Kayl's Krazy Obsession

ARC Review: The American Girl by Kate Horsley

Title: The American Girl

Author: Kate Horsley

Pages: 423

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Publish Date: August 2, 2016

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Synopsis: On a quiet summer morning seventeen-year-old American exchange student Quinn Perkins stumbles out of the woods near the small French town of St. Roch, barefoot, bloodied, and unable to say what has happened to her.
Quinn's appearance creates a stir, especially since her host family, the Blavettes, has mysteriously disappeared. Now the media, and everyone in the idyllic village, are wondering if the American girl has anything to do with the missing family.
A Boston reporter named Molly Swift travels to St. Roch, prepared to do anything to learn the truth and score the ultimate scoop. After Quinn is arrested and a trial by media ensues, she finds an unlikely ally in the young journalist. Molly unravels the disturbing secrets of the town's past in an effort to clear Quinn's name, but even she is forced to admit that the American girl makes a compelling suspect.
Is Quinn truly an innocent abroad, or is she a cunning, diabolical killer intent on getting away with murder?

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This will not affect my review in any way.

This book messed me up. It keeps you guessing until the very last page. If you’re friends with me on Goodreads, you could read my guesses. None of them were even remotely right, but I did manage to guess who the messed up people were.

I could not put The American Girl down. I loved the different points-of-view. You had blog post entries that told what happened before Quinn lost her memories. You had vlogs about what happened after Quinn started regaining her memories. And then you had the third point-of-view of a journalist that starts off looking for a juicy story but later becomes attached to it.

I loved everything about this book… except for the ending. It was confusing and I don’t think everything was wrapped up as nicely as it should have. Let me tell you something about this book, you’ll never see it coming.

I loved how everyone was suspicious of something. There was no perfect person in this ordeal, everyone had some dirt on their hands.

After reading this book, I really don’t want to go to France. I wasn’t a fan of Madame nor Freddie. I didn’t like Raphael either. The French do have some different morals that we do, so it was a bit weird. It was very interesting though.

Please read this book. It’s a little on the heavy side, but it’s worth it. The American Girl is one of the best mysteries I’ve read in awhile.

Goodreads | Amazon | Author's Website

Wrote by Kayl Hughes

Guest Post: Joshua and the Arrow Realm by Donna Galanti

Title: Joshua and the Arrow Realm (Lightning Road #2)
Author: Donna Galanti

Pages: 278

Publisher: Tantrum Books
Publish Date: August 30, 2016

Genre: Middle Grade Mythology

Synopsis: Joshua never thought he'd return to the world of Nostos so soon. But, when King Apollo needs his help in the Arrow Realm, Joshua's will and powers will be tested in order to save him.
With his loyalties divided between our world and theirs, Joshua wonders whether he alone can restore magic to the twelve powerless Olympian heirs, or whether he is being tricked into making the one mistake that might cost them all.
JOSHUA AND THE ARROW REALM is the exciting follow up to JOSHUA THE LIGHTNING ROAD which the Midwest Book Review called, "a heart-pounding thrill ride."

Guest Post

How are you making the world of Greek mythology into your own?

When I write, I return to the magical worlds of being a kid, where monsters and faeries roam the land. Through my stories I can become these characters, and have their powers. Greek mythology is a great place to find such inspiration!

As writers we don’t have to limit our imagination, it’s also okay to “borrow” from history. Many authors do it! In the Lightning Road series the Greek Olympians have lost their power and their descendants desperately want it back. In creating this world I took many parts of mythology and made them my own. Remixing culture can be fun, to use ideas from different cultures and history to create something new and uniquely yours.

Here are some of people, places, and beasts I made my own…

ARTEMIS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY: Goddess of the hunt, chastity, and the moon. She is the protector of nature and the hunt; both wild and tame animals are under her protection.

ARTEMIS IN THE LIGHTNING ROAD SERIES: Not a protector of the hunt. Not only does she hunt beasts, she hunts children as well.

