Friday, February 12, 2016

Violet Night Trilogy Blog Tour + Review & Giveaway

Title:
Violet Night Trilogy.
Includes 3 full-length novels plus a never before published novella:  Violet Midnight, Violet Dawn, Violet Storm, & novella: A Hunter Revealed.
Back Cover Blurb:
After three months of silence, the black tattoo on Emma’s wrist glows with a vengeance once again, and that can only mean one thing…the vampires are back.  But when she meets the mysterious Jake Cunningham, who has a few powers of his own, she may not be alone in the fight.
In the midst of battle, Jake and Emma find love, but as their adventures continue, that love—and their souls—will be tested beyond imaginable limits.
For this intrepid pair, staying together may be harder than staying alive.
Three full-length novels: Violet Midnight, Violet Dawn, Violet Storm. Plus a bonus novella: Witness the moment Emma woke up in the hospital with her emblematic purple eyes and glowing tattoo in the never before published novella, A Hunter Revealed.
Buy Links:
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/VNTBandN
Goodreads:  http://bit.ly/VNTGoodreads

Giveaway!
 You could win a Kindle Fire!
Rafflecopter HTML: 
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/16f82bb035/"

Author Bio:
New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author, Lynn Rush (aka Reese Monroe), hails from the land of 10,000 lakes and cold, snowy winters. She's known to weave a little of that frigid Minnesota climate into her stories, but these days she much prefers desert living. She resides in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, and when she's not busy writing her next trilogy, she can be found pounding the pavement, training for her next endurance event.
Connect with Lynn:
Instagram: @LynnRushWrites
Tumblr: @LynnRushWrites
Twitter: @LynnRushWrites
Website LynnRush.com.

Release Date: 2/12/16  
Thoughts on Book 1:
 
Violet Midnight by Lynn Rush

Book 1 in the Violet Night Trilogy

2.75 stars

Emma Martin knows she’s different from other humans. A few years ago she discovered that she’s no longer human, but a vampire hunter. She’s become destined to save humanity and protect those who don’t know about the danger that lurks in the unknown. Jake Cunningham has discovered that he’s destined for something special, too. The attraction between Jake and Emma is undeniable, but Jake’s destiny may be something darker than either of them could’ve imagined. The storyline has major Buffy vibes. The fight scenes and overall writing had the vibe of a Buffy TV episode. This is a strong point for the novel, mainly because I love Buffy, but also because it convinced me to keep reading.



The story felt very rushed at times and had major info-dumps, but this is a first novel in a trilogy and information is going to be given to move the story along. Thankfully, the info wasn’t piled on too quickly and the story was able to retain its pacing. The writing didn’t seem like a novel, but more of a TV pilot script or even a quick miniseries. This wasn’t a bad thing, but it doesn’t give me much to rave about or praise. Also insta-love is not the way to go when it comes to romance, but since this novel was originally published in 2012 I’ll let it slide (kind of).


Whimsical Writing Scale: 2.75

Emma is a shitty friend. My biggest problem with her lies with the fact that she keeps mind wiping Ava every time she discovers Emma’s abilities and that’s NOT COOL. It makes Emma extremely unlikable and even though she thinks she’s protecting Ava, it seems more like she’s robbing her of her memories and choices.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 2.5

Jake is not my cup of tea. He has only known Emma for a few hours and is already trying to pressure her to have sex. He’s too handsy and just wormy. I don’t find him enduring or attractive. None of his personality traits intrigue me and he felt like a lump of sugar- diluted and too sweet to be consumed without something to balance it out. Jake’s destiny was also extremely predictable and gave nothing new to the vampire genre storyline wise.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 2

The Villain
- How cliché; these villains weren’t scary, creepy, or believable. We were told they were evil for the sake of being evil. What a snooze fest.

Villain Scale: 1.75

Ava is the only character I liked in this novel and she was CONSTANTLY slut shamed. So what if she likes to have sex with men, that’s her choice and as a friend Emma needs to stop being judgmental and support her for being her.


