Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Blog Tour: Lord Of Shadow Rises



Hello all! We are excited to be apart of this super cool blog tour, for this cool new fantasy book! Here it is and let us know what you think in the comments below!

The Lord of Shadow Rises
by James Terzian 
Genre: Epic Fantasy, YA


It has been 200 years since the Lord of Shadows was sealed in a horrific battle with the Order of White Rose. Now the year is 1998, a boy with murdered parent's must gather allies to stop the once powerful Lord of Shadows from regaining his full power and breaking the seal. Learning from the Order of the White Rose guardians he must fight or his parents death would be in vain.

From Norway to United States of America from China to Korea he must join with the other students and fight.





​In the city of Moscow, a young teenager approached the entrance of the Greater Moscow Bank. On his shoulder he carried a bulging duffle bag. The bank’s security guard moved across the entrance as the boy approached.
“Do you need help, young man?” asked the guard.
“The only thing I need you to do,” said the teen, “is die!”
Pulling a semi-automatic from the bag on his shoulder he fired on the guard, his body sliding down the entrance door to the bank as bullets continued to ricochet against the glass. Shoving his body to the side, the boy strode through the doors and into the bank. Continuing to fire his weapon, he calmly stalked through the bank’s interior killing tellers and innocents as he came across them. With bodies littering the floor, the shooter turned and waved to three more teens that were now stationed at the entrance. The group walked over to the shooter and together they approached the vault. Grabbing the manager from his position, cowering under his office desk, they forced him to open the vault before ruthlessly shooting him when his usefulness had gone. The three teens removed duffel bags from their shoulders and began to fill them with cash. On the arm of one teen was a red hammer tattoo, and on another a sickle.
“Look for any survivors and take them out,” said the original shooter to his team. “I want no witnesses.”
Hearing sirens, the group quickly exited the building, firing as they went. Running to the end of the block, they turned left and jumped into a waiting vehicle.
“Get driving, the police are after us!” screamed the shooter. The driver, without delay, jumped on the accelerator and headed down the street and away from the bank. Turning right and gunning the gas the quartet of young bank robbers screamed in unison as a black portal opened up before them, swallowing the car.
The chasing police car stopped at the same street corner. Having been right behind them just a moment before, they were now faced with an empty street. “Chief, we’ve lost the suspects,” said the officer over the radio.
“They’ve just disappeared.”
“What do you mean?” said the voice of the Chief.
“They’ve just vanished,” said the officer.
“Report back to the station,” ordered the voice.
“Yes, sir,” confirmed the officer.





James Terzian is a upcoming Author with learning Disability in writing. Writing a novel to prove to others that having a Disability does not hinder you in anyway.   Born in Ukraine and came to America in 1992 at the age of five, Found his love for writing after graduation and is hoping to share his journey. Graduated with honor roll in High school despite his Disability, he strives to do what he loves, writing. He started to write fanfiction based on his childhood shows. Works for a local grocery store Safeway in Maryland.





Hope you enjoy the book!

Your Friends at
The Autumn Bookshelf





Friday, December 23, 2016

Book Review: Overdrive


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Overdrive by Dawn Ius

Release Date: September 13th, 2016
Read: November 2016
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: Paperback ARC, 320 pages
Series: Stand-alone

Summary from Goodreads:

Jules Parish has screwed up.

After three years of boosting cars, she got caught. She's too good to get caught, but she let her (ex)-boyfriend talk her into a questionable job. And now, she and her little sister, Emma, will be kicked out of their foster home, left to survive on the unforgiving streets of Las Vegas alone.

Unless.

Eccentric, wealthy Roger Montgomery wants to open up his mansion to Jules and Emma. The only catch? Jules must steal seven of the rarest, most valuable muscle cars in the world—in seven weeks. Even worse, she’s forced to put her trust in three complete strangers to help her do it.

First there’s Chelsea, the gorgeous redhead with a sharp tongue and love for picking locks. Then there’s Mat, who hasn’t met a system he couldn’t hack. And finally there’s the impossibly sexy car thief Nick, whose bad attitude and mysterious past drive Jules crazy.


