The House of Velvet & Glass by Katherine Howe

Still reeling from the deaths of her mother and sister on the Titanic, Sibyl Allston is living a life of quiet desperation with her taciturn father and scandal-plagued brother in an elegant town house in Boston’s Back Bay. Trapped in a world over which she has no control, Sibyl flees for solace to the parlor of a table-turning medium. But when her brother is suddenly kicked out of Harvard under mysterious circumstances and falls under the sway of a strange young woman, Sibyl turns for help to psychology professor Benton Derby, despite the unspoken tensions of their shared past. As Benton and Sibyl work together to solve a harrowing mystery, their long-simmering spark flares to life, and they realize that there may be something even more magical between them than a medium’s scrying glass. From the opium dens of Boston’s Chinatown to the opulent salons of high society, from the back alleys of colonial Shanghai to the decks of theTitanic, The House of Velvet and Glass weaves together meticulous period detail, intoxicating romance, and a final shocking twist that will leave readers breathless.


I was very skeptical to read this book, I have never really read many books in the adult fantasy genre. The only adult books I have ever read were written by J.R. Ward, Jodi Picoult, and Danielle Steele.  I enjoyed this book, but there were some issues with it. It seems like there were too many storylines developing at once. I really liked how realistic the characters were with their many secrets. It gives the readers an essence of Edgar Allen Poe. Howe has such a vivid imagination and wonderful writing. Everything was spectacular: characters; plot; most in particular how she gets everything in her imagination to flow, it's just simply spectacular. People who read Howe's other books were disappointed in this book but if you have read her previous work, read it with an open mind and you won't be disappointed. Everything is not what it seems,  and this phrase will come into your mind while reading this novel.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together. Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.











I'm going to be blunt, overall this book has a very good plot. There were so many critical aspects to the book as well. The characters during the majority of the book are always drinking tea. Too much vampires and not enough witches. I mean come on, if you are going to write a book about witches, why on earth throw in vampires, unless it was a forbidden love OR friendship between a vampire and a witch almost like Casper meets Wendy, but still. The writing is pretty good, just not the premise of the story. I don't think I'll read the sequel. I also found out the book has been optioned for film, it really amazes me how some of the not so great books get film deals.

Witchlanders by Lena Coakley

Happy New Year! And I am back to blogging about some recent books I read. I just love getting gift cards to Barnes and Noble for Christmas.



High in their mountain covens, red witches pray to the Goddess, protecting the Witchlands by throwing the bones and foretelling the future. It’s all a fake. At least, that’s what Ryder thinks. He doubts the witches really deserve their tithes—one quarter of all the crops his village can produce. And even if they can predict the future, what danger is there to foretell, now that his people’s old enemy, the Baen, has been defeated?But when a terrifying new magic threatens both his village and the coven, Ryder must confront the beautiful and silent witch who holds all the secrets. Everything he’s ever believed about witches, the Baen, magic and about himself will change, when he discovers that the prophecies he’s always scorned—Are about him.

I really liked the way the author wrote this book. Ryder is just so dreamy. The other character Falpian has the dilemma of being loyal to his family or switching loyalties. I found the dilemma to be very interesting throughout the book. Most of the plot throughout this book really did remind me of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet almost with the feuding communities part and seeing where the loyalty lies. I highly recommend this book to those who are an avid fan of high fantasy.

New Year's Resolution

Another year goes by, and we reflect on what our resolutions were last year. Now it's time to make new resolutions for 2013. What will be your resolutions for as a writer for this upcoming year?


-Write a novella?
-Write a full length novel?
-Write something in another genre? 
-Finish that story that gave you writer's block?
-Edit your NaNoWriMo project?
-Challenge yourself to write a 100,000 word book?
-Read more books?


Everyone has their own challenge these are my New Year's resolutions

-Finish my New Adult book series.
-Work on my query letter
-Submit to agents
-Land an agent
-Get a book deal
-Edit my NaNoWriMo
-Publish my dystopian trilogy
-Write a book over 150,000 words


I have my goals for this year and I hope to achieve half of them. I am wishing all of my writer friends the best with their writing and hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year!