Review Aura by Rebecca Talley Blog Tour and Giveaway

Nothing out of the ordinary—but nothing was as it seemed. Never would be again.

This quote fits very well with Aura by Rebecca Lynn Talley. It seems that the plot has nothing special, all in the line of eternal struggle between good and evil, still an uncertain relationship(s) and a maturity or evolving forced by circumstances. But as nothing was as it seemed, as the book today because it's a very special and good book.

Important and admirable is how the heroine succeed, although she has numerous occasions that could give her the right to give up to what she is (and without any reproach made to her), to preserve hers purity and not to concede to "the end justifies the means". No matter how good and great it’s the goal, is also important how it’s fulfill. There are times when giving up to a part of who you are for an easy success seems so normal and to have an insignificant price, but in reality that can change everything and not for the better. Crystal has the strength to remain good and not to be corrupted by the power. It's clever, resourceful and has a special talent to enter into troubles, though she’s not seeking for them... always. What could be more appealing?

"We're all born with Light. As we make choices, that Light either gets brighter, or it dims. It depends on what we choose to do with our lives. You've made a conscious decision to follow the good over and over again, enough that your Light—your aura—is so bright that it glows."

I like Crystal and Alec's relationship, how it evolves (or not), how the questions remain unspoken or unanswered and the fact that the real reason wherefore he wants to protect her at any cost remains hidden still.

„I didn’t know how things would turn out between Alec and me, but I was willing to find out. Willing to take a chance and see what happened. Willing to trust him with my life. And my heart.”

Admirable is how the author send messages to the young readers (or not so younger) and how she highlights that anywhere and anyone around us can be a temptation, a reason to go wrong, but ultimately ourselves are the ones who make decisions and act.

„Truth is, demons are all around us, waiting to be invited in. As long as we don't let them in, we're okay, but once they get an invitation, they want to stay forever.”

Desire for revenge, for the salvation, the need to accept what you are and what you want, bearing the consequences, hope and despair come together beautifully and harmoniously.

Perhaps the book is not pack with pure action and is a little predictable at times, but rest assured that it caught my attention and I read it with pleasure and devoured it. Everything runs so smooth that you do not realize when you get to the latest events.

Surely I recommend it to you and, if until now you thought that vampires, werewolves, angels or fallen angels, or demons are elements of the stories, you’ll find now that at least the demons can be in any of us. Really!

"You have no idea who you are dealing with."

Thank you, Rebecca Lynn Talley. I received the book for review as part of  Book Tour

Romanian:

Tour schedule

  Nothing out of the ordinary—but nothing was as it seemed. Never would be again.

Citatul acesta se potriveşte foarte bine cu Aura de Rebecca Lynn Talley. Pare că subiectul nu are nimic deosebit, tot în linia luptei eterne dintre bine şi rău, tot o relație incertă şi o maturizare sau evoluție forțată de împrejurări. Dar cum nothing was as it seemed, aşa şi cu cartea de azi care este foarte specială şi bună.

Important şi de admirat este cum eroina reuşeşte, deşi are numeroase ocazii în care ar fi putut renunța la ceea ce este (fără a i se putea reproşa ceva), să-şi păstreze puritatea şi să nu cedeze impulsului „scopul scuză mijloacele”. Oricât de bun şi important e scopul, e important şi modul cum îl atingi. Sunt momente în care să renunți la o parte din ceea ce eşti pentru o reuşită facilă pare atât de normal şi prețul infim, dar în realitate poate schimba totul şi nu în bine. Crystal are tăria de a rămâne bună şi de a nu se lăsa viciată de putere. Este isteață, descurcăreață şi are un talent deosebit de intra în belele, deşi nu le caută... întotdeauna. Ce poate fi mai atrăgător?

"We're all born with Light. As we make choices, that Light either gets brighter, or it dims. It depends on what we choose to do with our lives. You've made a conscious decision to follow the good over and over again, enough that your Light—your aura—is so bright that it glows."

Îmi place şi relația Crystal şi Alec, modul în care aceasta evoluează (sau nu), modul în care întrebări rămân nepuse sau fără răspuns şi faptul că motivul real pentru care el vrea s-o protejeze cu orice preț rămâne încă ascuns.

„I didn’t know how things would turn out between Alec and me, but I was willing to find out. Willing to take a chance and see what happened. Willing to trust him with my life. And my heart.”

