Review: A Job From Hell by Jayde Scott

Book: A Job From Hell by Jayde Scott
Series: Ancient Legends #1
Pages: 424
Genre: Young Adult / Paranormal Romance
Buy A Copy: Amazon | Smashwords
Available Formats: Ebook / Paperback
Publication Date: May 1st, 2011
How Did I Get This Book: From Author for Review
Description: The moment Amber starts her new summer job in Scotland and sets eyes upon Aidan, her fate is sealed. Summoned by an ancient bond, she can never love another.
Lost in the woods one night, Amber enters Aidan's deadly world by chance when she unknowingly participates in a paranormal race, and promptly wins the first prize - a prize worth killing for. In a world of forbidden love, of ancient enemies, legends and rituals, nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted. Amber's life will never be the same again, unless she searches the Otherworld for what everyone wants. But to do so, Amber must die.

A JOB FROM HELL is the stunning first book in the paranormal series, Ancient Legends.

 

The first two things that stood out to me with A Job From Hell were the characters (mainly the secondary ones) and the sheer amount of plot. It book isn’t choppy or drawn out - there is still an overall story arc that continues throughout the book, but believe me, a lot happens. 

I would definitely classify it as a page turner – it is one of those books that keeps you up half the night. The great thing about this book in particular, is that because the plotline is so packed full with action, you are rewarded for spending hours reading.  Every time you think you figure something out, the story progresses even more. It’s incredibly refreshing to see an author poor so much into the first book a series, instead of spreading it out over multiple books. 

Now, let’s talk about the vampires. Yes, I know, another vampire book. But before you disregard A Job From Hell, let’s talk about what other fantastic creatures and all around creepies are in this book. honestly, it’s like a melting pot of paranormal characters. There is a demi goddess, succubi, demons, a hell spawn (literally – she is the daughter of Lucifer), demons, Shadows (a cool/slightly creepy group of immortal warriors) and of course, some truly awesome vamps. What I am saying is that Scott brings an exciting mix of characters to the party and it makes for an interesting time.

I appreciated the fact that Scott tried to make Amber an informed heroine, who is conscious of the perks and faults of a relationship with a vampire, but at times her back-and-forth narrative got on my nerves. She is constantly toying with the concept of dating Aidan, should she or shouldn’t she? I enjoyed and appreciated that she didn’t just immediately fall to his feet, but the characters thoughts soon got repetitive. It got to the point that I didn’t care if she decided to be with him or not, I just wanted to her make a decision and stick with it.

The secondary characters were much more entertaining to me than Amber. Like I stated earlier, this book is full of different paranormal/supernatural creatures. My two favorites were probably Kieran (Aidan’s brother and a vampire) and Cass (Lucifer’s daughter). Both characters were extremely witty and well written. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed the two of them together. They are constantly bantering and bickering – honestly, they are just great. Cass is a complete spitfire and Kieran is a total wiseass. Which, happen to be two of my favorite character archetypes.

Basically, if you are looking for an action packed, exciting dynamic story, I would definitely checkout a Job From Hell. Honestly, if you are purchasing the ebook version, at 99 cents you cannot go wrong with this one. You are sure to get hours of entertainment out of this one.

 Favorite Quotes

"Great. You want me to steal from the local thug. What a delightful way to die."

"I rolled my eyes. I had just added jewel thief to my resume and almost got killed by some thug, and all my brother could think of was fancy umbrellas and tropical drinks on a beach."

"Cass had a few points but, really, a vampire? Who believed in such a myth? What was Cass suggesting anyway? That I grab my rosary and head for the nearest church begging for holy water? Line my door and windows with salt? Sleep with a wooden stake under my pillow? Hang garlic bulbs from my bedroom door? Why was I even considering these options?"

"Aidan said he'd never hurt me. Maybe he wouldn't do it on purpose, but vampires drink blood. Sooner or later, he'd want a midnight snack."

