I just finished this amazing novel by author Astrid Arditi. I promised you all and the author a review. Come join Hope Diaz on a journey to Mount Olympus to compete in a series of quests for the gods. These quests are not just of strength, but also wit. All Hope wants to do is go back home to her mother. She could care less for the gods selfish and petty 'quests'. However, she has no choice but to compete if she wants to go home. Can she even compete against the other challengers who have been brought to Mount Olympus to compete for the right to be the next the Olympic hero/heroine? Fourteen challengers, two for each of the primary gods on Mount Olympus. Theses challengers must compete in quests based on the faced by past Olympian heroes. In the end there can only one who can claim the title. Does Hope stand a chance? She's faced with so much pressure to win. It's the only way she will make it back home to help her mother, or make it back at all. This book had me on the edge of my seat and I didn't want to stop reading it. I was upset each time I had to stop reading to go to sleep in order to go to work the next day. Arditi blends heartache, love and friendship into an epic adventure that will leave you captivated to the very end. CCNight My first thoughts for this book reminded me of the the play Harvey. Many people are familiar with Harvey, the imaginary six foot white rabbit. He can only be seen by by the main character, Elwood P. Dowd. Elwood’s family in this play believe he may be crazy for seeing an imaginary friend but he may prove to be quite wise. Jackson is similar to Elwood in many ways. He’s a smart young pre-teen who wants to grow up to be a scientist. Everything in his life is based on facts. And he’s too old for an imaginary friend. But without warning his imaginary friend from years past reappears. What is this imaginary friend that only Jackson can see? He’s a large cat that he named Crenshaw. He believes he may be going crazy for seeing his imaginary friend again at this age. But is just when things in his life are a little crazy that this friend reappears. This book was great for readers of all ages who may be struggling in their life. Maybe your life has turned upside down and you need an imaginary friend to talk too as well. Maybe Jackson will share Crenshaw with others who face struggles and have to come to terms with those struggles in life. ~CeCe Apollyon book review The Left Behind Series continues with the meeting of the 144,000 in Jerusalem. Rayford has left the employ of Nicholae Carpathia and is staying at a safe house in Mount Prospect. Tsion Ben-Judah, Chloe and Buck are in Jerusalem under the protection of the Global Community. When a surprise visit from Carpathia, Leon Fortuanato and Potifex Matthews, Leader of Engima Babylon Faith the meeting begins to turn dangerous for the Tribulation Force. As if this surprise visit was not enough, the two Witnesses from the Wailing Wall appear seeming to taunt Carpathia. After the Witnesses turn Carpathia’s water to blood, the Tribulation Force is soon on the run again. This time accussed of causing the death of Global Community guard. With the help of Chaim Rozenzweig they leave Jerusalem once again, but no without casualties and abandoning Buck. Separated once again, the Tribulation moves on. Chloe is near the end of her pregnancy when the beginning of the worst is coming. The last chance for unbeleievers to turn the Christ. This is the time in the prophecies when unbelievers who refuse to turn ot God will wish to die and be unable to. Demons will begin to knock on their doors and torment them. Apollyon, the king of the pit, the Destoryer, has been unleased and is temporarily working for God. More to come in the next book, Assassins. ~CeCe Hey readers,
I just finished my advanced copy of Sunborn Rising: Beneath the Fall. Here's the new review and I encourage all of you to check out this amazing fantasy adventure when it becomes available. Sunborn Rising: Beneath the Fall by: Aaron Safronoff from Neoglyphic Entertainment, 2016 Welcome to a vibrant fantasy world that on first thought made me think of Ferngully, but at the same time a world all it’s own. Cerulean: a vibrant forest of Great Trees floating on an ocean surrounded by a single star. The home of creatures like Listlespurs, Rugosics and Kolalabats, who live in the upper branches known as the Loft. However, a darkness is slowly threatening their world from the Root. Join Barra and her friends Tory and Plicks as author Safronoff takes you on a journey thruogh the Great Forest the Root and Beneath the Fall. What starts as just an expedition of curioslity leads these three young creatures into danger and longing to return home. A story for all ages. This fantasy adventure is one a parent will want to share with their children. With amazing illustrations and vivid characters this book is a must read for all fantasy and young adult readers. I didn’t want the book to end. Look for this book and join in the fantasy adventure to save the Great Forest. ~CeCe True Hero A Review of True Strength by Kevin Growing up my tv hero awas Hercules. I understood that these were characters on tv played by actors, but they were still my heroes. I never missed an episode. I knew exactly when it was coming on and even if my parents decided not to tune in that week, I always did. I noticed in Season 