Summer of Stars Review

Posted on October 8, 2014 by The Page Unbound

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.

Dead Girl Walking Book Blitz

Posted on October 8, 2014 by The Page Unbound

Dead Girl Walking (Royal Reaper #1)

by Ruth Silver

Release Date: 04/24/14

Patchwork Press

Summary from Goodreads:

Princess Ophelia Dacre sneaks out of the castle to visit her boyfriend in secret. A perfect night cut short when she’s brutally murdered.

Ophelia is given the rare chance to become a grim reaper. She must become Leila Bele, cut ties with her old life, and follow the rules of the reapers. Her greatest adventure begins with death.

Excerpt

Jasper walked over to Ophelia. “You didn’t think you’d still be Princess Ophelia, did you? Every neighboring kingdom knows who you are. The minute they saw you’re alive, it would change everything.”

“I’m confused.” Ophelia hoped someone would elaborate.

“Your soul stays intact, but the body you’ll be in will be different.” Wynter reached for Ophelia’s hand, resting it over his chest. “Do you feel that?” He had kind eyes and a warm smile. Ophelia nodded. He had a steady heartbeat. “But you’re dead?”

“We’re undead, technically, but the human body can’t sustain a soul without a working heart, lungs, you get the idea. We’re not zombies. We’re real people. We just have the ability to reap a person’s soul when they die, so they can move on.”

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Ruth Silver first began writing poetry as a teenager and reading heaps of fan fiction in her free time. She has written under three unique pseudo names and penned well over a hundred stories.

Her favorite class was Creative Writing senior year where she often handed in assignments longer than the professor required because she loved to write and always wanted to finish her stories.

Her love of writing, led her on an adventure in 2007 to Melbourne, Australia. Silver enjoys reading YA novels and sharing her favorite books with other readers. She runs her own book blog and also enjoys photography and traveling. Her favorite YA genre is a mix of Dystopian & Fantasy which is evident in the upcoming release of her latest book, Aberrant. Slated for release April 2013 by Lazy Day Publishing, it is the first in a trilogy.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

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Monument 14 Teaser

Posted on October 7, 2014 by The Page Unbound

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Monument 14 (Monument 14 #1)

by Emmy Laybourne (Goodreads Author)

Book Synopsis(Goodreads):

Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.

Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.

In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

Quote 1:

“Night came and fell hard.
Not like God drawing a blanket over our land
But like someone snuffing a candle.
Sudden and total.
Out—just like that.
Now we are waiting.
Waiting in the dark
To see if someone
Will switch on the light.
We can cower,
We can fear,
We can get lost together or
Get lost alone.
But the truth is:
I am the light. You are the light.
We are lit up together.
We are silhouettes of sunlight
cast against the night.
Shining now, let us
Shining, hold the light,
Shining, so that our families
Can find us.
Shining.”
― Emmy Laybourne, Monument 14

Quote 2:

“We were frozen in a moment of horror, I think is the best way to describe it.
There had been a woman there. Right outside the door. And now she was dead.
And then Niko roared.
He balled his hands into fists and started striking his own head. Bam, bam, bam!
“Niko, stop!” I shouted.

He turned to the nearest shelving unit and started pummeling the boxes.
I stepped forward to try to help him. To restrain him, somehow, so he wouldn’t hurt himself.
“Let him be,” Jake said. “He’s just working stuff out.”
Niko destroyed the aisle, ripping, punching, tearing, throwing, cursing, spitting, shouting. Crying.
Slowly, he started winding down.
“All right, man,” came Jake’s drawl. “It’s gonna be okay.”
“It’s not okay,” Niko shouted. “She’s dead and if I’d just thought faster I could have saved her!”
He drove his head into a heavy, wooden crate.
“You’re pissed!” I shouted. “You’re so angry you want to burst!”
My volume and intensity surprised him (and me), and he stopped what he was doing.
“We could’ve saved her and we failed! You could have saved her and you failed!” I shouted.
It seemed like he needed me to push back at him with the same weight of his own anger and despair.
“She’s dead! They’re all dead and we can do nothing to save them!”
Niko crumpled to his knees and rested his forehead on the linoleum. Now I could stop yelling. He could hear me.
“It’s not your fault, Niko,” I said.
“But I could have helped her.”
“It’s not your fault,” I repeated.
“You didn’t cause the tsunami, man,” Jake said quietly.
“It’s not your fault.”
“It’s nobody’s fault,” Brayden said.
Niko’s body relaxed.
Jake, Brayden, and I just watched him for a while as his chest heaved and he regained his usual composure.
Niko drew his sleeve across his face.
He sat up and looked around.
“Shoot,” he said. “Look at this mess.”
― Emmy Laybourne, Monument 14

