Book Attic: book review

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The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz

The Four Agreements

by don Miguel Ruiz

Nonfiction, Psychology, Self-Improvement
12+ for complex ideas and theories
Published November 7, 1997 by Amber-Allen Publishing
★★★★★

Man's Search for Meaning
by Viktor E. Frankl

Nonfiction, Holocaust, Psychology
14+ for complex ideas and theories
Published 1945
★★★★★

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table

by Roger Lancelyn Green

Classic, Fiction, Fantasy, YA
13+ for violence and complex plots
Published March 1st, 1995 by Puffin
★★★★★

*This book was given to me for free in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects or influences my opinion of the book.*

Dragonsoul

by Kayl Karadjian

Fiction, Fantasy, YA
11+ for minimal violence and language
Published October 19th, 2016 by Kayl Karadjian
★★★★★

Escape From Asylum

by Madeleine Roux

Fiction, Horror, YA
13+ for mild violence
Trigger Warning: violence, homophobia, transphobia
Published June 14th, 2016 by Harper Collins
★★★★★

13 Reasons Why

by Jay Asher

Fiction, Realistic Fiction, YA
13+ for complex themes and mature content
Trigger Warning: suicide, sexual assault, rape, self-harm, bullying, adult content
Published October 18th, 2007 by Razorbill
★★★★★

Wuthering Heights

by Emily Brontë

Classic, Fiction, Gothic, Romantic
16+ for complex themes and vocabulary
Published September 5th, 1847 by Thomas Cautley Newby
★★★★★

Diary of a Teenage Zombie

by Kristy Berridge

Fiction, Horror, Dystopian, Mature YA
15+ for mature content, violence, and cussing
published September 8, 2014 by Shadow Ink Press
available on Amazon, MineEye, Barnes & Noble, AbeBooks, etc.
★★★★★

Summary

     "Dear Diary. Today I ate the mailman. My bad.

     Being seventeen is hard―Katie Palmer has to deal with school, pimples, hormonal boys, and malicious cheerleaders. After the Zombie Apocalypse, though, she no longer sweats the usual teenage drama.

     Athletics star by day and flesh-eater by night, Katie’s done well to hide her transformation from friends and Zone-sanctioned security, but now someone or something’s onto her secret and if she doesn’t feed soon she’ll start falling apart.

     Dead bodies are piling up and all the evidence points to Katie’s blood-stained hands. Will she end up killing the competition before security discovers she’s rotten underneath?"-Kristy Berrige's Blog

Strengths

     Characters

     The characters are strongly built and realistic. (Besides the whole zombie thing!) Katie acts like a normal teenage girl struggling to fit in. Haven't we all had rumors spread about us? Or been teased? I know I have! Berridge brings these fictional characters to life.

     Intensity

    Diary of a Teenage Zombie is the perfect blend of action and description! Berridge knows when to keep the action going and when to slow down and describe the scene a little more. This is a quality that more authors should use in their writing.

     Originality

     I've never read anything like this book! A soda infecting a whole race, almost to extinction. Who could've guessed that? Not to mention the way that the zombies live among them unknown!

     Writing

     The writing is good throughout the whole book. I did find a couple of errors, but they were barely noticeable. The reading level changes as Katie goes along, I believe this is to show how she ages and her knowledge expands.

Weaknesses

     The Ending

     The ending was MY weakness! It had nothing to do with Berridge. She completed a great book with a perfect ending. A cliffhanger again! Why do these authors keep doing this? I really hope there's a next book. If there isn't, I might cry!

Author Bio

"Born in Perth, Western Australia in 1982, Kristy Berridge was ushered into the world in a decade of bad hair, parachute pants, and blue eye shadow. Fortunately, she managed to avoid all three influences by immersing herself in the business of growing up, and hitched a ride with her fun-loving and adventure-filled parents to the sunny state of Queensland. Here she completed most of her education.

Besides learning that boys don't have cooties, and that algebra wouldn't kill her, she pointedly set

the path of her high school career towards success in Art and English-based subjects, and won numerous awards for her efforts.

After high school she went on to study Graphic Design and Illustration at James Cook University, and then furthered her studies at the local TAFE College with an Interior Design course. With this knowledge under her belt, she also decided to undertake a three year Design course at Rhodec International in London, to complete her education and propel her towards the successful career she now enjoys.

She currently resides in Cairns, procrastinates constantly, and tries desperately to avoid the delicious temptation that is the peanut butter aisle at the supermarket."-Amazon

Also by Kristy Berridge

MineEye Giveaway!

Recently, I became YA acquisitions manager at MineEye, an online website dedicated to helping up-and-coming authors. To get more attention for our authors we've done a couple giveaways recently, and we're having another one! Note that none of these books are YA.