4 that there was less of Hercules and when he was on the show, he didn’t look the same. I wouldn’t find out for at least fifteen years. Fast forward to the present day. My next with the actor behind Hercules came in the form of Christian based films. The first of the was God’s Not Dead. This film came to me at a time in my life when things were kind of low. I’ve struggled for many years, but more of that in another piece. The point is I’ve argued with God for years. Shortly after watching this film I found What If. Both of these films came at a time when I needed a way to escape myself and the thoughts in my head. These movies led me to to seek out True Strength. This book is Sorbo’s story. The terror he experienced due to something that back in the ’90’s had no name. It seemed like an anomaly. His aggravation over his limitations are easily expressed. The depression that engulfed his life after losing something that defined him and his struggle back to health are compelling and well worth the read. When I picked up the book I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I figured this was just some backstory leading to his great success. Maybe an explanation to my observations as a child. I did not expect to be taken on a journey of fear, tears, hope and something I could relate to on a personal level. What I got was a look at the true hero behind my childhood hero. Before I continue I just want to tell those reading this that I do not place him higher than the great men and women who fight for this country. They will hold my highest respects. What I'm saying that is through the hard times, the frustration that life threw at him, Sorbo managed with lots of help to persevere even when he wanted to throw in the towel. I’m also not here to retell his story. It is HIS story and I could never do it justice. Those interested after reading this though, I encourage you to read the book. I don’t suggest an audio copy for I feel you would lose his inflection and his message. While reading this book, I couldn’t help but think of a quote from the Disney film Hercules: “For a true hero isn’t measured by his strength, but by the strength of his heart” Zeus Hercules (1997) So what makes a hero? The above quote says it all for me. Those familiar with the Disney film know that Hercules give up his strength to save Meg then miraculously regains it. To return to Mount Olympus as a god Hercules must prove himself a true hero. I’m not saying that any of us are part god, but we all have that power to be a hero and Sorbo was no different. When he started out he was Hercules, one of the strongest characters in mythology. He had it all and could take any hit. When life knocked him down and seemed to steal his very identity. He was lost. I know that feeling. Depression came with it as new limitations were discovered each day. He was no longer that strong person who needed help from no one, but seemed to help everyone. He lashed out angrily at those around him, including his wife. What he faced would not have a name for some time. His life had been defined by this iconic character and now even that seemed gone for good. I understand the feeling, though not nearly on his level. But here’s where the hero comes back in. He had a deal for a major movie that he pulled out of. Thinking at the time it was weakness, I disagree with his assessment. That, in of its self, was strength. I’m not saying it wasn’t hard or disappointing, but he did it for his own health while coming to grips with what was happening. I applaud him for coming back to finish Hercules and applaud him for knowing it was time to give up the character. He was forced to move on and accept the limitations of his new life. But I would not say that it was a defeat. With Hercules behind him, he moved into playing Dylan Hunt on Andromeda. While things were still not the way he wanted, they were improving when he let go of what he could not control. He stopped lashing out over small things. The symptoms he’d been facing, while still noticeable to him, were no longer debilitating. He began enjoying life again. All you have to do is check his filmography and be amazed by the amount of work he seems to get done in a year. If you check out his website it’s even more amazing. The hero of television is gone, though you can still find the seasons on DVD and Netflix. But the man behind the hero lives on. It seems that his real strength is not in the physical strength he exhibited on Hercules, but in his heart. Through the accounts of his illness and recovery he shows us his true intentions and the strength he had to persevere and get back out and enjoy life. I see the true hero now, not in the iconic television character, but in the man who brought him to life twenty some years ago. Thanks to the True Hero, Kevin Sorbo. ~CeCe Soul Harvest is the fourth book in the Left Behind series. It picks up right where Nicholae left off after the Wrath of the Lamb, the great earthquake that devastated teh entire world. Ray is halfway across the world, separated from his family. Buck is back in the states and unable to locate Chloe. Both are praying that the other is alive and neither will give up the search for their wives until they find the body. Rayford Steele learns that his wife, Amanda, was supposed to be aboard a plane headed for New Babylon when the earthquake hit. He believes