booklove – Page 111 – Sincerely Karen Jo

bookreview

Hello lovelies! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Today, I’ll be sharing my review for Ember Burning, the first book in the TRINITY FOREST SERIES by JENNIFER ALSEVER. I’ll also be sharing some of my favorite quotes from the book and there’ll be a giveaway later on this week!

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emberburning

aboutbook

Published: My 6, 2017 by Sawatch Press

Genre(s): Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal

Paperback Format: 348 Pages

purchaselinks

AMAZON – BARNES & NOBLE – INDIEBOUND – BOOK DEPOSITORY

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Senior year was supposed to be great–that’s what Ember’s friend Maddie promised at the beginning of the year. Instead, Ember TrouvE spends the year drifting in and out of life like a ghost, haunted by her parents’ recent, tragic death.

At home, she pores over her secret obsession: pictures of missing kids– from newspaper articles, from grocery store flyers– that she’s glued inside a spiral notebook. Like her, the people are lost. Like her, she discovers, they had been looking for a way to numb their pain when they disappeared.

When Ember finds herself in Trinity Forest one day, a place locals stay away from at all costs, she befriends a group of teenagers who are out camping. Hanging out with them in the forest tainted with urban legends of witchcraft and strange disappearances, she has more fun than she can remember having. But something isn’t right.

The candy-covered wickedness she finds in Trinity proves to be a great escape, until she discovers she can never go home. Will Ember confront the truth behind her parents’ death, or stay blissfully numb and lose herself to the forest forever?

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mythoughts

A Wickedly Mesmerizing, Utterly Thrilling, and Deliciously Twisted Tale

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A hauntingly dark, but beautifully affecting read, Ember Burning by Jennifer Alsever had me holding my breath until the end.

This book completely consumed me and I finished it in less than 10 hours!!! It was intense, thrilling, twisted, mysterious, and quite disturbing. Actually, some parts were terrifying and/or painful to read, but the storyline was also so incredibly fascinating that I could not put the book down. The plot was well-written, fast-paced, and suspenseful. I love that I never really knew what was going on and couldn’t predict what would happen next. I went through the story as if I was Ember experiencing whatever she felt as she struggled with her own guilt and tried to figure out what was really happening to her. There’s definitely something intoxicating about Trinity Forest and with a cliffhanger like that, I absolutely can’t wait to see what happens in the next two installments.

Alsever’s spellbindingly gorgeous writing style lured me in and never let go. It was wickedly mesmerizing, utterly thrilling and deliciously twisted and I was wonderfully entertained. I enjoyed the unique world-building, the mystery behind Trinity Forest, the supernatural elements, the intriguing characters, and the romance. This book without a doubt exceeded my expectations and I cannot recommend it enough.

If you’re looking for a beautifully written and relatable story about death, pain, guilt, self-discovery, and love with a paranormal twist, then I highly suggest you add this amazing book to your TBR.

Note: There are some trigger scenes in this book, so just be aware that you could read something you may not be comfortable with.

Huge thanks to the author for sending me a copy of this book which I voluntarily agreed to review. All thoughts, opinions, and feelings are my own.

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favoritequotes

A glimmer of sunshine pours through my personal Ember armor and into my heart. Something is happening here, and it’s like I’m waking up from a deep, deep sleep.

We’re all broken in some way, beat down, ready to give up. We want a second chance, and Trinity gives that to us.

The kiss sends me spinning, cartwheeling into another world. This is like an out-of-body experience. To open your heart and let someone crawl inside, write their name and take a piece of you. You carry them inside you, you take them with you, you breathe with them. This is what people talk about when they talk about love.

You can’t get so ruled by emotion that you do something you regret.