1st Place: A £20 Amazon Giftcard/Voucher
2nd Place: Signed copy of Taken by Victoria Allred
3rd Place: eBook copy of The Girl With the Blue Umbrella by Heather Awad
4th Place: eBook copy of Fantasy Child I Key to the Kingdom by Gavin Carter
5th Place: eBook copy of Bitter is the Salt by James Willard and Gavin Carter
6th Place: eBook copy of Taken by Victoria Allred

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The Shadow Aspect (The Harvesting 2)

The Shadow Aspect by Melanie Karsak

Genre- Post-Apocalyptic

Published- Clockpunk Press (July 15, 2015)

Interest Level- 14+

Warning includes mature content, zombies, vampires, cussing, and spoilers from The Harvesting (The Harvesting 1) and Midway (The Harvesting 1.5).

"When Layla took the final step through the labyrinth, she thought she was saving the ones she loved.

She couldn’t have been more wrong.
The unwitting victims of a grudge seething for eons, Layla and the other survivors now find themselves in a war for our world. With vampires lurking and shapechangers plotting vengeance, if mankind has any hope of survival, Layla must decide whom to trust: the carnie girl? The quiet doctor? The tarot reader? The stranger with alluring gold eyes? Or the man she loves? And then there are the voices. What does it forewarn if the dead can speak?"- Melaniekarsak.com

I give The Shadow Aspect 3.5/5 stars for good characters and plotline. We meet Tristan at the end of Midway, but really get to know him here. He has a big secret; a secret that could be the key to life or undeath. I believe that we really get to know Cricket. She, like anybody, has insecurities and Karsak plays on that giving her life. As for Layla, we already knew her and she's just as awesome as always!

As a standalone, I think The Shadow Aspect could be good. However, when compared to the first two books in The Harvesting Trilogy, it was kind of dissapointing. You know that one book in a really good series that is good, but not quite as good as the rest? I feel like The Shadow Aspect was that book; good but not great. In spite of the fact that it wasn't the best, I can't wait to read Witch Wood (The Harvesting 2.5), to be published October 1, 2015 by Clockpunk Press.

The Harvesting Series Reading Order:

Book 1: The Harvesting

Book 1.5: Midway (can be read before or after The Harvesting)

Book 2: The Shadow Aspect

Book 2.5: Witch Wood

Midway by Melanie Karsak

I had the very special privilege of winning signed copies of The Harvesting and Midway by Melanie Karsak as she worked up to the release of The Shadow Aspect. I had begun reading the first in the series a few months ago, but honestly, reading on a kindle is not my forte and quit rather quickly. However, I love Melanie Karsak's writing style and jumped at the opportunity to win signed copies. Little did I know, I was going to lose them to my twelve year old bibliophile and book reviewer! -Victoria Allred

Enough about me. Here is Makenzie's review of Midway!

Genre: Post Apocolyptic
Published: October 25, 2014 by Clockpunk Press
Interest level: 13+

Cricket's always been a carnie; she grew up on. However, when the world gets taken by "sick" people turned cannibals, she has to leave the carnival behind. With the help of Vella, a tarot reader, and her faithful dog, Puck, they find shelter. A sick world, criminals on the loose and a need to survive. Can Cricket survive the apocalypse or will she die trying?

Midway is a novella set at the same chronological time as The Harvesting giving readers a new view of the apocolypse. I give Midway four out of five stars only because I didn't feel I got to know Cricket as well as I did the characters of The Harvesting. Overall, it was a good story and I can't wait to read The Shadow Aspect (which I've already downloaded!) which is the second book in The Harvesting Series.

*Read my review of The Harvesting.

The Harvesting by Melanie Karsak

The Harvesting by Melanie Karsak (#1 in The Harvesting Series)

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic

Published: January 8, 2014 by Clockpunk Press

First edition: September 13, 2012 by Steampunk Press

Interest Level: 13+

Layla Petrovitch hoped she would never see Hamletville again. However, when she gets a desperate call from her grandmother, she is forced to return home. With an epidemic sweeping the country making infected people turn cannibalistic and danger at every turn, can Layla survive? With the help of whats left of the town they finally escape, but is it worth the risk?

"Melanie Karsak is the author of the Amazon best-selling steampunk series The Airship Racing Chronicles, the award-winning horror/dark fantasy Harvesting Series, and The Saga of Lady Macbeth. She grew up in rural northwestern Pennsylvania and earned a Master's degree in English from Gannon University. A steampunk connoisseur, white elephant collector, Shakespeare nerd, and zombie whisperer, the author currently lives in Florida with her husband and two children. She is an Instructor of English at Eastern Florida State College."-Melaniekarsak.com

I give The Harvesting 5/5 stars for great writing and a unique plot. It had me gripping the edge of my seat. With a variety of paranormal creatures, from vampires to shadow creatures, and a unique twist on zombies, no stone was left unturned. Many people classify it as zombie story, but it's so much more. It's vampires, post-apocalyptic, and could even be considered a coming-of-age story. In the end, I got so much more than I expected. I can't wait to read The Shadow Aspect the second story in The Harvesting Trilogy.

*Review for Midway coming soon.*
Melanie Karsak on Amazon!!

Book Attic

The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green

Dragonsoul by Kayl Karadjian

Escape From Asylum by Madeleine Roux

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Diary of a Teenage Zombie by Kristy Berridge