Character Scale: 2.75

My biggest problem with this novel is that it feels blotchy. There’s no concrete reasoning that flows from plot point to plot point. The characters are also lacking in depth and the explanations aren’t concrete (at least for me personally). This novel is also SO CLICHÉ and predictable. The summary is cliché, but I still found myself reading because it was enjoyable. I do recommend this to younger readers and don’t think that the NA label is fitting at all.


Plotastic Scale: 2.75

Cover Thoughts: These original covers are horrible. Thank God for the new box set.


Thank you, Lynn Rush for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. 


Thoughts on Book 2:

Violet Dawn by Lynn Rush

Book 2 in the Violet Night Trilogy

3 stars

BRIEF SPOILERS AHEAD FOR PREVIOUS NOVEL (I’ll give warning when they end.)

Emma’s love has saved Jake from falling into darkness. He’s no longer a vampire and is destined to fight alongside Emma. A mysterious guy keeps popping up and Emma thinks he’s harmless especially since he claims to known her old love, Gabriel, but Jake disagrees. SPOILERS OVER The writing at the beginning of this novel sadly decreased in value. I was off to a rocky start at the beginning of this sequel and I felt like it was going to go downhill. Surprisingly the writing became so much better. The storyline was very rocky and it felt like there was no solid place where it wanted to go, but it eventually went somewhere and that was a saving grace for this novel.


The good news is that the love triangle was squashed because Emma and Jake lurve each other so much. For once I’m glad that their love was sickeningly sweet enough to divert a nauseating love triangle. Sadly their relationship isn’t very solid and their love story feels like it is forced. This all consuming love feels uninspired and didn’t make me feel anything. That’s a slight lie- I felt something- my eyes rolling into my head. I mean a proposal? I seriously don’t see how that proved that loved each other because I didn’t feel the love.


The middle of this story is very strong and is my favorite thing about this novel. I couldn’t put it down and I was engrossed. The plot was great, the pacing was perfect, and the story flowed well. Sadly as a whole this story lacks solid plots (much like the first novel), but this novel is addictive enough that it didn’t fall flat.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 3.25

This is my own personal qualm with the celibacy portrayed in this novel. I support celibacy; I think it’s great; I also support sex before marriage. I support whatever feels right for the person because it is different for all people. Literature has begun to paint celibacy as a horrible thing or something that isn’t cool anymore, but there are also instances where sexual promiscuity is painted as the worst sin in the world. (As a Christian I feel that I’m entitled to claim- sexual promiscuity isn’t the worst sin in the world that would be pride.) But Jake not respecting Emma for wanting to remain celibate is NOT okay. It was a horrible way to show discard between this couple and it infuriated me. Using virginity as a plot point to decide good or bad is also infuriating and not okay.


Emma, did you brush your teeth with Jake’s toothbrush? I mean I know you swap spit, but that’s just GROSS. Also stop slut shaming your friend! It’s not okay to judge her for wanting to have sex with multiple men. Emma, you are an idiot whose head is so far up her ass she can’t see a bad, creepy, unsettling dude who was RIGHT in her face.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 2.5

Jake is too much of a jealous douchecanoe. He gave me a headache with all his HE-MAN “Emma is mine” thoughts. I like him less the more I mull on it.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 1.5
The Villain- I really liked the villains in this one. Some of them weren’t strong villains, but it was a lot better than the weird parent villains from last time.


Villain Scale: 3

Ava still slays and she remains to be a great character. I also like Greg, Ava’s boyfriend, who is just a goof with good intentions. Gabriel always pops up at weird times and I’m not really a fan of his character, but whatever. He has a purpose.


Character Scale: 3.25

This novel has its fair bit of flaws, but it’s a decent sequel. I highly recommend picking it up if you enjoyed or were intrigued by the previous novel.


