Ascenders: Skypunch - Cover Reveal

Into the Fire - 4-Star Review

Goodreads Synopsis:
In one month’s time, seventeen-year-old Cara Tillman will die and be reborn from her own ashes…

Her life of secrecy has never been easy. She’s watched her younger brother, Jeremy, burn and rise again in a coming-of-age process called rebirth. And just like her brother, when her time comes, she won’t remember anything from her first life other than she’s a Phoenix—a member of a small group of people descended from the mythical Phoenix bird.

The last thing she needs to worry about is falling for the new guy in town—Logan Schmidt.

Cara is drawn to Logan in a way she can’t explain, but she’s not exactly complaining. Everything is perfect…except it’s not. Once she’s reborn, she’ll forget Logan. And to make things worse, a Phoenix Hunter is on the loose, and Cara’s involvement with Logan is bringing out her Phoenix qualities—the very qualities that will draw the Hunter right to her.

Desperate times call for desperate measures…

Afraid of hurting Logan, Cara breaks it off for good. But her attraction to him runs deeper than a typical high school crush. She wants him—needs him. And if he proves willing to stay by her side, their love might destroy them both.

Can Cara hide from the Phoenix Hunters long enough to survive her rebirth? And if so, will it mean a new beginning with Logan—or the beginning of the end?

4-Star Review:

Ok, so let me start with a confession... I love phoenixes.  Seriously, I love everything about them from the symbolism to the mythology to the imagery.  So when I heard that Kelly Hashway was writing a series about them, I am not too proud to say that I did a happy dance in front of my computer screen.  And then I got a copy of the book and did another jubilant jig. 

However in the midst of my celebrating, I had a horrible thought... what if it isn't as good as I think it is going to be?  We've experienced that book that we have anxiously waited for, gotten our hands on, and been sorely disappointed by, and never want to relive that experience.  So when I was about to crack open the first book in a series about my absolute favorite mythical character, I got nervous and procrastinated... and procrastinated... and said look how pretty the cover is.  Until finally, I opened the book with only one eye open, checking to see if it could possibly live up to my dreams.  

I read the first chapter with only one eye, but then the other eye slowly but surely joined the party.  From there, it was difficult to put the book down to accomplish mundane tasks such as work, volunteering, and other household chores.  The imagery not only fulfilled my every expectation, but left me in awe as well.  

With some YA novels, you have to wade through the overwhelming amount of teen angst, but let me tell you... there is no wading through Into the Fire!  It is a roller coaster ride from beginning to end.  Yes, the main characters are teenagers, but they have some maturity and common sense about them which makes following their story not only enjoyable, but addictive!

So it is with great enthusiasm and verve that I suggest picking up a copy of Into the Fire, and allow me to also give you a piece of advice to go along with that suggestion - go ahead and pre-order the second book, Out of the Ashes, which will be released on March 22nd.  By the time you finish it, you will be begging for the second book so you can see what happens next.  

Purchase Into the Fire on Amazon

Pre-Order Out of the Ashes on Amazon

The Ascenders - 4-Star Review

Ascenders: High School for the Recently Departed

by C.L. Gaber

Release Date: April 20th 2015

Summary from Goodreads:

Walker Callaghan doesn't know what happened to her. One minute she was living her teenage life in suburban Chicago...and the next minute, she was in a strange place and in a brand new school with absolutely no homework, no rules, and no consequences.

Walker Callaghan, 17, is dead.

She doesn't go to heaven or hell. She lands at The Academy, a middle realm where teenagers have one thing in common: They were the morning announcement at their high schools because they died young.

These high school kids are now caught in a strange “in-between” zone where life hasn’t changed very much. In fact, this special teen limbo looks a lot like life in a quaint Michigan town complete with jocks, popular girls and cliques. "There are even cheerleaders in death," Walker observes. It's not a coincidence that the music teacher is a guy named Kurt who "used to have this band." The drama teacher, Heath, is crush worthy because back in his life, he starred in some superhero movie.

Principal King explains the rules -- there are none. Why? You can't die twice.

There is no homework.
No tests.
No SATS.
You're just there to learn because the human brain isn't fully formed until you're 24.

By the way, you can't get hurt physically, so race your Harley off that hillside. But falling in love is the most dangerous thing you can do ...because no one knows how long you'll stay in this realm or what's next.

"Losing someone you love would be like dying twice," Walker says.

* * * * * *
Walker Callaghan has just arrived at the Academy after a tragic car accident. “Is this heaven or is this high school?” she asks.

She finds out her new life is a bit of both as she falls in love with tat-covered, bad boy Daniel Reid who is about to break the only sacred rule of this place. He's looking for a portal to return back to the living realm.

He needs just one hour to retrieve his younger brother who strangely never arrived at The Academy. Bobby is an Earth Bound Spirit, stuck at a plane crash site that took both of their lives as their rich father piloted his private jet nose-first into a cornfield on Christmas Eve.

Walker loves Daniel and risks it all to go with him.

Have they learned enough to outsmart dangerous forces while transporting a young child with them? Can their love survive the fragmented evil parts of themselves that are now hunting them down as they try to find a way back to the middle?

At the Academy, you learn the lessons of an after-lifetime. 

Add to Goodreads

Buy Links:

Amazon│Kindle│iTunes

Romeo's Review:

The Ascenders was a pleasant surprise! As soon as I read the Goodreads blurb saying that the book was about a high school for the afterlife, I was interested.  There are so may places that a story like that could go, and the Ascenders hit them all.  

Without giving too much away, here is the overview of the Ascenders plot.  In the beginning, Walker is trying to come to terms with the fact that she has died and is now living an after-life. Then she starts to build a new life at her new school and makes new friends.  One of these new friends is already preparing for a quest of their own and Walker decides to join them on this quest that will lead them both to break all the rules and put themselves in immeasurable danger.

The story is well written and has a crew of interesting characters that give the story a lot of depth that will keep you reading until the last page, and wanting even more.

Come on Ascenders Book 2!

About the Author

C.L. Gaber is the author of the ASCENDERS SAGA and co author of Jex Malone. A well known entertainment journalist, she lives in Nevada with her husband Ron, bonus daughter Sabrina and two unruly dogs. ASCENDERS 2 is due out in early 2016. 

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

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