Peter Green and the Unliving Academy – a Review

Publisher: TCK Publishing

Publication Date: November 20, 2018

Author: Angelina Allsop

First of all, I would like to apologize to TCK for my late review. I’ve had this book in my hands for quite some time but life always got in the way of me finishing it, but, I finally did and below are my thoughts.

I love books for kids and young adults and I was thrilled when TCK asked me to review this particular novel. It sounded so compelling, much like the dark fantasy, A Monster Calls. Those feels I got with Ness’s book hooked me into wanting to read Peter Green and the Unliving Academy.

I learned quickly to not expect feels to transfer from one book to another. That was my fault.

As much as I wanted to dive into this story, I had a difficult time doing so. The opening line grabbed me right away and I was cruising along until page two when we meet the Scottish man with the thick brogue. The way the author wrote his speech yanked me from the pages. All I could think was if I was having that hard of a time reading it, how would young kids read it? It was a small hiccup in the scheme of things, but I wasn’t expecting it so soon into the book. The story did pick up a bit after that but I didn’t find it to be as interesting as the blurb sounded.

Don’t get me wrong. The story is filled with great dead characters. I do have to give the author two thumbs up for creating a cabal of likeable and unlikeable friends and foes for Peter. Some made me smile, others made me cringe, and the diversity and unique personalities were a huge plus for this book.

But the characters weren’t enough for me. At first, the plot line seemed intriguing – 14 year-old Peter Green is dead, and he doesn’t remember how he died. He won’t know that until he graduates from Battisworth’s academy. Even though he accepts this fate, he can’t shake this feeling that he is still supposed to do something important in his foregone living life. All the makings of a great plot, right? Sadly, I felt much of the story dragged on whereas in other places, the story went to quick. The world is very well thought out and interesting, but it was very dark. I felt as if I were metaphorically walking around in shadows all the time with only glimpses of sunlight. Then again, Peter was ‘living’ in Pergatory which explains the dreariness and dreadfulness.

I found the politics of the book intriguing. Peter quickly learns that there is a hierarchy to everything and with the help of his friends, he changes from this frightened, uncertain boy to a young man of strength and fortitude. I did like the growth of his character, though at times I had to remind myself he was 14 and not ten or eleven.

While the book was a quick read (once I got in to it), the storyline didn’t really pick up until the last few chapters. The ending was excellently done and before I knew it, I was closing the book with a satisfying feeling.

Overall, I would give the book 4 stars out of 5. Peter Green and the Unliving Academy is a strange, macabre read. It’s dark and mysterious with touches of humor and a host of interesting monsters – just the right recipe for a book pre-teens will enjoy.

What if the current Temple Mount is not the site of the holiest of Jewish temples but a Roman fort instead?

Photo credited to yrm.org

With the pandemic going on this year, my being furloughed from my job, and all this self-isolation, I have found myself reading and writing and turning to my faith a lot. Too many times in my life the Lord has shown Himself to me in ways I can’t even begin to explain. I know someone, something, bigger than me is guiding me, holding my hand, leading me to hope and a promise of something better. Over the Easter weekend I tuned into several virtual Easter services. I watched Andrea Bocelli perform at the cathedral in Milan, Italy, and I took a walk on the Via Dolorosa, which means “the painful way”, via YouTube. For those that don’t know what the Via Dolorosa is, it’s the path Jesus took on the way to his crucifixion. I’ve often wanted to visit Jerusalem for this very reason, (I love exploring historical sites), but the region is in such turmoil and religious tensions are high, not to mention the trip is out of my financial means, so I took the next best route.

There are 14 stations along the way, each one representing an event that occurred during Jesus’ painful walk to his execution, some documented in scripture, others documented in ‘tradition’. I can only imagine how I would feel walking the footsteps of Jesus. It must be overwhelming. But as always happens when I start researching things, I found myself delving into the importance of the Temple Mount and why there is such a feud over whether it is a Jewish holding or an Islamic one. What I found as I climbed further into the research rabbit hole was fascinating, and the possibilities break all religious traditions believed to be fact.

What would you think if I told you the current day Temple Mount is not the Jewish or Old Testament Temple, but rather the Roman Fort Antonia? ?? What if scripture, archaeological finds and historians could place the original temple in the City of David? What difference would it make to Jews and Christians? A lot, for it would mean there is a possibility of hope and peace between Islam and the Jewish people. It would also mean the Jewish people and Christians have been praying not at the Wailing Wall of a holy temple, but at the remaining wall of a Roman Fort.

