon), my short story about saving rescue dogs.The hardest book to write thus far has been Fractured Vows (Blossoming Press, 2014, Amazon), the third book in Brooklyn and Bo Chronicles because it’s all from Bo’s life experience, a male’s perspective and I had to do some ad-libbing. Since I am not a true fiction writer it felt sneaky putting words into my characters mouths. Though I have to say it was quite liberating at the same time.


It sounds like your youth was a really wild time. What are some of the highlights from it that you share in L.A. Punk Rocker?

This is a paragraph from a story titled ‘Vintage Punk’. It’s kind of fun to look back at some of the people I saw on the grungy streets of Hollywood.

“When Andy Warhol slid out of the shiny white limo, nobody paid attention. Among all of us rebellious teens he stood out, but no one seemed to care. We were all too preoccupied doing our thing. His hair was as white as snow, and his sweater was so bright that he didn’t have to stand under the light to be seen. In an orange day-glow turtleneck, he looked like the artist that he was. He had a style all his own. The man was part grungy and part refined. The manner in which he walked told us that, as did his attitude, a swagger that accompanied his stride. He was used to the finer things in life but despite that, he still had a taste for walking on the wild side.”


L.A. Punk Rocker is a collaborative work. While writing teams are becoming more popular, was it difficult to work with four other authors? I can imagine there were creative differences at times. How did you all manage to stay on the same page?

Actually I wasn’t pining to write another book, but then U.K. author Mark Barry (who I don’t know personally) put the idea into my head. At first I told him he was crazy. Then I gave it some thought and suddenly I became inspired going back to this unusual time in my life. If it wasn’t for Mark I would have retired with Alex the Mutt.

I also didn’t plan on asking other authors to contribute to L.A. Punk Rocker but as I started writing the stories I thought it would be fun to get a little more color. On Facebook I have been able to get reacquainted with many of my old friends and acquaintances from that time period and that was where I practically begged for stories. Haha. Most people who are not writers don’t think they can write when in actuality we all have it in us if we give it a try. Sadly, I didn’t receive as many stories as I would have liked but the ones that I did get fit perfectly.


Besides L.A. Punk Rocker, what other projects are you working on? 

More than anything I want to spend my days doing things that inspire me. I do read a ton and when I have time I try to help other Indie authors in ways that I am able. There are no other books in the works unless a new passion hits me in the face. In the meantime, I am enjoying the day to day stuff with my boyfriend. Looking for the positives in a very tough world. I have been through some hard times and I am not taking ANYTHING, NOTHING, NADA for granted. We are here for a reason so we better make the most of it and contribute in positive ways. Even if it’s just walking a shelter dog. Everything counts!


Thanks, Brenda, for chatting with me today. I hope L.A. Punk Rocker is a huge success. 

Thank you so much, Donna. I rather enjoyed this me me me time. I appreciate your great questions and you having me back. Warm wishes to you and to all the readers who have taken the time to read this interview. And of course I am grateful to all my friends who are by my side in this journey. This kind of support is the best!

Special thanks to the contributors of L.A. Punk Rocker, Mark Barry, Steven E. Metz, Deborah Hernandez-Runions, and Cindy Jimenez Mora who put themselves out there.

Much gratitude to MAB and #mrword.


#LAPUNKQUEEN




Buy L.A. Punk Rocker at Amazon




About the Author
Brenda Perlin is the author of several novels including The Brooklyn and Bo Chronicles. From memoirs to illustrated books, Brenda evokes passionate responses in her readers by using a provocatively unique writing style. Fractured Vows captures the soul-wrenching conflicts of a personal struggle for emotional fulfillment.  
website  *  blog  *  Twitter  *  Facebook


The views, opinions, and beliefs expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Girl Who Reads. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.


July 26, 2015

The Oracle #ReadAlong & #Giveaway: Chapters 23 - 32 @KBHoyle_author

by Donna Huber

When ended last week's discussion with the 12 emerging from the dark nightmare place. Though they get a short rest things aren't getting any better for them.

We get a bit more info about narks. And they have to decide if they should go into the village. Did the village give you the "no" feeling? I don't think it did at this point for me. But as the drew closer I was worried. And by the time they reached the first people I was "don't stop there".

What did you think of the village of Fobos? Can Botiheia be trusted?