With nothing in common and everything to lose, can Jules and her amateur crew pull off what could be the biggest car heist in history? Or will things spin out of control faster than a Nevada dust devil?

Review:
While I was reading this book, I couldn't help thinking of my one really good friends, who has a thing for cars (hi Alex!). To sum up the book with words she has actually said to me, it had "hot guys, hot cars and hot girls who drive them." This is the perfect way to describe this book. Jules is a hardcore girl, who is a car jacker living in a man's world, and yet she does it even better than they ever could. The twists and turns that her story took were so interesting, and they really kept you on your toes. Then you added Nick, the bad boy with a secret, and a secret heart of gold. He is sooo hot, and they are forced to face their tensions while stealing the seven most expensive cars in the world. This book was first and foremost a heist novel, which is something that I really loved. I am a total sucker for heist stories! This book was super good, and all characters (even side ones like Chelsea, Matt, Emma and actually Christopher) were really fully developed. I just have one problem with the book, which was the timeline. It was going way to fast, and there were so many parts where it seemed that an enormous amount of time passed seemingly inexplicably. I really wished that Ius would have taken more time in really painting the scenes. Meaning that I wished that the novel was perhaps twice as long. Does that mean that I loved it so much that I wanted it to be longer? Maybe it does! 


Favourite Quote: 
"'It's okay to be vulnerable,' he says.
'You mean weak?'

'Powerful.' he says"
-Dawn Ius

Rating: 8/10 Stars

Recommended for People Who Enjoy: Fast and Furious, contemporary, action, cars

Happy Reading,
Mari

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Blog Tour: The Silver Key




Hello fellow readers and book lovers! We are really stoked to be apart of this lovely blog tour! Let us know what you think in the comments below!

The Silver Key by Elena Schauwecker


Genre: YA Fantasy 
Release Date: December 6th 2016 
BookLogix 

Summary from Goodreads: 
“ If those bad guys—Meladyne—if they have this Key, they will . . .?” 
“ Unlock the greatest power in all the universe and enslave every man, woman, and child on this planet, destroying the earth and all life as you know it; there will be nowhere to go but Meladyne. Then they’ll leave the Sunolians, the spirits, and all the magical creatures here to die.” 
Alyssa pulled the Key out of her pocket and held it up. 
“ Unless I protect this little thing?” 
“ Yes.”

 Alyssa McCaw is a normal fourteen-year-old girl, perfectly happy with her life. But when one little key falls into her hands, her whole world is turned upside down. She suddenly finds herself whisked into a world full of the one thing she never would’ve thought possible: magic. At first, it appears to be a beautiful thing. But as Alyssa and her sister soon discover, magic, like all things, has a dark side. When her best friend Hazel is taken captive by a land of dark magic, it is up to Alyssa and her friends to rescue both Hazel and the world.  A classic tale of light versus dark, this book will pull you into a universe of love, betrayal, and, most of all, magic.


Excerpt from The Silver Key by Elena Schauwecker:

 They wandered aimlessly for a while over the hard, cold ground. An inexplicable feeling of depression and misery began to spread over Alyssa, and she could tell her sister felt it too by the uneasy look on her face. She wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, she wanted to go home and let her mother hold her. She was so cold, so alone, so afraid . . . When the emotion had reached its peak and she was on the verge of sobbing, another thought occurred to her. It wasn’t fair that her parents couldn’t hug her and make her feel better. It wasn’t her fault Hazel was in trouble. But it was most definitely someone’s fault. The depression slowly molded into a deep loathing, an anger coursing through her blood and filling up her soul. She wanted to hurt someone. She wanted to kill someone. Someone had made her suffer, and now they deserved to pay. They should suffer too. The whole world should suffer and be tortured in the most brutal ways because she didn’t have her family, because her sister was in danger, and because her best friend had been captured.

Buy Links:
AMAZON | BOOKLOGIX


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Author Links: GoodreadsTwitterFacebook  

Blog Tour Organized by: YA Bound Book Tours


Thanks for reading,
The Autumn Bookshelf










Thursday, December 15, 2016

Blog Tour: Shadows of Atlantis


Hello readers! So here we are again with another blog tour! We hope that you find a new read to add to your TBR pile!