Whaaaattt???

Kind of hard to swallow but consider, if this is the case, how did we get it all wrong? The answers lie in historical and biblical, both Jewish and Christian, teachings and writings, as well as in artifacts and ruins being uncovered in the City of David and below the current Temple Mount. If in fact the true temples were built in the City of David, then Jewish people could then build their third temple, a step very important to those of the Jewish faith. But they would have to break ‘tradition’. They would have to change their belief system, the way they have done things for thousands of years. It would be like saying we were no longer going to celebrate Christmas on December 25 because we got Christ’s birthday all wrong, which in fact, we most likely did. After all, there is no mention of the birth date of Christ in the Bible or any other religious scripture of the time. In fact, the oldest existing record of a Christmas celebration to celebrate Christ’s birth dates back to Rome in a Christ’s Nativity festival in 336 A.D. Researchers believe that Christians substituted Christmas for a pagan celebration of the winter solstice. In other words, the celebration of Christ’s birth is born of religious tradition, not fact. But we’ve celebrated December 25^th for so long that to tell the world that this is wrong and Christmas will be celebrated on February 10 instead would cause laughter and shock and Christians everywhere would balk.

So goes tradition vs fact, or in this case, overwhelming evidence.

Tradition is powerful. Sometimes more so than fact. To tell people they are praying at a Roman fortress when they believe it to be the temple that houses the birthplace of Abraham is stripping them of everything they’ve known and believed. To question it would be sacrilegious.

And yet there is overwhelming evidence we’ve got it all wrong.

If this interests you and you would like to learn more, please visit http://yrm.org/shattering-traditions/ . Check out the two videos, The Lost Temple and The Temple, Lost in Time part 2. You can read more here, https://yrm.org/lost-temple-mount-found-pt1/

I have checked out of the library THE TEMPLES THAT JERUSALEM FORGOT, by Ernest L. Martin

and so far, I am enthralled and fascinated and filled with hope and promise, especially for the Jewish people, because, if they can build their third temple on the religious site in the City of David, then the Jews and Muslims could live in peace with their own religious sites protected unto them. Could you imagine Jerusalem at peace? It is a dream of mine and many. All I ask is for everyone to consider. Just because something has been done for thousands of years doesn’t mean it can’t be changed, especially when religious freedom and world peace is at stake.

What are your thoughts?

YASH 2019 – Spring Scavenger Hunt Has Begun!

 

Hi everyone!  It’s time for the first YASH of 2019!  What is #YASH?

It’s a bi-annual event first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors … and a chance to win some awesome books and other prizes! This Spring, there are 100 Young Adult authors divided into five teams. I’m on Team GREEN. Each author on each team has agreed to give away at least one book to the grand prize winner. As a scavenger hunter, you can hunt on as many teams as you want, but you’ll need to play fast. This contest is only open April 2 – 7, 2019. When you visit each author’s site, make sure you look for other chances to win extra prizes as a lot of authors have giveaways going on separately that you don’t want to miss (I have one going on, so make sure you check it out!)

This is my 4th time participating in YASH and I hope you guys have as much fun hunting as I do with this awesome event.

What exactly are you hunting for?  A number.  Each author on the team will have a special number embedded in their post. Add up the number clues for your team, (mine is in green) head over to the Rafflecopter giveaway that matches the team color, and enter the number. That’s it. If you win the grand prize for the team, you’ll get a book from each of the authors on the team.  Only entries with the correct number will qualify to win.

Rules: the contest is open internationally. Prizes must be claimed within 48 hours or the prize will be re-drawn. You must be 16 years or older, or have the permission of a guardian to enter. Duplicate entries will be deleted. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by noon, Pacific Time, April 7, 2019. You must enter to win before then. Good luck and happy hunting! Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

I’m super excited to be hosting the awesome Shannon A. Thompson, author of THE TIMELY DEATH TRILOGY, the BAD BLOOD series and the new TOMO series.  The first book in the TOMO series, TAKE ME TOMORROW, is available on Wattpad. Click the book image to check it out.

So who is this gal, Shannon Thompson?

Shannon A. Thompson is a young adult author, avid reader, and a habitual chatterbox.

