Review and Giveaway TIED (Fire Born #1) by Laney McMann

REVIEW:

Memories I knew couldn’t be memories but I cherished all the same. For years I’d tried to shake them away. To make myself forget. I couldn’t.

What I liked the most and what got me from the start is the atmosphere. From the first pages (literally), the author has managed to create a "gothic" atmosphere which don’t strike you, but imperceptibly take over you, get under your skin enchaining you. I admit in fact, that it doesn’t happened to me for some time to read three pages (the Kindle version, so it may vary), to stop and reread them just for the feelings raised by them. And this atmosphere is kept throughout the book.

The sting of loss reverberated in my chest as the chill of night air seeped into my bones. I opened my eyes to the darkened shoreline and glanced again toward the dunes. No shadow remained. No one stood watching me. I had lost my mind.

The story itself can be considered to be a variation of a prevalent theme in paranormal literature ("Same story, different version, but all are true"), but it is a genuine and well written story.

In the midst of games between parallel worlds, past and present, interrupted by visions and ancient prophecies, you are caught up in the story’s threads. The author skillfully manipulates the events and the times in which they are happening and pictures very nice the feelings of the characters. Forbidden love, that is find again just to be in jeopardy of being broken or abandoned, dangers and insecurity in yourself or in your own reality (or the one you think you are in) come altogether and form a homogeneous tale that will surely win many fans and sighs.

I missed Max more than I’d ever missed anyone in my life. For years, I’d tried to will him to return. He never did. Max didn’t exist. Somehow, I’d created an imaginary life, and my heart ached for it.

The decision of choosing between what you want, what you love on the one hand and what you need to do (or what is considered your duty) is hard to take, and the heroine's thoughts and feelings are well convey. Her wrong choices and those around her, even if they are driven by good intentions, will demand their tribute, and it is not one easily to give when your own death is a price you’ll pay immediately, without a second thought.

In the rhythm of a mountain stream, quickly, and with some mild sections, which runs through landscapes that are more or less strange and enchanting, easy to imagine (author provides the essential that will stimulate your imagination), where you will find various good or evil characters, honest or treacherous, in which the feelings seem to have no place to be, but dictate the actions of those involved, you will not feel when you reached the end... An end that is exactly the one it should have been avoided. Hopes appear shattered, the evil seems to prevail and the reader will remain on the edge eagerly awaiting the next volume.

Massive flaming wings took shape, rising to peaks above my head, and the Raven emerged through an eruption of burning spindles. I spun through time and space. Darkness and light. Desolation and shadow. “I’m coming for you.”

Happy Reading!

I received the book for review as part of Book Tour - Thank you

Romanian

Memories I knew couldn’t be memories but I cherished all the same. For years I’d tried to shake them away. To make myself forget. I couldn’t.

Ceea ce mi-a plăcut cel mai mult şi ceea ce m-a prins încă de la început e atmosfera. Autoarea a reuşit încă de la primele pagini (literalmente) să creeze o atmosferă „gothică” care nu te atacă, ci te învăluie pe nesimțite, intrându-ți sub piele, captivându-te. De fapt, recunosc că nu s-a mai întâmplat de ceva timp să citesc trei pagini (de Kindle aşa că pot varia), să mă opresc şi să le recitesc doar pentru senzațiile provocate. Şi această atmosferă se păstrează pe întreaga durată a cărții.

The sting of loss reverberated in my chest as the chill of night air seeped into my bones. I opened my eyes to the darkened shoreline and glanced again toward the dunes. No shadow remained. No one stood watching me. I had lost my mind.

Povestea în sine se prea poate să fie o variație a unei teme preponderente în literatura paranormal (dar cum spunea un personaj: „same story, different version, but all are true”), dar este o poveste originală şi bine scrisă.

