REVIEW: Stella Steiner: A New Star is Born (Stella Steiner #2) by T. Anderson

Title: Stella Nova: A New Star is Born (Stella Steiner #2)
Author: T. Anderson
Publication Date: September 30, 2013
Source: Via the author for review.

Stella has awakened. Following a risky surgery and months in a coma she is grateful to have narrowly escaped death but struggles to accept that it was all a dream. Full of opposition, Stella’s life after waking is nothing like it used to be. 
To keep her sanity she vows to put the past behind her and begin again. Stella decides to put college on hold and find adventure through travel. On the anniversary of her original departure she’s destined for Oslo but takes an unexpected detour—California! With proof of her birth family at her fingertips, Stella is forced to confront all she has worked so hard to forget.
Teaming up with those she believed were imaginary characters from her dreams, Stella is whisked into a mysterious and transformational quest to protect an ancient secret—immortality. Faced with obstacles, she wonders what is true and who to trust. 
Relying on clues from past lives and Scandinavian lore, Stella uncovers more about herself and a purpose greater than she ever would have believed. To fulfill her destiny Stella must embrace change, sacrifice much, and risk everything. She becomes something new, someone powerful and unearthly. 
Stella Nova. Defender of the One.

AMAZON // BARNES & NOBLE 

Stella Nova is the second book in the Stella Steiner series. It's so hard for me to review series books because I don't want to give anything away. But I'm going to do my best, so here goes..

In Stella Nova, we open to find that Stella has been in a coma because of the brain tumor she developed in book one. She is still having dreams of past lives, but is told that it's all her imagination. After her recovery, she sets out on a world journey to discover who she really is.

Stella Nova started off kind of slow for me. It was mostly because of me and not the story itself. It's been over a year since I've read Monad (the first book) and I was confused. I felt like this story did not pick up where the first one ended. But I pushed on. I must say that it all came together nicely.

Once Stella stepped off that airplane, the story really drew me in. No lie, I read this book in one day. I couldn't put it down. We meet all the characters from Monad plus a few more. I loved that we finally got some background stories on all of them as well. That was the one thing I thought Monad was missing, but Stella Nova fills in all the gaps.

It really was a nonstop ride from about chapter 4 to the end. The bulk of this story is about only one day in the book. But because it's told from every character's point of view, it's constant action and learning.

I really don't want to give away to much, but if you read Monad, then you absolutely must continue! And if you haven't read either, then get on the ball! I don't think you will be disappointed.

I loved Stella Nova and I can't wait for the next in the series. I have to know how Stella's story is going to end! Special thanks fo the author, T. Anderson, for sending me a copy of Stella Nova and allowing me the chance to read her story! I loved it!

 *Be sure to check out my review of T. Anderson's first book in the Stella Steiner series. Monad: The Awakening of Stella Steiner.

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REVIEW: The Unseen by J.L. Bryan

Title: The Unseen
Author: J.L. Bryan
Publication Date: October 31, 2013
Source: Via the author for review.

Cassidy is a young tattoo artist living in the Little Five Points neighborhood of Atlanta. She’s always suffered terrible nightmares, and sometimes the hideous creatures seem to follow her out of her dreams and into her waking life, though she’s the only one who can see them. Drugs and alcohol can blot them out, but never entirely chase them away.
When a demonic cult begins to take control of the people in her life, including her younger brother, Cassidy discovers that the unseen world of monsters is very real. She can no longer avoid it. To protect those she loves, she must accept her own hidden supernatural talents and face the forces of evil before the sinister cult achieves its twisted goals and casts the world into darkness.

AMAZON // KOBO

This post is about The Unseen by J.L. Bryan and how wonderfully awesome it is! I have adored every one of Jeff's books that I have read so far & The Unseen is no different. He takes it back to the creepiness of his Jenny Pox series. The Unseen is a crazy mixture of good vs evil. Demons vs well, normal people. Throw in a few witches & you've got a great story!

The Unseen centers around Cassidy. After an incident in high school, she has been able to see all of the unseen things in the world. Monsters & demons that are invisible to the average person. Thinking she's just going crazy, Cassidy starts using drugs & alcohol heavily. When she's high or drunk, she doesn't see the monsters. But, of course, it isn't long before she has to face her fears & stop the demons once & for all.

