Author: Ashley Chappell
Series: Dreams of Chaos
Number in Series: 1
Format: Paperback
Pages: 297
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Publisher: Center One Books
Genre: Fantasy/Middle Grade/Paranormal
Fourteen year-old Trotter was still just trying to get the hang of the demi-godding business when the apocalypse began. In a world where the gods have withdrawn from humanity, leaving mortals bitter toward magic, she finds herself torn between the human and the goddess in her. As the world begins to fade away and she becomes the prime suspect, her search to determine the cause and prove her innocence ends up revolving around a mysterious little girl named Alice. Then Trotter discovers that not all of the gods had been as distant as they seemed…
Now, with everyone against her and the gods fighting amongst themselves, Trotter is on her own to save her world and stop a spiteful god from using Alice to destroy everything.
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About Ashley Chappell
Ms. Chappell currently resides in Huntsville, AL with the love of her life. During her writing time her cats sometimes share her lap with her computer, should they choose to allow the usurpation at all. When not writing, reviewing, or burying her nose in one of her well-worn Terry Pratchett or Neil Gaiman novels, she can be found sailing with her fiancé on their boat ‘Dupracity’ (Fans of Kurt Vonnegut will want to ask her what that means!).Find out more about Ashley at her website, connect with her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, and see what she’s pinning on Pinterest.
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My Thoughts:
This was such a fun book to read. I know that some will steer away from books that are geared towards younger readers, but I've always enjoyed them and if I can recommend them to my own children after I'm done reading, then it's a huge plus for me.
The story follows Trotter, a young demi-god, and also Alice a young servant girl to a couple who run an inn. Both Trotter and Alice possess powers that are coveted by quite an angry God.
The story develops easily and is written in a very fun way, I found myself laughing quite a bit. Trotter's purpose in this story is to figure out, or rather, prove that she did not cause the world to start fading away. It brings her into the path of Alice.
I loved watching the character of Trotter develop from this clumsy 14 year old who has no idea how to use her powers, this young girl who is certain of who she is and what she hopes to achieve. Her cat companion, who by the way used to be a human, was hilarious at times.
Alice on the other hand was very different to Trotter. She is this sweet young girl who is servant to some quite nasty people, but still maintains the sweetest nature. I especially loved the bond she develops with the baron.
Throw in a horrible, mean villain called Lamarak, and you have the perfect adventure book for any age.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think my kids will too.
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Paperback: 298 pages
Publisher: Center One Books (October 8, 2013)
Two years ago Trotter saved the entire pantheon of Realm from a dark god’s revenge. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the gods from banning her from Realm and – worst of all – from her godly parents for refusing to honor the Accord and declare her dominion. Now even her refuge in Aevum has been destroyed as the world itself is violently tilted and plunged into darkness. Angry and heartbroken, she’s ready battle whatever demons she might find behind the destruction. Instead of evil, however, she discovers another world even older than Aevum and filled with a kind and wonderful species of people the gods created and loved briefly, then abandoned and left for dead in favor of their more entertaining creation: humanity.
In order to save both of the worlds she’s come to love, Trotter will finally be forced to choose a dominion that might mean giving up one world permanently. Yet throughout her struggle she is unaware that the unsettling darkness growing within her is an omen that another dominion has already chosen her…
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So Tilt takes place two years after Alice Will. I was so excited to be able to review this one too because I do love following up on characters that I really enjoyed in a previous book.
The story takes off with Trotter, who has now been banished from her realm. She is still trying to figure out the full extent of her powers while also ready to fight whoever caused the destruction that Aevum is currently under.
The author does a brilliant job of describing these worlds in such a way that you can imagine standing there with Trotter and seeing what she's seeing, feeling what she's feeling. It really does draw you into the book.
This one has the same amount of humor and adventure as the first.
I just have to say that I love the character of Trotter, just love her. She is such a young girl but in many ways forced to grow quickly and face so many adversaries. It's especially interesting watching her struggling to decide which dominion to choose, knowing full well that it will mean she will give up one of the worlds permanently. Not an easy choice because she is a part of both.
Another fun read, and another to add to my children's bookshelf.
Ashley’s Tour Stops
Tuesday, March 04, 2014: Offbeat Vegabond – Alice WillThursday, March 06, 2014: A Book Geek – Alice Will
Sunday, March 09, 2014: Book Marks the Spot - Alice Will and Tilt
Thursday, March 13, 2014: Pingwing’s Bookshelf – Alice Will
Friday, March 14, 2014: Bibliophilia, Please - Alice Will
Monday, March 17, 2014: Peeking Between the Pages – Alice Will
Tuesday, March 18, 2014: The Reader’s Hollow - Alice Will
Tuesday, March 18, 2014: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom - Alice Will and Tilt
Wednesday, March 19, 2014: Books Without Any Pictures – Alice Will
Thursday, March 20, 2014: The Reader’s Hollow – Tilt
Monday, March 24, 2014: Peeking Between the Pages – Tilt
Tuesday, March 25, 2014: A Dream Within a Dream - Alice Will and Tilt
Wednesday, March 26, 2014: Allodoxophobia: The Fear of Opinions - Alice Will and Tilt
Tuesday, April 01, 2014: Books, Books Everywhere! - Alice Will
Wednesday, April 02, 2014: Books, Books Everywhere! - Tilt
Wednesday, April 02, 2014: Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile – Alice Will
Thursday, April 03, 2014: The Written World - Alice Will and Tilt
Sandra, I'm so glad you enjoyed both books! I always love seeing that a parent is passing my books to their children - I don't think a writer can ever receive a more heartfelt recommendation than that! :-) Thank you SO much for the excellent reviews, and I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week!
ReplyDeleteAsh
I love being able to share a book with my husband and my son, and these kinds of YA books are always a hit with all three of us. I'll recommend this one to them for sure!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour.