We have an excerpt from Owlet for you today, in addition to our review and the tour giveaway. Enjoy!
Excerpt:
Iris could already see the eagles standing in a circle on the beach as they walked towards them. As they quietly moved closer, they watched the eagles unfurl their wings and hold them at their sides, outstretched, with the wind blowing against them. Soon they started to move and the circle got smaller as each of them headed toward the partner standing across from them. Iris was almost convinced that they would all collide, but each of them shifted just enough to swoop past their counterpart and into the air.
They formed a larger circle in the sky before splitting off into pairs. Iris’ eyes followed one pair that flew over the water, darting around one another as they rose higher into the cloudless blue sky before soaring after each other towards the treetops. Even when the other eagles reassembled in a circle, the pair she was watching stayed separate, dancing above the trees and following one another as though taking turns at giving chase.
“That means that they have found their mate. When they separate and dance on their own, they’ve discovered true love,” Falcon said offering her a smile. “These eagles aren’t like most others. They meet here to dance, and every once in a while a pair get lucky and find the other eagle they were meant to be with.”
Iris watched his handsome face as Falcon stared up at the new love match with awe in his eyes. She knew she had to look away or she would be found officially guilty of whatever it was that was one level past staring. Joining him, Iris looked up at the pair and couldn’t help but feel like they had just watched a lifelong romance take place in only minutes.
Something about it was so beautiful and poetic. She watched and wished that she could do the same, that she could find someone who was meant to be with her. The voice inside responded ever so softly.
You already have.
To follow along with the excerpts being posted on the tour, use the links below.
Somewhere between falling and flying… there is a girl.
Iris has a secret. She lost her memory eight years ago and never told a living soul. After an asthma attack one night she finds out that her dreams of a strange house on a snowy island may be a memory resurfacing but the more she learns about the past the more she realizes the life she has been living is a lie. As the façade her father has built starts to crumble around her she will have to decide which means more to her; the truth or her life.
Source: Tribute Books
Buy the book at:
eBook
ISBN: 9780985792213
ISBN: 9781476473338
Pages: 170
Release: October 13, 2012
PDF buy link – $4.95
Reviewer’s Thoughts:
Reading Owlet was an experience like none other. The world that the author has created is so unique that it draws you in from the very start. Intricate details unfold a beautiful story. Each and every one of the characters is very well developed and their lives are so interesting that you’re intrigued by every word and move they make.
The main character in this book, Iris, is complex. She suffers from horrible asthma, a delicate form of amnesia that keeps her past a secret, and a reoccurring dream of an island paradise that she insists is real and she deems her “Never-Never Land.” When her father surprises her and takes her to the very island she dreams about, her entire life changes as the mystery surrounding her past and who she truly is slowly starts to unravel. As she discovers the truth, her vulnerability touches you and makes her a relatable and likeable character.
The secondary characters, her father and the Peter Pan-esque boy from her dream, Falcon, add even more depth to the story. Her father is mysteriously vague about every question Iris asks him about her past. There are several moments during the story where the actions of her father bring out either extreme compassion, or seething anger. Falcon, on the other hand, is incredibly hard not to love. He is tenacious and caring, and insists on keeping Iris safe, with him on the island. His character by its very nature is poetic.
I typically tend to steer clear of YA books. They all follow an achingly similar plot, give or take a few tweaks here or there, and it becomes redundant. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how DIFFERENT from other YA books this story actually was. Folkloric and lyrical in nature, this incredibly talented and prolific author has penned a wonderful story with a world that readers, like myself, will be delighted to get lost in.
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Emma Michaels’ Bio:
Emma Michaels is the author of the ‘A Sense of Truth’ and ‘Society of Feathers’ series. Her goal with her latest YA novel ‘Owlet’ is to give others what she did not have growing up; a strong female protagonist with asthma. While her previous aspiration was to be a lady knight she realized that not being able to run more than a few feet might become a hindrance so turned to writing instead. Her day jobs include being a cover artist, marketing consultant and silk screen designer.
As the founder of The Writers Voice blog (
http://OurBooksOurVoice.Blogspot.com) she loves to connect authors and readers. As a book blogger turned author, she was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, until she moved at eighteen to Washington State. Suddenly, the world was a new place filled with tall green trees that reached further for the sky with every moment, making her want to do the same. Ever since, she has tried to make her life something new and different from what it was before, pursuing her future career, setting high goals and reaching for them. With the support of her fiancé, Chihuahua, and her amazing blog followers and fellow bloggers, she wants to prove to the world that anything is possible and help inspire fellow literary lovers to reach for their dreams.
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Shannon, I’m so glad that Emma entertained you with something different and unique. Thank you for supporting her work 🙂
Can’t wait to read this book and thanks for the opportunity with the prize and all.
This book looks great! I love the cover and excerpt. Thank for the chance to win!
-Brooke Banks
This book looks great! I love the cover and excerpt. Thank for the chance to win!
-Brooke Banks
This sounds like a terrific book…read another rave review on another blogsight! Thanks for sharing—added this to my must reads!
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