My friends, I have and amazing book to tell you about today.

KIYA: HOPE OF THE PHARAOH

by

Katie Hamstead

about the book:

When Naomi’s sisters are snatched up to be taken to be wives of the erratic Pharaoh, Akhenaten, she knows they won’t survive the palace, so she offers herself in their place. The fearsome Commander Horemheb sees her courage, and knows she is exactly what he is looking for…

The Great Queen Nefertiti despises Naomi instantly, and strips her of her Hebrew lineage, including her name, which is changed to Kiya. Kiya allies herself with Horemheb, who pushes her to greatness and encourages her to make the Pharaoh fall in love with her. When Akhenaten declares Kiya will be the mother of his heir, Nefertiti, furious with jealousy, schemes to destroy Kiya.

Kiya must play the deadly game carefully. She is in a silent battle of wills, and a struggle for who will one day inherit the crown. If she does bear an heir, she knows she will need to fight to protect him, as well as herself, from Nefertiti who is out for blood

my review

If you have any interest in Ancient Egyptian history, do yourself a favor and read this book.

Kiya, born a Hebrew named Naomi, is chosen to be the wife of Akhenaten. Chosen to provide him the son he needs to carry on his kingdom. She is a wonderfully strong female lead. You will fall in love with her. She is beloved of Akhenaten and reviled by Nefertiti. She faces everything thrown at her with grace and dignity. I can't stress enough how amazing a character Kiya is.

For those unfamiliar with Ancient Egypt, Kiya is widely believed to be the mother of Tutankhamen. King Tut. Very little is known of her, other than she was a lesser wife of Akhenaten. He was the 'heretic pharaoh'. He literally threw away the Egyptian pantheon, moved the capital city to Ikhaten (currrent day Armana) and ruled as pharaoh. All surviving artwork shows him as an odd shaped, almost feminine individual. Was he enlightened or mad? No one knows for certain.

This book portrays Akhenaten as a kind, generous but somewhat unstable individual. Nefertiti is a jealous, hateful, evil woman. All characters in this book have amazing almost larger than life personalities. I liked Horemheb, but loved Malachi. I found Ay to be as sneaky and rotten as his daughter.

The book focuses on Kiya and her struggle in an Egyptian household. Her many interactions with Nefertiti and Nef's daughters. Kiya becomes beloved not only of Akhenaten but of just about every other character in this well written story.

I absolutely loved this book, and look forward to more by this author. This is a 'can't put it down' book. I couldn't stop reading until I finished, and then wanted to just start over and reread. A 5 star book.

a bit of history

Akhenaten was a pharaoh of the 18th dynasty.  Son of  Amunhotep III,  he ruled Egypt for 17 years.   He died around 1335 BC.  He abandoned Thebes and traditional polytheism and created a new capital and religious center  worshipping the ATEN, the sun.  He is widely believed to be the father of King Tut.  

Nefertiti was the Great Royal Wife of Akhenaten.  She was also heavily involved in the movement to the worship center of Aten (current day Armana).  She is believed to have lived from 1370-1330 bc. 

canopic jar believed to be the likeness of Kiya  (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiya

I'd like to introduce a fantastic book by author Jay Speights.

about the book:

Publication Date: March 28, 2013

7 Days With Adam is about Adam, the first man, who visits me and shatters many of my core beliefs about God, creation, the basic nature of humans, this world and, his and Eve's real legacy. After the 7 day visit, he leaves me fully enlightened with actual exercises, prayers and meditative techniques that we can all use to access our Divine Inner Power and use it to achieve mastery in our lives. This book is a testament to the value of story telling in spirituality, disciplined spiritual practice and being attuned to the Higher Self and Divine Inner Light that is in all of us.

My thoughts:

Imagine waking up one day and meeting Adam.  First man on Earth.  Adam, who along with Eve, is responsible for Original Sin.  (honestly, I've never much believed in the concept of original sin-I think of Eve as more of a liberator.  She and Adam are responsible for giving us knowledge and the ability to question everything, solely because they ate from that tree)

Now Imagine being able to spend seven days with Adam learning, having questions answered, and generally having your eyes opened up to amazing truths.

