The Lemorian Crest Hannah L. Clark **Review**

Another gorgeous cover! :3

**I received an e-copy in exchange for an honest and fair review. Thank you!**

As with the first installment, Uncovering Cobbogoth, there's a mountain range of potential in The Lemorian Crest. The world of New Cobbogoth is every bit as creative and enthralling as I'd hoped—and more—and combined with its unique history, mythos, and bits of legislation, it's nothing short of phenomenal. Clark's world-building is easily her strongest suit. Although I didn't feel the book lived up to its full potential, I loved that the backstory and history of the Cobbogothians went much deeper than a single book could allow. (Hence the series. Epicness :-) 

By utilizing letters and scrolls in ruins to relay the history of the Gihara, Clark further brought New Cobbogoth to life. In combination with the flashbacks and the visions, it was admittedly a little overwhelming, but I favored the texture it brought to the story. Speaking of story...it was a bit tropey. One moment I would be enamored and impressed with the approach and execution of the prophecy bits and the next I'd feel like the whole thing was slightly overdone and hard to believe. 

Overall, the plot was decent, the world-building was (again) phenomenal, and the background, in general, was pretty entertaining...but the not-so-stellar pacing and the Mary-Sue/flat characterization distracted me, detracting from and dragging down what would otherwise be a fantastic novel. 

In the first novel, the pacing issue was in large part due to the numerous flashbacks. The second installment vastly improved in this area; however, the flashbacks were replaced with visions. Granted, they were interesting, but there comes a point when enough is enough. Shoehorning, also an issue in Uncovering Cobbogoth, again happened a fair amount...but honestly, I didn't really mind when it came to the world because the world is incredible. What I minded was when it came down to people.

The real  pacing issue, though, was aimless dialogue. Too much time was spent dilly-dallying in literally pointless conversation. As a writer, this irked me; if it has no point, if it does not further the novel, it goes. Or at least it should. But as a reader, it was beyond aggravating. No one wants to waste their time flipping through pages of dialogue that accomplish nothing! If I wanted to subject myself to that, I'd read my cereal box. (I actually do  like reading my cereal box, but that's because I'm weird.) 

When I read a novel, I expect there to be a reason why people are talking. They have something important to share with me, something to help the protagonist along. SOMETHING. And when they don't? -_____-  <-----This is the face I make, and then I proceed to skim...and skim...and skim until something significant presents itself and I can, once again, immerse myself in the story. 

Sure, the characters were interesting—well, most of them—but no character is THAT interesting, not even Harry Potter. It was too bad, really.

And Noria (aka Nor aka Norah aka Nilla aka Lune-kyndie aka The Haven). Oh, Noria. To be blunt, she was tragically annoying as ever. I've come to conclude that we just don't mix well; sometimes a protagonist has a lot to offer but you still don't resonate with them. 

She's stubborn, foolish, and reckless...yet is supposed to be incredibly smart...? Sounds like my first WIP's protagonist. But unlike with my character, I never truly saw or felt said supposed intelligence. Nor's judgment and decisions also seemed inconsistent, almost as if she was trying to be two or three different people. It was difficult for me to get a grip on her character.

In her defense, she came a long way since the first novel. It was a vast improvement and I enjoyed this Norah more than the previous Norah...just not enough to actually resonate with and/or like her. Again, cue bitter disappointment because POTENTIAL.

Overall, The Lemorian Crest is captivating enough to at least try. The world is like nothing I've ever come across: whimsical, believable, and utterly fantastical. And who knows—maybe you'll love Noria! Definitely worth a chance, especially for MG readers.

Final Verdict: 

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About the Author 

Hannah L. Clark lives with her husband and two children in the Rocky Mountains. She has always known she would be a storyteller. In 2006 she graduated from Utah Valley University with a bachelor's degree in English and immediately began writing her first novel.

Uncovering Cobbogoth was Clark's first book in the seven book Cobbogoth series based on her mythological brain-child, The Legend of the Cobbogothians. It was released in May 2014 through Cedar Fort Publishing. Book 2 in the series, The Lemorian Crest will be released in Summer 2015.

Clark loves running, mythology, singing while playing the guitar, herbal tea, escaping into imaginary worlds, and being with her peeps. Like her heroine Norah, she also kind of believes that trees might have souls, but must clarify that she has never actually hugged a tree. The closest she has ever come to that kind of bizarre behavior was the time she hugged the pillars outside Harry Potter Land. Which, all things considered, is not bizarre at all if you take into account how exquisitely happy she was to finally be there. ;-)

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NaNoWriMo and Life Madness *Update*

November passed by and I didn't put up a single post! *sigh*

Well, that's only to be expected, I suppose. Hopefully in a few days--or weeks--I'll be able to share some fantastic news pertaining to the "life" bit of the equation on the post header...but for now, I can say things have been difficult in the sickness arena. 

