Oh, wow--I'm my own best friend. Or at least, I'm in her body! Okay, this assignment will be quick and easy. Thanks, Grammy! See, my dead grandmother keeps finding people who have big problems and then I have the freaky experience of stepping into their life--and their body!--to provide help.
This time, I'm in the body of my BFF, Alyce. Since Alyce and I know everything about each other, I won't have to do a lot of detective work, which is a definite plus. But, as Alyce, I've got some really pressing questions to answer--starting with, What am I doing in this coffin?
My Thoughts :
After the cliffhanger ending in the second book in the Dead Girl Series, Dead Girl Dancing, I couldn't wait to start this last book in the trilogy. I would have read it straight after finishing the previous book but another book arrived on my Kindle and took beat this one down the to be read list. Now however I have finished the story and am left extremely happy that I read these books about the 'Dead Girl'.
There are so many things I liked about this series and even though I loved the 'Seer Series' more I have to say that this one wins hands down when it comes to the concept. Original and different it was great discovering the body changing abilities and responsibilities of a Life Temper. Also the bodies that Amber ended up Temping in were amazing choices. They offered an amazing set of stories and plots that had me hooked to the series.
I don't know if the author has any intention of writing more Dead Girl books but this one seemed to end nicely and had complete closure. I wouldn't mind catching up with Amber again but maybe when she is a little older. Yes this is a Young Adult set of books but the characters are far from teenage giggling schoolkids. They are mature for their age and are dealing with real issues but with a paranormal twist.
Well worth checking out this series and this author in general. I would like to highly recommend this and the Seer Series for any young readers you need a book for and maybe even read it yourself beforehand. I will be keeping an eye out for more paranormal books by this author.
I could not believe I was in the wrong body-again! Apparently, this freaky phenomenon of stepping into someone else's life-and their body!-has a name: Temp Lifer. And when my dead grandmother heaped on the praise for a job well done last time, I sort of let it happen again. (Grrr, thanks Grammy.)
So now I'm hungover and gazing in the mirror at . . . my boyfriend's sister. Sharayah's long legs: plus. College-age: plus. The thought of kissing my boyfriend while occupying his sister's body: BIG minus. But the worst part is Sharayah's messy life, which includes an obvious drinking problem and a psycho stalker. Grammy, help!
My Thoughts :
After reading the first book in the Dead Girl Series I quickly put the next two books in the trilogy on my wishlist. Luckily for me I got both books for my Birthday and I couldn't wait to read this second installment about Amber, a girl who has ended up in the wrong body. Again.
I loved the Seer Series by the same author and was very sure I was going to like this one. The Young adult elements are not too young and naive while the paranormal aspect just makes you think. It is all quite interesting and could really happen and that is what makes Linda Joy Singelton's books even more fun to read.
A bit behind on my reading I wanted something nice and quick to read and this one certainly fit the bill. Easy to follow and an interesting story, this book was read within a couple of hours. The idea of being stuck in someone elses body isn't a new concept but the author has taken the idea and made it her own. Yet again I found the whole idea very intriguing and wondered how I would cope in the same situation. After all the Dead Girl is called Amber...
A nice twist in this story was the fact that Amber was whose body she was inside. It led to a few strange but somehow funny instances. Amber did a great job in this book and comes across older than she really is. Something I like about Young Adult stories. I really don't like the teenage silliness ruining stories and it is nice to have a mature girl taking the reins. Especially in the situations she is put in.
There was a very nice cliffhanger at the end of this one. I have to admit that I wasn't planning on reading the third and final part in the trilogy straight away but I think it is going to be hard to resist after that ending. If you aren't a big Young Adult reader then maybe there is one in your life that you can borrow/gift this one to. The paranormal elements and the questions it offers up is worth the read. How the author answers them just proves how good of a writer she is.
Now, was I supposed to go left or right at the Light?
Seventeen-year-old Amber Borden has a lousy sense of direction—so lousy that she takes a wrong turn when returning from her near-death experience. She ends up in the body of the most popular girl in school, who has just tried to commit suicide.
