Blog Tour: Mini-Review & Giveaway!! Portals, by Maer Wilson

Welcome to this stop in the Portals 
Blog Tour,

sponsored by

MythBehaving Book Tours!!

Below you will find my mini-review, 

based on the excerpt,

and a giveaway!  Enjoy!!

   

For supernatural detectives Thulu and La Fi, “normal” is a relative term. La Fi is a medium, Thulu is a finder, and their usual clients are already dead. But when their friend Reo is shot, and a group of stranded angels shows up at their house for help finding a missing child, things are striking too close to home. And the portals that let the magical races return to Earth are opening on their own. With trips off-world, a kidnapped psychic and changes to their own abilities, Thulu and La Fi are hit with a lot more than they usually handle. Of course, their magical friends are there to help, but even they may not be enough to save an increasingly unstable Earth. Portals is the cross genre (Sci Fi/Urban Fantasy) sequel to Relics and is Book 2 in the Modern Magics series.

  

Portals can be found at these retailers:

Amazon - Kindle     |     Amazon - Paperback

Barnes & Noble - Nook     |     iTunes

This is indeed a very exciting excerpt! Even though it's short, I could see  right away that Wilson knows how to present a vivid setting through  well-chosen descriptions. The fast  and furious action immediately thrusts the reader right into the midst of this battle, too.

In few but precise words, the author lets us see that this is a very important battle, that there's a lot at stake. It's obvious, too, that Dhavenbahtek is a character crucial to the story.

In just several paragraphs, my adrenaline shot up, and I'm so disappointed that, for the moment at least, I can't read more....

This novel, like Relics, is one I definitely need to get my hands on!  

It took a while to make our way through the chaos, doing our best to avoid the slashes from swords and daggers. I could barely breathe from fear. A daemon appeared before us, his sword raised to strike down at us. Thulu moved closer to me, doing his best to shield us with his backpack. The blow never came, as the tip of a sword grew from the daemon’s chest. His body crashed to the floor, and we skirted it on our way forward once more. Our heavy backpacks caused some issues as we traveled across the room, but after that episode neither of us was willing to drop them.

Shelf Candy Saturday #135: Uprooted, by Naomi Novik

 

Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!!

This is my weekly feature

showcasing beautiful book covers!

It also provides information,

if available, on their very talented creators!

For more information

about Shelf Candy Saturday,

simply go HERE.

Here's my choice for this week!

 Uprooted

Naomi Novik

Hardcover, 448 pages

Del Rey

June 30, 2015

Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction

My Thoughts About This Cover

This is the type of thing one might encounter while visiting a medieval monastery, perhaps in England, Belgium, or Germany. The calligraphy certainly reminds me of an illuminated manuscript!

Aside from  the exquisitely done calligraphy, there are other elements that are typical of the type of art done on medieval manuscripts, such as the building housing a main figure, with smaller, secondary figures set in niches or windows of the structure, along the left and right sides.

In the Middle Ages, perspective was relatively unknown, if not totally so. Therefore, it was the custom, in paintings and manuscripts, to portray a main figure as larger than other figures in the same composition, simply because of its importance. That's the case in this cover image. The principal figure, that of a girl holding a shining rose, is therefore depicted as being larger than life. Her right hand, too, is held in exactly the same gesture as that seen in many medieval paintings and illuminated manuscripts.

The rose itself is absolutely beautiful! It gives off a surreal, inner glow, and the girl is staring at it in awe, as if it were a sacred object. I'm not sure about the symbolism, but I believe it might actually represent the beauty of a person's inner core. Five long buds extend out from the rose in several directions, which could mean spiritual growth. Again, I'm just not sure.

All the figures surrounding the main one have some symbolic meaning, of course. I'm not sure about the meaning of every single one of them, either. I know the owl represents wisdom, while the beaker and container in the niche below are known symbols of alchemy. At the top right there's what looks like a snake, and most likely represents temptation. This creature seems about to take a bite out of one of the rose's extended buds, too. A sword lies on top of the roof, but its symbolism totally escapes me. There's a girl looking out of the window at the top left-hand corner, and a boy's face smiling through the window in the lower right-hand corner. I suppose they're characters in this book, just like the girl in the center is.

Unfortunately, this is another case of not being able to get any information about the cover artist(s) and/or designer(s). The Amazon reader was of no help whatsoever here. When this book is published, I can then buy it, and will definitely find out!

What do you think of my 

choice this week?

Please leave me a comment

and let me know!

The Book Lover's Den #13: More Feminist Books, Old and New

Welcome to my Friday feature!

In each weekly post, I explore 

my thoughts on several 

book-related topics.

This is, in a way, a continuation of a previous post regarding feminist books. While visiting a blog the other day, I came across two recently-published books that look very interesting. One of them is a very hopeful, uplifting book, while the other has some rather dismaying news.... I would definitely like to read both, because the events detailed in these books are true, and happening in the world at this time.

I found this post at Feminist Reflections. This is a great blog featuring a variety of books, as well as articles on beauty, entertainment, and lifestyle. Below are the two books I discovered through this blog. They certainly look very interesting!

This is a memoir, written by an American woman who actually pulled up roots to start a nonprofit for the purpose of helping to educate and provide opportunities for the women and girls of Afghanistan. What is most inspiring of all is that she was a rape victim herself. Refusing to be defined by that unfortunate event, Galpin has thrown herself wholeheartedly into this self-appointed mission. 

