Giveaway Goodies: My Birthday Giveaway WINNER!

Thank you to all who wished my a Happy Birthday, even though it was for an entry. They still meant a lot to me. And for the 1k+ entries in this giveaway. That was pretty cool. I hope I'll be able to offer more next year.

Anyway, a winner has been picked and has already confirmed. 

So the winner of the $10 Amazon GC, with over 50 entries is:

Donna

Congrats Donna! I hope she'll get something nice with the GC.

Random Thoughts: February RAK Wrap-Up & March Sign-Up

In February it was my mission to send out a March bday RAK. I know, I know. You're not supposed to send out March RAKs in February. BUT, I know for a fact that in this particular case, if I send it out in March itself, it would never reach in time! So I sent out a March bday RAK in February, yes I did.




And it was to my bookish blogger buddy Miki @ Lecture toute une Aventure  in Belgium! I sent her a book that I myself have read and loved.

I didn't get any RAKs in February but my January RAKs did arrive so I am happy for that!

Let's keep on RAKing!

 

Before you proceed onto the rules, do note that this month is EXTRA SPECIAL! Why? Because The Book Depository is offering a 10% voucher code until the 15th of March Click here to find out more!!

Here are a few of my top wishlist books for this month:

Rapture and Ceremony in Death Bundle by JD Robb
Crossed by Ally Condie

Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
The Fault in Our Stars - John Green

Breathe by Sarah Crossan

And before we get TOO excited at the prospect of more wonderful books, please remember to read the rules deemed worthy by our lovely hosts at Book Soulmates and Sign Up to take part!

COMPLETE RULES RE-CAP:
Please read carefully & follow all rules!  Thank you!

• Please sign-up each month that you can participate (and by participate, we mean give as well as receive).
• Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button (code is in the right sidebar).
• Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog, etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger directly for their information.
• Once you receive a RAK, send us an our new email to [rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com] so that we can update the Google Doc. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU SEND EMAILS TO THIS ADDRESS!
• E-book participation is limited to files being gifted directly to a person from the e-book store. Amazon's Kindle Store is set up to allow this, as well as the Kobo store and we believe Barnes & Noble with Nook as well.
• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K by making a "RAK Wrap-Up" post.  This post should include who you SENT gifts to as well who you RECEIVED gifts from :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE including all our International brethren!

Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

Easy peezy!!

 

Here's my Wishlist if you wanna send me anything.Thanks loads in advance.

 

 Links you will need:

Sign up for March 2013 [HERE]
See who else is participating [HERE]
If you have any questions regarding RAK, please contact us via the following: rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com

Tips:

1. When talking about RAK on Twitter, please use the hashtag: #RAK. It makes it much easier to keep track of the conversations, answer questions and/or tweet back! =)

2. When submitting your wish list, please make sure that it is set to PUBLIC viewing. Some people have had trouble with wish lists that were set to private. We want to be sure that no one is left out of getting great RAKs.

3. Some of you have gotten frustrated because you can't get your links to appear active. This is a very easy fix :) Just make sure that when you enter your link, do NOT hit the Enter key. Instead, hit the TAB key which will send you to the next field on the form. Additional spaces entered after the link will leave the link inactive.  However, if this does happen to you, no worries, we'll fix it for you.

Random Thoughts: 10% off at The Book Depository!!

The Book Angel is BACK! With more 10% vouchers! If you'd like one, please EMAIL me as the voucher code will be sent to you.


Feel free to email me at reviewsbyabby (at) gmail (dot) com and put Book Depo in the Subject line for convenience.

The promo ends 15th March.

Oh yes, do check out my post from last week about Book Depository's Bargain Bucket HERE. Do take into consideration that some prices might have changed in the last week.

Have fun shopping!

Giveaway Goodies: Printed Books Giveaway Hop Winner!

 

So sorry about the long wait. Was away doing my annual Chinese New Year house-hopping.

Anyway, we have our winner!

Monica C. from Philippines! Who chose:

She has already confirmed so that's all for this giveaway folks!

No worries everyone because there will be a new Giveaway Hop next month! I hope to see you there then.

Ciao for now!

The Bookworm: The Emerald Tablet by Joshua Silverman

• Title: The Emerald Tablet 
• Series:  Legends of Amun Ra, Book 1
• Author: Joshua Silverman
• Format: Paperback 408 pages
• Publisher: Enchanted Forest Press
• Published: September 13, 2012
• Genre: Sci-fi, History, Mythology
• ISBN 13: 978-0985207038
• ISBN 10: 0985207035
• Source: Gifted for Review 
• Buy:  The Book Depository|Amazon|Kindle

In an apple core (The Bookworm’s version of a nutshell)

A mix of Egyptian and Greek mythology brings about a colourful landscape coupled with interesting characters who are not what they seem. An adventurous ride through history and fantasy. 

Summary

Leoros doesn't have many friends. As the son of a scientist and archeologist, he is constantly on the move. But when his parents make a startling discovery in Egypt, his world is turned upside down.

Do you wish you could have the power of a god? Would you use it for good or for evil?

When an archaeologist discovers the mythic Emerald Tablet buried beneath Egypt’s desert, her son decodes the ancient text leading him to a distant world.

On that world, a slave girl begins a journey towards a destiny she cannot imagine. But when an ancient foe rises from the ashes, they will be brought together by forces neither understands.

Leoros, who dreams of being like the heroes in the comic books, must fight to unlock the secrets of the universe to save a people he never knew existed.

Atlantia, whose bloody visions wake her in the night, senses the darkness coming.

Together they will face an enemy with the power of dark energy, lose a mentor to the assassin's blade, and be betrayed by someone they trust. Their fight for the future is just beginning, and before it is over, a final sacrifice must be made. When the darkness comes, will they stand and fight or will they join it?

There is darkness in everyone.

My Thoughts

It seems like there have been a lot of mythology books and movies in the market recently. And The Emerald Tablet is but a new addition to that growing list. The Emerald Tablet is like reading a combination of the Percy Jackson series, Harry Potter and even parts of The Mummy movies all rolled into one but with a twist. It was interesting how the author added his own interests in comic books into the book. His research of the Greek and Egyptian myths is so extensive that sometimes he piles on too much information at certain parts of  the book. Those bits made the reading process slower as you try to take in all the history involved.

I found the cities interesting and fresh but lacking in substance and would have liked more depth and time to explore them. The only area that was properly developed was the Temple of Amun, which was truly a fantasy to live in. Being a story about Greek mythology, we are taken into the clouds and the world beyond. Those scenes were realistic and lovingly created.

One of the strengths of this book lies in its characters, from the first turn of the page we are introduced to one of them, exactly who I cannot tell you for the sake of not spoiling the secret. The Emerald Tablet is full of complex characters and each battle with who they really are inside. All the characters are unique in their own way and really represent the thin balance between good and bad. The book touches on slavery and equality and how just having someone who has faith in you can make you so much stronger as a person. 

Everything is a matter of perspective.

Unfortunately, I think that this book would have been stronger had it been edited better. Besides a number of various errors, some parts of the book did not flow smoothly for me. As someone who reads books practically word for word, I spotted quite a few too many errors for me to properly enjoy the book. There was quite a bit of repetition in the book as well, which to me was unnecessary as anyone reading the book would already know what was going on.

The ending was a bit of an anti-climax with the characters facing uncertain futures. While I do believe that the author intends on bringing back some of the characters somehow, the way it was done fell short for me, leaving me wanting a glimpse of hope of their survival. A more dramatic ending would have been nicer but it seemed like the author just wanted to leave the story with a proper ending. It felt like this could actually be taken as a stand-alone book rather than it having a major cliffhanger which I prefer in a long book series.

This book series could be a potential big budget mythological book-to-movie blockbuster that needs to have a few corners ironed out and some bits reinforced, but is almost there. I hope the author makes the rest of the series more concise and it could become quite a hit.

Give Joshua Silverman a Buzz

Website * Facebook

The Book Depository * Amazon * Kindle

WARNING: There are some consensual sex scenes in this book along with some brutal torture. Parental guidance is advised.

Disclosure: I was sent the book for review but was not compensated financially or otherwise. Everything mentioned are my own thoughts based on my experience.