Can a girl who can't even navigate the halls of Halsey High discover the secrets of her new identity and find her way back to her own life?
My Thoughts :
The Dead Girl Series has been on my wishlist ever since I read and enjoyed The Seer Series by the same author. Needing a nice quick read the other day I decided this one would fit the bill and I was right. Well written and not long winded this story was read before I knew it and like the previous work by this writer, I enjoyed it.
The idea of being stuck in someone elses body isn't a new concept but the bits and pieces added to the story make it more original than the others I have come across. I found the whole idea very intriguing and wondered how I would cope in the same situation. This is a story that makes you think and wonder about the whole soul/ghost and where do we go theories and beliefs.
Amber was a nice character to get to know and her friends were equally fun to meet. I liked my trip into her world even if it does turn out to be someone elses. Now I am looking forward to reading the next two books in the series and finding out what happens to Amber next. I am pretty sure the author thought really long and hard about how things would play out and I am sure I will like the other stories just as much as this one.
If you aren't a big Young Adult reader then maybe there is one in your life that you can borrow/gift this one to. It really is worth giving a chance and isn't your typical girlie novel or full with romance. If you are looking for something a little different and/or something quick and light then you can't go wrong with Linda's books. They are very entertaining.
A whisper, too soft to swirl wispy candle smoke, carried across time, beyond life and death—and was heard. "Our bargain is sealed. My secrets will be yours-when the girl dies."
In the thrilling climax to The Seer series, Sabine's psychic abilities, sleuthing skills, and courage are pushed to a dangerous edge as she deals with the mysterious disappearance of her ex-boyfriend Josh, a new threat against her boyfriend Dominic, evil magicians (both living and dead)—and a coldblooded murder.
My Thoughts :
It was a joy to finally get the last two books from this series and to be able to finish it before the year came to an end. It isn't very often that I get through a whole series in one year and I usually don't like to read so many books in one series one after another. However this one was somehow special.
The psychic abilities and the strange things that happen in Sabine's life really made for good reading and I liked the series a lot. It was nice to have this sixth and final book tie up some of the loose ends and it was a surprise to find there were six books seeing as the main plot line should have been completed in five books. So this last book actually went a little off tangent and focused more on some of the smaller things that had been going on in the background but didn't seem too important.
How the author brought things together was quite well done. I am not sure if she intended to write a sixth book and had planned this story line in advance or if she just went back and came up with a plausible story. Whichever it was worked and it was nice to put some real closure to the whole series.
Even if you aren't a Young Adult this series is still worth reading. Despite having some 'younger' aspects it does actually manage to stay quite adult and not at all teenager stupid. I know the author has some other young adult books out and I will be trying them. I really like the supernatural mystery mix and her style. Well worth checking out. I am glad I did!
Sabine Rose is reunited with her ill grandmother Nona and her friends at Sheridan Valley. But the excitement of curing Nona-and discovering love with someone new-doesn't outweigh the burden of her father's dark secret: a daughter no one but Sabine knows about. Riddled with curiosity, Sabine uses astral projection to spy on her half sister Jade. And then one night-while out of body-she witnesses a gruesome murder!
The victim appears to be Jade's mother, but the next day reveals she is very much alive. Was it all a terrible nightmare? A puzzling psychic message, feelings for two different guys, building resentment towards her father and Jade-it's almost too much to bear. And when the killer from her nightmare turns out to be real, Sabine finds she must open her heart to the person she trusts the least.
My Thoughts :
This series has been a wonderful find. I actually believe I have managed to read all the books in one year and haven't left much of a break between them. They are so quick and exciting to read that I would have read all six books in one go if I had had them all. As it was I finally got this fifth book for Christmas with the sixth book (review coming soon) and I was happy to curl up over the holidays and put The Seer Series to bed.
Sabine has been looking for charms to save her grandmother and it all comes to a head in this fifth part of the series. I expected it to maybe slip over into the sixth book but the main reason for the series comes to an end and actually goes away quietly. It is obvious how things will end in regards to the search for the charms but it is the story that gets Sabine there that is worth reading. However the conclusion of the search was a quiet affair.
I expected a huge party of some kind or at least a big revelation but Sabine's grandmother is suddenly healed and better. After all that effort it seems that many other things took precedent over the main plot. Jade, Josh and Dominic take a lot of Sabine's attention away from her success which spoils things slightly. However it also means that there was a reason for a sixth book which is a nice consolation prize.
This series has been a joy to read and I love the psychic aspects it involves. Young Adult but not too girly and teeny to put off an older reader, it is worth checking out and maybe sharing with that young reader in your life. I don't regret reading this series and will be finishing off the sixth book straight away and will also been checking out more of Linda Joy Singleton's work. I like her style!
After getting kicked out of school and sent to live with her grandmother, Sabine Rose tried to ignore her troublemaking psychic abilities. All she wanted was to be a normal teen. But the spirit world has other plans for her.
Amber Borden is a high school student and aspiring talent agent with an unexpected side-job: she’s a Temp Lifer. By temporarily stepping into the bodies of people who are suffering, Amber navigates their daily lives and tries to fix their problems. Luckily her loyal boyfriend, Eli, has been very supportive—even during that freaky time when Amber inhabited his sister’s body.
When Sabine’s boyfriend, Dominic, loses his own body to a revenge-obsessed Dark Lifer—one of the disturbed souls who “borrow” living people’s bodies to do their dirty work—Sabine goes to Amber for help. Working together to find and free Dominic, the girls begin to unravel the Dark Lifer’s twisted plan of vengeance. But it throws them directly into the path of the troubled soul’s murderous rage.
My Thoughts :
I have been enjoying the Seer series and eyeing up the Dead Girl series so it was only natural that this short story combining both would appeal to me. However it was clear to me almost instantly that maybe I should have put off reading this novella until I had finished the Seer series. There are some spoilers for anyone who hasn't, like myself, finished the series.
Despite having something revealed to me, that I saw coming but yet didn't know, I did enjoy catching up with Sabine and getting to know Amber. The insight to the series has given me a taste for what the Dead Girl is all about. I like what I read and will definitely be moving on to this series after I have finished reading Sabine's story.
A nice short story with a good plot that, as with most novellas, was over way too fast. A must read for anyone who has read either of the series and a great way to see what all the fuss is about. Of course the story gives away a couple of pieces of the main story lines but it isn't anything that you wouldn't have seen coming.
I liked this one and look forward to finishing my visit with Sabine so I can go visit Amber some more. Linda Joy Singleton really has a good writing style and one you may want to introduce to that younger reader in your life.
Linda's Seer series is really worth reading and I hope that those of you who took the time to read the interview and enter the contest will check out the books sometime soon.
I am really becoming a fan of Linda's work and hope to finish the Seer series over the holidays and then start on the Dead Girl series. The title alone makes it sound good!
So the contest is now closed and it is time to see who won! I hope you all enjoyed the interview with Linda. Make sure you check out her books :
Please contact me via email - Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot eu within the next 7 days to claim your prize. Your claim will go quicker if you send me your address. If you won a contest where you can choose your prize, then please make sure you state in your email which book you would like. This will help things go alot quicker! If you won an e-book please make sure you send me the email address you would like the book sent to!
If you email me and don't get a reply within 48 hours please post on the blog letting me know. Some email gets eaten by my spam filter. However please don't send me more than one email unless you really don't get an answer within 3 days. I am not online 24/7 ;) Sometimes it takes a little longer to reply.
If a prize isn't claimed after 7 days I will, if the author agrees, pick another winner.
Please also note that I can not be held responsible for prizes that come direct from authors. I will check with them for you if you haven't received your prize but I can not hunt down your mail! Any prizes that come from myself could come from a 3rd party eg. Amazon or Bookdepository. If I am sending a prize myself please be aware that it could take a few weeks to reach you as it is coming from Europe.
Keep the contests going by using the Bookdepository.com and Amazon.com links/Banners below and around the site.
I am quite addicted to Linda's Seer series and I am crossing my fingers that I will get the last two books for Christmas. I am very tempted to order them for myself! Yet I will wait. After all it isn't like I don't have anything to read hehe
If you are interested in finding out more about Linda then make sure you go and check out the interview. Linda talks about all her books and how she came to write them. Then make sure you enter this weeks contest for your chance to win one of Linda's books.
Another week, another author guest! This time around I asked author Linda Joy Singleton some questions about her Seer Series and the many other books she has published!
I came across The Seer Series somewhere or other and quickly devoured the first two books. The next two came along pretty quickly after that and now the last two are on my wishlist for Christmas. I am also very eager to read her Dead Girl books and can't wait to try them!
Linda's books maybe for young adults but so far I am loving them. Full of mystery and some lovely paranormal elements they are very addictive. So I hope that this interview and my reviews of the series so far will give you a solution as to what to buy that younger reader in your life for Christmas! After all you can read it first...or borrow it after they are finished with it ;)
Don't forget to enter the contest! You could win yourself a copy of the first book in the Seer Series!
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Amber - Welcome to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you here as a guest! Could you start things off by telling us a little about your Seer series?
Linda - I had such fun getting to know Sabine and her friends. I especially loved Dominic's connection to animals and Opal, Sabine's spirit guide. I was lucky to be contracted for 6 books then also the spin-off with Thorn, BURIED. There are some short stories, too, including Dark Lifer's Revenge which is free on Nook and Amazon.
Amber - How did you come up with the idea for the Seer Series? Was it a long process or did it just come to you?
Linda - I had the idea for a mystery series with a psychic sleuth over 20 years ago, and the original title was Psychic Sleuth. When I sold the series to Llewellyn/Flux, they came up with the title THE SEER. I wrote the first book in about 4 months,
Amber - I have only read the first four books in the Seer series so far. Did you know how many books there would be and how the series would end?
Linda - When I plotted the series, I came up with about 10 title suggestions. Each title was contracted separately, so I was never sure how many more books I'd be asked to write. The series was supposed to end at 5 books and there's a 3 year gap between #6 Magician's Muse came out. I was just happy whenever I was allowed to write more books. BURIED: A GOTH GIRL MYSTERY, is a spin off, and at this moment the last book, although I have started a sequel to BURIED called REAPER that I might self-publish.
Amber - Were you always interested in psychics? What about other Supernatural and Paranormal elements?
Linda - I've been interested in psychics since I was young but I never actually went to one until I started researching for THE SEER series. I go about once a year now. I have never seen a ghost or had any supernatural experiences. But I believe everything is possible.
Amber - You have written a lot of books so far. What are your other series about?
Linda - I wrote 3 series for younger kids: STRANGE ENCOUNTERS, MY SISTER THE GHOST and CHEER SQUAD,.
STRANGE ENCOUNTERS is about Cassie Strange who finds paranormal mysteries while traveling with her family.
MY SISTER THE GHOST: Miranda's twin comes back as a ghost and the sisters have fun & dangerous adventures baby-sitting, at sleepovers and battling shadow ghosts.
CHEER SQUAD - Competitive cheerleading with romance, mysteries and road trips.
3 series for teens:
REGENERATION - 5 teens discover they've been cloned with enhanced skills, and a wicked scientist wants them dead. #1 is only $1.99 on Nook.
THE SEER - 6 titles and a spin-off, BURIED.
DEAD GIRL WALING - Mysterious, romantic, humorous trilogy following Amber who wakes up in a different body for each book--including the body of her best friend in DEAD GIRL IN LOVE.
Amber - What kind of research have you done for your books? Anything interesting or is the research boring?
Linda - I've gone to psychic fairs, read biographies of psychics and interviewed some. For my STRANGE ENCOUNTERS series, I travelled to each location in the book, which was lots of fun. For Sword Play, I took fencing lessons. And for Magician's Muse, I read about women magicians.
Amber - Do you only write Young Adult series? Is it difficult writing about teenagers and not going too adult?