As a novelist, poet, and blogger, Thompson spends her free time writing and sharing ideas with her black cat, Bogart, named after her favorite actor, Humphrey Bogart. Her other two cats bring her coffee. Between writing and befriending cats, Thompson graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis on creative writing, and her work has appeared in numerous poetry collections and anthologies. Represented by Clean Teen Publishing, Thompson is the best-selling author of the Timely Death trilogy and the Bad Bloods series. When she is not writing, she is climbing rooftops, baking cookies, or watching murder shows in the middle of the night, often done with her cats by her side.

Visit her blog for writers and readers at www.ShannonAThompson.com.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

And now on to the EXCLUSIVE CONTENT … (yay!)

Today Shannon is sharing with us an exclusive sneak peek of TOOK ME YESTERDAY, book 2, releasing in fall of 2019. Are you ready? Let’s go.

It was quiet. Too quiet. If I had learned one thing by practically living in nature, I knew nature was the most honest of us all, and right now nature was telling me there was more going on than I could see.

I stayed hidden behind the oak trees, careful to not step on the fallen leaves, but I failed. Often. It was mid-October after all. Only October. Two months ago, I had met him among the same trees.

“Sophia.” Lily tugged my jacket sleeve but stayed behind me. Her height made it feel like she had climbed up on my shoulder and sat there. “They’re late.”

Whoever they were, they were late. By forty minutes. I searched the field in front of us one last time before muttering a curse. “Stay here with Argos”—I broke the tree line but spoke over my shoulder—“and stay hidden.”

I didn’t look to see if she nodded, but I knew they’d both stay. Argos had a way of understanding me, even though scientists claimed dog didn’t speak English. I thought they were stupid, especially for all the degrees they had. It was scientists, after all, who created the clairvoyant drug that put us in this mess in the first place. It was Argos who protected me from the world their science created.

I should’ve known not to leave him behind.

As soon as I hit the clearing, the wind picked up, and the rush of footsteps surrounded me in a wave of sage uniforms and automatic weapons. The black-and-green camouflage gleamed against the burnt red and brown leaves of the forest. I stood my ground.

“Sophia Gray?” one man asked, but I wasn’t sure which one had spoken. I searched for him anyway.

Had Phelps tortured the code out of Broden and used it against me? Only now did the thought occur to me. I hoped Lily remained hidden. I especially hoped they wouldn’t understand the importance of the watch in my pocket. I stupidly hoped they wouldn’t find my own weapons.

When I didn’t respond, a man leaned forward, drawing up his pistol like he’d been dying to use it. “Sophia Gray?” Same voice as the first guy, but beneath his green hat, I didn’t recognize his face. He was too old, too weathered, too serious for my liking.

My fingertips twitched at my sides, my right hand two inches away from my favorite blade. If I could kill one of them, maybe they’d at least take me seriously.

When I snatched it, a blood-curdling scream broke through the trees. Lily. I froze.

Two soldiers dragged her through the rough brush like she was no more than that day’s hunting kill, but they didn’t let her go when they reached the clearing. Flanked on either side, Lily’s eyes met mine, two depthless pits of terror. Her white hair was a blinding shield, an aura against the militarized strength. I squinted before looking away, searching the crowd for whoever was in charge.

“All right,” the same man from before said. “You, come with me—”

He grabbed my arm, and it was all over. Argos burst out of the trees, a snarling fury of a dog, and the solider lifted his pistol.

“Down!” I screamed, trying to yank away from the officer, but the man didn’t release me, and Argos didn’t listen. He always listened. “Down! Now!”

The officer’s finger went to the trigger just as I pulled myself away. Argos was close enough to leap at the man, but I swung myself in front of him, placing myself between the pistol and my elkhound-husky. When he jumped, he jumped onto me, knocking us both to the ground.

A gun shot rang out. A scream followed.

No. Anything but this. Anything—

Sounds intriguing!!

AND NOW TO CONTINUE THE HUNT

Next author on the list to visit is the super-amazing, talented author, Amy McNulty.

But wait! Before you go there is an

Additional Giveaway!

Everyone who leaves a comment below will have a chance to win a copy of MAD MAGIC by Nicole Conway.

 

Josie Barton is a high school student living in terror. Invisible creatures torment her everywhere she goes, constantly getting her into trouble at school, and even haunting her apartment. But just when Josie thinks things couldn’t get any worse… she meets the guy from across the hall.

Zeph Clemmont is a changeling with enemies in all the worst places, fighting to undo a curse that threatens to end his life. Survival means he will have to swallow his pride and trust Josie with all his darkest secrets.

