#NEW Release and Review: MY TETHERED SOUL, by Dorothy Dreyer

My Tethered Soul, by Dorothy Dreyer
Published August 2014 by Month9Books

About the Book (from Goodreads):

It’s been months since Zadie faced her sister’s Reaper, months during which she’s been under her mentor’s magical protection. But now that she’s turning seventeen, that protection is about to run out.

When dark forces lure Zadie to wander at night, she’s manipulated into committing unspeakable acts. With her friends and family at risk, Zadie must try to use her powers to break free from the Reaper’s grasp, or surrender to the Reaper’s Rite, which can only lead to death.

MY TAKE:

Dorothy Dreyer continues the fast-paced, heart pounding journey she started in My Sister's Reaper, delivering a YA paranormal romance filled with believable characters battling unbelievable odds. I love the rich, new mythology of Villas (the offspring of witches and fairies) that Dreyer creates, while grounding it all with the real teen angst, self-doubt and high school situations of her main characters.

Zadie and her older sister Mara defeated a Reaper the year before, but now that Zadie is turning 17, there are other Reapers to worry about. With their mother still in a mental institution from her own run-ins with her Reaper,  Zadie and crew decide to try and put an end to the centuries long agreement that puts every Villa at risk.

My only complaint is the love triangle that Dreyer gives us leaves Zadie with heartbreaking choices. Gavin and Chase are both swoon-worthy heroes who each deserve happiness, but Zadie only gets to choose one. Each guy risks his life for her and at one point I found myself thinking it would be easier if one of them died, because then she wouldn't have to choose.. but even I couldn't decide who to root for!

This is not a stand alone book. Read the first book My Sister's Reaper (which I reviewed here back in April 2014) and then pick up this sequel to reach the satisfying conclusion to this inventive paranormal story.

About the Author:

Dorothy Dreyer has always believed in magic. Born in Angeles City, Philippines, to a Filipino mother and American Father, Dorothy grew up a military brat, living in Massachusetts, South Dakota, Guam, New Jersey, and New York. She now lives in Frankfurt, Germany, with her husband, two teens, and two Siberian huskies. Dorothy not only writes books with some element of magic in them, but has a fondness for reading those kinds of books as well. She also enjoys movies, chocolate, take-out, and spending time with family and friends. She’s known to make a pretty sweet cupcake when she has the time. She also tends to sing sometimes, so keep her away from your Karaoke bars.

My Tethered Soul on Goodreads

Dorothy's Website: http://dorothydreyer.com

Dorothy's Twitter: http://twitter.com

Dorothy's Facebook Fanpage: http://facebook.com/AuthorDorothyDreyer

 

 

BOOK REVIEW: MY SISTER'S REAPER by Dorothy Dreyer

My Sister's Reaper, by Dorothy Dreyer

Published by Month9Books, May 2013

About the Book (From Goodreads):

Sixteen-year-old Zadie’s first mistake was telling the boy she liked she could bring her dead sister back to life. Her second mistake was actually doing it.

When Zadie accidentally messes with the Reaper’s Rite that should have claimed her sister Mara, things go horribly wrong. Mara isn’t the same anymore—Zadie isn’t even sure she’s completely human, and to top it off, a Reaper is determined to collect Mara’s soul no matter what. Now Zadie must figure out how to defeat her sister’s Reaper, or let Mara die … this time for good.

 MY TAKE:

In short, I loved this book. Totally recommend it.  Go read it now.

Oh wait, you want a review too? Okay, here goes.

Zadie is kind of a young 16, still scarred by her mother's incarceration in a mental hospital when Zadie was young. At the start of the book, she's also dealing with the fact that her older sister Mara is currently at the hospital on life support, having been run over by a bus. That's a lot to deal with on top of all the normal high school stuff, like class assignments, boy crushes, and mean girls.