De admirat este cum autoarea transmite mesaje cititorilor tineri (sau mai puțin) şi cum scoate în evidență faptul că oriunde şi oricine de lângă noi poate constitui o ispită, un motiv pentru a călca strâmb, dar noi înşine suntem în final cei care luăm deciziile şi care acționăm.

„Truth is, demons are all around us, waiting to be invited in. As long as we don't let them in, we're okay, but once they get an invitation, they want to stay forever.”

Dorința de răzbunare, salvare, necesitatea de a accepta ceea ce eşti şi ce vrei, suportarea consecințelor, speranța şi deznădejdea se îmbină frumos şi armonios.

Poate cartea nu duduie de acțiune şi poate e uşor previzibilă în unele momente, dar fiți sigur că mi-a captat atenția şi că am citit-o cu plăcere şi pe nerăsuflate. Nu este în niciun moment trenantă şi totul curge atât de fluent, încât nu-ți dai seama că ai ajuns la ultimele evenimente.

Cu siguranță vi-o recomand şi dacă până acum ați crezut că vampirii, vârcolacii, îngerii căzuți sau nu, sau demonii sunt elemente de poveste, aflați acum că cel puțin demonii pot fi în oricare dintre noi. Pe cuvânt!

"You have no idea who you are dealing with."

Multumesc, Rebecca Lynn Talley. Am primi cartea pentru recenzie in cadrul turului.

Goodreads * Amazon

About the author:

Rebecca Lynn Talley grew up in the gorgeous seaside city of Santa Barbara, CA. She met, and married, her husband, Del, while attending Brigham Young University. She graduated from BYU with a degree in Communications. She currently lives in rural Colorado on a small ranch with a dog, too many cats to count, and a herd of goats. She and Del are the proud parents of ten wildly-creative, multi-talented children.

Rebecca is the author of a children's picture book, Grasshopper Pie (WindRiver 2003), a children's chapter book, Gabby's Secret (DuBon Publishing 2011), four novels, Heaven Scent (CFI 2008), Altared Plans (CFI 2009), The Upside of Down (CFI 2011), and Aura (DuBon Publishing 2012). She has also authored numerous children's stories and articles for both print and online magazines.

When she isn’t writing, Rebecca loves to date her husband, play with her kids, swim in the ocean, and dance to disco music while she cleans the house. She has folded at least one million loads of laundry, baked hundreds of batches of chocolate chip cookies, and eaten 5,478 gallons of ice cream.

Twitter * Facebook * Website * Blog * Aura Blog

This YA urban fantasy is fantastic! The story grabbed me from the start and kept me enthralled until the end! I love books that keep me thinking about the characters and events and possibilities even after putting them down...Aura is one of those books!
~KindleQueen

This is one of those books that you hope will become widespread enough to make a positive impact in this world. Personally, I think this is a book every teenager should read and I will definitely be passing it along to my own kids. Thank you, Rebecca, for writing a beautiful story with a wonderful message! I hope you keep at it because now I want a sequel!
~Rachael Anderson

Blog Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 3.21.13
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Excerpt 

     “Sir, we do have a problem,” Jack said. “In Colorado. Silver City.” 

     Vincent glared at Jack. He didn’t like being interrupted especially with news of a problem. Vincent was set to take over the western half of the United States, something he’d been working toward since he started with the organization right out of college. 

     “What kind of problem?” 

     “There’s this . . .” His sentence trailed off. “What, Jack? There’s this, what?” He emphasized the last word. 

     “Disturbance.” 

     He pursed his lips and then said, 

     “What does that mean?” Chris, a man in his early thirties with cropped black hair, cut in, “A very recent associate in Silver City has reported a disruption of control over the host.” 

     “Then take care of it.” Vincent had no time for this, not with the summit meeting looming. He ran his fingers through his thick hair attempting to settle his bubbling anger. His powers of persuasion were far more successful when he was calm. 

      Jack leaned forward, making his chair creak. “Apparently, a teenage girl there can interrupt the connection in our newer, and possibly weaker, associates.” 

    “Preposterous.” Vincent blew out a breath. Was he working with morons? A teenage girl? Absurd. 

     “If she has enough Light to sever the connection between our associates and their hosts—” 

     “Yes, yes, I know. You don’t have to explain it to me, Jack.” Losing associates, and thus control, in any city reflected poorly on the organization, and on him. Vincent couldn’t have that. 

    “What should we do?” Chris asked. 

     Vincent closed his eyes for a moment, considering his options. He drew a deep breath and gazed at Priscilla, head of associate training. 

    “Neutralize the girl.”