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GOLD MEDALIST

2018 INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER BOOK AWARDS

Best Young Adult Fiction E-Book

GOLD MEDALIST

2018 MOONBEAM BOOK AWARDS

Best Young Adult Horror/Mystery

QUARTER-FINALIST FOR PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 2017 BOOKLIFE PRIZE

“Excellently plotted, flows well and beautifully written.”
–Publishers Weekly

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addongoodreads2

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funextras

trinity forest.jpg

EMBER’S WORLD

TRE’S WORLD

LODIMA’S WORLD

HEAR OSHUN SING

WATCH VIDEOS

EMBER’S SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

TRE’S SPOTIFY PLAYST

OSHUN RISING SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

VENUS SHINING SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

(THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1)

THE CRAZY-WOMAN NOTEBOOK

SEE INSIDE TRINITY FOREST

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abouttheauthor

A teenager still lives inside author Jennifer Alsever. She spent two decades as a professional journalist, contributing to such publications as Fortune Magazine, the New York Times, Inc Magazine and the Wall Street Journal, before letting her imagination run wild in 2016. The result is Ember’s story told in the three-book Trinity Forest Series, her first published fiction work.

When not absorbed in writing, Alsever enjoys a good hike, doing some yoga, hanging with her boys, some moguls on skis, a rigorous mountain bike ride or indulging in the simple pleasures of life. Her favorites: untouched snow, frozen chocolate chips, savasina on a yoga mat and yes, bowls of pan fried brussels sprouts. Jennifer is working on her upcoming novel to be released in 2019.’

authorlinks

WEBSITE – TWITTER – FACEBOOK – INSTAGRAM – GOODREADS

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Thanks for stopping by loves! I hope you enjoyed reading my review for this book and be brave enough to travel into Trinity Forest. sincerelykjologo

authorinterview

Hello Lovely Bookish Friends! Today, I have an interview with Mary Feliciani, the author of Humanitarians, Visionaries, Heroes and You.

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aboutbook

Published: March 5th 2012 by M.F. Publishing

Genre(s): Middle Grade, Children, Inspirational

Format: Paperback, 50 pages

http://www.mfpublishing.com/shop-from-home/

This book is a collection of seven inspiring mini-biographies. The author uses the voices of Mattie Stepanek, Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Terry Fox, Craig Kielburger, and her own reflections to encourage the reader to join a growing movement towards social responsibility and global citizenship.

Does any of your personality ever go into any of your characters?

My personality definitely chooses the content that I write about or subject matter (social issues). Regarding whether my personality traits go into any of the makeup of my characters, is a good question. I role-play with characters in my head when I am writing dialogue. In order to facilitate this, I must consciously assign certain attitudes to the characters. Then the question is — what would this character say in this situation? I choose attributes that I know well and that are based on life experience. I believe that if my own character traits find their way into the story, it is on an unconscious level.

Favorite snack while writing.

I never thought of snacking while I’m writing. This must be a clever way of procrastinating. I drink coffee instead. The snack can be a reward after the writing for the day. Chocolate would be my favourite.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

It was in my first year of university. I was studying psychology and realized that I had something to say, and the best way to say it would be in writing. I didn’t necessarily want to be an author.

What is your favorite part about being a writer?

Writing is therapeutic and a good way to learn about yourself.

Which author(s) have inspired your writing?

Martin Luther King Jr., though not an author per se, wrote a famous and inspiring speech, I Have a Dream. If a picture can say 1000 words, then a speech can write a 1000 books.

If you were not writing books, what would you be doing for a living?

I was an elementary schoolteacher for many years. I would want to be a psychologist, otherwise.

If you could change one thing about our world, what would it be and why?

I try to make a difference in the world through my writing. Humanitarians and their causes have always been important to me. My book, Humanitarians, Visionaries, Heroes, and You, deals with peace and universal values. Two of my other books deal with bullying in the school environment, Big and Small in the Mirror, and The Invisible Boy. I believe that people, particularly children, can benefit from having good role models and that bullying is still a prevailing issue for young people.

What shows are you currently watching/binging?

I have been hooked on Netflix for a year now. My favourite genre in books, movies and television is mystery. I like cozy mysteries and psychological thrillers the best. Needless to say, I watched all the British mysteries first, such as Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Midsomer Murders, Ms.Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Death in Paradise, and Father Brown. After exhausting the genre, I watched some American series like Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, and Grace and Frankie. I’m currently not watching TV much. I am looking for my next good series. Any ideas?

Mary Feliciani is a Canadian author, independent publisher and an elementary school teacher. She attended UTM where she studied psychology and still lives in Mississauga, Ontario. Mary’s background in psychology, work with children and passionate interest in the human condition, which stems back as far as she can remember, are all evident in her writing.