Keirran

Posted on October 3, 2014 by The Page Unbound

Keirran

Keirran is the son of Ashallyn’ darkmyr Tallyn (Ash) and Megan Chase from the Iron Fey series. Keirran is described as having white/silver hair and icy blue eyes. He is tall, handsome, and lean. Keirran has a sharp, angular face and pointed ears. As a child, Keirran was very troublesome and always got into trouble. He is also humorous and mischievous. If Keirran is told not to do something, he tends to find a way to do it anyway. But he is still very loyal to his father and family, and even his uncle Ethan Chase whom appears as the same age as him. Keirran is part human but is also immortal and stopped aging at the age of 17. He also grew quicker due to the way time moves in Faerie as compared to the mortal world and that is why he appears to be the same age as Ethan. At first Keirran and Ethan don’t really seem to like each other and are always arguing. But over time they have a very endearing brother like relationship and it’s obvious they care and love each other like family. There’s just one slight problem with Keirran and Ethan being friends… it was prophesied that Keirran would kill Ethan and be the downfall for all that is Faery. For years Megan tried to keep these two apart, but fate of course brought them together. Keirran is a great, loyal and honorable character. And even though Keirran likes to play pranks and tease, he does it out of love. The only thing about Keirran though is that he has a soft spot for the Forgotten Faeries. He understands their predicament, and feels sympathetic towards them even though they are killing other faeries to survive. The Forgotten Faeries are those whom are exiled. After so many ears of being exiled they become forgotten and begin to fade. Keirran understands the Forgotten because the one he loves is an exiled Summer Faery named Annwyl and Keirran will do ANYTHING to save her from fading from existence.

Excerpt from The Iron Traitor:

I’d yelled at Keirran to help me out, and… he hadn’t. He’d just stood their besides the Forgotten Queen, watching me get my ass kicked. Watching as they almost killed me. I remembered the look on his face as I’d fought for my life–cold, blank, impassive–and it made me very nervous. I’d seen that same look tonight, in Mr. Dust’s back room. That dark, icy stranger hadn’t gone away; he was still here.

– The Iron Traitor, Julie Kagawa

So is Keirran a good, noble character? Or is Keirran being consumed by a darkness so strong he can’t overcome all in the hopes to save the person he loves?

Does the character do things that have good consequences? or bad consequences?

Keirran does both. He definitely will help those he loves or cares about, even if sometimes it doesn’t appear that way and sometimes they have good consequences, but sometimes when he tries to help things go bad. He’s also very mischievous and those tend to have bad outcomes as well. I would say that more bad consequences have happened because of Keirran than good.

Does the character do anything out of revenge or spite?

Keirran isn’t exactly a revengeful person. He’s mischievous yes, but he doesn’t really do anything in order to spite someone else.

Is the character’s personality noble and with good intent?

Keirran is very noble and his intentions are good. But he is a little misguided.

What makes this character most likable?

Keirran is very charismatic and witty. He jokes, he seems a little stiff at first but over time he loosens up. He’s noble and most importantly he does things out of the love in his heart.

What is something unlikable about the character?

Keirran often acts first and thinks later. He does not take consequences into consideration but merely acts on impulse.

Does the character feel guilty about their poor actions?

I think Keirran does feel guilty and just tries not to show it. He has a hard core poker face. But I think underneath it all he does feel guilty and he just keeps reminding himself why he does what he does and shuts off those other emotions that would disagree with him.

Does the character fight for the opposing side?

