Book Lovin' Bitches Book Tour Book Review: Embody

Author: Jamie Magee
Title: Embody
Publisher: Alvasia Publishing
Publish Date: July 2011
Buy: Amazon
Review Copy Provided By: Book Lovin' Bitches Ebook Tours and the author
Blurb: Not many Scorpio’s are known for their patience, and Willow Haywood is no different. Her only desire is to love Landen Chambers and redeem the lost souls of Esterious, but the path to that desire is long, dark and dangerous...
Before Willow’s life had a chance to balance the sudden revelations and grief she had to endure to get to Chara a disturbing discovery is made. A photo, one that shows Willow blissfully embracing the flawless image of Drake Blakeshire; giving her not only proof that she had lived before, but that she had loved him.
Running away from the memory of Drake’s hypnotizing touch, and the prophecy set before her seemed like the logical thing to do. That is, until a dark dream reignites her passion to save the hopeless dimension of Esterious. Willow struggles to find patience – to learn everything she needs to know before she faces Drake again, but her eagerness is dangerous and one step in the wrong direction takes everything and everyone away from her – the only way to survive this trial is for Willow to remember who she is and what she really wants out of this life. The question is….can she do that?

Review: Embody jumps in right where Insight leaves off, or at least close to it. I would have to say that this is a series you should read in order.  I know I had to skim back through Insight a little bit to remind myself of what had happened previously.

In this book we get to see the characters develop more as well as the building relationship between Willow and Landen. One thing that strikes me as odd about this couple is how very tame the romance is. I'm pretty sure Willow was 18 so the fact that their relationship is so tame strikes me as a bit odd.

The surprise in this story was how much more interesting Drake was. It definitely made for a great story. I definitely plan on seeing the rest of this series through as it comes out.

Rating:  4 stars

Book Review: Insight Book Lovin Bitches Ebook Tours

Author: Jamie Magee
Title: Insight
Publisher:
Publish Date: July 20, 2010
Review Copy Provided By: The author and Book Lovin' Bitches Ebook Tours
Book Blurb: Some say that dreams are the doorway to the soul. Willow Haywood is no stranger to that doorway. Each night she shares a blissful, silent dream with a stunning blue-eyed boy. With each new moon she is haunted by a painful nightmare shared with a different boy, who’s always hidden by the shadows.


In her waking hours she must battle her sixth sense. The one that allows her to feel others emotions as if they were her own. This insight is exhausting and frustrating causing her to draw inward, only trusting her family and few close friends. Oddly, this sense also attracts ghostly images that seem to appear out of nowhere. With a touch, they take her to wherever they may be, allowing her to change their emotion. This alone would cause most to go insane, but Willow filters her aggression by painting, capturing the emotion she changed.

One August night a nightmare came days after the new moon. In this dream the shadowed boy marked her wrist with star, leaving her father no choice but to share a family secret that would tie all of the odd attributes of Willow’s life together. Now, she has no choice but to outrun the fate that is closing in around her.

In an attempt to lure her, the shadowed figure captures her closest friends. In order to save them, she must weave through broken myths, half truths, and the undeniable power of the Zodiac. With each step she takes Willow comes to realize that she has lived before, her path is one that she chose, and this trial is simply the beginning.
 
Review: This is a case of a book whose cover doesn't do it justice. Had I seen this book on a shelf in a bookstore I probably would of passed it over. I wouldn't have looked at the back cover blurb at all, but thanks to Book Lovin' Bitches, I did.
 
It would have been a shame to miss out on this wonderful young adult novel too. The characters are very vivid and the plot is unique. I loved that Willow and her family were from different dimensions. I liked that the author used the concept of having a soul mate in this story as well.
 
One thing that gave me pause while reading, was how her parents kept all of this a secret from her. For 18 years? But other than that, I found this to be a fantastic read, that is more than just another YA novel with a paranormal twist.
 
This is also Jamie Magee's debut novel.  I think it is a pretty strong debut. As far as young adult novels go, I enjoyed it as much as I did Delerium, which is currently my favorite YA book this year, so that is saying something.
 
So this one goes on the Highly Recommended pile.

Best Quote: "Life itself is a gift from God, and love is the most powerful thing in the universe."
 
Rating: 5 flowers