Linda - I have a picture book coming out in 2014 and have written middle-grade series, so I don't only write YA. I love YA, though, and have other books I've written that haven't sold yet. I read a lot of YA, which helps me keep up with teen, also I love to watch TV and pay attention to what teens are saying, wearing and doing. While styles and trends change, the emotions of being a teen are timeless. And I tap into my own memories of heart-break, love, hope, fear and joy when I write about teens.
Amber - How do you pick the names for your characters? Do they have any special meanings?
Linda - I come up with names in a similar way as you might decide what you feel like eating or what music to listen to. It's all very intuitive, and I just listen in my head for a name that feels right for each character. When I came up with Sabine, I didn't like it at first, but it just felt like the character wanted that name, so I gave it to her.
Amber - How do you come up with the titles for your books? Do you always go with the first title or is it hard to come up with the right one?
Linda - Titles, like names, usually just pop into my head. I don't always get to keep my titles, though. Here's how it went for THE SEER series.
1. Don't Die Dragonfly -- My title idea and luckily it worked for my editor, too.
2. Last Dance -- Not my title. I wrote the book with the title of Ghostly Charms.
3. Witch Ball -- My title. Inspired by an article I read on witch balls.
4. Sword Play - My title.
5. Fatal Charm - Not my title. I titled this one Kiss N' Kill.
6. Magician's Muse -- My title. Surprisingly, I got to keep it.
Amber - How long on average does it take you to write a book? Do you have a process you follow? or do you just start at page one and see what happens?
Linda - 6 months to a year. My process is to write at least 5 mornings a week, with a goal of 2 or 3 pages. On good days I write 5 or more pages. I always plot ahead a little, so I know the basic scenes ahead. I plan the ending, too. But the middle scenes unfold with surprises along that way that make it fun (frustrating sometimes) for me.
Amber - I am sure that being an author has its ups and downs. What experiences have you had so far?
Linda - I've lost publishers several times and had to start over, submitting, getting rejections and submitting again. Having a good agent helps, and I have a good one. Still rejections comes, and sometimes they can be devastating. But I always keep writing and working on ideas to improve my career.
Amber - What are you listening and watching lately? Is there any music or other media that influences your writing?
Linda - I like lots of pop music like Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Train and many more. I'm into reality shows, too, like Survivor, Amazing Race and Big Brother--I never miss a season.
Amber - What books do you enjoy reading? Do you have any favourite authors/series?
Amber - What is next? What are you working on at the moment?
Linda - I have a science fiction YA that's come close to selling but not yet. I'm writing a novella (only about 100 pages) that's a twist on a fairytale with romance and dogs. I may go back to REAPER and finish that sequel to BURIED if I get enough interest from SEER fans who will read it in ebook form.
Amber - If you could be any paranormal creature, what would you be and why?
Linda - A winged cat that can turn invisible if there's danger.
Amber - Thanks for visiting Amberkatze's Book Blog!
"Help her," insists the spirit of Kip, the jock from her old school who died in a car accident. But his cryptic message is the last thing on Sabine's mind as she packs up to move back home. She's not happy about leaving her friends, her boyfriend, and Nona who's gravely ill, but won't dare challenge her mother's orders. Besides, Sabine's also harboring hope that she can become close to her family again.
Reuniting with her fencing club brings back painful memories of getting kicked out of school and betrayed by her former best friend Brianne, now too entangled with her boyfriend to notice Sabine . . . unlike Kip's ghost who continues to nag her about someone in trouble. But Kip died alone, so who needs her help? As Sabine researches the events of that tragic night, she pieces together a shocking revelation-knowledge that leads to a dangerous duel with a surprising foe.
My Thoughts :
Seeing as I finally got a copy of book 3 in this series I could get the dusty copy of book 4 off my bookshelf! The books in this series are quick reads but they certainly are great reads. I am amazed at how much the author manages to pack into each installment. Sometimes the ending seem to come too quickly but the story always packs a nice punch and Sword Play is no exception.
This time around we get to see Sabine in her real home with her family. There are quite a few things going on with her sisters, some old friends and a ghost but it all comes together in the end. The way to this conclusion is an interesting story and I loved it.