Keirran is an interesting character. He tends to be on both sides. I’m eager to find out which side he will indefinitely end up on.

What does the character believe in? Does he strive to make a difference that helps others?

He believes in saving those you love and care about. He believes in helping others in need by any means necessary. He believes in being true to himself and isn’t swayed by others beliefs.

What has the character done that could make him a potential villain?

He loves so deeply that it has made him blind. That blindness to the catastrophies that could happen could very well destroy everything.

What has the character done that could make him a possible hero?

Keirran loves his family and has been raised to be honorable and just. I would hope that Keirran would be smart enough to try to find a way that would be the best for everyone. And if he can’t, that he would in the end do the right thing because of his love for his family and that it’s the right thing to do.

I’m curious to know… do you think Keirran will end up being a villain that destroys all of Faery? Or will Keirran be the hero and save everyone he loves?

The Name of the Star Teaser

Posted on September 30, 2014 by The Page Unbound

The Name of the Star (The Shades of London book 1)

Book Summary (Goodreads):

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it’s the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn’t notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

Book Quotes:

“I decided to deflect her attitude by giving a long, Southern answer. I come from people who know how to draw things out. Annoy a Southerner, and we will drain away the moments of your life with our slow, detailed replies until you are nothing but a husk of your former self and that much closer to death.”
― Maureen Johnson, The Name of the Star

“Fear can’t hurt you,” she said. “When it washes over you, give it no power. It’s a snake with no venom. Remember that. That knowledge can save you.”
― Maureen Johnson, The Name of the Star

My Thoughts:

It’s been awhile since I’ve read The Name of the Star. This book is amazing though. It’s perfect for those interested in a ghost story with some cutesy sideline romance. It’s intense, action packed, and very creative. The sequel is entitled The Madness Underneath and the third installment comes out February 10th (squeal!!!!) entitled The Shadow Cabinet. I’ve been DYING for the third installment since The Madness Underneath came out almost a year ago. I’ve been anxiously waiting to find out what all exactly is going on with a particular handsome character (Stephen).If anyone is looking for a good ghostly read I highly recommend this book!

The Scorpio Races Teaser

Posted on September 30, 2014 by The Page Unbound

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The Scorpio Races

by Maggie Stiefvater (Goodreads Author)

Book Synopsis(Goodreads):

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

Quote 1:

“There are moments that you’ll remember for the rest of your life and there are moments that you think you’ll remember for the rest of your life, and it’s not often they turn out to be the same moment.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, The Scorpio Races

Quote 2:

“Sean reaches between us and slides a thin bracelet of red ribbons over my free hand. Lifting my arm, he presses his lips against the inside of my wrist. I’m utterly still; I feel my pulse tap several times against his lips, and then he releases my hand.
“For luck,” he says. He takes Dove’s lead from me.
“Sean,” I say, and he turns. I take his chin and kiss his lips, hard. I’m reminded, all of a sudden, of that first day on the beach, when I pulled his head from the water.
“For luck,” I say to his startled face.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, The Scorpio Races

Undertow Book Blitz

Posted on September 24, 2014 by The Page Unbound

Undertow (Undertow #1)

by K.R. Conway

Release Date: 10/18/13

Summary from Goodreads:

Luckless Eila is unknowingly the last of her kind: Rare. Gifted. Breakable. Stunning Raef is her kind’s historic enemy: Soulless. Lethal. Lost. A legendary death 160 years before would set their lives to collide, forcing a beautiful killer to become a savior, a simple wallflower to become a warrior, and ruthless destiny to become a death sentence.

SUMMARY:
High school senior Eila Walker knows that good luck skips over her like an Easter Bunny on Speed. So when she inherits her grandmother’s million-dollar Cape Cod home, she is downright shocked. And yeah, her new town isn’t perfect: the cheerleaders are heinous clones, the local undertow can kill ya, and her Great Grams was supposedly fried by lightning in the harbor square. Still, Eila is hopeful her luckless days are in the past . . . until history decides to repeat itself.