"The flicker of a girl appeared; a tiny shape with huge, brown eyes I would never mistake, not even in death."

"No, no. I get it. You had to do it." Kieran's eyes narrowed. "Believe it or not, I'm a sucker for romance. Two star-crossed lovers who don't fit in each other's world. Kind of like Romeo and Juliet - just with fangs."

"He simply had to be different and like me the way I was now that I'd fallen in love with him."

Review: The Magic Crystal by L.T. Suzuki

 

Book: The Magic Crystal by L.T. Suzuki

Alone: Series, The Dream Merchant Saga Book One
Pages: 396

Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy
Buy A Copy: Amazon | Book Depository 
Publication Date: September, 2010

First Line:  "Ooow! You are torturing me!" These are the pained and angry words that echo across the fair lands of Fleetwood to break the tranquil dawn and accost early morning travellers near and far. No, it is not the anguished wails of a prisoner being lashed deep within the castle dungeon; it is merely Princess Rose being readied to meet the day."
Description: Be careful what you wish for takes on a whole new meaning…

When a good wish goes bad, a beautiful princess despised by all, a lowly court jester who was meant to be a great knight and a village idiot with a mysterious past are thrust together by fate. Made to embark on a perilous and unorthodox quest, they set off to break a dreaded curse.

Along the way, a series of trials await them in strange lands far from home. From a powerful Wizard and a shape-shifting Sprite to the flamboyant Elves and an army of mimes, they encounter an array of unforgettable friends and foes as they set off to recover a silver locket to destroy the curse.

In a race against time, pursued by a Sorcerer on the hunt for this same locket, an epic journey becomes a trying, humorous adventure of self-discovery and a test of true loyalty and friendship for this unlikely trio as they fight to survive this quest and ultimately, each other.

   

    The Magic Crystal is a comedic high fantasy; complete with drunken “manty-hose” wearing elves, trolls who are terrified of the dark, an evil sorcerer who loves mimes and tons of other outrageous creatures.This incredible book was absolutely hilarious - I cannot tell you how many times I found myself literally laughing out loud. I had to worst time maintaining a straight face while I was trying sneak in some pages during classes.

    The characters are all incredibly priceless – they all have individual quirks that you are going to love. Even the snobbish Princess is a complete hoot in all of her self-centered glory. Princess Rose is perfectly dreadful; she is rude, demanding, self-centered, self-absorbed and downright rotten. Basically, she is a character you will absolutely love to hate. You cannot help but marvel in her brashness; she is a force to reckon with and she is undeniably entertaining. I must say, I honestly enjoyed seeing Roses’ progression throughout the story – it was incredible well done, because it doesn’t seem forced. She maintains true to form for the entire book and her progression into a somewhat caring person is slow and persistent. She doesn’t magically change overnight, which I really appreciate.

    Next we have Tagius “Tag” Yairet gets himself roped into joining the Princess on her quest and he proves to be just as entertaining as Rose. He is the only person who dares to stand up to her and he just lives to goad her. The two of them butt heads quite frequently and their banter is always undeniably comical. Tag fancies himself a Knight, so he is always trying to be the brave one and do the right thing. Much to his dismay, there are a few times when the Princess outsmarts him or outperforms him in an activity and he left speechless.

    Rounding out the unlikely trio is Cankles; the village idiot. Rose and Tag pickup Cankles early on in their quest and he ends up being a huge help to them. Rose is quick to dismiss their rather slow acquaintance, but that does not stop Cankles from being a faithful friend to her. His ignorance does not bother him in the slightest and he lets her snide comments roll right off his back. Despite the fact that his elevator doesn't seem to go all the the top, Cankles definitely has his moments of wisdom. He is the one who finally talks some sense into Rose and often gets the trio out of uncomfortable situations by defusing the tension.