She has a huge crush on this older boy named Gavin, with chocolate hair and indigo eyes, and as she says, "one dash of eyeliner shy of being goth." Swoon. Her BFF Naomie drags her to a party where she actually gets to talk to Gavin and makes a crazy bet about using magic to wake her sister from the coma. Only, Zadie has a weird thing with magic. Like, sometimes she can make things happen. She can't quite control it, but boy. Do things go wrong fast.

I loved the author's unique take on magical beings, introducing the reader to a new-to-YA category known as "Vila" who are a cross between witches and fairies. It's a forbidden mix passed down through a mother's bloodline, and long ago the queen of the fae made a deal with the Grim Reaper himself that all offspring of this forbidden union would be forfeit at the age of seventeen.

The same age as Zadie's sister, Mara.

This well-written fast-paced tale is full of teen angst, suspense, and a surprising amount of humor. I loved every twist and turn of Zadie's relationships with all of the other characters, including the hunky Gavin and the mysterious new kid on the block, Chase.

I'm a sucker for a new storyline and a new twist on a romantic paranormal tale and MY SISTER'S REAPER delivers it all. Action, adventure, magic, and romance, all rolled up into a high school drama that will keep you turning pages until the satisfying ending.

And even better, I already know that Book Two, MY TETHERED SOUL, will be coming out sometime this year! Zadie's going to turn 17 soon - can't wait to see what happens next!

Buy MY SISTER'S REAPER on Amazon. 

About the Author:

Dorothy Dreyer is Philippine-born American living in Germany with her husband and two teens.

She writes young adult books that usually have some element of magic or the supernatural in them. She also likes to read those kinds of books. Aside from reading, she likes movies, chocolate, take-out, coffee, traveling, and having fun with friends and family. She's also been known to make a pretty sweet cupcake.

She tends to sing sometimes, too, so keep her away from Karaoke bars.

COVER REVEALS from Dorothy Dreyer! MY TETHERED SOUL coming in June!

Dorothy Dreyer is an author of young adult books, and a friend from my Darkly Delicious YA Blog Group.

Her debut, MY SISTER'S REAPER, released June 18, 2013, from Month9Books. MY TETHERED SOUL releases June 2014. But... her publisher decided to rebrand the series, giving both books similar looking covers - so now she has 2 covers to reveal - the new cover for her debut book, and the cover for her upcoming release! And... drum roll please... they are really cool looking! 

Check these out:

Awesome, right? MY SISTERS REAPER is available now - in fact, I'm going to be reading a reviewing sometime soon. (Definitely before the next one comes out in June!)

The blurb for her upcoming release goes like this:

It’s been months since Zadie faced her sister’s Reaper, months during which she’s been under her mentor’s magical protection. But now that she’s turning seventeen, that protection is about to run out.

When dark forces lure Zadie to wander at night, she’s manipulated into committing unspeakable acts. With her friends and family at risk, Zadie must try to use her powers to break free from the Reaper’s grasp, or surrender to the Reaper’s Rite, which can only lead to death.

About the Author:

Dorothy Dreyer has always believed in magic. Born in Angeles City, Philippines, to a Filipino mother and American Father, Dorothy grew up a military brat, living in Massachusetts, South Dakota, Guam, New Jersey, and New York. She now lives in Frankfurt, Germany, with her husband, two teens, and two Siberian huskies. Dorothy not only writes books with some element of magic in them, but has a fondness for reading those kinds of books as well. She also enjoys movies, chocolate, take-out, and spending time with family and friends. She’s known to make a pretty sweet cupcake when she has the time. She also tends to sing sometimes, so keep her away from your Karaoke bars.

My Tethered Soul on Goodreads

Dorothy's Website: http://dorothydreyer.com

Dorothy's Twitter: http://twitter.com

Dorothy's Facebook Fanpage: http://facebook.com/AuthorDorothyDreyer

(And... if you click over to Dorothy's blog, We Do Write, there's a Rafflecopter Giveaway going on in conjunction with this reveal. Fun Stuff! And big Congrats to Dorothy!)