A self-proclaimed loner and previous-social reject, Eila thinks she’s hit the jackpot when drool-worthy Raef O’Reilly becomes her friendly, yet weirdly protective shadow. But being hauled beneath the waves by an unnatural undertow slams the brakes on bliss – especially when Raef storms to her aid with coal-black eyes and iron-like strength.

Eila, entirely freaked, demands an explanation and Raef comes clean, revealing that neither of them are average humans but rather the genetic remnants of an angelic pissing-match gone wrong. Eila supposedly can channel the power of human souls, while Raef is quite adept at stealing them. Even worse, the legend about her ancestor isn’t such a myth, since Eila’s grandmother was one kick-ass warrior until her lightning-like power backfired. A power that is written all over Eila’s DNA.

Now sought by Raef’s own family for her destructive ability, Eila must trust him to watch her back. But when a quest for information goes terribly wrong, Eila is suddenly left with only two options: become a weapon for the enemy or follow in her Gram’s fearless footsteps to save those she loves. Unfortunately she needs a willing enemy to ignite her suicidal energy and the only one she trusts has been guarding her butt and scorching her lips.

Excerpt:

Eila’s POV:

His mouth tipped up, amused at my pitiful punch, so I went to whack him again, but he snatched my wrist, holding it snuggly in his wide palm. My skin tingled softly where he touched and he tugged me towards him, bringing my face closer to his.

“I just want you safe, E. And I realize now that not hunting enough actually makes me more of a liability. But don’t worry. I’ll hunt more.”

I looked at his storm-blue eyes for a moment, allowing myself to enjoy our close proximity. I could hear the voices of Kian and Ana discussing which movie to watch, but their conversation barely registered in my head. I was as close to Raef as I was the night he first kissed me, and thus my brain wasn’t functioning too well anymore. I swallowed and finally pulled myself out of my momentary stupor.

“We had an agreement that you have not honored. If you really want me safe, you will help me train,” I whispered.

His face tensed and his grip on my wrist tightened. “I know. And I’m sorry I haven’t supported you on that. But I will – I promise. Just let me figure out where we can train and how. We can’t risk attracting any more government goons. And we do it in stages. Basic self-defense first, okay?”

“Ana comes along as well,” I demanded. It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact.

He gave a quick nod, “The Elmo groupie learns to kick ass too.”

I snorted a laugh, “It’s not Elmo!”

“All furry monsters are the same in my book,” replied Raef, finally releasing my hand.

Available from:

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About the Author

I have been a journalist for 15 years and serve on the Board of Directors for the Cape Cod Writers Center. I also drive a 16-ton school bus because I am ENTIRELY NUTS.In addition to working jobs that should come with a warning label , I hold a BA in Psychos (Forensic Psych), torment the tourists about Jaws, and occasionally jump from the Town Neck bridge in an attempt to reclaim my youth. I live on Cape Cod with two smallish humans who apparently are my kids, my fishing-obsessed husband, two canines (adept at both flatulence and snoring), and a cage-defiant lovebird that sleeps in a miniature tent. Nope – that’s not a type-o. The bird is quite the indoor camper.

Author Links:

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Orenda Book Blitz

Posted on September 24, 2014 by The Page Unbound

Orenda (Orenda #1) By Ruth Silver
Release Date: 04/13/14
Patchwork Press

Summary from Goodreads:

Join forces with a parallel universe. Dark forces, magical creatures, and the world Lil thought she knew collide when a dream transports her to the strange world of Orenda. Stunned and terrified, Lil comes face to face with her doppelganger, Willow, who possesses the ability to travel between the two worlds. Everything Lil knows logically says that Orenda can’t exist, but a small clue may be proof that it was more than an ordinary dream. With the threat of her sister in danger, Lil crosses dimensions but it may cost her even more than she bargained for. A sword wielding girl, the eternal suit, and a parallel universe come together in this action- packed Young Adult fantasy adventure that will keep readers of all ages turning the pages. Orenda is the first novel in the Orenda series.

About the Author

Ruth Silver first began writing poetry as a teenager and reading heaps of fan fiction in her free time. She has written under three unique pseudo names and penned well over a hundred stories.