Plotastic Scale: 3.25

Cover Thoughts: This cover is better than the previous one, but again thank God for that new box set.

Thank you, Lynn Rush for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Thoughts on Book 3:
 
Violet Storm by Lynn Rush

Book 3 in the Violet Night Trilogy

2.25 stars

BRIEF SPOILERS AHEAD

Emma is trying to deal with the recent invasion of Seth taking her blood and what it has done to her, but she is also dealing her impending marriage to Jake. Like Seth promised, Dusan is coming and the final battle between Hunters and century’s old evil is vastly approaching. New Hunters are revealed and lives are lost. SPOILERS OVER I had high hopes (not exceedingly high), but high enough that I was hoping this sequel would surpass its predecessor. Sadly this novel felt incredibly unnecessary and felt like it went in constant circles. The writing didn’t deliver this time around and made the story feel long and felt badly edited. The writing was dull, lackluster, and carried little suspense that the previous novels had.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 2

Emma continues to be a character TSTL and I had hoped that she would die, but I knew that was unlikely considering that good always prevails over evil. Emma’s character development continued to feel flat and she never showed any growth. She was petty over silly things and just overall annoying.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 1.75

Jake is a character that I’ve always found unlikable and as this trilogy went on, I liked him less and less. My biggest problem with Jake is how controlling he is. Everything has to be his way and it gets really tiresome to hear his broken record sob story.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 1
The Villain- Dusan was an interesting character. I would’ve preferred that he had been introduced from the beginning and Emma was destined to be with him. It could’ve been an entertaining story and would’ve probably been good. These books aren’t bad, but this one in particular is lacking. It shows how hard Rush wants these books to be good and have messages, but none of them made me feeling anything other than meh. Dusan & Emma plot line I made up in my head is now an OTP.


Villain Scale: 3.25

I love Ava’s character. She’s the one shining light that this trilogy has continuously been constant. She’s loyal, energetic, and fun, but Rush continues to paint her as a slut and even goes far enough as to consider herself “the former easy girl on campus”. I get that this novel is heavenly Christian and I support that, but I can’t support judgmental views and slut shaming no matter if it’s from an atheist, Catholic, Baptist, Muslim, Buddhist, I don’t care it’s not okay. This novel also introduces a bunch of new discovered Hunters. Ava and Greg have already been discovered, but this novel begins to show their powers. Nat and Paul are two random kids that are discovered to be Hunters. Paul is pretty lame, but Nat is total awsomesauce and I liked her a lot. Gabriel continues to pop angel style and is just as lame as ever.


Character Scale: 2.75

I had some problems with this novel considering the portrayal of sex, virginity, and marriage but I honestly don’t feel like going into my personal views because that’s not what this review is about. While this bothered me I don’t think a lot of younger readers will be bothered by this and will probably be huge fans of this trilogy. I hope a lot of young readers enjoy this more than I did because it’s got a lot going for it.


Plotastic Scale: 2.25

Cover Thoughts: This cover isn’t bad, but the models look horrendous due to their positioning. Yay for box set covers to replace these!

Thank you, Lynn Rush for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
 


Novella:
 
A Hunter Revealed by Lynn Rush

Book 0.5 in the Violet Night Trilogy

2 stars

This prequel novella follows the events of Emma learning she is a Hunter to the death of Gabriel that sets off the events of the trilogy. Like most novellas this can either be great, meh, or forgettable. I didn’t hate this story, but it did absolutely nothing for me. I think it would’ve been a better idea to put this at the beginning that way people can decide if they want to continue on with this box set.
 
Overall Series Rating: 2.5 stars! 

Let me know down below if you are interested in this trilogy or if you have entered the giveaway! Good luck! 

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Review Takedown #2

I know what you are probably thinking, "Sarah another video?" The answer is yes! I have been doing a lot of reading and I also need to film my third takedown already! I understand if you aren't interested in watching this video, but in comparison to my first takedown I absolutely loved filming this because I felt more confident with this style. I personally really enjoyed of each of these three novels and that made it fun to film! 