Shadows of Atlantis 
Awakening
By Mara Powers ​

Genre: Fantasy

Atlantis is a luxurious paradise run by crystal technology built in alignment with nature. For thousands of years, Atlanteans have powered their cities with a Crystal Grid fed by psychic mindlight.
But the Grid has been infiltrated by parasitic shadows that feed off the negative emotions of humans - an epidemic called “the madness.” 
D’VINID, a dejected musician, is consumed by his personal problems. He meets Brigitte as she seeks to uncover the corruption in the Grid. Their magnetic attraction forces him to face his past and accept his future. He is among those born with a gene unlocking mystical powers once believed to be the birthright of all humans. 

As Atlantis slowly drowns in the trap of hubris and self-indulgence, he is faced with the shocking realization that his life may be mirroring Atlantis itself - he must choose to awaken or face destruction.






MARA POWERS has been researching Atlantis avidly since she was a teenager. 
Mara Powers is a true Gen X American nomad. She has managed to establish a life of travel, moving around all her favorite cities on a quest to chase the perfect weather. She discovered the myth of Atlantis at age 16, and has made it her life work to unravel the riddle. She studies both esoteric and secular theories, and incorporates them all in her stories. In a way, her Atlantis series is a dissertation on the knowledge and experience she has accumulated over almost 3 decades. 
Also a social butterfly, Powers spent the early part of her career as an event manager. She has worked at resorts, on boats, restaurants, in the festival circuit, and underground clubs as a promoter of bands, performers and electronic music. 
Her many travels have been incorporated into her work. For instance, her time spent as a denizen of Venice Beach is represented by the dog-town-style hover tricksters who have plagued the streets of Atlantis. 

She loves hearing everyone’s past life memories of Atlantis. Shoot her an email with yours.








Hope you  enjoy the book! Let us know what you think!

Your Friends,
The Autumn Bookshelf


Blog Tour: The Sound of Rain

Displaying The_Sound_of_Rain_Banner.jpg



Hello all! We here at The Autumn Bookshelf are really excited to be apart of this blog tour! Read, add to Goodreads and comment what you think!



Displaying The Sound of Rain.JPGThe Sound of Rain by Gregg Olsen

Release Date: December 13th, 2016
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Format: Hardcover, 350 Pages

Synopsis:

Former homicide detective Nicole Foster has hit rock bottom. Driven off the force by her treacherous partner and lover, she’s flat broke and struggling with a gambling addiction. All Nicole has left is the dream of a warm bed at a homeless shelter and the haunting memories of three-year-old Kelsey Chase—whose murder case ended her career.

As Nicole obsesses over the old facts, she realizes everything about that case felt off: a disinterested mom, a suicidal pedophile, and too many questions left unanswered. When the little girl’s grieving father begs Nicole for help, she’s drawn back into the investigation…and given one shot at redemption.

But the deeper Nicole digs, the more evil she uncovers, including betrayals that hit painfully close to home. Will a shocking discovery be the key to finally getting justice for Kelsey and resurrecting her own life?

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Throughout his career, Gregg Olsen has demonstrated an ability to create a detailed narrative that offers readers fascinating insights into the lives of people caught in extraordinary circumstances.
Displaying Gregg Olsen.jpg

A New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, Olsen has written nine nonfiction books, nine novels, a novella, and contributed a short story to a collection edited by Lee Child.

The award-winning author has been a guest on dozens of national and local television shows, including educational programs for the History Channel, Learning Channel, and Discovery Channel. He has also appeared on Dateline NBC, William Shatner's Aftermath, Deadly Women on Investigation Discovery, Good Morning America, The Early Show, The Today Show, FOX News, CNN, Anderson Cooper 360, MSNBC, Entertainment Tonight, CBS 48 Hours, Oxygen's Snapped, Court TV's Crier Live, Inside Edition, Extra, Access Hollywood, and A&E's Biography.

In addition to television and radio appearances, he has been featured in Redbook, USA Today, People,Salon magazine, Seattle Times, Los Angeles Times and the New York Post.