A bit of foreshadowing perhaps?
"I have absolute trust in Yahto, it is part of what makes us a nark. So, no, I don not worry about the decisions that he will make because I know that he makes them wisely. Our lives, quite literally, rest in each other's hands." page 279
Did any else feel a change in Perry after the fight? Maybe it was something about seeing a girl in the heat of battle for him to see her differently, but I feel like he is attracted to Darcy. There is just something about the way he interacts with her.
Perry looked at Darcy significantly. "By the way, that was...cool, what you did down there. You saved all our lives, you know!" page 291
And it is pretty clear that Darcy is hoping that Perry is interested...
"Thanks," Darcy said, but a nlittle disappointedly. She had been hoping that Perry would do that her...O well. page 293
Probably the creepiest thing so far in the series happens in chapter 26 - Colin Mackaby appears in the cave. How did he get there? And what about the scar on his hand?

As if the tsellochim chasing them isn't bad enough, they encounter a dragon. Good thing Darcy has the gift she has otherwise there journey may have come to an end. Archaios may prove to be an important character. He sure knows a lot about Pateros and gateways and evil.

These people have a lot of faith and trust in Darcy. Without questions, when she tells them to go into the dragon's cave, they do so.

We learn of a tsellochim weakness - water. Too bad one of Darcy's magical talents isn't with the water element.

FINALLY someone remembers the note Lewis gave to Darcy at the beginning the trip. What did you think it meant? And was it all fulfilled in this book?

We get focused on the last lines "One friend / But not two". But I think there is more to the first part: "Wait awhile / Wait and I'll / come back to you."

Yeah it could've just meant that the gang needed to wait for Darcy, that Darcy is the "I", but knowing what comes later in the series I wonder if there is more to it.

And the journey is almost done. Are you with Darcy that the Oracle doesn't really move, but that the "entrance" does and the person is magically transported? It seems significant since Hoyle mentions it three times - once when Darcy thinks it, again while being transported to the Oracle, and then finally when Darcy tells her theory to Ribidius.

There is a mention of giants and I kept thinking that the group gets lost or stuck in the snow and there are giants or something like that. But since it didn't happen in this book it perhaps occurs later in the series or I'm remembering it wrong.

Then they arrive and....NOTHING. It is rather anti-climatic at first, but then everything goes crazy.

Do you think it was Yahto's intention to stop Darcy's fall or do you think he knew she was being "sucked" into the Oracle's lair and didn't want her to go alone?

Just as Darcy comes to the realization that Yahto cares for her, so do I. I think this is my favorite line in the book:
He tucked the bone whistle into a pocket of his jerkin and took Darcy's hand. "Come; I'm right beside you."
While Veli is her friend, I feel Yahto is more fatherly towards her. That is how I took the line above. It is like he is talking to a small child, yet not in a condescending way since Darcy isn't a small child (though with how long narks live she might be considered a small child by narks).

Then we "meet" the ominous Oracle. Do you get the Wizard of Oz feeling from this "guy"?

We get the "answer" to Darcy's question. Many times Darcy has been told that she asked a "stupid" or pointless question, but with the answer she receives do you think it will help everyone understand more about how Alitheia will be saved?

When I read this the first time I didn't really have any knowledge of alchemy. But after reading the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness, the last part makes more sense. I know this drove my niece crazy while she read the series the first time through. What are you thoughts on "Twice wed, / Twice dead, / Twice stained red."?

The first time through the series I thought it had something to do with what would happen to Darcy in her world and in Alitheia. We knew that Eleanor "died" in their world so maybe that is what would happen. Though I was clues about wed and red.

And then the saddest thing happens - the Oracle demands payment. At least I didn't cry this time around as I was a bit more prepared.

But there is no time for grieving as they must flee towards home. We have another time warp thingy going on. Darcy thought she had been gone less than half a day, but for everyone else it has been seven months. More than half their time in Alitheia.

So my worry from the beginning of the journey about who would die have abated now that they are on their way home. They are all alive. But Hoyle isn't done with putting us through the emotional wringer. How do you feel about the death?

I think this is one of the more significant lines in the series,
Home, Darcy thought. Ormiskos. It really is home for me now, isn't it?
All that's left is to tell everyone what the Oracle said. What do you think about her keeping the last part to herself? I think she should have probably told Ribidius as I think it would give him clues he needed. Though it probably would be more fitting to confide them to Tellius. And with the possible pressure of marriage off them it does look like Tellius and Darcy will become friends.

Then it is about living through the year again in their own world. I can't imagine how difficult it would be for Darcy. There's only 5 people she can talk to about what happened. How do you process all that she went through?

And there's Colin. Like Darcy, I feel a bit bad for him. That perhaps his attitude isn't all his fault and may actually be a defense mechanism. And what about his hand?

And that's The End for now.

Next Sunday we will begin our discussion of The White Thread. Get your copy at Amazon.



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Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.


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