pelicanfreak's reviews
2219 reviews

This review is a long time coming - I actually read the book several months ago and am STILL thinking about it.

Overall reading experience/ content:
What's so fun about Haigwood's books is they stay with you - I still find myself drifting back to the island (See her Eternal Island series) and also drifting periodically into Montgomery and thinking about some of these characters.
She has a way of designing characters that stay with you.

I read Accepting the Moon last year and absolutely loved it - couldn't put it down. So naturally I was left wanting more and thrilled when Haigwood released this brilliant follow up! Mena is a brilliantly designed character, consistent, despite the fact that she's sharing herself with her wolf for most of this. Watching her struggle to find herself and make peace with her wolf is enlightening and as they fight over the different men they love - two of them for Mena - it's all so wonderfully suspenseful and full of indecisiveness. I'm a fan of Phoenix. Ace is pig-headed and immature BUT I understand the bond Mena feels with him. It's all so well thought out that it almost seems natural - as if she's merely telling us a true story.

Continuity -
This is great, I didn't find any discrepancies.
Even with the two authors - they clearly work well together. (By the way, you cannot go wrong with either of them!)

Editing/Proofing:
Not a lot of errors found - seems professionally edited.

Formatting -
The formatting is actually really gorgeous , as always with Haigwood's books.
The whole book is a beautiful work of art, presentation-wise.

Cover -
Looks to be professionally done, well designed and it's pretty and relevant.

Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars.
It isn't perfect, but it's pretty damn close.

*I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest read/review.

Believe it or not, I have never read a comic book in my life.
When Dani asked me to review this, I was intrigued - I love her writing so I figured it'd be good.

I wasn't wrong.
First of all - the graphics and dark colors are awesome. I read this on an iPad with retina display, but noticed it looks great on other platforms as well (checked it out on my old Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD - still pretty.)

I immediately was hooked into the story by the dark scenery and mysterious circumstances. Shortly thereafter I took a liking to Phoebe, as well as the casual atmosphere I took away from the dialogue. The pictures continued to hold my interest as well - really great graphics.

I found myself enjoying how much can be conveyed through pictures - and realized that this book has me wanting to look into more comic books. Considering this turned me into an entire media platform, I'd say it's a good read.

In all seriousness -
Cover is gorgeous and relevant.
It and all other graphics seem professionally done and are well designed.

5 stars.

It definitely left me wanting more and there doesn't seem to be any yet- so beware on that front. Totally worth it though.

“I have killed creatures and men. I have found terrible powers within me and met people and things who should never be but are.”

When I stumbled upon this quote, deep into this epic read, I felt that it summarized a bit of Areenna’s journey but might also serve to intrigue anyone who reads it and hasn’t yet read this book… I share it here because it just jumped out at me as so… fitting.

I'm not usually a reader of epic journeys, fantasy or sci-fi type reads but this book makes me think maybe I should be.
First of all - it does take place in the future but ... it's not one of these far-fetched futuristic deals. There is a very reasonable explanation for how the state of things came to be this way , including but not exclusively limited to our actual current state of affairs with the religious war / terrorism situation that we unfortunately seem to have going on.

There is a journey involved and without posting any spoilers - it is as much about discovering oneself as it is the main characters carrying out their task to save their people.
I become so lost in this world - I still miss it, having finished this book a few weeks ago. It stayed with me more than most. Some books you just want to devour while others devour you... this one definitely devoured me for the duration - I cannot say enough.

If you're looking for a brief escape, it's right here.

So far: I've only read Vision of the Heart... will update as I read the rest...


Formatting: Absolutely gorgeous and even an air of hopeful-ness.
Cover: Seems professionally done, looks great, is relevant.

The book:
First of all the dedication alone contains an important message and I hope everyone who reads it will remember it!

Julia is our MC here and she’s likable. She’s fallen into some physical disabilities and she’s constantly worried about how it impacts everyone else, not herself. She worries a little too much about what people will think of her – but she’s human.
She’s also reeling from having to give up a career she loved.

This is all so well designed that it is relatable. I found myself sort of, imagining myself in her situation and trying to figure out how I felt about it all – it’s hard not to get sucked in. At under 12K words, it’s a really quick read but manages to really sink in. I wouldn’t mind reading more on these characters, while it wrapped up nicely, it still left me wanting more, if that makes sense. No cliffhanger – but I got attached. For such a short time spent in this book, I’d say that’s a testament to the author’s skill.