One of the things mentioned by this author is that she was actually the first women to ride a mountain bike in Afghanistan. Why? Because Afghan women are not  allowed to ride bikes! This is nearly unbelievable -- that something taken for granted by women in other countries is not permitted to Afghan women..... Galpin is now using her bike rides to raise awareness about, as well as support for, the plight of women in Afghanistan. Her example is truly noble and inspiring, and I can't wait to get this book and read it!

This is the more disturbing of the two books, especially because the topic is not that well-known. At least, I had never heard of this type of situation in Israel before. This book deals with the increasing oppression of women in that country, which is, ironically enough, a democratic state. I was shocked when I read the synopsis -- women are being segregated by gender on buses, female politicians are being silenced, not allowed to attend important conferences and events.... There are many more things covered in this book, written by leading Jewish activist Elana Maryles Sztokman.

In a way, I really shouldn't be surprised, what with the misogyny rampant in  the Old Testament of the Bible. Besides, in Orthodox and Conservative congregations even today, women sit in a section separate from the men. This means that family members are separated during services. However, this is not the case in the Reformed denomination of Judaism, or in more liberal denominations of this religion.

The one thing mentioned in this book that I would definitely oppose is the opinion that a  woman has the "right" to choose to abort her child. I am a pro-life feminist. Other than this one issue, I wholeheartedly support the basic tenets of feminism.  

I would not be surprised by tales of abuse toward women and girls in places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other Arab countries, but Israel! After all, Israeli women have long served in their country's army.

In her interesting review of this book, Benish Khan, owner and creator of Feminist Reflections, states that, whenever religion takes a fanatical turn, these types of things happen. This is very true of Islamic extremism; however, this also happens in other religions, as fundamentalism is the extremely conservative wing present within most mainstream religions. Christianity itself is not exempt from this; there is a controversy raging at present in Evangelical Christian circles regarding the possibility of women being pastors. Some Christians totally support this, while many others don't, citing certain verses in the Bible that "prove" that women are not to have "spiritual authority" over men. However, the Anglican Church in England (the same denomination known as the Episcopalian Church in the U.S.) has been ordaining women to the priesthood for many years now, with no heavenly lightning strikes upon their churches. The Catholic Church still has a lot of catching up to do. Protestant denominations, as I stated above, are divided on this issue.

As for Judaism, the first female rabbi in Orthodox Judaism was ordained in Germany, in 1935. Her name was Regina Jones, and this leads me to yet another book related to this topic. I have owned this book, though, for some time, and must confess to not having read it yet. Shame on me! 

 

The first female rabbi in Reform Judaism was Sally Priesand, ordained in 1972. From that year to 2008, Hebrew Union College, a Reformed institution, has ordained 552 female rabbis. Not that many, obviously. (Source: Wikipedia)

I could point out other religions as well. I know for a fact that Hinduism is another religion with a misogynistic component. I'm not sure about Buddhism. However, as I don't want to make this a very long post, I will have to leave this for a future installment.

In closing, let me add that I have added all three of these books to my Goodreads TBR shelves, and I will make every effort to read them in the coming year!

Have you read any of these books?

If so, what did you think of them?

If not, would you like to 
read them? Why or why not?

 

GRATITUDE GIVEAWAYS HOP WINNER!!!

Announcing the winner of 

the 5th annual

Gratitude Giveaways Blog Hop
at A Night's Dream of Books!!
This  huge hop was hosted by

Kathy @ I Am A Reader!!

And the winner is.....

Vanessa Vazquez-Moreno!!


CONGRATS TO YOU!!

For my giveaway this year,
these 2 books were the prize
for ONE lucky U.S. winner!
Vanessa has already 
claimed them!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to stay tuned for
the next giveaway,
coming up very soon!!
(Click on the button  for more info.)

 

Waiting On Wednesday #119: Love, Lucy, by April Lindner

This is a weekly event hosted by

Jill @ Breaking the Spine!!

It showcases future releases which

we book bloggers

are eagerly anticipating!!

Here's my choice for this week!

Love, Lucy

April Lindner

Poppy

January 27, 2015

Classics Retellings, Contemporary Romance, 

Young Adult Fiction

Amazon US/Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Barnes & Noble

The Book Depository

   

While backpacking through Florence, Italy, during the summer before she heads off to college, Lucy Sommersworth finds herself falling in love with the culture, the architecture, the food...and Jesse Palladino, a handsome street musician. After a whirlwind romance, Lucy returns home, determined to move on from her "vacation flirtation." But just because summer is over doesn't mean Lucy and Jesse are over, too.

In this coming-of-age romance, April Lindner perfectly captures the highs and lows of a summer love that might just be meant to last beyond the season.




Why I'm waiting on this one!!

This novel has a beautiful combination: 
romance, and the city of Florence!
Paris is supposed to be THE
city for romance, but people seem to
forget about the story of 
Romeo and Juliet, which is set in
Florence, with all of its majestic,
stunning art and architecture, its parks
and air of excitement....
So I think that having a romance
in this city must be just as
heavenly as having one in Paris!
Besides, this is where my 
favorite artist of all time was born!
Who was he?
Michelangelo Buonarroti!!



What do you think of my choice
this week?
What wonderful book(s) are you
waiting on?