 

In my Review Takedowns, I plan on reviewing three books, but a fourth will be included if I am interested in talking about a novella or short story! These are the next three books I've read!

Books Mentioned:
528149 20504754 
26247784 

King Lear by William Shakespeare
☆☆☆☆1/2
 I am quickly becoming a lover of Shakespeare and King Lear has become my favorite play of his so far. My favorite tragic portion was the Gloucester scene- I mean could you imagine seeing that scene performed? Absolutely brutal!

Transcendence by Shay Savage
☆☆☆☆
Omg! This book is so amazing! So amazing and beautiful. Ehd and Beh's story has become one that I will always treasure and I think it's one of the most interesting and out there concepts I've ever read in a romance novel. This story was simple, but profoundly moving. I can't recommend it enough!

The Private Eye: Cloudburst Edition by Brian K. Vaughan & Marcos Martin
☆☆☆☆1/2
This was so good! I was a little iffy, but I mean it is BRIAN K. VAUGHAN and you can't go wrong with him.  This story was such an interesting take on a world where people hide with identities after a cloud exposed all the secrets of humans contained on the Internet. So cool!

Favorite Book:
Transcendence
Most Readable:
The Private Eye: Cloudburst Edition
Best Writing:
King Lear (Shakespeare is a genius!)
Strongest Characters:
the Fool, Edmund, Lear from King Lear
Ehd and Beh from Transcendence
Gramps from The Private Eye
OTP Couple(s):
Ehd & Beh♥


What are your thoughts on any of these books if you've read them? Do you plan on reading any of these? Let me know down below in the comments!
 
   

Monday, February 8, 2016

December/ January Wrap-Up

I have fallen behind on doing my monthly wrap-ups and had to cram my December one in with my January reads. The video feels a little rushed, but I was trying not to talk too long about books and run out of time on my camera!

 
I read a total of 7 books in the month of December and 9 books in January. I hit a bit of a reading slump during my birthday at the end of the December when I get really sick and didn't pick books back up until around the second week of January. Even though I hit a reading slump, I'm excited that I didn't fall behind! I also have started my journey into adult coloring and I've made a good bit of progress into my copy of the Enchanted Forest (link to review chronicling my slow progress).

Book I've Read:
(December)
20416507 8117274 329519 23332879 13548020 17286817 18747159 

Total Books Read in December: 7
Total Pages Read: 1,844 pages
Average Rating in December: 3.32 stars (I didn't have any solid 5 star reads that month!)
5 stars: NONE, but Red Fox was my highest rated read at 4.5 stars
Physical: 1
ARC: 3
E-Books: 3
I had an overall great blogging month in December with 11 posts and good bit of those were discussion based or goal oriented. 

(January)
685374 20504754 26247784 528149 23121793 25489106 13129155 17160459 
Bind Me by Rene Folsom 

Total Books Read in January: 9
Total Pages Read in January: 2,906 pages
Average Rating in January: 3.88 stars (I had a really good reading moth-especially since I hit a reading slump so early in the year.)
5 star reads: Dragonfly in Amber (!) & Transcendence (SERIOUSLY READ THIS BOOK!)
Physical: 2
ARC: 4
E-Book: 3
Books Reviewed in January: Becoming Darkness, Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter & Emma, Review Takedown #1 Video (contains thoughts on Drums of Autumn, Thug Notes, The Benson, & Violet Dawn), Instructions for the End of the World

What books did you read in the month of January or December? What have been your favorites that you would recommend? Have you read any of these? What are your thoughts? Let me know down below in the comments!

Blog Tour: The Last Storm by Tim Lebbon

 Hello, everyone! Today I am a part of the blog tour for Tim Lebbon's new and upcoming 2022 release, THE LAST STORM. The Last Storm will...