Overall very well written and addictive. Recommend.

I enjoyed this book, to the point that I couldn't put it down until it was done. I'll admit, I predicted a few of the outcomes but that is an extremely annoying habit that I have, and I honestly do not think most would find this story predictable as it truly isn't like anything else I've encountered before. I love Haigwood's take on Guardians and find it thought-provoking. I became attached to the characters rather quickly and so am glad she turned this into a series.

Donda has been through some serious stuff – if you’re not new to this series, you’ve seen it alluded to so now we get the dirty details. She’s a pretty well developed character in regards to how she copes and what her triggers continue to be. She’s down to earth and fairly self aware now.

Another thing you already know if you’re into this series is that she’s got an unbelievable support system. This installment doesn’t disappoint in that regard and we get peaks into many of the other characters while getting to know Donda and Gabriel better.

This read is an interesting mix of both modern and old-fashioned, if that makes sense and it’s cute. Gabriel is a great character that I hope to see more of in the future. Jordan is a fascinating character that I also hope to see more of in the future. Crawford has a really fun way of introducing these new characters while keeping us up to date on the old characters while keeping us in the moment of the protagonist for the current installment. It works well and if you’re into romance and/or drama, you should check this one out.

See it here:

http://amzn.to/1WysY5p

Cover: Professional, fitting and non-generic.Editing/Proofing: Non-existent?

Editing/Proofing: Non-existent?

Characters: Complex

Overall: 5 star read, 1 star package. Split the difference and call it 3 stars?

This book is really hard to review... I snagged it on a .99 day because the blurb had me intrigued so it's a good blurb and it is truly representative of the story. There are brilliantly complicated characters that sucked me in from the first page and there's an air of mystery that, is one of those that - when some questions get answered, it only prompts more questions. As someone who predicts everything, I enjoyed this. It kept me guessing. And when I thought I had it all figured out, and it all came out, there was a detail I hadn't seen coming! It's so rare that an author - or anyone really - can surprise me.

Getting through the story and to this point would have been a glorious, 5-star experience... except for the lack of editing. I like a book to be professionally presented. I feel that unprofessional, unedited books are what gives the indie community a bad name, and I also feel that if an author cannot be bothered to put forth a professional-looking product, maybe I shouldn't spend my time on it.

Throughout the book, I felt confident that this author had not used an editor. However, one is mentioned and even thanked in the back of the book so I stand corrected. Poor grammar, lack of punctuation and continuity issues are abundant. If her editor wasn't checking for these things, I'm not sure what she was doing.

Ultimately - I'd give this book 5 stars if it was the fun, fast-paced read it should be... instead, it's work. When continuity issues arise, I look back to see if I'm the one who missed something. When grammar is poor and punctuation is missing, I have to re-read a lot of it, to figure out what's trying to be said.

The characters are likely to stay with me and the book has a profound message in between the lines throughout- that is actually uttered by one MC in the end. I'd like to go on in the series but, reading around this low-quality editing is a lot of work so, I'm undecided at the moment. I feel like reading shouldn't be so much work!

"It's what people do. Judge..." -Oz.

I absolutely will never be able to say enough about this book.

I had the pleasure of reading it for edits and I actually missed it every time I had to step away. It really sucked me in. Vieira has a way of setting the scene, and with the descriptives - so that the reader feels like they're there. I love when that happens, unfortunately it doesn't very often any more.

The characters are a very interesting cast and you'll find that you love to hate them, or totally root for them... there is sex, violence, romance. There's a little bit of raw anger - that these characters are able to draw out and I've never said this about fiction - I don't get emotionally invested easily - but I did with this book.

I truly hope that Vieira keeps writing as she clearly has a rare gift. With so much to read, literally millions of choices, it still is hard to find something of this quality.
I eagerly await more in this series and I will greedily submerse myself in anything this author writes going forward.

Brilliantly designed, complex characters.
Good continuity.
Spelling/grammar/ etc. on point.

Great cover, fitting. Dark like the book...
As I'm writing this review, I miss the book still. Pretty sure I'll be re-visiting it in the years to come, as a rare favorite.

Highly recommend.