NaNo went ok. Not as stellar as I'd hoped, but I knocked out about 20k of Yellow, Spheres Book 2, and managed to get a working scene list that bumped my novel up from a mere 30k (it was bigger in my mind, ok??! Haha) to about 90. During this past month I gained a tremendous amount of insight to Kara's story and am ready to dive in to knock out a large portion of the novel this month. I initially wanted to shoot for diving back into Whispers and Murmurs, but Kara's story has gripped me and well, it's the one demanding attention. 

In the meantime, I'll try to focus on some of the plot holes in the first book. *cries* 

My next post is a review (it's going up today, no worries :-) of The Lemorian Crest, Book 2 of the Uncovering Cobbogoth series by Hannah Clark. After that, I'm going to share a bit of my progress on Yellow during NaNo. Sure, it's RFDR stuff...but honestly, I find it encouraging when other writers are willing to share their work in its unrefined state, so I hope you're able to as well. 

Cheers! 

Confessions of a Writer Tag

This tag is brilliant. Thank you for coming up with this, Nicolette Elzie of A Little Bookish, A Little Writerly!! 

So what is it, you ask? A fantastic 20-question tag to help us get to know more about other writers in the blogdom! Woot. You can check out her post and the guidelines here. 

Breeanna Pierce kindly nominated/tagged me (thank you ^^!), and I'm excited to share with everyone! :)

1) When did you first start writing? Was being a writer something you always aspired to be?

I started writing when I was really young, but it wasn't prose—it was poetry! Looking back now, it doesn't really surprise me; I love poetry. Sadly, I don't think I'm going to go the publication route with it. Poetry is a difficult market to break into! :sulks in corner: 

In a way, I did always want to be a writer, but I wasn't sure what kind: singer/songwriter? Author? Poet? At the time I was only certain I wanted to change the world. When I received an award for creative writing in fifth grade and was acknowledged again by my L.A. teacher in sixth grade I realized hey, maybe creative writing is my thing. Of course I still dreamed of being a singer/songwriter (I mean, hey, who doesn't?! >.>). 

Another shift in my thinking occurred in ninth grade, when I suddenly decided that I wanted to write Fantasy. Awkward truth: I have NO IDEA where I got this idea from. Yeah, I liked reading—a lot. Maybe it was Harry Potter (*_*), or Eragon (pssh, I could've written this!) that spurred me on, but I don't have a specific, piercing—or, apparently, memorable—experience that awoke the desire to write a novel. I was kind of like Luffy from One Piece: I've decided! And that was that. 

Luffy: We're going to be nakama! Zoro: It doesn't work that way! Luffy: Nakama, nakama~

So I started penning what is now SPHERES...except, as you likely suspected, it SUCKED. (SO. BAD.) I went through a phase where I questioned whether or not it was worth reviving after I trashed it, and a couple years later, I started re-envisioning the series. Pretty much the only thing that survived was the characters and the world, and even those have evolved drastically since that time.  

2) What genre do you write?

I still pen lyrics and poetry (check out my stuff from April's Poem a Day challenge here! Yes, this is a shameless plug ;-), but as a novelist I spend most of my time in YA Fantasy. I intend to branch into MG Fantasy after making some headway. I also hope to write some children's books....and I have an idea for a NA book...yeah, I'm pretty much all over the place haha.

3) Can you tell us a little about your current work in progress? When did you start working on this project?

Oh boy. And you thought I was verbose with the first question....Ehh, I'm really sorry lol ^_^' 

It's called SPHERES, and it's an 8-book YA SF/F series that features a GoT-style POV shift in each book. If that hurts your brain or just fails to compute: there are 8 main characters in the series, and each of the main characters is featured as a protagonist in their own installment of the series. 

I'm currently working on the first book, Whispers and Murmurs, which is Nikaiya's story.  

Whispers and Murmurs is written in a stream-of-consciousness style similar to Mafi's Shatter Me series. (If you must know, it's really more of a combination of Shatter Me, Atlantia, and Chime....) 

