Storm Siren #1

By Mary Weber
Published by Thomas Nelson

Average Blogger Rating: 4.55 Stars

I love this this book from start to finish and I can't wait for the second book to come out. It has a very interesting ending and I am curious to see what is going to be in the second book.

The book was about an Elemental girl named Nym who can control the elements. She has bright white hair and very blue eyes. She is very rare since all Elemental children are usually male and are killed for being what they are. Her parents are gone, since she was 5, and so now she lives as a slave in the service of others. She has had 14 owners, when she comes to live with Adora.

When Adora found out what she was, she bought her to help her control her Elemental abilities to help save Faelen.

















Book Description

"I raise my chin as the buyers stare. Yes. Look. You don’t want me. Because, eventually, accidentally, I will destroy you."

In a world at war, a slave girl’s lethal curse could become one kingdom’s weapon of salvation. If the curs

e—and the girl—can be controlled. As a slave in the war-weary kingdom of Faelen, seventeen-year-old Nym isn’t merely devoid of rights, her Elemental kind are only born male and always killed at birth—meaning, she shouldn’t even exist.

Standing on the auction block beneath smoke-drenched mountains, Nym faces her fifteenth sell. But when her hood is removed and her storm-summoning killing curse revealed, Nym is snatched up by a court advisor and given a choice: be trained as the weapon Faelen needs to win the war, or be killed.

Choosing the former, Nym is unleashed into a world of politics, bizarre parties, and rumors of an evil more sinister than she’s being prepared to fight . . . not to mention the handsome trainer whose dark secrets lie behind a mysterious ability to calm every lightning strike she summons.

But what if she doesn’t want to be the weapon they’ve all been waiting for?

Set in a beautifully eclectic world of suspicion, super abilities, and monsters, Storm Siren is a story of power. And whoever controls that power will win.

MindWar A Novel

By Andrew Klavan Published by Thomas Nelson

Starts off grabbing you attention and it keeps it on the novel until you finish. It is a great read, very inspiring. I can't wait to read the next novel in this series.

Rick Dial had an accident and he is just barely able to use his legs on crutches, and he never wants to do the exercises to try and get more usage of them cause he believes he will never get back the use that he had before. His mom asks him to go for a walk and his little brother who looks up to him wanted him to as well, and he didn't feel up to fighting with them so he went out to try and walk. He get approached by a man and woman, the woman talks to him and the man knocks him out with a needle.

So the summery is: Rick has great video game skills which was monitored and made him qualify him to participate in a virtual reality world (which was created by an evil scientist to destroy The United States). In this virtual world he will no longer have disabled legs. So he agrees to it and enters the world, to try and save everyone.

This is a very interesting read, please check it out, you won't be sorry.

















Book Description

When Rick lost the ability to run, he came one step closer to becoming a hero.

New High Score! New Record Time!

Rick nodded with grim satisfaction. He laid the game controller aside on the sofa and reached for his crutches.

Rick Dial was the best quarterback Putnam Hills High School had ever seen. Unflappable. Unstoppable. Number 12. But when a car accident left him crippled, Rick’s life as he knew it ended. He disavowed his triumphant past. He ignored his girlfriend. He disappeared into his bedroom—and into the glowing video screen.

But Rick’s uncanny gaming skills have attracted attention. Dangerous attention. Government agents have uncovered a potentially devastating cyber-threat: a Russian genius has created a digital reality called the Realm, from which he can enter, control, and disrupt American computer systems . . . from transportation to defense. The agents want Rick, quick-thinking quarterback and gaming master, to enter the Realm and stop the madman—before he sends America into chaos.

Entering the Realm will give Rick what he thought he’d never have again: a body as strong and fast as it was before the accident. But this is no game, there are no extra lives, and what happens to Rick in the Realm happens to Rick’s body in reality.

Even after Rick agrees to help, he can’t shake the sense that he’s being kept in the dark. Why would a government agency act so aggressively? Can anyone inside the Realm be trusted? How many others have entered before him . . . and failed to return?

In the tradition of Ender’s Game and The Matrix, MindWar is a complex thriller about a seemingly ordinary teenager who discovers a hidden gift—a gift that could make him a hero . . . or cost him everything.