The cliffhanger ending was the worst yet. I have added book #5 to my wishlist for Christmas but I think I am going to give in and get it sooner rather than later. I want to know if they manage to get all the charms and to find out what her dad is up to! So many questions and all so exciting!
This is a really special Young Adult series and I am glad I come across it. Grown up and not too teeny this is one for the older reader as well as the younger. I could even see some parents reading this with their kids. Would make for some great conversations.
Sabine is finally starting to feel accepted at her new high school. She's friends with the popular girls and even has a cute boyfriend. But Sabine also has a dark secret-she's psychic, and was forced to leave her old school after she accurately predicted the death of a football player.
Volunteering with her friends to help run the psychic booth at their school's fundraising carnival, Sabine discovers too late that the fake crystal ball she meant to bring has been mysteriously switched. In its place is the strange "witch ball" she locked away after her grandmother refused to have it in the house. Now the haunted witch ball's predictions are coming true, and Sabine must solve the mystery before its final prediction-her own death-becomes a deadly reality.
My Thoughts :
I really enjoyed the first two books in this series. The Seer is about a young girl called Sabine who has been sent off, by her parents, to live with her grandmother because she is a psychic. The move makes her life more exciting and stressful than she could ever imagine. Not only has she found friends she can share her secret with but Sabine is also trying to find a cure for her ill grandmother. Her deteriorating health is a constant problem.
This third part in the series sees Sabine having relationship problems with her guy and things improving with her mother. However on the down side there are some predictions made with the help of the Witch Ball that do not bode well. As Sabine and her friends try and track down the people who need their help things with her own family need some help too.
I love the concept and the characters in this one. The style is good too. Not too young and not lovey dovey this one is turning out to be psychic and interesting. Not over the top and with good basis and plot I am looking forward to book #4 and wonder how things will turn out for all involved.
Expect another review soon from this series. Despite having a lot of books to read I really don't want to wait too long to continue this one. I really need to see what happens next.
Sabine's grandmother has a fatal illness and the only cure lies within a lost remedy book. Sabine visits a distant relative for information on the book, but is sidetracked by a ghost. Sabine must use her psychic skills to solve the mystery surrounding the ghost's untimely demise.
My Thoughts :
After reading the first book in this series, Don't Die Dragonfly, I couldn't wait to see what happened next. So as part of my Easter weekend read-a-thon I decided to start this second part. It didn't take me long to gobble up this wonderful continuation of the Seer series. I only wished I had book three on my shelf because that would be done and dusted already.
Last Dance continues moments from when Don't Die Dragonfly ended. The fast paced and deep story really holds on to you and doesn't let you go. I finished this second book in the series just as fast as I finished the second one. Once again there was a great plot and mystery mixed up with some supernatural goodness. I loved the psychic and ghost angles and can't wait to see what happens in the quest to find 'the book'.
This series is turning out to be a delightful surprise and I only wish I had book three here to start right now. Anyone starting the series may just want to get all six books because I am sure nobody can just read one and not carry on. They are very addictive.
Now living with her grandmother after being kicked out of school, Sabine Rose hides her psychic powers from everyone. Yet, Sabine can't seem to get the bossy voice of Opal, her spirit guide, out of her head . . . or the disturbing image of a girl with a dragonfly tattoo.
My Thoughts :
This series has been sitting on my bookshelf for a good few years. During the an Easter weekend read-a-thon I decided it was high time that I at least read this first book to see if the series was any good. After all if the first book sucked I can get rid of a couple of books in one go (this happened during the weekend...made a nice gap!).
As it turned out this book was a little beauty! Why had I left it gather dust so long? Psychic predictions, ghosts and other cool things were waiting for me all this time. A great story and plot accompanied it! Within chapters I was addicted and found myself finishing this first part in hours.
Yes this is Young adult but it isn't girly or too teeny. Actually this book reminded me of Cate Tiernan's and Laurie Faria Stolarz's amazing young adult series. Super writing style which gets right to the point without messing around with you, this was a superb read that had me grabbing for book two as soon as I was done with this first part.
Well worth checking out if you haven't already. A blend of psychic abilities, ghosts and mystery. The rest of Seer series is going on my wishlist.
