The Lotus Effect (Rise of the Ardent #1)

by Bridget Ladd (Goodreads Author)

Book Synopsis(Goodreads):

An improbable partnership. An unforgettable love.

Lily Emerson, daughter of the Head of Council and Mistress of Science, has lived a privileged life. It’s Lily’s 18th nameday, the day she is to follow in her mother’s footsteps, becoming the next Mistress of Science—the most powerful woman in all of City Prosper. The Architect and designer of Prosper’s future.

During the night of her Coronation, the corruption of the Council spreads before her . . . opening her eyes to the cruelty that resides in the Council, even within her own parents. Lily realizes now the title of Mistress only comes with superficial power, that to truly save the citizens—she has to fight.

Fight in the Barrage—the mechanical gladiatorial tournament in which one chosen pair of volunteers from each Sector fights, armor-clad and as a team, utilizing unique weapon specialties: the Gatling gun, the Cestus, Klaives, Crescent Knives, mechanically engineered beasts—in the hope to win the right to change the Law. A law that has remained unchanged since its creation almost eighty years ago.

The tournament that Xander, Engineering Blacksmith and Lily’s partner, believes she has no business being in.

But Lily’s different. And she sets out to prove just that.

If you’re a fan of adventure, fighting for survival, unlikely female heroines, and romance—then grab your copy today!

Quote 1:

“Time–an empty existence.  Knowing only the bite of steel, the stretch of muscle to conceal the despair of loss, the barren hours, years, sitting alone.  Watching.  Waiting. Learning. Knowing what I know and yet cannot move forward.

These are the absolute thoughts that plague my every second.  I have been patient to my word.  Declarations of my own making.  And now that I have grown: I have proven ready.

The Council–shaded and driven by their own desire, fabrications, and hidden evil–had stripped away my only life.  My time has run out–and so too, has theirs.”

—-Xander, The Lotus Effect by Bridget Ladd

Quote 2:

“A sudden and rash idea formulated itself into the forefront of my mind.  I took a deep breath, steadying my tone.

“Your Feelings regarding my capabilities matter not,” I said evenly.  “For I, Lily Emerson, as governed by the Laws of Prosper, renounce the title of Mistress.”

A mixture of shock and dumb confusion filled the faces of all those watching me.

The locket that I had wrapped around my wrist suddenly fell into my palm.  Its smooth contours gave me courage . . . and an idea.

Nothing beneficial would come of me not accepting the title.  The council would still operate as they always had, and nothing would change for the citizens who were suffering at the hands of the unjust.

If I did nothing after tonight, I would only be looked upon as the unruly, childish girl, who revoked her responsibility.

To change the system, I needed something more.  Something brave.  Something . . . stupid.

Staring openly into the crowd, I stood as tall and proud as I could, secretly palming the locket for strength–the memory of the broken automaton driving me forward.

“I Lily Emerson, shall instead volunteer my name into the Drawing for Sector 8.  I will participate in the Barrage Tournament and, in doing so, shall wager my life to have the opportunity as victor to change the Law.”

I had said the words.  The words that were now binding.

Silence ensued.”

—-The Lotus Effect by Bridget Ladd

My Review:

4/5 Stars

 Xander has suffered great hardship in his life and Lily’s hardships are just beginning.  Lily renounces her title as Mistress of Science.  She declares her intention to fight in the Barrage Tournament for her sector.  The Tournament is a mixture of old fashioned fighting and science.  When it comes time to announce her partner, she discovers that Xander has volunteered. She knows very little about him, having only met him once.  They only have one month to train and Xander is a hard task master.  He  pushes Lily to her limits.  Along the way, Xander and Lily become friends and maybe something more.  Both of them would do just about anything to keep the other one safe.  The future of their world is in their hands.  They must win the Tournament in order to change things for the better.

I really liked this book and I loved the main characters.  Xander and Lily are wonderful together.  I would have liked a little more love story between the two, but that is just my opinion.  The story and characters were well developed.  There were a few places, in the story, that dragged a little, but not enough to keep me from reading to the end.  There was plenty of action and still many unanswered questions.  The sequel, Ardent Ascension, is out now and I will definitely read it.  The author is working on the third book in this series.  It is called Soul Arbor.  The Lotus Effect is a great first book in this series.  I would recommend it to anyone who likes steampunk fiction, dystopian societies, and just plan old science fiction.  I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

About the Author(Goodreads):

Bridget Ladd never quite grew up. She’s most likely to be caught carrying a pocketful of souvenir rocks and shells (to the washer’s dismay) and gets excited over trivial things like colorful ponies and raiding tombs alongside her longtime favorite video game pal, Lara Croft. The smell of freshly turned dirt and the sea air are her favorites, and she isn’t above doing twirling spins barefoot in the grass on a beautiful day in her yard. Her books are her shields and she will admit to having her head in the clouds more times than she probably should . . . but she doesn’t let any of this bother her too much, remembering her favorite quote by Le Guin, and knowing that the creative adult is indeed the child who survived.

She graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 3D Computer Animation/Interactive Design and minored in Art History at East Carolina University. Living her life solely as an artist and illustrator after school was not enough–knowing that a picture was only worth a thousand words–she felt she needed more. She had to get the trapped stories, the vivid, sometimes adventurous, sometimes terrifying dreams, out of her head. Like the authors, artists, musicians, scientists, peaceful warriors who inspire her, she too wishes to share her worlds with others, let them escape into the unknown. Let them know that like her, it’s okay to be different.

Summary (Goodreads):

The driver in a tragic car accident that killed her best friend, Devon Greer is consumed by guilt. When powerful hallucinations convince her that she’s seeing Rachael everywhere, Devon thinks she’s going crazy. But her friend isn’t truly gone.

