A challenge to read more.... Who's Your Author A-Z Paranormal Characters Challenge 2015

Since joining Goodreads.com I have found many “new to me” authors and series. I took the site’s general “2014 Reading Challenge” and have signed up again this year. In addition to that I decided to sign up for a few reading challenges that the groups I belong to set.

This post is all about the annual reading challenge that the “Who’s Your Author” Group have set for the whole of this year…

WYA 2015 A-Z Paranormal Characters
Duration: 1 January - 31 December 2015

Rules: Read 26 books, one paranormal character per book, either male or female, using either first or last names. Any paranormal character is acceptable. For those hard to find letters Q, U & X, names which include those letters, including middle initial will be acceptable.

A – ALENA KORNOV – “Of Swine and Roses” by Ilona Andrews
B – DR SLADE BUCHANAN – “Slade – The Protectors #6” by Teresa Gabelman
C - CELIA ALBRIGHT “Bound by the Vampire – Blood and Absinthe #3” by Chloe Hart
D – DUNCAN ROARK – “Duncan - The Protectors #3” by Teresa Gabelman
E – ELIJAH ROSS – “Darkness Surrendered – Order of the Blade #3” by Stephanie Rowe
F – FOREST – “Forbidden Forest – The Legends of Regia #1” by Tenaya Jayne
G – GIDEON ROARKE “Darkness Seduced – Order of the Blade #2” by Stephanie Rowe
H – HAWKE BLAKESTONE – “Claiming the Vampire – Blood and Absinthe #3” by Chloe Hart
I – IOLANTHE – “Hunted by a Jaguar – Eternal Mates #4” by Felicity Heaton
J – JARED KINCAID – “Jared – The Protectors #2” by Teresa Gabelman
K – KADE ISSACSON – “Kade’s Dark Embrace (Immortals of New Orleans #1) by Kym Grosso
L – LILY HARPER – “To Hell and Back – Lily Harper Series #3” by H P Mallory
M – MARCUS GRADEN – “Night Reigns – Immortal Guardians #2” by Dianne Duvall
N – SEBASTIEN (BASTIEN) NEWCOMBE – Phantom Shadows (Immortal Guardians #3) by Dianne Duvall
O – JOSEPHINE O’CONNOR – “Grumpy Old Wizards” by John O’Riley
P – PAULIE – “Jonas (Darkness #7) by K.F. Breene
Q – DEVINSHEA QUINN – “Steal The Light (Thieves #1) by Lexi Blake
R – WILLOW RHOWSEN – “Influential Magic (Crescent City Fae #1) by Deanna Chase
S – SID SINCLAIR – “Sid – The Protectors #4” by Teresa Gabelman
T – TENZIN – “Shadows and Gold – Elemental Legacy #0.5” by Elizabeth Hunter
U – DRACULA – “Fear The Light” by William Massa
V – VAIL – “Tempted by a Rogue Prince – Eternal Mates #3” by Felicity Heaton
W – ROLAND WARBROOK – “Darkness Dawns – Immortal Guardians #1” by Dianne Duvall
X - ALEXA O’BRIEN – “Huntress & Stunner – Alexa O’Brien Huntress Series #0.5 & #0.75” by Trina M Lee
Y – YVAINE – “Stardust” by Neil Gaiman
Z – ZACH – “The Druid Series, 1-3: Reapers, Bled & Harvest” by Marata Eros

Who's Your Author Group (A-Z Paranormal Character Challenge 2015) Book Montage

*flora*'s favourite books »

So, have you read any of these books? I am a happy girl because I found a new favourite author or two working my way through this challenge!! You can click on any of the authors' names above and you'll be taken to their website in a new tab.

Oh, and after I read each of the above books, I posted a little review on Goodreads, if you want to know what I thought of them click here.

 

Flora Reviews... Mammoth Books presents Mami Wata by Simon Kurt Unsworth

Mammoth Books presents Mami Wata

by Simon Kurt Unsworth

Read: 27^th September 2015

Format: Kindle

My Goodreads Rating:  5 Stars

...So what’s this book about?

This is a short horror/paranormal story, about a jaded English business man who travels to a mine in Zambia to find out why production is down but finds the answer far from normal.