With the help of a gun-slinging shaman and the enigmatic Prince of Nightmares, Zeph and Josie are only a heartbeat away from defeating one of the most diabolical faerie villains their world has ever known.

 

Good luck to everyone and happy hunting!!

Tweet #YASH

YASH 2019 is Coming April 2, 2019!

YASH is coming April 2, 2019! What is YASH? Go here to read all about it, including how to play.

This Spring, I’m on along with all these other super authors:

Other teams include the following:

Along with all of the authors giving away books, many authors are also giving away secret prizes so make sure you visit as many of the teams as you can and follow the instructions to enter for special and exclusive prizes.  See you on April 2!

Exposing your work, on #LisaBurtonRadio

I have been searching for information like this for a long time and I know a lot of other authors who have been, too. Take notes, connect, and I’ll see you around the web.

Entertaining Stories

Hi, all, and welcome to another edition of Lisa Burton Radio. This week is a special edition, because it’s geared to all you authors out there. It might give some good ideas to bloggers who want to host guests too.

Today, I’ve collected a group of power bloggers who host authors on their sites. This gives an author a way to reach a larger audience than they might if they were simply posting about date-night or something. This means when you have a new book to promote, or maybe to give an older title a secondary push.

We’re going to start by addressing the three-hundred-pound gorilla in the room, and I mean that literally. Chris The Storyreading Ape, hosts one of the largest author blogs around. “Did you get my fruit basket, Chris?”

“Yes I did thanks, Lisa – very thoughtful of you to use edible leaves to weave the…

View original post 2,102 more words

We have a winner!

On November 13, with the release of the final book in my Chronicles of Fallhollow series, I promised to give away a complete eBook set of the series to one lucky person on Thanksgiving. That one lucky person is:

Sharon Porter!!

Congratulations, Sharon!  I hope you enjoy your ebooks.

If readers would like information about the series, please feel free to head over to my website to learn more. Links to purchase are also provided there or you can click on each book below to visit Amazon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you to everyone who entered. May you have a blessed holiday season and keep your eyes open for more possible Christmas giveaways!

BANE OF THE DRAGON KING releases today!

Happy Book Birthday to BANE OF THE DRAGON KING, the epic conclusion to the Chronicles of Fallhollow trilogy.

This book has been a long time in the making and I’m so proud to release Bane of the Dragon King into the world. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the help and support of all my beta readers, my amazing editor, Cameron Yeager, and my publisher, Month9Books. I am incredibly proud of this series and to celebrate the end to a labor of love, I’m running a giveaway.  One lucky person will win the complete ebook set, in either .mobi or epub format, of the Chronicles of Fallhollow. This includes IN THE SHADOW OF THE DRAGON KING

RAGE OF THE DRAGON KING

and of course, BANE OF THE DRAGON KING

Follow the Rafflecopter link below to enter.

Thank you, to everyone, for making this series what it is and for all  your support and love over the years. This may be the end of The Chronicles of Fallhollow, but there are more books coming in the near future. Stay tuned for all the details. You can always join my Street Team on Facebook as well as signing up for my newsletter (you get a free short story when you sign up) so you don’t miss any of the latest happenings.

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b6842e8f11/?

 

 

 

What to do when your marketing strategy fails – a humorous recounting

As some of you might know, the final book in the Chronicles of Fallhollow trilogy – BANE OF THE DRAGON KING – releases November 13, but I’ll be darned if I can get any attention for it – or any of my other books for that matter.

The experts tell you to engage people in other stuff. To talk to people. To do things for people. To offer them things of value so they’ll like you. Create a newsletter. Give something away to people who sign up for your newsletter. Be nice. Don’t push sales. Post pretty pictures of your books. Get reviews. Be kind, and if you do all these things, people will flock to you. They’ll want to help you out. They’ll participate in sharing pictures and posts without you asking which will lead to people buying your books because you’re amazing. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?

But what if you do all those things and all you hear are crickets? What if your following on Instagram remains below 1000 after you’ve been engaging for almost 2 years? What if you like, and like and like and comment, comment, comment on other’s pages and you get nada? What do you do then?

Me? I ugly cry. Yep. Just like Merlin. It’s not pretty.

Then there’s this.

But then some clown shows up and gives me a lecture

Which leads to this

No wonder I’m sad. Golem is right.

But then kick-butt, snarky me comes out of nowhere and gives me a ‘what for’

And then I’m all like

And so it begins again.

Hi. My name is Jenny. What can I do for you?