Protagonist: newly-17-yr-old Nikaiya, a clever, selfish girl fated to become Kiran (queen) of a small island country known as Erevfaüna–a role she's loathe to play because she has no interest in politics and considers herself unworthy of the honor. Add the fact that she's taller than every man around, has reflective eyes (kind of like Riddick) that tend to leave people either starstruck or anxious, and possesses all the grace of a dead starfish, and she concludes everyone else must share her sentiments: she is unfit to be Kiran. Unfortunately, she doesn't have a choice; she's sole heir to the Light of Stars. She can't remain Karun forever.

To complicate matters, Nikaiya isn't "normal"; she can breathe underwater, hear things ordinary people can't, and has no trouble seeing in the dark–a secret she's kept hidden from everyone around her (or so she thinks) because, let's face it, she's already odd enough and would prefer to avoid drawing any more attention to herself…but because the pull toward the sea has become much stronger lately, she fears her secret will be exposed. As if that isn't worrisome enough, on the day the story opens, she experiences three separate, yet clearly connected, mfirenar (dreams that are like visions)–all of which feature a creature of myth: a monstrous irekarn (sea dragon). 

Later that same day, her parents reveal the truth: she's adopted (which she figured) and is a Seabreather like her birth parents (which she, well, didn't, because she had no idea such a thing existed). According to the Arken (king) and Kiran, Nikaiya was placed in their care to protect and hide her from those seeking to destroy her; apparently she's the supposed catalyst of the Prophecy of the Spheres, which makes her the prime target of a particular group of Seabreathers. 

RIPPER The Morphid Chronicles #2 BY Ingrid Seymour *Cover Reveal*

I am honored (and very, very excited!) to show you the cover of the sequel to KEEPER, my first taste of Ingrid Seymour's phenomenal writing and world-building. I've been waiting--eh, somewhat patiently lol--for the second installment, and it's almost here....!

Ok, ok. Enough gushing. But before I reveal the **gorgeous** cover, here are some deets about the book:

BOOK TITLE: Ripper (The Morphid Chronicles #2)
AUTHOR: Ingrid Seymour
GENRE: YA Urban Fantasy

SYNOPSIS

Against all odds, Greg and Samantha seemed to have cheated Fate when they escaped Regent Danata. Miraculously, the two Morphids remain bound together, attempting to lead a normal, "human" life, even as fear of the evil woman's revenge clouds their days.

As Sam and Greg struggle to grow their relationship, she is haunted by memories of Ashby, her Morphid soul mate, and burning questions of the identity of her real parents. As if that wasn't enough, her untried Morphid instincts fill her with doubt and indecision, taking her once simple life in directions she never could have imagined.

When Greg's Keeper sense foretells danger, however, they abandon all dreams of normalcy and find no other choice but to flee. Armed with nothing but their Morphid skills, Sam sets their course toward New York City, a place that calls to her deeper instincts. As her Keeper, Greg must follow but knows danger awaits.

Thus begins a quest that will test their bond and may spell the end of all they hold dear. It's only a matter of time before Regent Danata and chaos storm into their lives again.

If this synopsis doesn't call out to you, that's ok; but I still highly recommend you read Ripper when it becomes available!! Once you read Keeper, you'll understand why I'm so adamant :)

Are you ready for the Reveal???!!

...

...

So pretteh *_*

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Ingrid Seymour is the author of IGNITE THE SHADOWS (Harper Voyager, April 23rd, 2015). When she’s not writing books, she spends her time working as a software engineer, cooking exotic recipes, hanging out with her family and working out. She writes young adult and new adult fiction in a variety of genres, including Sci-Fi, urban fantasy, romance, paranormal and horror.

Her favorite outings involve a trip to the library or bookstore where she immediately gravitates toward the YA section. She’s an avid reader and fangirl of many amazing books. She is a dreamer and a fighter who believes perseverance and hard work can make dreams come true.

Keeper:

| Goodreads | Amazon | 

Ignite The Shadows:

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YASH Fall 2015 *Young Adult Scavenger Hunt*

It's the most wonderful time of the fall~~! 

YASH is back! 

Yes, I am that excited...and if you love YA books, you will be too (if you aren't already)! 

The main questions: What is this epic Hunt all about? How can I jump into the fray?

Well, dear reader, the Hunt is all about books, books, sweet giveaways, books, juicy never-before-seen exclusive content, books, more books, and fantastic authors. (And MOAR books :D!) There are 8 stellar teams participating this fall: blue, gold, green, orange, pink, purple, red, and teal. I've included the graphics below from the official scavenger blog so you can check out which authors are on each team and what books are up for grabs.

And how is easy: just hop through the author blogs! 

