Mistake of Magic Blog Tour Plus Review

Title: MISTAKE OF MAGIC (Power Of Five #2)

Author: Alex Lidell

Pub. Date: June 29, 2018

Publisher: Danger Bearing Press

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 193

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon

FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!!!

Three trials stand between Lera and exile. Unless the training kills her first.

Quint magic has never chosen a human before, and the Elders Council is convinced Lera is a mistake.

When the quint refuses to be cleaved apart, the enraged elders give them a choice: exile from Lunos or demotion to the lowest of trainees. Subject again to the humiliations and deadly trials they endured centuries ago, the males now face a new challenge—training Lera to survive.

River, Shade, Coal, and Tye will do whatever it takes to keep Lera safe. But Lera will do whatever she must to keep them together—even if it means putting herself in mortal danger.

My Review:

This series is one of a short list of reverse harem novels that are not so awkward that I became bored or just wanted to stop reading. Instead, all of the characters have their own stories rather than just being labeled as “Female with Males 1-4.” Even though Lera can be a little too nice for her own good sometimes and doesn’t have a very good sense of self-protection, she is still a good character.

In this story, we find the quint trying to be connected by the Council. The Council forces them to go through the trials that new quints go through to prove their worth, which is a slap in the face to the other guys who have been around for centuries and should be easily able to defeat the new quints. Now, they have to try to complete the trials while protecting Lera who can’t take as much physical damage as the fae can without dying.

This novel was fast-paced and interesting all the way through, but it did not feel rushed. I didn’t think that I learned too much of the character’s individual backstories anymore but instead focused on how they are growing together in their unique situation. The world-building was amazing as we got to see how the “normal” quints functioned and what the personalities of those on the Council that basically ruled the Fae were.

The character development was incredible as Lera had to trust the guys and the guys had to use her strengths in order to seem like a successful quint and not an abnormal failure. There were no editing errors that I noticed, even though I was reading an advance copy of the novel. My only real complaint was that Lera seemed like a bit too much of a “damsel in distress” at times, but even when she couldn’t do much on her own, she was still able to help the guys simply by being there. She never came off as a useless character that was just added as a female, but a powerful lover of the four men who she was bound to.

I would recommend this story to lovers of fantasy, adventure, and/or reverse harem novels with strong female main characters, unique male harems, and fast-paced detailed plot.

Overall Rating: 5/5

Paperback/Ebook Giveaway!

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

7/2/2018- RH WhyChoose– Review

7/2/2018- Book Briefs– Review

7/3/2018- Love in a time of Feminism– Review

7/3/2018- BookHounds– Excerpt

 7/4/2018- Bri’s Book Nook– Review

7/4/2018- Two Chicks on Books– Excerpt

 7/5/2018- Books a Plenty Book Reviews– Review

7/5/2018- Book-o-Craze– Review

 7/6/2018- Simply Daniel Radcliffe– Review

7/6/2018- The Booknerd Dragon– Review

 

Week Two:

7/9/2018- Smada’s Book Smack– Review

7/9/2018- Parajunkee– Review

 7/10/2018- Adventures Thru Wonderland– Review

7/10/2018- Reese’s Reviews: My Addiction to Fiction– Review

 7/11/2018- Book-Keeping– Review

7/11/2018- Fall Into Books– Excerpt

 7/12/2018- books are love– Review

7/12/2018- K.L. Knovitzke – Author– Excerpt

 7/13/2018- The Hermit Librarian– Excerpt

7/13/2018- Wishful Endings– Excerpt

Creatures of the Lands Series Sale Blitz!

I plan to get started with this series fairly soon, and I was immediately drawn in by all of these beautiful covers! I am happy to share with you guys that the series is on sale right now so that you can check it out for yourself. Watch out for my review of Kiatana’s Journey soon!

Title: Creatures of the Lands

Author: Natalie Erin

Genre: Young Adult High Epic Fantasy (fae, dragons, magic)

Cover Designers: Clarissa Yocla and Molly Phipps

Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR

Blurb:

FAE.