in his heart that she is still alive, but is told she died when her plane went down in the Tigirs. Rayford will stop at nothing until he finds her body, even if he has to search the Tigirs River alone for the downed plane. Meanwhile Buck is back in Illinois frantically searching the wreckage of the a house for Chloe. He and Tsion found her car parked in the garage and he believes her body may be trapped under the building in the basement. He learns instead that one survivor from the neighborhood saw her escape the house and run through the backyard. He learns that she was taken by helicopter to a local hospital badly injured, but would survive. Now he must race against the Global Community to get her somewhere they can both hide and keep a low profile. When he gets there another surprise awaits him. While the searches are on, many Jews are converting to Christianity. At this time in history though they are known as tribulation saints. Tsion desires to return to Israel to lead the the 144,000 converts against the Antichrist. The Trumpet Judgements are beginning. But before this can happen the believers are sealed on the forehead and set apart from those that follow the Global Community and Nicholae. This mark appears to the Tribulation Force and can only be seen by other believers. With this mark; Rayford, Buck and Tsion, are able to distinguish who they can trust as people take sides in this war. Stay tuned for Assassins to find out what happens next to the Tribulation Force. ~CeCe “Spirit. in every language in all the Realms, surface and Underdark, in every time and every place, the word has a ring of strength and determination. It is the hero’s strength, the mother’s resilience, and poor man’s armor. It cannot be broken, and it cannot be taken away.” -Drizzt Do-Urden pg. 271 Exhile R.A. Salvatore The above quote captures the motif of this novel. It opens ten years after Drizzt has gone into self exhile from Menzoberranzan. Instincts rule his every move in the dangerous Underdark. The principles he held dear are buried deep inside. Drizzt longs to rekindle those principles, in essence to reawaken his spririt once more. This leads him to Blingdentstone, the home of the deep gnomes of the Underdark. Here, Drizzt meets an very unexpected friend, the gnome he spared 10 years earlier, Belwar. Belwar brings Drizzt into his home and nurtures his spirit. Drizzt fears the hunter inside. The two bring out the best in each other. Together both of their spirits are awakened. When Drizzt feels that he is a danger to deep gnome community he sets out back into the Underdark, but this time he is not alone. Belwar joins him in his adventure to keep his spirit alive. Drizzt’s is not the only spirit that faces challenges in the Underdark. Matron Malice will stop at nothing to bring back her son and punish him for leaving on the eve of battle and disgracing her family. She takes control of Zaknafein’s body, Drizzt’s friend and father in Menzoberranzan, and uses her control to send him after Drizzt and kill him. Deep inside, underneath all the spells the Malice uses to control Zak’s actions, his spirit fights against her. His principles of good moral fight against killing his son. Can the true spirit of these characters win out in the treacherous Underdark? Will instinct rule their actions and rob them of their spirit? Or can the friendships these characters share keep them alive and reimind them of their full potential? This novel was an epic read from start to finish. I liked seeing the struggle of these characters to be themselves and not allow their situation to rule their actions. The dangers kept me on the edge of my seat and made it difficult to put the book down. I look forward to the next book in the set, Sojourn. ~CeCe In this third installment of the Left Behind book series, the Tribulations gets worse. The end of the First Seal Judgements are coming ot an end and making way for the Trumpet Judgements. War has broken loose around the world. The self proclaimed pacifist, Nicholae Carpathia, is proving to be anything but. The Tribulation Force is now Rayford Steele, his wife Amanda, his daughter Chloe and her husband Buck Williams. All four are separated by their duties. Rayford is the pilot for Global Community for Potentate Carpathia. Buck answers directly to Carpathia as a reporter for Global Community. Amanda and Chloe now work to keep the church active. But times are getting worse. This book focuses mainly on Carpathia and his grasp for power. He now controls the world’s weapons supplies. No one dares to oppose his rule. He claims that he is working for peace, but underneath he’s building destruction. Only the members of the Tribulation Force know the truth. Carpathia’s solid ruile is shaken by the witnesses at the Wailing Wall and by the announcement of Tsion Ben-Judah, a Jew converted to Chritianity, that God has raptured his church and is declaring Judgement. Ben-Judah’s conversion and declaration that Carpathia is the Anti-Christ has marked him as a target. Through vision God is speaking to the members of the Tribulation Force. One such vision sends Buck to Israel in search of Ben-Judah. When he finds the converted Jew, he smuggles him out of Israel and back to the United States. There he hides Ben-Judah in the dug out of his church where Ben-Juda is free to broadcast his findings from Revelations