She attended Northern Illinois University in 2001 and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Communication. While in college she spent much of her free time writing with friends she met online and penning her first novel, “Deuces are Wild”, which she self-published in 2004. Her favorite class was Creative Writing senior year where she often handed in assignments longer than the professor required because she loved to write and always wanted to finish her stories.

Her favorite YA genre is a mix of Dystopian & Fantasy which is evident in the upcoming release of her latest book, Aberrant. Slated for release April 2013 by Lazy Day Publishing, it is the first in a trilogy.

***Author Links***

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Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold: Book Promo and Givaway

Posted on September 23, 2014 by The Page Unbound

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Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold (Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency #1)

by Iain Reading (Goodreads Author)

Book Synopsis(Goodreads):

Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is the thrilling first installment in a new series of adventure mystery stories that are one part travel, one part history and five parts adventure. This first book of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series introduces Kitty Hawk, an intrepid teenage pilot with her own De Havilland Beaver seaplane and a nose for mystery and intrigue. A cross between Amelia Earhart, Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstocking, Kitty is a quirky young heroine with boundless curiosity and a knack for getting herself into all kinds of precarious situations.

After leaving her home in the western Canadian fishing village of Tofino to spend the summer in Alaska studying humpback whales Kitty finds herself caught up in an unforgettable adventure involving stolen gold, devious criminals, ghostly shipwrecks, and bone-chilling curses. Kitty’s adventure begins with the lingering mystery of a sunken ship called the Clara Nevada and as the plot continues to unfold this spirited story will have armchair explorers and amateur detectives alike anxiously following every twist and turn as they are swept along through the history of the Klondike Gold Rush to a suspenseful final climatic chase across the rugged terrain of Canada’s Yukon, the harsh land made famous in the stories and poems of such writers as Jack London, Robert Service and Pierre Berton. It is a riveting tale that brings to glorious life the landscape and history of Alaska’s inside passage and Canada’s Yukon, as Kitty is caught up in an epic mystery set against the backdrop of the scenery of the Klondike Gold Rush.

Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is a perfect book to fire the imagination of readers of all ages. Filled with fascinating and highly Google-able locations and history this book will inspire anyone to learn and experience more for themselves as Kitty prepares for her next adventure – flying around the world!

There are currently four books in the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series available for sale on Amazon: Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold, Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway’s Ghost, Kitty Hawk and the Icelandic Intrigue, and Kitty Hawk and the Tragedy of the RMS Titanic.

Here is an excerpt from the book:

Prologue
Back Where The Entire Adventure Began
As soon as the engine began to sputter, I knew that I was in real trouble. Up until then, I had somehow managed to convince myself that there was just something wrong with the fuel gauges. After all, how could I possibly have burnt through my remaining fuel as quickly as the gauges seemed to indicate? It simply wasn’t possible. But with the engine choking and gasping, clinging to life on the last fumes of aviation fuel, it was clear that when the fuel gauges read, “Empty,” they weren’t kidding around.
The lightning strike that took out my radio and direction-finding gear hadn’t worried me all that much. (Okay, I admit it worried me a little bit.) It wasn’t the first time that this had happened to me, and besides, I still had my compasses to direct me to where I was going. But I did get a little bit concerned when I found nothing but open ocean as far my eyes could see at precisely the location where I fully expected to find tiny Howland Island—and its supply of fuel for the next leg of my journey—waiting for me. The rapidly descending needles on my fuel gauges made me even more nervous as I continued to scout for the island, but only when the engine began to die did I realize that I really had a serious problem on my hands.
The mystery of the disappearing fuel.
The enigma of the missing island.
The conundrum of what do I do now?
“Exactly,” the little voice inside my head said to me in one of those annoying ‘I-told-you-so’ kind of voices. “What do you do now?”
“First, I am going to stay calm,” I replied. “And think this through.”
“You’d better think fast,” the little voice said, and I could almost hear it tapping on the face of a tiny wristwatch somewhere up there in my psyche. “If you want to make it to your twentieth birthday, that is. Don’t forget that you’re almost out of fuel.”
“Thanks a lot,” I replied. “You’re a big help.”
Easing forward with the control wheel I pushed my trusty De Havilland Beaver into a nosedive. Residual fuel from the custom-made fuel tanks at the back of the passenger cabin dutifully followed the laws of gravity and spilled forward, accumulating at the front and allowing the fuel pumps to transfer the last remaining drops of fuel into the main forward belly tank. This maneuver breathed life back into the engine and bought me a few more precious minutes to ponder my situation.
“Mayday, mayday, mayday,” I said, keying my radio transmitter as I leveled my flight path out again. “This is aircraft Charlie Foxtrot Kilo Tango Yankee, calling any ground station or vessel hearing this message, over.”
I keyed the mic off and listened intently for a reply. Any reply. Please? But there was nothing. There was barely even static. My radio was definitely fried.
It was hard to believe that it would all come down to this. After the months of preparation and training. After all the adventures that I’d had, the friends I’d made, the beauty I’d experienced, the differences and similarities I’d discovered from one culture to the next and from one human being to the next. All of this in the course of my epic flight around the entire world.
Or I should say, “my epic flight almost around the entire world,” in light of my current situation.
And the irony of it was absolutely incredible. Three-quarters of a century earlier the most famous female pilot of them all had disappeared over this exact same endless patch of Pacific Ocean on her own quest to circle the globe. And she had disappeared while searching for precisely the same island that was also eluding me as I scanned the horizon with increasing desperation.
“Okay,” I thought to myself. “Just be cool and take this one step at a time to think the situation through.” I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing, slowing it down and reining in the impulse to panic. Inside my head, I quickly and methodically replayed every flight that I’d ever flown. Every emergency I’d ever faced. Every grain of experience that I had accumulated along the long road that had led me to this very moment. Somewhere in there was a detail that was the solution to my current predicament. I was sure of it. And all I had to do was find it.
Maybe the answer to my current situation lay somewhere among the ancient temples of Angkor in Cambodia? Or in the steamy jungles of east Africa? Or inside the towering pyramids of Giza? Or among the soaring minarets of Sarajevo? Or on the emerald rolling hills and cliffs of western Ireland? Or on the harsh and rocky lava fields of Iceland?
Wherever the answer was, it was going to have to materialize quickly, or another female pilot (me) would run the risk of being as well-known throughout the world as Amelia Earhart. And for exactly the same reason.
“It’s been a good run at least,” the little voice inside my head observed, turning oddly philosophical as the fuel supplies ran critically low. “You’ve had more experiences on this journey around the world than some people do in their entire lifetime.”
“That’s it!” I thought.
Maybe the answer to all this lies even further back in time? All the way back to the summer that had inspired me to undertake this epic journey in the first place. All the way back to where North America meets the Pacific Ocean—the islands and glaciers and whales of Alaska.
All the way back to where this entire adventure began.

About the Author:

Iain Reading is passionate about Root Beer, music, and writing. He is Canadian, but currently resides in the Netherlands working for the United Nations. He has published 4 books in the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series.

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The Infinite Sea Teaser

Posted on September 23, 2014 by The Page Unbound

The Infinite Sea (The Fifth Wave #2)

by Rick Yancey

Book Synopsis(Goodreads):

How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.

Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.

Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.

Quote 1:

“And, for one– ten thousandth of a second, all of it fell away, the despair and grief and anger and pain and hunger, and the old Ben Parish rose from the dead. The eyes that impaled. The smile that slayed. In another moment, he would fade, slide back into the new Ben, the one called Zombie, and I understood something I hadn’t before: He was dead, the object of my schoolgirl desires, just as the schoolgirl who desired him was dead.”
― Rick Yancey, The Infinite Sea

Quote 2:

“The beautiful wooden board on a stand in my father’s study. The gleaming ivory pieces. The stern king. The haughty queen. The noble knight. The pious bishop. And the game itself, the way each piece contributed its individual power to the whole. It was simple. It was complex. It was savage; it was elegant. It was a dance; it was a war. It was finite and eternal. It was life.”
― Rick Yancey, The Infinite Sea