Prin jocurile dintre lumi paralele, trecut şi prezent, întrerupte de viziuni şi prorociri, eşti prins în mrejele poveştii. Autoarea manipulează cu talent evenimentele şi perioadele în care se petrec şi redă foarte frumos trăirile personajelor. Iubiri interzise, regăsite doar pentru a fi în pericol de a fi rupte sau părăsite, primejdii şi nesiguranța în tine şi în realitatea în care te afli (sau crezi că te afli) se regăsesc şi formează un tot unitar, omogen care cu siguranță va câştiga mulți fani şi oftări.

I missed Max more than I’d ever missed anyone in my life. For years, I’d tried to will him to return. He never did. Max didn’t exist. Somehow, I’d created an imaginary life, and my heart ached for it.

Decizia alegerii dintre ceea ce vrei, ceea ce iubeşti pe de o parte şi ceea ce trebuie să faci (sau ceea ce se consideră că trebuie să faci) este greu de luat, iar gândurile şi trăirile eroinei sunt pertinente. Alegeri greşite ale sale şi a celor din jurul său, chiar conduse de bune intenții îşi vor cere tributul, iar acesta nu va unul uşor de dat atunci când propria moarte e un preț ce l-ai plăti imediat, fără a sta pe gânduri.

În ritmul unui râu de munte, rapid, dar şi cu unele porțiuni mai domoale, ce străbate peisaje care mai de care mai stranii şi feerice uşor de imaginat (autoarea oferă strictul necesar stimulându-ți imaginația), în care vei găsi variate personaje bune sau rele, sincere sau trădătoare, în care sentimentele par nu a avea ce căuta, dar dictează acțiunile celor implicați, nu vei simți cum ai ajuns la finalul care... este exact acela ce ar fi trebuit evitat. Speranțele par sbulberate, răul pare a învinge, iar cititorul va rămâne pe muchia cuțitului aşteptând cu mare nerăbdare următorul volum.

Massive flaming wings took shape, rising to peaks above my head, and the Raven emerged through an eruption of burning spindles. I spun through time and space. Darkness and light. Desolation and shadow. “I’m coming for you.”

Lectură plăcută!

EXCERPT:

My window opened easily. The same way it had so many times before. Climbing out on the ledge, I found the ground empty and dropped from the second floor—a jump I'd made a hundred times. In another life. 

My feet sunk into the sand, and I followed the well-worn pathway through the dunes. Even the strong evening winds hadn’t misshaped the deep gully. The ocean's breeze lashed at my hair as the moonlight glinted off the water’s surface. Seagulls flew up from their nesting grounds. They should have recognized me, since I’d been wandering at night for so long. Wrapping my arms around my knees to block the slight chill, I settled in the sand, and the birds quieted in a tight huddle, the wind blowing their feathers in awkward angles. 

My gaze fell on a figure standing beyond the dunes edge, a shadow hidden within the darkness. My pulse quickened, but I didn't move. Another trick—an illusion. Weary of the games my mind continued to play, I bit back tears and the catch in my throat. I should have been immune to them—the hallucinations—the way they haunted me and followed me, but I wasn’t. 

Forcing myself to blink, I turned my head away. The visions had grown worse as I’d become older. I’d tried to convince myself they were nightmares—or weird dreams. Hoped for years they were, but only people who sleep dream. 

Unable, or unwilling to stop myself, I glanced back over my shoulder, thoughts flooding my brain. Memories I knew couldn’t be memories but I cherished all the same. For years I’d tried to shake them away. To make myself forget. 

I couldn’t.

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About the author:

With a passion for the supernatural and all things magical, Laney developed a voracious appetite for reading fantasy at a young age. A vivid imagination helped set the stage for creating her own worlds and placed her onto the writing path. 

By the time she reached her teens, she'd accumulated notebooks full of poems, which led to short stories and finally novels. Young adult dark fantasy, paranormal romance, and mythology are among her favorite genres. 

A former classical dancer and chef, she grew up in sultry Florida where she still resides with her family.

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