Artemis excerpt:

“A tall woman strode toward our cell as the soldiers parted. Her head was covered in a crown of twisty thorns, every prickly point encrusted with blood-red jewels and tinged with gold. Her cropped brown hair framed high cheek bones in short curls, and narrowed eyebrows arched over large, brown eyes. Her nose and lips were thin like the rest of her, a face more handsome than pretty. She wore matching plum-colored velvet pants and a hooded tunic that fell to her knees with open slits on either side. A rough-made bracelet of polished braided wood encircled her left wrist. Her white shirt was flecked with gold threads, and billowy sleeves puffed out above her slender hands resting on a burnished metal belt hanging low across her hips. A dagger with an intricate handle dangled from her belt. Form-fitting black leather boots laced up her legs and one foot tapped the floor. The strangest thing about her was the black sunglasses she wore. They had round frames, and the lenses flickered alive with torchlight.”

KORAX IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY: Or Corax, means raven. Corax was also a scholar.

KORAX IN THE LIGHTNING ROAD SERIES: These are ravens but no ravens we know. They are monstrous beasts that can transport people and act as spies for Artemis.

Korax excerpt:

“As the swarm drew closer, they appeared as monstrous black ravens with a giant wingspan that filled the sky’s empty spaces. Their massive beaks opened and closed with gurgling croaks, but it was their eyes that terrified me. They burned a bright green, shooting us with a mean glare as they torpedoed down. Chanting words echoed across the dark land: light bringers, light bringers. Imagined words? The whirring of wing beats throbbed in my head as they grew closer, matching the beat of my own thudding heart.”

ZEUS’S LIGHTNING BOLT IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY: A sign of power and of Zeus’s power to rule the sky.

ZEUS’S LIGHTNING BOLT IN THE LIGHTNING ROAD SERIES: Zeus’s lightning bolt created the Lightning Gate, a portal between Earth and Nostos, the world where the descendants of the Olympians have relocated to as their home. Zeus still rules the sky through this gate as he steals people from Earth along the lightning road that connects both worlds.

Lightning Gate excerpt:

“The gate’s blaze spun a web of brilliance then dimmed and died out, leaving us in deep shadows under a rising orange moon. The massive portal filled the small meadow like a tarnished bronze statue that had weathered many storms. Its two Greek columns stood on round stone blocks, and another wider slab overhead connected them. Carved figures and animals moved through the gate’s ancient metal as if alive. The scent of blistered tin blew off the door to another world, still standing after 2,000 years. Built with lost Olympian magic, I’d once again traveled through it to rescue another friend.”

THE CADMEAN BEAST IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY: Known as the Teumessian Fox or Cadmean Vixen, is a gigantic fox that preyed upon the children.

THE CADMEAN BEAST IN THE LIGHTNING ROAD SERIES: Giant beasts with red eyes and flame-throwing breath. Used as guard dogs to watch over captive children, and chase them down when necessary.

Cadmean Beast Excerpt:

“Their heads were even with the shoulders of the men and their legs were as big as a horse’s. Fur covered them in slicked back, shiny spikes. They sniffed the platform and panted, thick tongues pulsing out of their mouths, and saliva dripped down in big gobs. Muscles rippled up and down their bodies like quivering arrows as their bushy tails swished back and forth. I flinched with each swish, my feet desperate to run, but they were frozen in place. The foxes jerked their heads up in unison, and it felt like spiders skittered up my spine. Red eyes glowed bright like lava and burned fiercely into mine, hungry for what I feared was me.”

AGRIUS BEAST IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY: Is one of a pair of twins, half-man and half-bear. Agrius and his brother grew to immense strength and size and were feral creatures, attacking strangers to eat.

AGRIUS BEAST IN THE LIGHTNING ROAD SERIES: A giant black beast bearing a bear’s body and a wolf’s snout that is hunted by Artemis in the Wild Lands, but also known to befriend some people.

Agrius Beast Excerpt:

“Luck seemed to be all we carried for the moment. I jumped on the back of the creature behind Ash, sinking into its thick fur. She urged Charlie on who stood frozen, mesmerized by the beast’s boulder-sized, shaggy head. Its pointed ears and snout twitched as it trembled, eager to be on the run.”

CRETAN BEAST IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY: Known as the Cretan Bull, it was the bull Pasiphaë fell in love with, giving birth to the Minotaur. The Cretan Bull was feared and eventually captured and sacrificed.

CRETAN BEAST IN THE LIGHTNING ROAD SERIES: Half lion, half bull. It’s held captive in the Wild Lands and hunted by Artemis.

Cretan Beast Excerpt:

“I skidded to a stop, riding wet leaves. Charlie’s eyes blinked with surprise as I shoved him aside and turned to face the unleashed creature. It flew over my head—an exploding mountain of fur and legs and tail—and slammed onto the ground. It turned to face me, panting. Pacing back and forth, its massive paws glinted with curved nails as it smashed the mud. Steam bellowed from its giant nostrils and horns protruded from a head covered in a shaggy brown mane. Tinted burnt orange, the beast raged part lion, part bull. I backed away from the monster, hauling Charlie with me.”

I love to write about monstrous people and beasts. I get to face my own fears by writing about them. I’ve always loved Greek mythology which has lots of monstrous creatures in it. And sometimes the monsters we fear are not the ones we should be afraid of – it’s the ones who don’t appear monstrous that can be the most evil.

Book Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=feNB-d6RF08

Giveaway

One (1) winner will receive a scrabble tile book cover charm (US ONLY)

Five (5) winners will receive a digital copy of Joshua and the Lightning Road AND Joshua and the Arrow Realm by Donna Galanti (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Donna is the author of the Joshua and the Lightning Road series and the Element Trilogy. She is a contributing editor to International Thriller Writers the Big Thrill magazine and blogs at www.project-middle-grade-mayhem.blogs..., a cooperative of published middle grade authors. Visit her at www.donnagalanti.com and www.ElementTrilogy.com. Donna wanted to be a writer ever since she wrote a murder mystery screenplay at seven and acted it out with the neighborhood kids. She attended an English school housed in a magical castle, where her wild imagination was held back only by her itchy uniform (bowler hat and tie included!). There she fell in love with the worlds of C.S. Lewis and Roald Dahl, and wrote her first fantasy about Dodo birds, wizards, and a flying ship (and has been writing fantasy ever since). She’s lived in other exotic locations, including her family-owned campground in New Hampshire and in Hawaii where she served as a U.S. Navy photographer. She now lives with her family and two crazy cats in an old farmhouse and dreams of returning one day to a castle.

Wrote by Kayl Hughes

Wrap Up: Zoella Book Club

My Experiences Whilst Participating in the 2016 #ZoellaBookClub

My Wrap-Up

Blog Tour: Operation Tenley by Jennifer Gooch Hummer

Guest Post

Excerpt

Giveaway

About the Author

ARC Review: Tokyo Cover Girls by Jackie Amsden

About the Author

ARC Review: The American Girl by Kate Horsley

ARC Review: The Portal to Kerberos by Michelle Madow

About the Author

Cover Reveal: Confessions of An Undercover Girlfriend

Excerpt

ARC Review: The Replacement Crush by Lisa Brown Roberts

Giveaway

About the Author

Cover Reveal: The Hands of Time by Michelle Madow

Special Offer

Guest Post: Joshua and the Arrow Realm by Donna Galanti

Guest Post

How are you making the world of Greek mythology into your own?

Book Trailer

Giveaway

About the Author

Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2016

Dan and Phil Go Outside by Dan Howell and Phil Lester

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

Girl Online Going Solo (Girl Online #3) by Zoe Sugg

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Royal Tour (Potion Diaries #2) by Amy Alward

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess

Welcome

September Reviews

STALK ME

COOL PEOPLE

WHAT'S TAKING UP MY TIME

Currently Reading

My Thoughts

Grab my Button

Subscribe Via Email

RSS Feed

BEST OF THE BEST

ARCHIVES

CAPTURED

STATCOUNTER