All the authors on a team share their favorite number on their posts; you simply add all those numbers together and enter it into that team's rafflecopter. If the number is correct, you'll be entered for a chance to win every, yes, EVERY, book pictured for that team. You can enter for as many or as few teams as your book-loving heart desires (:

Of course you can also hunt down specific authors and enter various giveaways (some authors will feature their own), check out the exclusive content, and express your gratitude by commenting on their blogs. This is one of my favorite parts of the Hunt.

**Please let them know how much you love them and how much you love YASH!** 

To get started--and for more information--visit the official YA Scavenger Hunt page.  You can allow follow the Hunt on Twitter (#YASH) @YAScavengerHunt. Spread the word!!

The Teams:

Massive fangirling happening now. I'm stoked that two of my absolute favorite authors, Jessica Khoury and A.G. Howard, are participating this fall!! *squeals*

It's a tough choice, but if I had to pick just one team to enter, I think I'd enter Green. And if I had to choose one book, I'd pick The Forbidden Wish. 

What about you? What Team(s) will you enter? And if you had to choose just one book from this delicious collection, what would it be??

We Never Asked for Wings Vanessa Diffenbaugh *Review*

*I received an e-copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and fair review. Thank you so much!!*

Where to begin...? 

This novel is so brilliant it's practically beaming. I knew Diffenbaugh had the gift within the first few pages of her debut, The Language of Flowers, and concluded that if she ever wrote anything else, I had to read it. I was not disappointed. We Never Asked for Wings is stunning. It is poignant, rich, and masterful, yet delightfully accessible. This is one story you do not want to miss. 

Once again, Diffenbaugh's prose is simple, yet striking; melodic and lyrical, her craft draws out and illuminates the beauty and complexity of humanity, and inbues the story with an evocative ability to dance. The rawness and realism is so succinctly portrayed as to be mesmerizing. And oh, the symbolism. 

The symbolism is wondrous, absolutely breathtaking. The title alone still brings tears to my eyes. The words “we never asked for wings” convey a sincere and transparent depth of meaning beyond what I could have anticipated despite my high expectations. Diffenbaugh captures wabisabi, painting a profound, heartwrenching picture of possibility through lives and journeys which reflect our own and demand introspective action. She asked me, “Are you flying, or at least trying to fly?” 

And ultimately, my answer was found to be, “What do we have but to try—even if we don't soar immediately, even if we fall at times, even if we are wounded? We must get back up. I must try.” 

We Never Asked for Wings also wows with its cast. The characters are just so tangible—like they truly exist. And in a way, they do. They are my neighbors; the voyagers I never considered as carefully and empathetically as I should have; the mother I judged for her failures because, in my finiteness and lack of wisdom, I failed to perceive her heart. Excuse me while I use up all of my tissues—again. These characters will break your heart (in a good way). 

I empathized with Letty's struggle to overcome her fears and beliefs about her own inability. The more I saw her perceptions about herself, the more I loved her. We, as human beings, are very different and walk different paths, but we have all have crippling fears keeping us from pursuing dreams of grandeur. We all stumble and bend, crack and crumble...and we come to a point where we are confronted with truths we may not be ready to accept (it's ok to redefine success. It's ok to have not obtained, and to not be able to attain, perfection), and where we must choose: fear or life?

This is not to say I never became frustrated with Letty, or that I never suffered disappointment. Trust me. There was plenty of yelling, sighing, and eye-rolling! But isn't that what makes a character believable? We get angry with our loved ones. We become frustrated when they don't choose what we understand to be best (:D). Yet we embrace them when they are hurting, and genuinely ache for them all the same. We Never Asked for Wings is a treasure trove of life lessons. 

In addition to a knockout cast and phenomenal prose, the plot is thought-provoking and gripping, and there are more than a few good twists. Of course it's captivating and sustains interest, but it covers bold territory. I meandered through it, allowed it to soak in. Unlike The Language of Flowers, which I devoured first and pondered later, I felt compelled to chew bits at a time to ponder and process before moving forward. 

Overall

We Never Asked For Wings is well worth the read; you're looking at another best seller for sure. Get your tissue box ready. 

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About the Author

www.RandyTunnell.com

Vanessa Diffenbaugh was born in San Francisco and raised in Chico, California. After graduating from Stanford University, she worked in the non-profit sector, teaching art and technology to youth in low-income communities. Following the success of her debut novel, The Language of Flowers, she co-founded Camellia Network, a non-profit whose mission is to connect every youth aging out of foster care to the critical resources, opportunities, and support they need to thrive in adulthood. She currently lives in Monterey, CA, with her husband and four children.

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