undetected by Carpathia and the Global Community. Anyone claiming to be Christian is beginning to go into hiding from the Global Community. Faith is being practiced in basements and in secret. But devastation is just around the corner. The Wrath of the Lamb is coming. And when it strikes it will take a fourth of the population with it. Who will survive this great eartquake? Will the members of the Tribulation Force continue or will they be torn apart and separated? More to come in the next installment, Soul Harvest. The members of the Tribulation Force are now faced with more trials as the end of days begins. This small core group seem to be the only people aware of what is happening. People are quickly becoming more aware though. The Witnesses preaching grows louder and more earnest. The time for the conversion of Jews is at hand as the signing of the ‘peace treaty’ with Israel draws near. Nicholas Carpathia’s mighty hand stretches even farther. He seizes even more power away from world leaders. It all seems to the unaware that his is reluctant to take this power and a pacifist in all things. To those with Christ and who are close to him, they know better. Buck and Rayford Steele face new challenges as Carpathia takes more away from the free world. The worst seems to be at hand. The Tribulation has finally been ushered in. With the end of the ‘peace’ comes the next Horseman of the Apocalypse. The Antichrist has been revealed, now the world will face the Red Horseman, commonly known as War. The workings of Carpathia are broadcast continuously on CNN. His charismatic personality captivates the world. Any resilience he faces is quickly quieted or somehow persuaded to follow his every whim. He has now taken control of U.N. and taken Air Force One and renamed both Global Community. It would seem that the world is agreed to work together as one in peace. But how long can this peace last? Rayford and Buck, try as they might cannot escape the reaches of Carpathia. When all the news outlets of the U.S are seized by Carpathia, Buck is forced to do press coverage and publish for the evil of the world. Rayford is offered a job as pilot of Air Force One and when that is seized by Carpathia, so is Rayford. What does this mean for the Tribulation Force? Bruce is called to travel and spread the great news of Christ’s Glorious Appearance to the world. Chloe remains in Chicago to research the Bible and study Revelation. The world is being turned upside down, and people are converting and beginning to resist the charm of Carpathia. The story continues in Nicholae. The breaking of all moral may be the beginning. How much longer can the Tribulation Force hold out against the Antichrist when war breaks out? ~CeCe The world of Menzoborranzan is a dangerous and treacherous world. It is a part of the Underdark. The world of the dark, drow elves. One family will work to improve its station. Deceit, treachery and bloodshed is the way of these folk. This is the birthplace of Drizzt Do’Urden. Born a male in world dominated by women, he will have to learn quickly to kill or be killed. A baby who should have been sacrificed to the Spider Queen of the drow people and then fate spared his life. His powers were well developed and his skill was almost unmatched. He grew quickly into a skilled dow warrior, top of his class. His equal was his mentor, Zaknafein. Zaknafein was the weapons master of House Do’Urden. He was stealthy and fast and unmatched in the land of Menzoborranzan. But Zaknafein had secrets. His ideals did not match up to the ideals of drow society. He did not seek chaos and bloodshed. He believed that somewhere there was harmony to be found. In his heart he wants to leave, but is bound to stay and serve the Matron of House Do’Urden. As Drizzt grows, he carries with him a naivety about the world of the drow. He frequently questions the way of the drow and the point of all the bloodshed. He does not agree that everyone is an enemy of his kin. But he also carries a pride in his skill. Knowing that he is unmatched by anyone except his mentor, Zaknafein, Drizzt takes his place as a warrior for his family. As he grows into adolescence, Drizzt is faced once again with the question of his life: to kill or be killed. Is there any other choice for Drizzt is this dark and treacherous world? Must he suffer the same fate as Zaknafein and kill and find joy in the killing? Will he join Zaknafein and together they will become an unbeatable duo? Or is there another option for Drizzt? In this novel, Salvatore goes back to begin the origin tale of popular character, Drizzt Do’Urden. Readers are familiar the Drizzt is a drow elf. On the surface, such a creature is often despised and hated for the dark magic and cruelty of the race. How is it then that Drizzt was accepted by a band of friends in the IceWind Dale? What brought Drizzt to the surface so far from his own kin? Homeland begins his tale. From birth, Drizzt is different. A homeland is simply where one is from, not necessarily where one calls home. This could not be more true than in the tale of Drizzt Do’Urden. Join him through adolescence and his battle for identity in this origin tale. ~CeCe |
AuthorI work full time as a call center representative. In my spare time I write and read. I also enjoy watching Netflix. Archives
March 2018
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