Giveaway from Confessions and Rambling!

http://muse-in-the-fog.blogspot.com/2011/04/giveaway-orchid-affair-by-lauren-willig.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ConfessionsAndRamblingsOfAMuseInTheFog+%28Confessions+and+Ramblings+of+a+Muse+in+the+Fog%29

Here's the link, take a look :)

Pink Boots and a Machete: Mireya Mayor

When I was a little kid I always dreamed of being a great Explorer.  Mireya Mayor actually lives that dream!  Her first novel demonstrates to the reader how an NFL cheerleader rises to the level of National Geographic Explorer. 

The novel opens with Mireya describing her family's background.  From her mother's difficult escape from Cuba (eviction, really) to Mireya's fascination with all things lizard, this book will pull the reader in from the start.  The book quickly moved to a death-defying experience that will leave the reader wondering what the point of exploring is when it is so dangerous.  Mireya answers this question rapidly and without even a hint of hesitation.  To be an explorer is an amazing experience, to see what almost no one has seen before and go where no one has gone before, and to experience all of the world's wonders is a gift that should be treasured. 

I don't feel as if I would do the book justice if I attempted to describe all of Mireya's experiences and problems in Guyana, Africa, and Madagascar.  The feelings of desperation, euphoria, and calm are pervasive throughout the book.  When Mireya stands on the edge of Kaieteur Waterfall and knows that she is seeing an amazingly beautiful work of nature is indescribable.  Luckily, the reader can imagine some of these events in the pictures included with the book.  Mireya's love of lemurs and gorillas are a fun part of the book, but the reader feels sadness when Mireya finds cut-off gorilla hands and feet (sold to tourists).   In the same way, the elation Mireya feels as she discovers a previously undiscovered lemur brings the same happiness to the reader.  In just a few hundred pages, Mireya manages to tell her life story with many fun facts and details.  I loved the ending and would recommend this book to anyone, it was easily that good. 

House of Borgia Giveaway!

http://muse-in-the-fog.blogspot.com/2011/04/giveaway-sins-of-house-of-borgia-by.html

Check it out!

Dark Goddess: A Devil's Kiss Novel by Sarwat Chadda

Once again it was the cover that drew my eye, a beautiful girl holding a sword...unfortunately not a common cover.  I had already read Devil's Kiss, which was terrific and written-well.  I finished this book in two days and never had to go back to remember the events of the book-it was memorable by itself. 

The novel opens with Billi sorrowful over the death of her friend aka her believed-to-be-soul mate.  Immediately the reader is drawn into a world where a young girl is trained to chase after werewolves and fight Baba Yaga.  The events are fast-paced and not long after the first chapter the reader is introduced to the "Spring Child", a girl who has the power to end the world.  The Knights Templar must protect or kill the Spring Child to prevent this from occurring, her falling into the wrong hands (the Polenitsy) would be deadly.  The Polenitsy are a group of ancient warrior women of Eastern Europe who are known as Man-Killers.  They, too, want the Spring Child; their purposes are much more devious than the Knights Templar, they want to feed the Spring Child to Baba Yaga so that she would renew her power and "start over" the world, removing the evil humans. 

Billi quickly rubs shoulders with several other powerful societies of the world, including the son of a past leader.  Ivan Romanov trusts no one, yet Billi must work with him to ensure the continuing survival of Earth and humans.  He becomes the potential love interest of the novel. 

The reader is never disappointed with Sarwat Chadda, the novel contains action, intrigue, horror, and a bit of romance.  The atmosphere is magical, the descriptions are vivid, and the dialogue contains enough foreshadowing to keep the reader guessing.  I would recommend this book to young adults who enjoy reading about ancient societies and action-packed novels.