The Deep Dark was named Idaho Book of the Year by the ILA and Starvation Heights was honored by Washington's Secretary of State for the book's contribution to Washington state history and culture. His Young Adult novel, Envy, was the official selection of Washington for the National Book Festival.

Olsen, a Seattle native, lives in Olalla, Washington with his wife, twin daughters, three chickens, Milo (an obedience school dropout cocker spaniel) and Suri (a mini dachshund so spoiled she wears a sweater).

WEBSITE: http://www.greggolsen.com/
TWITTER: @Gregg_Olsen
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15035.Gregg_Olsen
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/GreggOlsenAuthor

Interview:

What inspired the story behind the book?
Initially it was a conversation with a friend of mine who’d gotten herself into big trouble. Like Nicole Foster in my book, she’d lost everything and her life was a shambles. Yet, deep down, I knew she could pull herself out of the mess. She was strong. That idea morphed into the new novel. 

What do you hope readers take from this book?
I want them to see Nicole as somebody who made a terrible mistake, but is not going to let it define the rest of her life. I want readers to see that possibility in others they know who might have fallen hard, but deserve a second chance.

Who was the first person to read the book, and why?
I have a few beta readers that I trust and they were the first to give feedback. I trust the people around me to be honest in their assessment of what I’m trying to do. It means a lot to me to have their support. 

Which character from your book do you connect with the most?
Nicole, the lead character, has my heart. I tried to see the world through her eyes – someone who’d been badly wounded, hurt by so many, yet responsible for her own downfall. She didn’t blame anyone for her problems, but it takes her awhile to really become self-aware. I like that about her. 

If you had to describe your novel if one sentence how would you do it?
When searching for the murderer of a small child a police detective with a broken heart finds herself. 




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Love, 
Your Friends at 
The Autumn Bookshelf

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Christmas Book Review: My True Love Gave To Me



Hello lovely readers! Here is another instalment of our special Christmas-themed 'What About Wednesday's! So without further ado, here is a review of a new holiday favourite of ours!

20309175My True Love Gave To Me edited by Stephanie Perkins

Authors:Stephanie Perkins, Holly Black, Ally Carter, Matt de la Pena, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Myra McEntire, Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor, Kiersten White
Release Date: October 14th, 2014
Read: December 2016
Publisher: St. Martins Press
Series: Stand-Alone Short Stories

Summary from Goodreads:

If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favourite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you enjoy celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or New Year's there's something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love.

Review:

So this book was a cute one. Like a real cute one. I thought that most of the stories were amazing, and showcased the best of the authors's talents. I was over the moon at how cute and quaint every story was. While there were some that I wasnt the biggest fan of, but those that I did enjoy far outweighed the "bad" ones. If you are looking for the perfect Christmas stories, look no furthur. This is it. Like every anthology movie, this book really makes you believe in it's underlying theme: Christmas is a magical time of year. Although I will not go into specifics about each story, I have to give props to my favourite one of all. Midnights by Rainbow Rowell is probably the best and sweetest short story I have ever read. I was heartbroken when it ended, as I wanted more. More of the story, more plot, more, more, more. I honestly could've read an entire book of just this one short story. I loved how it was snippets of midnight every year for about five years. It let you grow with the characters, and in a really short time you cared deeply for the people in it. It's definitely a recommend!


Favourite Quote:
“I'm not going anywhere, Noel." "You are, and it's okay. Just... I need you to take me with you.” 

― Rainbow Rowell, My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories


Rating:
7.5/10

Recommended for People Who Enjoy:
Short stories, true love, anthologies, "Love Actually", Christmas

Happy Reading!
Mari



Thursday, December 8, 2016

Blog Tour: S.H.A.Y.




Hello again, it's yet another addition to the blog tours here at the Autumn Bookshelf! Let us know what you think about the book in the comments!

S.H.A.Y. (Almost #1) 
by Christina Leigh Pritchard
Genre: NA Scifi/Suspense 
Release Date: August 16th 2016 
Limitless Publishing 

Summary from Goodreads: 

Experiment 318: Gone Rogue

Shay is scientific experiment #318. 
Science may have created her, but she refuses to allow it to blind her to the difference between right and wrong...