WOW.  I have to admit, I'll never think about things quite the same way again.  Personally, I've never been one to believe in the ritualistic trappings of religion, being more interested in the message than anything else.  

Reverend Speights does a wonderful job of taking Biblical ideas, endless questions, and spiritual ideas and explaining them in ways that will make the reader question his/her own beliefs.

My advice is to read this book with an open mind.  You may not agree with everything you read, but I promise, you will enjoy the book.  It won't rock your faith (whatever you may believe) but it may have you questioning a few things, and in my book, questioning is always good.  It is what allows us to learn, understand and grow.

about the book

Orphan Jack Templar has no memory of his parents and only the smallest details from his Aunt Sophie about how they died. The day before Jack's fourteenth birthday, things start to change for him. At first it's great: A sudden new strength helps him defend his nose-picking friend "T-Rex" from the school bully, and even his crush, Cindy Adams, takes notice. But then a mysterious girl named Eva arrives and tells him two facts that will change his life forever. First, that he's the descendent of a long line of monster hunters and he's destined to be in the family business. Second, that there's a truce between man and monster that children are off-limits...until their fourteenth birthday! Jack has only one day before hundreds of monsters will descend on his little town of Sunnyvale and try to kill him. 

As if that weren't enough, things get even more complicated when Jack discovers that the Lord of the Creach (as the monsters are collectively known) holds a personal grudge against him and will do anything to see that Jack has a slow and painful death. To stay alive and save his friends, Jack will have to battle werewolves, vampires, harpies, trolls, zombies and more. But perhaps the most dangerous thing he must face is the truth about his past. Why do the other hunters call him the last Templar? Why do they whisper that he may be the "One?" Why do the monsters want him dead so badly? Even as these questions plague him, he quickly discovers survival is his new full-time job and that in the world of monster hunters, nothing is really what it seems.

my thoughts

I love having fun while I read a book.   I laughed out loud at Jack's warnings during the first few pages of the book and was intrigued enough to keep reading.  I'm glad I did.  This is an amazing story.   Jack is a great character, I mean, monster hunter.

This story is well written.  Not too scary for young children.  A bit of fantasy/horror mixed together.  The characters are well developed.  The story fast paced and interesting.   

I started reading the warnings aloud to my 12 year old son. He was interested enough to state "I want to read it when your done"  I gave him my ereader when I finished,  and he was glued to the reader until he finished the story.  His response..."Is there more?"  Thankfully, there is a second novel coming soon.   

Any book that gets a stamp of approval from my 12 year old is a great story.  Right now, he's obsessed with Percy Jackson and not much interested in anything else.   In other words, this is an amazing story, one that encouraged him to read something other than PJ.  Must be the monsters.

A 5 star story for middle graders, young adults.

I was given this book for an honest review.  I was not financially compensated in any way.  The opinions are mine and those of my 12 year old.

We are part of Orangeberry's book blog tour

ABOUT THE BOOK

Kevin Tobin is a relatively ordinary twelve-year old dealing with the aftermath of his father's tragic death in a mountain biking accident near their home in Boulder, Colorado. To escape from his emotional turmoil, Kevin has developed his imagination into a dangerous foil and a powerful ally. While he antagonizes his sister through his superhero antics, his ability to escape inside his character's (Captain Disaster) head becomes critical to his survival after his life is once-again turned upside down a year after his father s death. A mysterious package arrives in the mail, Kevin and his best friend are hunted down by a ruthless villain set upon world domination, and after enlisting Kevin s teenage sister and her pizza-delivery boyfriend in a battle for control over time itself, the secret of Kevin s whole existence is revealed to him by a source we never expected. Del Shannon's imaginative story telling and his appreciation for the powers of family and the desire of young boys to both escape reality and prove themselves within it make this a book with wide appeal for readers of all ages.

