Stanly Benson reads: ya

Book Review: Trapped in Silver by Emily Sowden

BOOK TITLE: Trapped in Silver

AUTHOR: Emily Sowden

GENRE: YA, Fantasy

PUBLISHER: OfTomes Publishing

RELEASE: February 2017

RATINGS: 5 stars

Synopsis:
Courage comes from a shadowed place in our hearts; a blurred line that straddles love and sheer stupidity.
To seventeen-year-old Ava, wild woodcats, hungry stragglers, and simple-minded townsfolk are the evils she’s grown accustomed to. But when Ethan, an unusual man with eyes of smoke and fire opal, enters her world she quickly understands that there are worse things out there than drunken men and carnivorous forest creatures. She’s a specialised liar and a hell of a fighter, but against a group of animalistic men called Berserkers she struggles to survive the encounter as the desperate swing of a dagger is all it takes to change her life for good.
Half-dead and hunted by the Berserker’s leader when he forms a monstrous obsession with her, Ava escapes his pursuit in an unfamiliar land full of impossible creatures, unlikely allies, and the man she doesn’t know whether to kiss or kill.
But after dreadful news of her missing brother surfaces, Ava becomes more involved in the centuries-long war and begins to unravel the reasons behind her relentless nightmares, discovering truths long-buried in a violent history of love, loss and betrayal.

MY THOUGHTS

"Compulsively unputdownable, cancel all your plans, get ready to be obsessed. Good bye real world." _ Stanly Benson

This book has got it all; from the amazing world building to the fast paced, page turning action and magic with a hot dish of romance served on the side.

I got to to read an advanced readers copy (ARC) late year and re-read it last week, I remember hitting twitter to confess my undying love for this compulsively unputdownable book to the author. Trapped In Silver will be sure to hit lots of best seller lists after it's released in a few weeks.

This book has such a strong voice that stays consistent through out, the main character Ava is an amazing kick-ass lead that readers are going to fall in love it - I did from the first page of the book -. Trapped In silver is filled with intrigue, suspense and mystery which had me on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out what will happen next (sadly with little success) and I think this is a great element for any story. Also, the fascinating mix of characters, the seamless blend of creatures both common to popular culture and new fictitious ones just got me dying over and over again for the brilliance of Emily Sowden.

Another element I loved about the book has to be how the author cleverly incorporates family life into this story which is something I think more YA authors should do especially in high fantasy. It kinda gave the book a lot more natural feel while reading it. Don't even get me started with the relationship drama, seriously the question will they or won't they get together? burned through my head as I raced against time to finish this book. I kept convincing my self that I'll drop the book immediately after the next chapter (am sure you know how that turned out),next thing I know it's 5 am and I remember having an early meeting slated for 8 am that morning.

Emily has created a world with characters that will edge you to keep trying to seek out exactly what makes them tick (good bye real world.)

Then there was the whole #TeamDemon and #TeamBerserker thing which just sky rocketed my emotions (great marketing @OfTomes publishing.) Btw I was put on team demon (duh!) Actually i think am just on #TeamEthan... That guy is my new mancrush everyday.

I don't want to give anything away and trust me it is really hard not to, the book comes out February 7th in print and e-book. I've already put myself on auto buy mode for it and other books in the series. Seriously if someone sent me this book as a valentines day gift I would flip out. Trapped In silver is definitely one of the books that made my 2016 awesome.

Emily has defiantly got something strong going on with this book and I can bet that she is about to become the next big thing in High Fantasy. I highly recommend this book to everyone, add it to your TBR list, trust me, you won't regret it. As you know it's not everyday I dish out 5 stars. Now Go! Go!! Go!!! And experience the amazingly heart racing work that is Trapped In Silver.

AUTHOR BIO

Ever since I was a kiddie there have been four things I've been obsessed with: reading, writing, video games and tea.

Coming from a large, scatty family, Mum gave me a love of reading (judge that from the book piles creeping up the walls and shoved under desks) and Dad gave me a grand love of technology.

When I'm not sneaking in time to write another chapter I can be be found news editing for Pocket Gamer and flailing about the new products coming out. I'll also be found getting slowly suffocated by my fluffy ragdoll cat, Indy.

My debut novel, Trapped in Silver, is due for release February 2017.

NOTICE: I received a eARC of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. All of the preceding are without any influence of the author or publisher

Thank you for reading,

~ Stanly.

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Author Spotlight: SJ Kincaid

Author spotlight

Happy New Year to all of you. I hope you are had a graceful transition into the new year. I wish you the most prosperous New Year.

Now to business.

The first time i saw the work of Kincaid, i literarily fell off my chair. So imagine my shock when she agreed to do an interview for SB Reads. Usually i would rand for a bit about who she is but i will let you read it for yourself. Check it out.

1.) Hi! Welcome to SB Reads. Can you tell us about your background as an author?

Thanks, Stanly. I'm the author of the INSIGNIA trilogy, and THE DIABOLIC!

2) What got you into writing?
I started writing when I was very young because my sister loved writing, and I wanted to be just like her. Fortunately, I kept writing! After having a few pretty awful jobs out of college, I threw myself into trying to get my writing published. It was a job I could actually envision loving-- and I do.

3.) What was the first idea you had for your book, and how did the story grow from there?
My first idea was a YA take on an old BBC series called I, CLAUDIUS, focusing upon a man who survives his murderous royal family by playing a fool. I gave several shots to writing this story, starting with a fantasy version of Rome, then a comedic take, then a serious space take that wasn't working, then I abandoned the idea and focused upon this intriguing character named Nemesis... Then I realized she was going to be the main character of my YA I, CLAUDIUS and the rest were going to be background to her.

4.) Among your characters, who's your favorite? Could you please describe him/her?
I would have to say Cygna. I absolutely love diabolical villains, and she is my 'Livia' character (I, CLAUDIUS reference). Scheming old grandmothers are great fun to write.

5.) What's your favorite scene from your novel? Could you please describe it?
My favorite has to be a big moment when Nemesis makes a decision to begin pursuing a different sort of life than she's ever lived before. It's a big turning point for the narrative and for her, and it just came to me so smoothly.

6.) What's your favorite part of writing? Plotting? Describing scenes? Dialogue?
I love first-drafts. They are so much fun for me, and it's only in rewriting that I agonize at all. I love envisioning the scenes ahead of time and then materializing them on paper. It's a real joy.

7.) How long does it take you to write a book? Do you have a writing process, or do you wing it?
I took my time with THE DIABOLIC and wrote here and there as I was inspired, so it took about six months. I've taken as long as two years, and as little time as nineteen days... Though my nineteen-day books are generally not so good. Taking my time allows ideas to percolate in my brain longer, but often I'm just really into what I'm writing and want to charge through it.

8.) What is it about the genre you chose that appeals to you?
You're writing about characters in their formative years, when they are becoming the adult they will be, rather than needing to focus upon someone already rigidly formed. You're also writing about people with a thirst for autonomy but a lack of it, and I find that contrast so interesting.

10.) Are there any books or writers that have had particular influence on you?
LEGACY by Susan Kay. That book changed my life.

11.) Did you ever surprise yourself when you were writing your book? Characters who took on lives of their own? Plot elements that took unexpected turns?
Yes, my original big bad (evil Emperor) was not really catching my interest, and I found myself stoking a secondary big bad (my evil grandma) that I enjoyed so much more... So I went with that. And I loved it. Those parts that surprise you are a joy of the writing process that as a plotter, I think I've come to appreciate much more.

Thanks, Stanly!

That's it guys. SJ is such an amazing person. Let me know what you think of her down below in the comment section.

Thank you for reading
- Stanly.