    The storyline is well-developed, entertaining and easy to follow. This book has everything you could ever imagine; sorcerers, tooth faeries, trolls, dwarves, elves and so much more. It is extremely well written and has a direct line to your funny bone. The characters are all unique and memorable and the dialog is charming and witty.

    The ending satisfied me, because it was clean enough to wrap things up, but it also left an opening for the next story. Enough of the problems were resolved to tide readers over until the release of the sequel. The Magic Crystal is so incredibly off-the-wall and offbeat it is literally impossible not to enjoy it. Fans of Alex Flinn’s Cloaked and William Goldman’s classic, The Princess Bride are sure to love it.

Favorite Quotes

“For pity’s sake, shut your royal gob and stop with the incessant screaming!” he demanded, pressing a finger to his lips for silence. “It’s damned annoying.”

“You are nuttier than a fruitcake, that’s what you are!”

“Knowing the Princess was forced to swallow her pride, and it was probably so big it could choke a horse, Tag decided to honour his vow to assist her.”

“Sensing this man had issued a challenge, Rose was not about to be outdone by a village idiot.”

“I will only admit she does not make the average man’s eyes bleed, so she is not ugly in the physical sense.”

“look here you old, painted hussy! I am neither a tart, a trollop, nor am I a strumpet! I am a lady of refined breeding and culture, so bugger off, before this little poppet pops you one in that ugly, wrinkled mug!”

 “Since when do princesses go on quests? They are the ones who remain safely locked away in towers playing the role of damsel-in-distress!”

“I’d say true friendship is worth fighting for.”

“I will not be fooled again. The next cute bunny limping my way will get it!”

Guest Post: Karly Kirkpatrick {Author of Into The Shadows}

Today is Day 5 of the Indie Reads Appreciation Week and today we have Karly Kirkpatrick stopping by. 

 

Karly Kirkpatrick is the co-owner of DarkSide Publishing (www.darksidepublishing.com), an indie epublishing label and author of Into the Shadows, available now, and Bloody Little Secrets, coming soon. She writes about her Adventures in Epublishing on her blog, www.karlykirkpatrick.com. In addition to being a grad student in the Writing and Publishing program at DePaul University, Chicago, Karly is also a member of SCBWI, a high school German teacher, and mother of an almost-four-year old.

Vampires Suck 
(and other myths about writing trends)

I’d like to thank Sarah for hosting me and the other DarkSide Publishing authors this week and for highlighting indie authors. It’s great to have support from our fellow book fans and we’re thrilled to be able to tell others about the different types of literature available.

Instead of focusing on the hows and whys of indie publishing, I’d like to focus more on the artistic side of indie writing.

As a traditional publishing hopeful from 2008-2010, I was really interested in trends. Who of you out there currently pursuing traditional publishing aren’t thinking about what agents and editors are looking for, what hot and what’s not? It’s completely normal. One thing that makes it difficult for people who love to read and write trends is that publishing houses are limited to what they can buy. 

They may not buy your vampire novel, even though it’s fantastic, because they already support two other vampire series at their publishing house.  With a limited number of publishing houses out there, if they all already have vampire series going, your book probably won’t get published. Again, not because it’s not great, just because they already have something like it.

But that doesn’t mean people won’t want to read it. 

When planning what I was writing in the past, I tried to stray from vampires, because even though I love them, I was convinced that any agent or editor that received my query would roll their eyes and throw it straight in the bin. It seemed like a waste to write something that I was pretty sure would never make it out of the pile. 

But after I went indie, I reconsidered this thought process. As an indie author, I have to be aware of the market, but I’m still free to write whatever I want and write it however I want. And while there are tons of vampire books available, I was pretty confident I could sell one, because people who love vampire books, like myself, are always keeping an eye out for a new one. I’ve already received comments from people on Facebook and book blogs saying that they don’t even care what my book is about, if it has vampires, they want it.

I really think that’s the beauty of indie publishing. If you love vampires, you can write about them all you want, because there is an audience waiting for you out there. Same with any other topic or theme. The trick is to make it your own.