To save Rachael from the faeries who stole her, Devon must pit herself against the Court of the Sidhe. Once she witnesses the true form of the fey, Devon’s life is in danger—and so are the lives of everyone she loves.

Now, Devon must not only protect herself, but also Jonah Seafort, Rachael’s cousin and the only person Devon can trust to help her. While the Sidhe walk among them, no one is safe…

My Review:

4/5 Stars

Eventide is about a girl named Devon who was a driver in a tragic car accident that killed her best friend. Soon after the accident she starts seeing Rachael everywhere, and begins to believe that her hallucinations are real. Devon, so desperate for answers and clinging on to any hope that her friend may still be alive, begins searching for answers, for reasons to explain all the crazy things she starts to see. And the more she searches, the darker the world around her becomes. I absolutely adored this book. I’m a huge fan of stories about the Sidhe and Eventide does not disappoint! It’s action packed filled with mystery, darkness, and everlasting friendship. It’s intense, and a unique addition to stories of the fae world. It is unlike any book I have ever read. Not often do you hear about faes that practically suck the life out of people and thrive on the energy their souls give until they blink out of existence. One reason I loved this story so much is because of Devon’s unyielding devotion to her friend Rachael. Once she starts to believe that she’s really seeing Rachael, and once she discovers that Rachael needs her help, Devon doesn’t give up. She is loyal to her friend to the very end of the book. Another thing I enjoyed about Devon is that Devon doesn’t have any supernatural powers and yet she lives in a supernatural world. Devon is your average, normal teenage girl that is thrown into difficult situations. She’s courageous and determined, a wonderful heroine in the YA genre. The love story in the book was super adorable. I loved Jonah right from the beginning. He’s so kind, and so sensible. He’s her anchor to the world and they help balance each other as they uncover more about what happened to Rachael and how to save her. I also really enjoyed Devon’s interactions with her four year old sister Lucy. She’s so stinkin cute. This book is a must read and I can’t wait to read more books from Chrstine Allen-Riley! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery, adventure, fantasy, and stories about the Sidhe.

Don’t forget to check out the giveaway below!

Book Quote: 

“Are you my sister’s boyfriend, now?”
My hands were still on his waist, and I felt a chuckle vibrate through him. He nodded at Lucy then he turned to me and added, “well, I am if she wants me to be.”
My little sister cocked her head to the side and looked at me. “Do you want him to?”
A flush warmed my face, and I nodded.
“Okay. wanna play barbies with me?”
Reaching out, I ruffled her hair. “Maybe after we eat. Right now I’m going to say goodbye to Jonah. Why don’t you go inside and see if you can help with supper?”
“All right. Bye, Boyfriend.”

Book Quote: 

Maggie’s bloodshot eyes hardened. “If you don’t find a way to save her, no one will. You have to do it. You’re the only one.”
“I don’t know how. I don’t know what to do.”
Maggie grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me. Hard. “figure it out, girl. If you don’t she has no chance.”

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo Books

About the Author:

Chrstine Allen-Riley

Lover of books, nature, cats and shiny things. Active disliker of cooking, cleaning and stress. Mom, freelance editor & YA author – also a bit of a nerd.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

GIVEAWAY:

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Summer Of Stars by Leslee Horner

Book Synopsis (Goodreads):

In this life, Lola’s family is falling apart. In the last one, they were murdered. In this life, Lola just wants to be normal, without the obsessive urges that have her vacuuming at least three times a day and a bipolar mother who’s the poster child for mood swings. Lola thought that turning fifteen would bring change for the better, but a strange vision puts her on a crowded train headed for Auschwitz. Is she losing it or looking through a window to a past life?

My Review:

This book is an emotional roller-coaster that takes you through the journey of Lola Ray in just a summer. We begin her story on her fifteenth birthday at the start of discovering who she is. Instead of usually being her friend’s ‘sidekick’, she is stuck with spending her summer alone at home with no car to get around and often no parent to watch out for her. But with this period of isolation, she discovers new things about her self, what might be her past life, as well as new neighbors.

What is so interesting about this book is the intense real world situations that are addressed, but also the supernatural aspect that is played into Lola dreaming of being a jewish girl-what she suspects is her past life. Lola really seemed lost throughout this book with often more questions and answers and like many people her age, trying to discover her own self identity. Struggling with her own OCD, her mother’s mental issues, and her dad becoming more distant puts her life into perspective of what is important and how she can emotionally deal with these issues. A pretty hard task to do at fifteen and on her own. That is when her new neighbor Ian becomes both her confidant and her friend. He is the only sense of normalcy in her life but encourages her to explore her dreams and use it to help her in life.

What is so great about this book is the character development and maturity that reaches each character. We see them become, brave, self aware, and empathetic to even the hardest situations thrown at them. Each of them makes difficult choices that they struggle with throughout the book but in they end they become better for it in their own way.

I encourage all of you to read this book and it’s sequel An Unrequited Fall.

About the Author:

Leslee Horner is a wife and mother of two little girls. She grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a degree in Elementary Education. After college, she lived and taught in Columbus, Ohio for four years and San Marcos, Texas for two. She currently lives in Tallahassee, Florida where she volunteers with the youth in her community. In her teens, she came to love writing. The power to move people with words on a page spoke to her. Back then she wrote mostly poems and letters. It wasn’t until age 32, that Leslee tried her hand at writing a novel. It was quite a journey and in the end, she knew she’d found her way back home to the calling she’d left behind.The award-winning novel, SUMMER OF STARS, is the first book in the Lola series, and is the third novel Leslee’s written. Its follow up, AN UNREQUITED FALL, will be released in the fall of 2014.