Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Water by Terra Harmony DNF Review: The Rising by Terra Harmony. Synopsis from NetGalley: Fifteen-year-old Serena is the youngest member of a dying race. The increasing acidity of the ocean is destroying her home, slowly eating away at the once thriving underwater landscape. But since the night of Serena’s birth, it is an outside force that most threatens their dwindling population. Werewolves, who once served as protectors for mermaids in the Kingdom of the Undine, now seek to eliminate all who dwell in the ocean — and Serena is about to find herself right in the middle of the deadly conflict. Given the title of Werewolf Liaison, Serena is determined to make things right for her people. When she ventures to The Dry, she meets Liam, the werewolf with hazel eyes, and her whole world gets turned upside down. As Serena discovers the real history between werewolves and mermaids, she is left wondering who her true enemies are. Well, I stuck to exactly 30% this time. Really, I wanted to give up at about 12%, but I forced myself to keep going in hope that it would get better. It didn’t. I’m just thinking that mermaids and I don’t go together – I have never read a good mermaid book. I had hoped I would like this one, since I read Terra’s book Water a while back and really enjoyed it! But the good vibes didn’t cross over, I’m afraid. I think this DNF was more of a personal issue, rather than an actual problem with the book. I’ll try to explain below! Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of The Rising through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Honestly, they were a bit whiny for me. Serena moans about her new job, even when she needs to be alert to save her own life! And plus, it looked like she was heading towards a love quadrangle: the childhood friend, the sexy guard, and the forbidden werewolf. I can barely handle a triangle, so this pretty much was a huge no-no for me. Other than that, they weren’t very well developed. I didn’t know much about any of them, other than their positions in the mermaid society. Even then, I mixed up a few of the characters, just because they were so flat. Concept: It’s mermaids! I love mermaids, in theory. I just can’t seem to find a good book where mermaids are actually in practice. Werewolves I’m still leery of, after Jacob Black, but I wanted to give them a chance again. I guess blending them together was too much of a leap for me. Plot: It was pretty slow. Even at 30%, there wasn’t much going on. I was left wanting a lot more, and I wasn’t invested at all in Serena’s problems. It was in present tense. On top of everything else, it was like the last straw. And I think there were parts where it was mixed third and first, and it bugged me too much. Plus, there wasn’t much showing going on – just a lot of telling. Just not my cup of tea. I’m going to be really wary of mermaid books now! My Final Rating: Find the book at: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | Goodreads. Share this: Like this: Stacking the Shelves (8) Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews. Check out her blog here! Basically, it’s a time where I get to show off all the books I got in the past week (purchased, netgalley, borrowed, etc). I’m going to keep my time period from Sunday through Saturday, posting my weekly updates on Sunday morning. Today’s time period is from 10/13/13 through 10/19/13. Bought: by P.T. Michelle (free on Kindle) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor by Maggie Stiefvater (Though this is book 2… Now I need book 1…) The Angel Experiment by James Patterson by James Patterson by James Patterson. All these were at the used book store… $5 for all of them! And do you notice the difference in size for the Maximum Ride books? Bothers. Me. To. No. End. But I couldn’t find the middle book in the right format From NetGalley: by Terra Harmony by Aimee Carter by Katie McGarry. While I’m not loving The Rising so far, I was pretty thrilled to wake up today (Saturday as I type this) and find that I had been approved for both Pawn and Crash Into You. I didn’t like Carter’s Goddess Test books, but Pawn looks really good – plus my sister wanted me to read it so I could test it out for her. And Veronica was raving about McGarry’s books, so I requested Crash Into You, not even expecting to get approved! Added to my Wishlist: by Tanya Lloyd Kyi by Nina de Gramont by Trish Doller by Melissa C. Walker by Wendy Wunder by Amber Argyle. So there’s a lot of contemporaries being added to my wishlist… I blame Veronica and Andi Share this: Like this: WWW Wednesday (2) WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Just answer three questions about your current state in reading! What are you currently reading? Damselfly by Jennie Bates Bozic. I’m about 80% finished at the time of writing this post, and I’ll probably be done by the time this publishes. I’m enjoying it well enough so far. Nothing spectacular, but entertaining enough! Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando (I’ve read a chapter so far – it’s fantastic!). What did you recently finish reading? Silevethiel by Andi O’Connor – I DNFed it at 20%. I won’t be posting a review, because there’s not much else to say other than the fact that it just didn’t sit right, the plot was transparent, and the writing was… lacking. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson – loved it. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – THE FEELS OMG READ THIS BOOK NOW IT’S PERFECT. What do you plan on reading next? The Darkness of Shadows by Chris Little. It sounds a bit creepy, so we’ll see how it turns out. And also The Rising by Terra Harmony. I loved her other book, so hopefully the same will occur with this one. I’m trying to clean up NetGalley before all my new books show up! That’s it for me this week; link me your WWW list below! Share this: Like this: Review: Water by Terra Harmony. Title: Water Author: Terra Harmony Pages: 279 Genre: New Adult, Sci-fi, fantasy Series? Yes, #1 in the Akasha Series Publisher: Patchwork Press (20110 Rating: 4/6 – I really liked it! Synopsis from NetGalley: Elemental powers in the palm of her hand, and it won’t be enough to save her. Involuntarily introduced to a life of magic, Kaitlyn becomes part of an organization hell-bent on saving the Earth. Just as she starts to adjust, the organization divides and a rogue member holds Kaitlyn hostage. Now one of the most terrifying men the human race has to offer stands between her and Earth’s survival. My Initial Thoughts/Rambling: I’ve been a fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender since it first premiered in 2005 (and subsequently an impatiently- waiting-for-season-two fan of its sequel, the Legend of Korra), so a book about people controlling the four elements is right up my alley. And I’m super happy to say that not only was the concept pleasing, but the actual story and writing was great too! Possible Spoilers Ahead. Disclaimer: I received a free ebook of Water from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. What did I think about the characters? Ohhh the love abounds! All of the characters were pretty distinct in their personalities, and it didn’t take the entire book to flesh them out either. Kaitlyn was reliable as a narrator, and I found her to be very believable in her reaction to everything. She had the right balance of “What the heck is going on” and “Okay, this is my new life, let’s roll with it.” We didn’t have to read through a hundred pages of indecision and moping, which was a welcome change of pace from what I expected. The supporting characters were surprisingly three-dimensional as well. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Alex, the only human of the group and a combination of fun, sarcasm, and protectiveness. Susan was more of a motherly character, and she added the needed maturity and warmth that the cast of characters needed. Shawn was adequately creepy, and he’s one of those characters that I hate unequivocally – like Umbridge. And then there’s Micah. I’m really torn on him, and he was really the main point of the book that rubbed me wrong. He started out incredibly perfect, but halfway through the book he turned into Edward Cullen levels of “protectiveness.” It was pretty creepy at times, and he became really controlling and borderline abusive towards Kaitlyn at the end. I really hope it evens out in the later books, because I genuinely did like Micah’s character before he went bonkers. And the concept and plot? Anything to do with elemental powers, I’m in. It’s like… a book kink, to put it bluntly. Just like dark-haired, light eyed angels. Hopefully I didn’t just creep you all out. Moving on! The plot was well-paced, and it felt evenly balanced before and after the climax. The world-building was quickly yet efficiently done, and I didn’t feel like I was speeding through anything. It didn’t feel cliche either! All in all, a genuinely good concept and a solid plot. What about the writing style? Ah, I love me some descriptions. It wasn’t overly filled with adjectives, but just enough that I knew how I should be picturing it, and I filled in the rest. Harmony writes in an engaging and gripping fashion, and oh my wow that cliffhanger left my jaw on the floor! Well, the couch, since that’s my reading place. Anything else you’d like to add? The only thing I’m conflicted about is whether I want to buy the boxed set on Kindle, saving $6, or buy them individually so I can have the separate files. I have a feeling I’ll end up buying them one by one, because I really hate boxed sets for Kindle. Find the book at: (The Kindle and Nook versions are currently free!) Tag Archives: Terra Harmony. ARC Review of Air (Akasha Book 02) by Terra Harmony. Terra Harmony on Amazon. I’m sure everyone knows by now that I loved Terra’s first book in the Akasha series. If you have no idea what I am talking about take a look here. Also, if you’ve not read the first book, you may be seeing some spoilers. You been forewarned! Air is the second book in the Akasha series and is a more than worthy follow-up to Water. The book starts off with Kaitlin’s pregnancy having progressed along. Also, Micah and the others are in hot pursuit of Shawn to shut down his rogue organisation. With no one other than Susan knowing about the pregnancy, Kaitlyn gets sent on the missions as well. These missions are action packed and extremely interesting, but they are just the prologue to what is coming next. As the book progresses and both Shawn and Micah come to know of Kaitlyn’s pregnancy, they are left dumbfounded not knowing whose baby it is. I just loved the scene where this happens. I could literally see the looks on their faces. This is the talent of Terra. She can bring the characters to life, living and breathing right before us. Like it? Share it! Like this: Winners of the giveaway of Terra Harmony’s Water. We had an amazing week with Terra Harmony recently. If you missed all the fun, well, too bad. I’d like to everyone who participated during the week by entering the giveaway, leaving comments or just by reading along. If