MAGIC.

BETRAYAL.

In the Lands, animals can speak, elves battle mythical beasts, and shifter-vampire hybrids hunt mortals. Princess Kiatana rules over this realm– until a dark force rises and threatens to steal her throne.

A dragon and his rider have brought war to her world. Magic will save the realm, but a traitor hides in plain sight. A quest to defeat the evil that has possessed the land has begun.

The undead will rise. Friends will fail– and Kia will find herself falling for the man she least expected.

This is her kingdom. It’s time to fight back.

Readers love Kiatana’s Journey, a book that has been classified by fans as Game of Thrones meets Narnia. Sarah J. Maas readers are obsessed with this bestselling series!

One-click to start this enchanting fantasy saga that’s heartfelt, romantic, and full of friendship today!

**

USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR Megan Linski and renowned poet Krisen Lison join under the penname of Natalie Erin to bring readers the Creatures of the Lands series. A high fantasy series adored by readers all around the globe.

Get the Creatures of the Lands: The Complete Series box set for 70% off! Limited time offer!

“Intriguing, funny, and fresh. Kiatana’s Journey was a fantasy story I couldn’t get enough of.” – Hayley’s Reviews★★★★★

“This is a fantastic read, keeps you intrigued to the very end. This will be a Journey to remember.” – Brandy’s Book Review★★★★★

 Natalie Erin is the pen name for the writing team of Megan Linski and Krisen Lison (also known as Krystyl Lisoh).

Krisen Lison (pen name Krystyl Lisoh) was an author and poet. She is known for her bestselling Creatures of the Lands series, as well as her poetry collections Memoirs of a Teenage Poet and Living as Me, and her short story collections Death, Life and Other Things and Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall. Her work has been featured in multiple magazines and public forums. She passed away from suicide in 2013.

Megan Linski is the owner of Gryfyn Publishing. She is best known for her popular series The Shifter Prophecy, The Kingdom Saga, and The Rhodi Saga, as well as recognized for her work on the Creatures of the Lands series. In 2014, Linski published the Creatures of the Lands series in Lison’s honor.

Linski is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention, and is an active fighter against common variable immune deficiency disorder.

Author Links:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9799144.Natalie_Erin

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creaturesofthelands/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeganLinski

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2HsNuEc

Web: http://www.meganlinski.com/

Buy Links:

Kiatana’s Journey: http://amzn.to/2HsoGfq

Vera’s Song: http://amzn.to/2EBbU0u

Wyntier’s Rise: http://amzn.to/2CtCSkK

Vixen’s Fate: http://amzn.to/2EPlVGt

Midnightstar: http://amzn.to/2HsoM6M

Angel’s Rebellion: http://amzn.to/2GqqoNb

Inside the castle in a room far away from the exit, the pack of wolves watched the group with hunger in their eyes. Ionan looked around nervously, eyeing the clothes that were scattered along the floor.

“The big one’s a Changer,” a large black male whispered to a silver colored female at his side.

“So he is,” the female replied, licking her paw clean. “I’ve never had Changer before.”

“Wonderful catch, Carmilla. I knew we could count on you for dinner,” a white and black female said softly, wagging her tail.

“It was nothing Iris,” Carmilla responded proudly.

“Darling, why don’t you ever call me Mother anymore? It breaks my heart,” Iris said with a voice that was sickly sweet.

“You may have made me, Iris, but you will never be my mother,” Carmilla said, eyeing Kia.

“What’s going on here?” Kia asked, her voice cracking nervously.

The wolves around them snickered as the head female grinned. “I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out yet,” Iris said, snatching a purple velvet dress from the floor and throwing it into air.

Her body twisted and contorted into that of a human and the dress slipped easily over her head as she transformed. Her hair was black with streaks of white running through it, her eyes a sharp gold color. “We’re the predators and you’re the prey,” she smiled.