My vampire novel, Bloody Little Secrets, is my take on vampires. When I read other vampire books, I appreciate what other authors do, but in the back of my head I’m thinking…oh, I might have tried it this way. And now I can. I like my vampires a little bloodier and a little funnier than ones I’ve read. And I like action. Gotta have some good fight scenes. And I can’t handle drawn out romances. So that’s what I wrote.  As my writing prof at DePaul University (the amazing author Hannah Pittard) said, it’s like The Bourne Identity with a teenaged vampire girl in a pink dress. I couldn’t have said it more awesomely myself.

So whether you’re into vampires, angels, zombie-unicorns or whatever, there is no fear that you can’t write what you want in Indie-land. You can focus on writing the story that you love, with or without the concern of current trends. The choice is completely yours. Just make sure it’s well written, and it will find its audience. 

FOLLOW KARLY: Twitter | Blog | Goodreads | DarkSide Publishing

PURCHASE INTO THE SHADOWS: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

 

Paivi Anderson has it all: friends, a spot on the varsity basketball team, wonderful parents, and quite possibly, her first boyfriend. It was everything a freshman in high school could ask for. Her perfect life begins to crumble when she discovers her name on a list distributed by a power-hungry presidential candidate. How could anyone think of Paivi as an Enemy of the State? Could it be because of her special powers? No one was supposed to know about them, but the mysterious messages in her tater tots say otherwise. In INTO THE SHADOWS, Paivi quickly learns who her friends are and is forced into a reality she didn't see coming.  

 

17-year-old Vicky Hernandez has a big problem. She's dead. Or not quite. After discovering she's been turned into a vampire, she tries to settle into a quiet suburb of Chicago and return to a normal life. If only she could stop wanting to bite her boyfriend. Not to mention she is dying to find out who turned her, and why. She doesn't have to wait long before they come to her. 

Guest Post: Megg Jensen {Author of Anathema}

Today is Day 4 of the Indie Reads Appreciation Week and today we have the amazing Megg Jensen stopping by to share her feelings about being an independent author.  Megg is the author of Anathema - the first book in the Cloud Prophet Trilogy.

 

I Get Published … 

With a Little Help From My DarkSide Friends

When I chose to go independent, I knew I was giving up a lot – agent, publisher, editor, publicist, and accountant. I could go on and on. Self-publishing implies an author goes it alone. But luckily, I don’t have to as a member of DarkSide Publishing.

Instead of trying to edit, market, and design my book alone I rely on my fellow DarkSide members for help. Sometimes an author gets too close to her own work to reliably edit a manuscript. It’s hard to take a step back from the characters she’s so lovingly created and nurtured. A great editor can see all the mistakes for what they are. When it comes to marketing, we all have different avenues we take to success, but through sharing our ideas we can reach a wider audience. As for design, all indies know how hard it is to pick a great cover and to format a manuscript. These are the parts of traditional publishing that writers rarely touch, but as indies they are fully under our control. This control is a blessing and sometimes a curse. Without help I’d probably still be sitting on the sidelines instead of celebrating a month’s worth of sales.

I want to encourage anyone considering going indie to band together with other writers. Just because we’re taking on the mantle of independent publishing, doesn’t mean we have to do it alone.

FOLLOW MEGG: Twitter | Blog | Goodreads

PURCHASE ANATHEMA: Amazon Ebook | Amazon Paperback | Barnes & Noble Ebook | Barnes & Noble Paperback | Signed & Personalized Paperback

Anathema (Cloud Prophet Trilogy #1) - Megg Jensen

Reychel is a slave girl surrounded by magic, lies and manipulation. Her best friend disappears in the middle of the night leaving Reychel to face her fifteenth birthday, the day her master burns his brand into the back of her bald head, alone. She's sheltered from the outside world and doesn't have any hope for escape, but when people desperate for freedom ask for her help can Reychel learn to believe in herself?