The Unseen is a very dark story. There isn't many warm, fuzzy moments. I, personally, love that. Cassidy has to learn to trust herself & others in order to face her fears. Her best friend, Brenda, has stuck by her side since the incident in high school. Sometimes a good friendship beats romance any day. I love how they stick together no matter what. Brenda dabbles in the witchcraft scene, so she always believes the crazy things that Cassidy tells her. Through out this book, you will see relationships begin & end but Cassidy & Brenda always remain the same.

This story isn't for the faint of heart. It gets real disturbing at parts. It has some pretty heavy drug & alcohol use in several different scenes. It also has some strong language.  There is even a demon orgy that happens. My mind will never be the same. Jeff puts a really twisted spin on satanic worship. It's interesting & terrifying at the same time. But I really wouldn't recommend this to anyone under the age of 18.

If you don't mind blood, guts & demons getting it on, then you will love The Unseen. Your imagination will go places you didn't think it could. The Unseen is simply fascinating. I suggest you get to reading it, now!

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Project Home Introduction!

As much as I love books, I also have other things that I love just as much. So I'm going against the normal "book blogger" status and posting a mashup of things. One thing that I am very passionate about is all things DIY. I love to paint, sew, craft, crochet (still learning!) and read. So why not be able to share all of thses things in one space? This is my blog after all, I have that choice. Which is actually where my name came from. Geek for the book lover in me and Glitter for the crafty part. 

So I have decided to share our remodeling journey with you here on the blog. Every Thursday you will see a Project Home post. About 5 years ago, my husband and I bought a trailer. Neither of us had very good credit at the time, so our options were very limited. My parents own about 13 acres in the country, so we set up home next door to them. We couldn't be happier. I was raised here and I love being here. We have the freedom to do whatever we want! But after several years, we've decided to pretty much remodel every room in the house. Over the last year we've already done alot of work, so the first few posts will be playing catch up with the things done already. 

Anything that has to do with our remodel will be posted here, on the blog, on Thursdays. Anything else that I do (crafty, DIY, furniture, etc.) that doesn't have to do with our home will be shared on my Facebook Page. So if that is your cup of tea, be sure to like GeekGlitter on FB so you don't miss out! There will also be plenty of bookish things on FB too, but I don't want to be to repetitive. I'd like to keep a nice mix of different things going on in different places.

Basically this was just introducing you to my Project Home idea. Next week will be the first official post, with pictures and stuff. So be sure to stick around and check out what we've been up to! You can also check out the hashtag #ggprojecthome on Instagram to keep up as well. I've been trying to tag all of our home pictures with that tag for easy tracking.

Do you enjoy crafting as well? Tell me about some of your projects!

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New Year & January TBR

Hey guys! It's been a while since I've updated this crazy thing. But I do have a fairly good explanation. A few months ago, my husband dropped my lap top and shattered the screen. I'm suprised I didn't cry. It's entirely possible that I cried on the inside tho. And while it still hasn't been fixed, I'm forging through it and posting anyways. We are able to hook it up to the television and use the tv as a giant moniter. Which is a huge pain in the butt, but it works. I just haven't been able to justify paying to fix my screen when the tablet/computer that I want is only $100 more. So we'll see what happens. One or the other will come to be in the near future because I can't handle the tv situation for to much longer.

It is now a new year! It's incredibly hard to believe that 2014 is upon us. Last year flew by! But this is my year. I can feel it. I've made plans, I've got a notebook. I'm ready for this. So expect lots of fun things coming this year! I mainly just wanted to post this to say hello and apologize for my absence.

I also wanted to make a note of my January TBR list. I'm not making promises that I will finish all of these this month, but I'm gonna do my best!

  

 

    

At the beginning of February, I'll update with how I did and also post my TBR for the next month. I also signed up for the reading challenge on Goodreads again this year. I picked 60 books. So I figure if I can do 5 a month, I'll be right on track. Although I know some months will be more and some will be less. 

I hope that everyone has had a wonderful christmas and New Years! I'm looking forward to a sweet book year with you guys!

What are you reading this month? I'm always looking for more book suggestions!

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