 

my thoughts
A wonderful and fast paced book. Aimed for a middle grader target audience. This book was a rollercoaster ride full of twists and turns. The end (which I will not reveal) was unexpected. I think most 10-14 year old boys will relate to Kevin. I just love his imagination!
I recommend this book for all kids that like sci-fi, humor and wild crazy adventures.
I want to thank Del Shannon for allowing me to read and review this book. Please, let there be more adventures for Kevin!!!

                VOLITION by Lee  Strauss
                 review and GIVEAWAY!!!!

courtesty of Orangeberry Book Tours

What doesn’t kill you …

Zoe Vanderveen is on the run with her captor turned rescuer, Noah Brody. They’re in love. Or at least that’s what he tells her. Her memories have returned but her feelings are dreamlike—thin and fleeting. Her heart can’t be trusted. Just look at what happened with Taylor Blake.

Senator Vanderveen’s new team of cyborg agents are in hot pursuit, and a reward for their capture is broadcast nationwide. Record breaking cold and snow hinder their escape. Someone dies helping them.

And their fight for survival has only begun.

my thoughts

Violition is the continuing saga of Zoe and Noah. They are on the run from Zoe's grandfather. He is far more ruthless in this installment of the series. 

Zoe is coping with her slowly returning memories, but she's not the Zoe of Perception. She and Noah aren't the great fit they once were. Of course, Zoe is remembering everything except her feeling for Noah.   

I liked the first book much better. I don't like the direction Zoe's character is taking, she's not the colorful character she was in Perception.  

 A huge cliffhanger ensures another book in the series. I will read the next book- want to find out how everything is resolved.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review

for more information about Lee Strauss

check out http://blog.orangeberrypromo.com/2013/02/orangeberry-book-of-the-day-perception-volition-by-lee-strauss/ 

To celebrate Lee Strauss is giving away a $200.00 Amazon, Nook or itunes gift card!

 http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d0101215/

the above link will take you to the rafflecopter giveaway site.

and don't miss Lee Strauss's first two stories in this stunning series.

AMBITION is a short story prequel (5K- approx 20 pages) to PERCEPTION, capturing the beginning of Noah and Zoe’s story from Noah’s POV.

Eighteen year old Noah Brody doesn’t like GAPs—Genetically Altered Persons. He’s taken up his dead father’s cause, speaking out and protesting against unfair GAP policies that are responsible for the massive social divide between wealthy GAPs and poorer naturals.

If only he could keep his mind off of perfect Zoe Vanderveen, daughter of the GAP family his mother works for. 

And can he really fill his father’s shoes?

AMBITION is free at Amazon.com

Eternal Life is To Die

For seventeen year old Zoe Vanderveen is a GAP—a genetically altered person. She lives in the security of a walled city on prime water-front property along side other equally beautiful people with extended life spans. Her brother Liam is missing.

 Noah Brody is a natural who lives on the outside. He leads protests against the GAPs and detests the widening chasm they’ve created between those who have

and those who don’t. He doesn’t like girls like Zoe and he has good reason not to like her specifically.

Zoe’s carefree life takes a traumatic turn. She’s in trouble and it turns out that Noah, the last guy on earth she should trust, is the only one who can help her.

Want to read PERCEPTION? It’s FREE on Kobo itunes B&N Smashwords  and on Amazon!

my thoughts

Fantastic story.   Action from the very beginning to the end, only it doesn't end.  This is book one of a series.

I love dystopian books.   Stories about what could possibly happen in our future.  

Zoe is a GAP.  A genetically altered person.  Only the very rich can be altered, telling us this is a story also about class structure.  The GAPs are well treated, pampered and have everything.  Those who can't afford to be GAPs live on the outskirts.   They are not so lucky.

Noah is not a GAP, in fact, he hate's GAPs...but he doesn't hate Zoe.   

Zoe goes on the run looking for her missing older brother Liam, Noah decides to help her.

This story just flows.  Even if you are not a fan of sci fi you should like this story.  Zoe and Noah are fantastic characters.  Despite their differences, they fit together.

Lee Strauss has me hooked.