The Tallest Watchtower

I found that this is a good (but very short) book to read, it only took me about 10 minutes to finish it, it is a great read. I adored the first story, and the second one was enlightening.

I have to say though i liked the stories, i think that maybe there could've been a few more stories in this book to help it be complete, but otherwise it was ok, so out of 5 stars I am rating it as a 4 cause i did like it but it was short.



Some info on the books from my words...

There is 2 short stories. The first is titles, Lucy. It is about a couple who can not have children of their own. They decide they want to adopt a young boy. They arrive and actually pick a 3 year girl (for a very special reason, that i won't spoil in here). The ending is slightly sad but kind of happy in a way too.

The second short story tells of the 9-11 disaster. It talks of a man, who was getting ignored by pretty much everyone. It also tells of how more than 3,000 people died, (that is all i will say there cause any more could spoil the ending and everything)





Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.




Book Description

The human heart is taken over by these very impressive short stories. The Tallest Watchtower is a wakeup call for our sleeping sense of empathy and charity and a reminder not to forget those who are not among us but between us and our God. Their memory is always respected. Containing stories of first loves, new loves, and the horrific events of September 11, 2011, this collection is sure to bring a reaction.

The Wedding Dress

By Rachel Hauck
Published by Thomas Nelson


Charlotte is an owner of her own bridal shop, and loves helping brides find their perfect dress, is getting married herself (to a man named Tim). She has yet to buy her dress, as she just can't seem to find the "right" dress, and doesn't feel compelled to do so real quick. She is questioning whether this marriage is something she wants to do or not. She gets in a predicament at the beginning where she gets stuck at an auction. She feels compelled to buy an old antique trunk.

This is a great book, it ties in 3 others stories about this wedding dress that was used by these girls (Emily, Mary Grace, and Hillary). If you like stories about love, then you will love this book.










Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.






Book Description

Four brides. One dress.

A tale of faith, redemption, and timeless love.

Charlotte owns a chic Birmingham bridal boutique. Dressing brides for their big day is her gift—and her passion. But with her own wedding day approaching, why can’t she find the perfect dress—or feel certain she should marry Tim?

Then Charlotte purchases a vintage dress in a battered trunk at an estate sale. It looks brand-new, shimmering with pearls and satin, hand-stitched and timeless in its design. But where did it come from? Who wore it? Who welded the lock shut and tucked the dog tags in that little sachet? Who left it in the basement for a ten-year-old girl? And what about the mysterious man in the purple vest who insists the dress had been “redeemed”?

Charlotte’s search for the gown’s history—and its new bride—begins as a distraction from her sputtering love life. But it takes on a life of its own as she comes to know the women who have worn the dress. Emily from 1912. Mary Grace from 1939. Hillary from 1968. Each with her own story of promise, pain, and destiny. And each with something unique to share. For woven within the threads of the beautiful hundred-year-old gown is the truth about Charlotte’s heritage, the power of courage and faith, and the beauty of finding true love.

Behemoth

By Jonathan C. Leicht
Published by WestBow Press

This is a great book to read. It is about two different groups (who don't know each other and don't know that the other group is doing the same thing) who are going out to prove that dinosaurs are still living.

I am going to call them into 2 different groups since they are indeed that.

The first group is about Stephan Gregory and others, who has lost his job and his reputation due to the fact that he shows slides about how dinosaur tracks and human tracks are intertwined into a fossil. Many do not wanna believe that humans and dinosaurs lived in the same era. He is summoned by John Maxwell (who likes scientific artifacts) who gave him a free airplane ticket to get him to his estate. He asks if he will help lead an expedition. They head into Congo (Likouala Swamp region), though they also thought of heading to Cameroon.


The second group has a few main people in it. Jim and Ben keep finding dead animals on their Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya. There is 3 dead elephants and 1 Cape Buffalo Bull, they were gored to death, by one really long horn/weapon, and with the tusks of the elephants intact they know it can't be poachers. Ben speaks Swahili but Jim doesn't. They find weird foot prints in the mud around where the bull was killed. They takes some casts of them. Jim send one of them to a friend, Dan. Who is excited by the fact that they found a great fossil of a Ceratopid (in which there are 4 possibilities, one being the Triceratops). They come across a tribe who's chief told them of an animal he seen as a boy. He had made a sculpture of it and showed them. It is a Centrosaurus.