The blurb says:

When I was first asked to contribute to Exotic Gothic 3 (which was to feature Gothic-influenced stories in non-Gothic environments), I agreed without really thinking about it," Unsworth explains, "and then spent a long time struggling, trying to work out how, precisely, I was going to manage it or quite how to make a start. "I knew what I wanted to do, sort of, but not exactly how to do it, so one day alarmingly close to the deadline I did a fun thing: I freewheeled through Google. Using a small document about Zambian myths and cultures I found online (I set the story in Zambia for no reason other than an old family friend lives there and it seemed exotic in Gothic terms), I used one Zambian word from it as a search term and read what came up, took one intriguing Zambian term from the search results and searched for that, etc, and disappeared into Google's merry depths. "I ended up with an academic paper about a particular myth, a travel blog about a sort of beer made from corn and a weird little 'my God's better than your God' blog by a kid in Africa, and somewhere in the middle of that, the story appeared.

I was lucky enough to find this book for 99p from Amazon UK – what a bargain!!

 ...So, what did I like about it?

I thought that this story was very well written; I found Mr Unsworth’s writing style easy to read and thought the pace was spot on and well balanced plus I never got lost in his plot.

The world building and scene descriptions throughout this story were very realistic without hindering the pace; they transported me directly to the mining town in Zambia; the heat, dirt and weariness of the miners, the social separation and lack of understanding of the expat managers and the local supervisors and miners.  Our main character, Thorley, was completely believable; a very ordinary man thrown into an extremely extraordinary situation. All of the supporting cast were also written with a depth that added a further realism to this tale.

The story kept me guessing and I was on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next and how it would all end. I really liked the “Twilight Zone” style ending.

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?

Nope.

This horror story is more mystery and tension than blood and guts gore which is perfect for my over active imagination. ;-)

...So, basically what I’m saying is...

I haven't read anything by Simon Kurt Unsworth before but I have been impressed with his ability to spin his tale, completely engrossing me in his world in so few pages and the horror/supernatural twist added a tense thrilling edge to the tale and left me with a sense of wonder.

So, have I sparked an interested for MAMI WATA in you? Just click on the links below and check out the book yourself.

See MAMMOTH BOOKS PRESENTS MAMI WATA on Goodreads.com

Buy MAMMOTH BOOKS PRESENTS MAMI WATA on Amazon.com

Buy MAMMOTH BOOKS PRESENTS MAMI WATA on Amazon.co.uk

Flora Reviews... The Scent of Sunlight (An Urban Fantasy Short Story) by Annie Bellet

The Scent of Sunlight (An Urban Fantasy Short Story)

by Annie Bellet

Read: 26^th September 2015

Format: Kindle

My Goodreads Rating:  5 Stars

...So what’s this book about?

This is a very short story (only 23 pages) with a paranormal or urban fantasy twist.

I was lucky enough to find this version of Ms Bellet’s book for free from Amazon UK – what a bargain!!

The blurb says:

Single mother Queenie Hayes struggles to support her two young children and tells them stories of a world filled with sunlight instead of concrete, a world called the Veldt where magical creatures abound and her family roams, free from the trials of the real world.  

As a social worker threatens to break apart her family, the Veldt offers her family a chance to escape if she can find the courage, and imagination, to reach for it.

The Scent of Sunlight is an urban fantasy short story.

Read on Kindle, Nook, or Most Other E-book Formats

 ...So, what did I like about it?

I am already a big fan of Ms Bellet’s writing style and this short story didn’t disappoint. The situation that she placed the Hayes family in broke my heart, I’m sure it rings true to many single parent families here in the UK and in the US. The story was so well written, the pace was good and smoothly lead to the final scene. I loved Queenie, she was a good person and a loving mother, in fact, Queenie, Angel and little Tammy all felt very real to me.

This tale brought a smile to my lips, a lump in my throat and indignation boiled my blood.  Couldn’t stop reading! It’s quite a skill for an author to involve a reader in their characters’ tale in so few pages, but Ms Bellet did it here for me!

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?

Absolutely nothing! Although I find the story’s theme of a loving but struggling mum threatened with social services intervention did tug at my comfort zone. It’s such an emotive subject, isn’t it?

...So, basically what I’m saying is...

I loved this little short story; the characters, the paranormal twist and the ending. Here is a kick-ass heroine who will do whatever it takes to ensure her kids are safe and happy but not in the usual “urban fantasy” way! ;-)

So, have I sparked an interested for THE SCENT OF SUNLIGHT in you? Just click on the links below and check out the book yourself.

See THE SCENT OF SUNLIGHT on Goodreads.com

Buy THE SCENT OF SUNLIGHT on Amazon.com

Buy THE SCENT OF SUNLIGHT on Amazon.co.uk