you’d like a recap to the amazing week, you can take a look at the wonderful wrap up at Terra’s blog. Alright, so I am rambling. Let’s get to the point. I know why you are here, and I don’t want to tease you any longer So, here’s what we all have been waiting for. The 10 lucky winners of an eBook Terra’s Water are: Brianna H Vidya Ravi Cambria hebert Kayleigh-Marie Gore Ana Tomova Sara Hampton anjanavasan Pamela Rosensteel Diana Dimovska Natasha Fulton. Congratulations to all the winners! I am sure you are going to love the book and will be completely hooked to the series. Terra will be contacting you anytime now, so keep a look-out for her email. If it so happens, that you do not hear from her in the next couple of days, please let me know. I will be having a review of the second book in the series, Air soon on my blog, so be on the look-out. You never know, I might have a giveaway for that soon too! Related articles. (riteshkala.wordpress.com) (riteshkala.wordpress.com) (riteshkala.wordpress.com) (riteshkala.wordpress.com) (riteshkala.wordpress.com) Like it? Share it! Like this: Raining Mud – An Akasha Series Short Story by Terra Harmony. Somehow when I thought of Afghanistan, I imagined desert, men in turbans, and camels. I was so wrong. Instead, there were treacherous, ice- covered mountains. The men who shot at me didn’t wear turbans; they mostly wore their knitted pokal hats. And the only camel I saw was dead, bones picked clean by a starving village. It was a horrible place, made more so by constant war. I shrugged off the misery of Afghanistan; it was better than going to foster parents. My mom signed the parental release forms for the military on her death bed; we had no surviving kin. “Henson! Do you have them yet?” Like it? Share it! Like this: Eye Candy by Terra Harmony. In this day and age, when we have thousands upon thousands of reading options at our fingertips, the book cover is often the one and only chance to grab the reader’s attention. The cover makes the first impression and the book is judged before even getting a chance to present its blurb. This is especially true with e-books. When e-readers became popular, many had trouble with the idea of replacing their beloved books with a tiny computer. How could we possibly forego the smell of a freshly printed book – or even the smell of an old, dusty book pulled from the back of the shelf? How could we give up the way it feels in our hands, the way it crinkles as we turn the page, or the way it bends exactly to our hands’ size? Furthermore, what in the heck will we do with our favorite bookmarks? Like it? Share it! Like this: Interview with Terra Harmony, Author of ‘Water’ This post is part of ‘Terra Harmony as featured author for an entire week’. During the week we will be having a number of posts by Terra. You can find the details here. There will also be a giveaway happening for 10 copies of Terra Harmony’s novel Water, which is the first book in the Akasha series. You can enter the giveaway here. For today’s post of the week, I have Terra Harmony answering all my questions in the great style of hers. Funny and spunky! Without, babbling on, I’ll dive right in! How would you describe your series? What genre would you classify it into? The Akasha Series consists of four contemporary eco-fantasy novels. The first book, ‘Water’ is published as an e-book. The second book, ‘Air’ will be published in February 2012, to be followed by ‘Fire’ and ‘Earth’. Above all, the series is a fantasy, though it does carry a larger message, which is where the eco part comes in. The main character, Kaitlyn, is drawn into an organization called ‘The Seven’ in order to use her newly discovered elemental powers. The Seven exists to balance the Earth, a job made exponentially more difficult with pollution. Furthermore, views on how The Seven should be run differ. The antagonist chooses to follow the much darker route of human depopulation. Review: Water by Terra Harmony. Title: Water Author: Terra Harmony Pages: 279 Genre: New Adult, Sci-fi, fantasy Series? Yes, #1 in the Akasha Series Publisher: Patchwork Press (20110 Rating: 4/6 – I really liked it! Synopsis from NetGalley: Elemental powers in the palm of her hand, and it won’t be enough to save her. Involuntarily introduced to a life of magic, Kaitlyn becomes part of an organization hell-bent on saving the Earth. Just as she starts to adjust, the organization divides and a rogue member holds Kaitlyn hostage. Now one of the most terrifying men the human race has to offer stands between her and Earth’s survival. My Initial Thoughts/Rambling: I’ve been a fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender since it first premiered in 2005 (and subsequently an impatiently- waiting-for-season-two fan of its sequel, the Legend of Korra), so a book about people controlling the four elements is right up my alley. And I’m super happy to say that not only was the concept pleasing, but the actual story and writing was great too! Possible Spoilers Ahead. Disclaimer: I received a free ebook of Water from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. What did I think about the characters? Ohhh the love abounds! All of the characters were pretty distinct in their personalities, and it didn’t take the entire book to flesh them out either. Kaitlyn was reliable as a narrator, and I found her to be very believable in her reaction to everything. She had the right balance of “What the heck is going on” and “Okay, this is my new life, let’s roll with it.” We didn’t have to read through a hundred pages of indecision and moping, which was a welcome change of pace from what I expected. The supporting characters were surprisingly three-dimensional as well. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Alex, the only human of the group and a combination of fun, sarcasm, and protectiveness. Susan was more of a motherly character, and she added the needed maturity and warmth that the cast of characters needed. Shawn was adequately creepy, and he’s one of those characters that I hate unequivocally – like Umbridge. And then there’s Micah. I’m really torn on him, and he was really the main point of the book that rubbed me wrong. He started out incredibly perfect, but halfway through the book he turned into Edward Cullen levels of “protectiveness.” It was pretty creepy at times, and he became really controlling and borderline abusive towards Kaitlyn at the end. I really hope it evens out in the later books, because I genuinely did like Micah’s character before he went bonkers. And the concept and plot? Anything to do with elemental powers, I’m in. It’s like… a book kink, to put it bluntly. Just like dark-haired, light eyed angels. Hopefully I didn’t just creep you all out. Moving on! The plot was well-paced, and it felt evenly balanced before and after the climax. The world-building was quickly yet efficiently done, and I didn’t feel like I was speeding through anything. It didn’t feel cliche either! All in all, a genuinely good concept and a solid plot. What about the writing style? Ah, I love me some descriptions. It wasn’t overly filled with adjectives, but just enough that I knew how I should be picturing it, and I filled in the rest. Harmony writes in an engaging and gripping fashion, and oh my wow that cliffhanger left my jaw on the floor! Well, the couch, since that’s my reading place. Anything else you’d like to add? The only thing I’m conflicted about is whether I want to buy the boxed set on Kindle, saving $6, or buy them individually so I can have the separate files. I have a feeling I’ll end up buying them one by one, because I really hate boxed sets for Kindle. Find the book at: (The Kindle and Nook versions are currently free!) Water, Book One. When Kaitlyn Alder is involuntarily introduced to a life of magic, she becomes part of an organization hell-bent on saving the Earth. Just as her new-found life holds promises of purpose, romance, and friendship, the organization divides and a rogue member holds Kaitlyn hostage. Now one of the most terrifying men the human race has to offer stands between her and Earth’s survival. Water is a contemporary eco-fantasy, the first of a four book series. This novel contains adult language and sexual situations (some non- consensual). Preview the first five chapters on Amazon. Praise for Water: “I LOVED this book, plain and simple. I am EXCITED about this book and the books to follow. This new author has completely amazed me, sucking me into this world she has created that I didn’t want to step away from.” “Where to begin… ok, this book is right up my alley! I enjoyed it so much that it kept me up till early hours of the morning – I could not put it down!” and “At the end of the book there is a little sneak preview of the second book in the series, Air – that just made me want to read the second book immediately! I can’t wait for the second installment. This is definitely a series and author I’ll be following closely!” “Speaking of the plot – it’s terrific, not just in creativity or in the “twist”, but also in the pacing. Water is balanced between giant, crashing catastrophes and quiet, tense moments, yet it rarely lags or feels stale or repetitive.” Book Review: Water, by Terra Harmony. Terra Harmony served a 5 1/2 year enlistment in the Marine Corp, and has a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and a master’s degree in Linguistics. She lives in a suburb of Washington, DC, with her husband and three children. The Plot. When Kaitlyn Alder is involuntarily introduced to a life of magic, she becomes part of an organization hell-bent on saving the Earth. Just as her new-found life holds promises of purpose, romance, and friendship, the organization divides and a rogue member holds Kaitlyn hostage. Now one of the most terrifying men the human race has to offer stands between her and Earth’s survival. Warning: Contains mature content and sexual situations (some non-consensual). Reader discretion is advised. The Review. Water is a well-written and engaging eco-adventure romance that kept me intrigued from start to finish. I very much enjoyed the pro-environmental conservation message of the novel . You can tell that the author feels very strongly about this subject, and it is showcased beautifully in her writing. I also liked that the magic system was based somewhat off of scientific principles, which grounded the fantasy element of the story and made it seem less far fetched that magic like that could exist in this day and age. My main qualm was with the protagonist, Kaitlyn. I felt that she under-reacted to a very evident threat early on in the book, to the extent that it was almost unbelievable. And then she–and every other character in the book–continued to underestimate that threat until the betrayal inevitably occurred and it was too late for her to take any action to save herself. This is not to say I didn’t understand why she acted that way, but as a reader it frustrated me, and as a result I had trouble connecting with the protagonist and feeling sorry for her. Qualms aside, Water was a fascinating book, and one that I will definitely pick up again in the future.