This is a great read, and in fact, i thought it could be very believable. I hope that this review is enjoyable to all who read it and inspires them to go out and buy the book to read for themselves.






Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.



Book Description

Author Jonathan C. Leicht, who travels the country teaching creation seminars, bypassed his busy teaching schedule long enough to pen this adventure-filled novel that will have readers at the edge of their seats. At the center of Behemoth is Jim Thompson, chief game warden of the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya. Jim has a major problem. Three of his prized elephants have been gored to death in the past month. The only clues are mysterious tracks reportedly belonging to a creature long thought extinct. Thompson suddenly finds himself on a tumultuous adventure across the African continent, hoping to convince himself and the world that he is on the verge of an incredible discovery. He is not alone. On the other side of the world, Professor Stephen Gregory is embarking on an adventure of his own. Forced to resign over his unpopular scientific beliefs, this once-distinguished professor gets the chance of a lifetime when he is offered an expedition into the heart of Africa in search of a creature that could prove his theories true once and for all.

The Beauty Book

This is a great read for all ages. It helps show you that God loves us no matter what we look like, or what the "IN" look is. It gives great quotes from the bible proving their points in this book.

My daughter wants to re-read this already and I thought it was a good read.

It tells of many different aspects that everyone should think about.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.



Book Description

Learn with Lily and her friends just what it means to be beautiful in God’s eyes—inside and out!

In a society so focused on the idea that external beauty reigns supreme, it can be difficult for young girls to figure out what “true” beauty is all about. This unique and creative book for girls ages 7–11 answers the common questions girls ask during this often confusing and overwhelming stage in their lives in an inviting and conversational manner.

Filled with fun quizzes, imaginative activities, and cool illustrations, The Beauty Book offers cool, relevant information about everything from great hair styles to tattoos, from skin care to clothes, and much more. Above all, the message that God-confidence is beautiful is highlighted on each and every page.

Brush of Angel's Wings

I finished the book a while ago, but couldn't get near the computer for a bit, till today. I kept my notes on the book in my cell, so i wouldn't forget what to write
about from within the novel.

So the book has a Dutch glossary in the beginning which really helps out with certain words, though most are pretty straight foward just spelled differently, there are a few which if it didn't have this you would have to try and guess at their meanings.

Rachel is a 20 year old woman and has never been courted after as of yet. She is going to ask guidance from god about becoming a teacher (who is an unmarried woman that teaches the kids). She races her buggy into a ditch.

Jordon doesn't really believe in god. Him and Rachel get into a buggy race in the beginning. The horses got spooked by a semi and you find out that they both have the same guardian angel (named Nathaniel) and an envy angel (named Tangus)

Rachel has 3 Sisters (Sadie, Fanny, and Iva) and had 1 brother (James). Jordon gets a job with Rachel's father and she thinks that he is filling her brothers place in his heart, and her place on the farm.

Sadie has a beautiful little girl named Ella Sue but when a disaster happens, RAchel feels she must take over looking after the baby. But soon realizes why that shouldn't happen.

Hope this is enough info to get you interested in reading this book. It is a great Amish book to read. I really enjoyed reading it and hope others will too.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.




Book Description

Rachel and Jordan's feelings for each other are hostile at first, but angelic intervention helps the two discover peace . . . and perhaps love.

The youngest and last unmarried of four sisters, Rachel Hartlzer spends most of her time helping with barn chores. Her role abruptly changes when her father hires Jordan Engles, the son he always wanted.

As Jordan takes on brotherly roles around the house, like escorting Rachel to the youth singing, the enmity between the two grows. Besides, Jordan has one foot in the Englisch world and is determined not to get involved with an Amish girl.

Neither realizes that God has sent an angel, Nathaniel, to help mend their hearts. The angel’s intervention helps them find peace and healing in accepting God's will for their lives.