YASH is over *sad face*, but we have winners!

Well, the Fall Young Adult Scavenger Hunt has come to an end. I hope everyone who played along had fun and that you plan on tagging along in the Spring when we do it all over again.

I was on Team Blue this year along with 19 other amazing authors, and each of us gave away a book to one lucky person who won the team giveaway.  This year, the winner of Team Blue is

Jenn Marshall

Congratulations, Jenn!!!  That’s 20 amazing books you will be receiving in the mail. Talk about early Christmas presents!! My gift to you is Julie Kagawa’s just released book, Shadow of the Fox. I hope you enjoy it!

I also ran my own giveaway of the first book in my Fallhollow trilogy, IN THE SHADOW OF THE DRAGON KING during the hunt.  I’m proud to announce the winner of that ebook is

Cher Culliton!

Congratulations Cher!!!  Cher is also a middle school teacher who has promised to share the book with her students, which just made my day. I hope all of you enjoy it, Cher.

Congratulations to all the winners, and remember, we do it all again in the Spring. I hope to see you then.

 

 

YASH Has Begun!

Fall 2018 #YASH has begun! And you’re hunting with Team Blue!!

 

What is #YASH?  It’s a bi-annual event first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors … and a chance to win some awesome books and other prizes! This Fall, there are 140 Young Adult authors divided into seven teams. I’m on Team Blue. Each author on each team has agreed to give away at least one book to the grand prize winner. As a scavenger hunter, you can hunt on as many teams as you want, but you’ll need to play fast. This contest is only open October 2 – 7, 2018. When you visit each author’s site, make sure you look for other chances to win extra prizes as a lot of authors have giveaways going on separately that you don’t want to miss (I have one going on, so make sure you check it out!)

This is my 4th time participating in YASH and I hope you guys have as much fun hunting as I do with this awesome event.

What exactly are you hunting for?  A number.  Each author on the team will have a special number embedded in their post. Add up the number clues for your team, head over to the Rafflecopter giveaway that matches the team color, and enter the number. That’s it. As you read my post, you will see I’ve mentioned the number a few times (just in case you missed it). While I mention it several times, you will only use it once. If you win the grand prize for the team, you’ll get a book from each of the authors on the team.  Only entries with the correct number will qualify to win.

Rules: the contest is open internationally. Prizes must be claimed within 48 hours or the prize will be re-drawn. You must be 16 years or older, or have the permission of a guardian to enter. Duplicate entries will be deleted. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by noon, Pacific Time, October 7, 2018. You must enter to win before then. Good luck and happy hunting! Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

Want to see all the books involved in this Hunt?  Check out the Goodreads List and start salivating.

I’m super excited to be hosting the awesome Dorothy Dreyer, author of PHOENIX DESCENDING and the second book in the series, PARAGON RISING. 

I can’t wait to read this book! PHOENIX DESCENDING was amazing and I can only imagine how good this will be.

So who is this gal, Dorothy Dreyer?

From her Goodreads page:

I’m a Philippine-born American living in Germany with my husband, my two adult children, and two Siberian Huskies.

I am an Amazon category bestselling author who writes young adult and new adult books that usually have some element of magic or the supernatural in them. I also like to read those kinds of books. Aside from reading, I like movies, chocolate, take-out, coffee, traveling, and having fun with my friends and family.

I tend to sing sometimes, too, so keep me away from your Karaoke bars.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

And now on to the EXCLUSIVE CONTENT … (yay!)

“For those of you who have read the first book in the series, PHOENIX DESCENDING, you know there are some character illustrations spread out throughout the story. So if you’re expecting more illustrations in PARAGON RISING, you won’t be disappointed. Here are four of the five illustrations you’ll find in the book. If you want to see the fifth one, you’ll just have to buy the book.

Hint: there’s a reason why the fifth illustration is not shown here, as it may spoil the story for you!

Check them out!”

   

Aren’t those 4 illustrations fantastic!

AND NOW TO CONTINUE THE HUNT

Next author on the list to visit is the super-amazing, talented author, FONDA LEE.

Make sure you spread the word!

ADDITIONAL  GIVEAWAY!!!

I’m running another special giveaway.  Everyone who leaves a comment below (it could be anything: favorite YA book, favorite YA character, etc) will have a chance to win an ebook copy of the 1st book in my Chronicles of Fallhollow series, IN THE SHADOW OF THE DRAGON KING:

Good luck to everyone and happy hunting!!

Tweet #YASH