The Telling (The Spinner Sagas)
Author: KJ Moullen
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication Date: May 1, 2018
Description:
Sixteen-year-old Blaine was a normal teenage girl. Sure, she moved around a lot, but that wasn’t completely weird, right? Then her mom tells her she’s actually from another dimension called Renault, whose inhabitants can do magic. Um, what? Suddenly, Blaine is running from an evil she barely understands. Blaine is thrust into the confusing, beautiful, and magical world of Renault with a mysterious boy she just met. There, she begins to discover her own unique abilities and her place in the universe.
Blaine ran breathless through a dark forest spurred on by a desperate urgency to get somewhere. She was in the forest, which she had traveled through earlier with the boy, Elian. She leaped over fallen trees, avoiding low hanging branches, as if the knowledge of the path was engraved into her soul. The smell of smoke filled her nostrils. Ahead she could see ominous shadows dancing in the light of a hastily built fire. Every muscle in her body tensed as her gaze locked on a figure tied to a stake on the far side of the fire. The figure, bound and gagged, was Elian! Blaine was about to lunge forward to untie him when she suddenly realized that another figure stood by Elian in the shadows. She was instantly overwhelmed by an evil sensation. It was the same dark evil she had felt the day she and Elian crouched in the bushes, hiding from the men on the horses.
From the darkness emerged another shadow; both had their backs to Blaine. One figure was chanting in a low guttural growl. Blaine hesitated just a moment, gathering her wits. She took a deep breath. Leaping toward the figures, Blaine produced a dagger from her waistband. One figure immediately turned towards her. In mid jump Blaine dropped to her knees, landing hard on the forest floor. Shocked, she screamed out, “Mother!” Blaine’s cry disturbed a nearby flock of sleeping birds. They rushed from their hiding place and took to the air in surprise. Then to Blaine’s horror, Sairah picked up a large sword that lay on the ground next to her. The blade reflected the flames of the smoldering fire. Sairah hesitated briefly then effortlessly plunged the weapon through Elian’s heart.
“No!” Blaine shrieked.
She sat straight up in bed drenched in sweat. She frantically looked around trying to gain some sense of where she was. As she caught her breath memories of the last few days flooded her thoughts. A feeling of relief came over her as she realized that even though it all felt so real, it had only been a horrible nightmare.
She lay back down and closed her eyes briefly, hoping that the overwhelming feeling of uncertainty and horror would leave her. She opened her eyes and gazed up at the skylight to view the beautiful violet sky now bright with sunlight. She watched in awe as random white clouds drifted by.
K.J Moullen started her life as an adventurer. She always loved the outdoors, whether it was playing king of the hill with her pet goat in southern California, playing hockey on the frozen lakes of the Kenai peninsula of Alaska, or snorkeling and surfing off the shores of Maui. Amongst the breathtaking places she lived, her imagination and love for writing knew no limitations, allowing for a lifetime of plotlines and characters to be created and written about. She now shares her life’s adventures with her husband and two children in their home in North Texas.
The Telling
Author: Alexandra Sirowy
Genre: YA Mystery/Contemporary/Thriller
Release Date: August 2, 2016 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Synopsis:
Lana used to know what was real.
That was before when her life was small and quiet.
Her golden step-brother, Ben, was alive, she could only dream about bonfiring with the populars, their wooded island home was idyllic, she could tell the truth from lies, and Ben’s childhood stories were firmly in her imagination.
Then came after.
After has Lana boldly kissing her crush, jumping into the water from too high up, and living with nerve and mischief. But after also has horrors, deaths that only make sense in fairy tales, and terrors from a past Lana thought long forgotten: Love, blood, and murder.
The Telling is a thrilling young adult mystery that will keep you guessing until the end. I'm a huge fan of mysteries and thrillers, so this book sounded right up my alley. The plot was intriguing and easily pulled me into Lana's world - both the "before" and the "after." The writing was well done with lots of detailed descriptions and vivid imagery. I could see myself alongside Lana as everything happened. Lana was a good main character - but she had one issue that bugged me. She seems obsessed with her step-brother. She's constantly thinking about him, remembering him, talking about him - even though he died a couple months ago. The way she spoke about him annoyed me and felt weird - like I said, obsessed. That really put a damper on my reading experience and I wasn't able to get as into the story as I normally would have. The author uses the first person point of view, which I love. It works very well with the book and we get to know Lana on a deeply personal level. She's realistic - flaws and all - and could've been easy to connect with (if not for the obsession thing). The plot was intriguing but overshadowed by Lana's fixation on Ben. Again, the story line would have been great - if not for Lana's seeming obsession. Overall, this was a good novel and I definitely recommend it to fans of the genre.
Alexandra Sirowy was born in Northern California and grew up in Providence, Rhode Island and the San Francisco Bay Area. She attended a women's college as an undergraduate and has a graduate degree in International Studies. She lives in Northern California with her husband. Visit her at alexandrasirowy.com.
EXCERPT & AUDIO EXCERPT: http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Telling/Alexandra-Sirowy/9781481418898