Synthetic Hominid Assumed Youth (S.H.A.Y.) is eighteen years old, which means she has completed Phase One: Developmental. Shay no longer requires the assistance of her Optional Human Parent, Darla, who has guided her in the process of discovering her morality. Shay loves her easy, charming life aboard the marine research facility and doesn’t want it to change. 

Phase Two: Experimental. All S.H.A.Y. ages 18-20 will experience loss...Darla shouldn’t have to die because ofan experiment. The thought of losing the only parent she’s ever known is too much. Determined to make sure the scientists at the facility don’t get their way, Shay entraps Darla in a transport device to escape across the Miami Border. There, on the mainland, law enforcement will keep her human parent safe.   


Escape Mission: Failed...

Shay crashes into one of the Lone Keys off the coast of Florida, abandoned to all humanity, except for the stranger who drags her ashore. Shay must get Darla to safety or she will die of radiation poisoning trapped inside the Freeze Portal, but Shay can’t do it alone.  

The boy who found her,an Ersatz Reproduction Intelligence Clone (E.R.I.C.), is her only hope. He has adaptation skills she needs to complete her mission. Eric was created by the same scientists who want to kill Darla, though. She tries to keep their interaction strictly business, but it’s hard to hate him. He’s flirty, charming and not to mention devastatingly handsome.  

Shay must put her trust in Eric’s hands if she wants to save Darla from her fate. It may be worth her heart, but will it be worth her life?

Add to Goodreads

About the Author:


Christina Leigh Pritchard was born and raised in South Florida. Her first stories were written at the age of nine in spiral notebooks and in the various diaries she kept. Since she's upgraded to a computer, she's completed over fifty books, including her ALMOST Series, signed with Limitless Publishing. Christina Leigh Pritchard is still going strong with many more to come! Her genre's include science fiction, dark fantasy, young adult, drama, suspense, historical romance, multicultural, comedy, poetry and many more. 


Author Links: Website│GoodreadsTwitterFacebook 

Blog Tour Organized by: YA Bound Book Tours


Hope you enjoy the book!
Your Friends,

The Autumn Bookshelf

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Christmas Wednesdays: 12 Days of Dash and Lily

12 Days of Dash & Lily by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Released: October 18th, 2016
Read: November 2016
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Format: ARC, 215 pages
Series: Dash & Lily #2

Description from Goodreads: Dash and Lily have had a tough year since readers first watched the couple fall in love. Lily’s beloved grandfather suffered a heart attack, and his difficult road to recovery has taken a major toll on her typically sunny disposition.
  With only twelve days left until Christmas—Lily’s favorite time of the year—Dash, Lily’s brother Langston, and their closest friends take Manhattan by storm to help Lily recapture the holiday magic of New York City in December.

Review: This book was more depressing than I thought it would be, especially considering how sweet and simple the first book was. Although it did have some funny parts, it was mostly sadness and coming to terms with change.
   I am glad that Dash finally ditched his fedora, but it worried me a little that there was a noticeable change in times between the last book and this one. For instance Trump was mentioned more than once, which is way too many times for a YA novel of any kind.
   Also, out of the two, Lily definitely changed the most between books and during this one. She went from cute teenage shut-in to over serious young-adult, but still makes mistakes and risks that don't particularly fit this new stage of her life. The end brings back most of her cheerfulness but she's still different, which is good. Because she can't remain the same forever, but it also seems like too drastic of a change in one short year. I mean, she's barely seventeen.
   Altogether, a weird and slightly disappointing sequel, but a realistic disappointment... if that makes sense.

Quotable Quotes:
- "What an idiot Santa is for flying around alone. Because who would want to travel the world without another person's heartbeat beside him?"
- "The minute she left the apartment, I missed having her there. But as with all loves, I supposed, the consolation was in the fact that she'd be back."

Rating: 6/10

Read if You Liked: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares, adventures, romance, i'm not sure

Optimistically yours, Ola <3