“Wait, you’re…” Kia choked on her own words.

“Ortusans,” Iris said, her voice dripping with poison. The group watched in horror as the twenty or so wolves changed, tossing on their clothes as easily as Iris and staring at the group eagerly.

The Ortusan called Iris smiled at them devilishly. “Get them.”

 

Moon Called Review (Mercy Thompson #1)

Mercedes Thompson is a Volkswagen mechanic and a walker. This means that she can transform into a coyote at will, and this has led her to work with many other people in the magical world. One of her neighbors is a werewolf and the head of a pack, and his name is Adam. When a strange young werewolf comes to her shop asking for work, she wants to help him. However, secrets start to surround this young boy, and people are trying to take him away. When her neighbor Adam is attacked, Mercy knows that she will have to team up with werewolves in a nearby area to try and solve the mystery.

I read this book in two nights exactly, and it was nothing like I thought it would be. It was labeled as Paranormal Romance, and I thought from the cover that it was going to be a very smutty book. Instead, it was a very fleshed out fantasy novel, with very few mentions of a romance, and no smutty scenes at all (at least not in this book of the series).

I loved Mercy so much, as she was a truly strong female main character. I did not even know that I was reading a Paranormal Romance novel because the focus was on Mercy and her story/growth. She never raved about any guy and messed up her mission because of it, and she never let a guy distract her from her goal. Instead, she herself was strong, and the guys looked at her because of that.

I felt that this book was shorter than I thought it would be, and I hope to be able to reread it soon. However, my biggest issue is that the next book in the series is only in audiobook form in my digital library, and I do not have time to listen to an audiobook. Therefore, it might be awhile before I continue with this series. Nevertheless, I loved this book, and hope to be able to go on to the next one soon!

Overall Rating: 5/5

Girls Made Of Snow and Glass Review

Mina is sixteen years old, and her father is a magician who can create living creatures out of snow. Her father has even operated on her and given her a heart of glass. Even though she thinks she cannot love, she wants to win the king’s heart in order to become queen. In order to do that, she must become the stepmother of Lynet, a girl made of snow.

Fifteen-year-old Lynet is the spitting image of her late mother, which she finds out is because a magician created her using snow and blood in order to be a carbon copy of her mother. Lynet would rather be like her fierce stepmother Mina, and befriends a surgeon named Nadia rather than staying a childish princess forever. Her father would give the southern kingdom to her when she grows up instead of to his wife Mina, and this endangers Mina’s place as royalty. All Lynet wants to do is regain the approval of her only mother figure, but society is forcing them to be enemies of each other.

I didn’t know that this book was supposed to be a retelling of Snow White when I first read it, and instead assumed that Mina and Lynet were supposed to be the two main characters who would fall in love eventually. I didn’t even look at any of the summaries of the novel but instead jumped right in. This confused me for awhile as I felt as if I was on two different timelines, which I was. However, as I read more of the story, I loved how everything just came together and I eventually realized that it was a retelling.

I loved how there were so many twists and turns in the plot of this novel. Mina didn’t directly start hating Lynet, but instead started off wanting to satisfy her father, and eventually only holding a grudge against her when she saw that she was in the way of her throne. I also enjoyed seeing the deterioration of Mina’s father throughout the novel, emphasizing the point of magic comes with a price.

My favorite part of the story was definitely both Mina and Lynet figuring out what truly makes a person human. Both of them felt as if they were “less than” because of them not being made of flesh, and had to learn to accept themselves and their powers.

My only complaint would be that the story was a bit slow and confusing for me at the start, but this quickly changed to me loving every second of it.

I would recommend this story to anyone looking for a double POV fantasy story, a retelling of Snow White, or a good story in general.

Overall Rating: 4/5

A Study In Mischief (Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus 0.5)

 

I received this book for free.

Lily is a librarian who is also a wizard. Sebastian Blackwell is a witch for hire who tends to get on people’s nerves but is the best at his job. They have to work together in order to help a client, but they aren’t sure if they can keep it up long enough to get the job done without murdering each other.

This prequel is short and sweet, and it definitely made me want to read the rest of the series. Lily is such a stubborn and talented wizard, and while Sebastian does cause trouble, I enjoyed reading about their interactions.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick and fun read about magic and friendship.

Overall Rating: 5/5

Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban Review

I found this beautiful fanart here!

After escaping from the Dursley’s during his horrible summer between his second and third years, Harry is ready to return to Hogwarts. However, he is in even more danger than he was the year prior. Now, a dangerous criminal named Sirius Black, who was locked up in the wizard prison Azkaban, has escaped and is now hunting down Harry. In order to search for Sirius, Dementors have been sent to Hogwarts. These creatures can suck the soul out of a person, but they leave a sense of loneliness and despair everywhere they go. Harry has to pass his classes, worry about not going to Hogsmeade due to his unsigned permission slip, hope Black doesn’t come to Hogwarts, and avoid the Dementors who seem to have their sights on him specifically.

This is definitely one of my favorite books in the series. I love the Hogwarts setting, and this took place all on the grounds of the school. I also enjoyed the action in the book, specifically closer to the end, as this was when I started seeing the characters grow. I loved how Hermione was shown to not be this perfect character in this book as she started to perform less than perfectly (due to reasons that are revealed at the end of the book). I always wanted to see her act normal instead of stuck up as she sometimes comes off as in the early books, and now she starts to really become like family to Harry and Ron.

Also, I enjoyed Hagrid teaching a class in this story. Harry greeting and riding Buckbeak was always a very vivid scene to me when I read this story. I also loved it when I saw the movie a few years ago.

Overall, this might be competing with my current favorite in the Harry Potter series, the Chamber of Secrets. I love the setting, pacing, and storyline.

Overall Rating: 6/5

 

The Desert Palace Review

This short story is about a boy named Zedane who had been training in the Crystal Towers for 5 years and had just returned to his family. However, the Crystal Towers have instilled in him a feeling of superiority. Now, he believes that anyone who does not have magic is below him, and should respect him. When one girl doesn’t do this, he loses control and accidentally kills her. Thinking she is unimportant, he goes on his way, just to find out that the girl he murdered was High Lord’s daughter.

Although the story was short, it was very well written. I found myself angry at Zedane, but simultaneously seeing how he became brainwashed after his 5 years of training. After reading this short story, I absolutely cannot wait to start the rest of the Weapons of Power series.

Overall Rating: 5/5

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Review

Harry is a lonely boy who lives with his horrible aunt, uncle, and cousin Dudley. His life with them is miserable as they hate being stuck with him after Harry’s parents died in a car accident. Near his 11th birthday, he starts to get letters, but his Uncle is sure to hide them from him. However, the letters keep coming, until his Uncle decides to move his family out to an island. Then Hagrid arrives, telling Harry Potter he is a wizard, and whisking him away to Hogwarts. This is the story of the Boy Who Lived, and his adventures as a first year.

I haven’t read this book since I was 11 years old like Harry, but I remember reading the entire thing in a day when I first read it. This time, I took more time to actually read through the story, and I realized that while I though this was my favorite Harry Potter book, it actually is not! I enjoyed reading about Harry and his friends, but I definitely enjoyed the writing style of the future books.

Since most people on this blog have most likely read this book before, I am going to simply say my favorite part of this story. My favorite part of this story was definitely the Halloween events. No spoilers, but it really interested me how everything seemed to come together after it.

Onto the next book, which will definitely have more details about each character in its review 🙂

Overall rating: 4/5

Freya Snow Hunt Review

14 year old Freya Snow is a foster kid, and her 17 year old sister, albeit not biologically, Alice is an autistic foster child. Freya thinks that she might have autism as well, because she has many of the signs such as having extreme anxiety while in large crowds, and being overly emotional to situations others would describe as normal. However, because her sister is so obviously autistic, she feels that if she told anyone else that they would blame her for faking it to get more attention. The one person whom she mentioned it to did exactly that.

Now she is moving to a new foster home, away from her sister, and to a new school. Her new foster parents seem nice, and she wants to try to smile and communicate with them, but she is not quite sure if her point is getting across that she is happy with them. Finally, she gets to her new school. One of the girls at school starts to bother her, and so she runs into the bathroom to cry. But while she is in there, the faucets explode. Then, Amber comes to tell her what is really in her past, and how she can control her newfound magic.

This book was amazing. Personally, I have had many friends in real life ranging on all ends of the spectrum, from almost nothing showing anyone that they are autistic to nonverbal. This book shows how just because one person’s autism is manifested one way doesn’t mean that everyone else is nonautistic. And the woman who wrote this book, L.C. Mawson, is actually autistic herself. However, this doesn’t define her at all, because her books are just naturally amazing.

The character Freya is relate able to anyone. There is slight romance in the book, but it is the perfect amount and does not take over the story. Although Alice is a main character, she is not talked about as much in this book as I would have liked. Nevertheless, there are more books to come in this series, as this is just book 1 and book #9 is going to come out later this year. I now have books 1-6, given to me by L.C. Mawson herself through her reader’s list, and I am planning on catching up on the series as soon as humanly possible. It is amazing.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a series that has a sensible flow while reading, a lot of books in it, a strong female lead, a unique plotline, a reasonable amount of romance, and a lot of fun action scenes.

Overall Rating: 6/5

Starbound Review (Shattered Worlds)

So I read the first book in my Shattered Worlds 99 cent boxset. I was disappointed, but the story overall was actually pretty good.

Katia has a huge crush on Seth, and has had one since Junior High. However, for some reason Seth has been cold to her ever since they stopped being friends in junior high. Now, as a senior in high school, Katia hopes that she can find some way to reach the happy ending that she knows she can have with Seth, and dump her horrible boyfriend Matt.

Seth knows that he wants Katia. That is why he has to stay away from her. Both of them know that they have magick, but Katia doesn’t know the whole truth. The truth is, Katia and Seth are starbound, meaning that they are destined lovers. However, there is a curse on their families, and the curse is that once every century there will be two people that are starbound, but if they complete the starbound ritual/chant, they will die. So Seth does his best to try to stay away from her, even if it means betraying his own heart.

Y’all already know what’s going to happen. Most of the story is of them half chasing after each other, wanting each other, and half trying to stay away from each other. On one hand, I felt as if I had read the storyline before, but on the other hand, it was still really unique and compelling. There were two things that ruined the story for me, and one thing that could have ruined the story but that I let slide.

One, Elena ruined the story. She used to be friends with both Seth and Katia, but then according to Katia she “turned into a bitch” and now she is trying to get Seth for herself(?). My question is why? Why did she go against her friends, and if she did, why is she still in the friend group? Why does she want Seth? It seemed as if she was just thrown in there for extra conflict, although she really didn’t need to be. She was just an unlikable character with no good qualities, and that means that she was a rather empty shell, which is never good for a story.

Another thing that ruined the story for me was the ending. I won’t spoil it, but it seemed rushed, and then ended on a cliffhanger. This made no sense, as there is no sequel to the story. It’s like the author tried to write the ending like one of those horror movies where you don’t know what truly happens at the end, but in all honesty I was confused like “what actually just happened?” It was probably one of the most disappointing endings I have ever read.

The last thing that could have ruined the story for me was the thought that if her parents had a son instead of a daughter, or if  his parents had had a daughter instead of a son, that the curse wouldn’t have been put on them. I believe that the curse still could have been put on them, and the two boys or two girls would have fallen in love with each other, but the author made it seem as if that was “impossible”.

So I would recommend this box set simply because it was so cheap for 22 books, but not this individual book, which actually costs 2.99 on the Amazon Kindle, unless you read to the end and then make up your own ending.

Overall Rating: 1.5/5