Mary Victoria - Samiha's Song Review

Mary Victoria – Chronicles of the Tree #2 Samiha's Song

Tymon leaves his new home and his beloved Samiha to complete his Grafting studies with the famous Oracle of Nur. But Tymon and fellow traveller Jedda find that locating the Oracle in a corrupt and lawless city run by pirates and slave-drivers is no easy matter.

Samiha′s fate has been predicted by Grafters down the ages. When she is captured in Cherk Harbour and charged with grand heresy, there seems to be no way out ... but Tymon does not believe in fate and is desperate to save her lift.

As chaos hums through the Tree, survival revolves on the fate of just one ...

What can I say about this book?

I can only tell you the truth - that this book is awesome. Mary Victoria has really done a fantastic job on book two. It has action, romance, sacrifice, adventure and intrigue. You can see the journey that Tymon and Samiha take as they are separated at the beginning.

Each character has their part to play in the greater tale and it weaves together really well. The characters were well written and engaging and Mary makes you feel for their fate.

There are twists and turns all through out the book that you just don't see coming. When I got the end of the book I was like OMG.

I would recommend this series whole heartedly – Samiha's Song is a vast improvement over Tymon's Flight (Which was a great book as well)

We have signed copies in the store if any one is interested – you should be!!!

Manga

The Power of the Shaman!

Earthquakes. Fires. Floods. Tornados. The elements of Azeroth are out of control, unleashing devastating natural disasters that threaten to tear Azeroth asunder. Muln Earthfury, the shaman leader of the secretive Earthen Ring, attempts to pacify the elements but his pleas fall on deaf ears.

A Match Made in Hell
When the seal for Nora's form is released he becomes Cerberus, the vicious dog of disaster. But Nora can only use magic when Kazuma grants him permission...and Kazuma doesn't grant permission easily. The Dark Liege wants the two to team up and crack down on renegade demon factions in the human world, but how can they do that if they can't even get along?

The Ultimate Fanbook for Bleach

This indispensable guide takes you behind the scenes of the shadowy world of the Soul Reapers! Read all about the illustrious Thirteen Court Guard Companies, study for the grueling entrance examination, get fighting tips from a master, take the personality quiz and much, much more! This book includes 66 pages of full-color manga spun off from the original Bleach.

The Ultimate Fan Guide to Vampire Knight

Can't get enough of Vampire Knight? Delve into the world of your favourite vampires with this official fanbook filled with insider information about the hit series. Includes a Cross Academy student ID card, glossy color pages, character design sketches, storyboards and an exclusive interview with Vampire Knight creator Matsuri Hino!

Get the Inside Scoop on Bleach!

Get the inside scoop on Bleach! This profile books contains extensive information on the characters and story lines from Bleach vols. 1-22. It also includes exclusive stickers, a poster, bonus manga, the original Bleach one shot, and an interview with Tite Kubo! Come explore the world of Bleach!

Ichigo Kurosaki never asked for the ability to see ghosts--he was born with the gift. When his family is attacked by a Hollow--a malevolent lost soul--Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper, dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping the tortured spirits themselves find peace. Find out why Tite Kubo's Bleach has become an international manga smash-hit!

March New Releases

 

Destiny awaits Bianca and Lucas . . .  

Through darkness, the heart will find a way

A mysterious artefact leads Jarrod back to Gaela′s lost south-ern continent where he discovers a sentient being like him-self. Ruthless and extremely dangerous, this other version has captured Janis Richter.Luka Paree and Janis′ daughter, Ruby, are playing a dangerous game with Earth′s dictatorship. They have laid their escape plans, but the hunters are closing in. If ASSIST discovers the portal to Gaela, all is lost ...

Midkemia's fifth and final Riftwar - the devastating Chaoswar - explodes in the opening volume of Raymond E. Feist's spectacular new epic fantasy trilogy of magic, conflict, and world-shattering peril. A Kingdom Besieged is a breathtaking adventure that brings back Pug - first introduced in Feist's classic debut novel, Magician, and now Midkemia's most powerful sorcerer - who faces a major magical cataclysm that forces him to question everything he's ever held as true and dear.including the loyalty of his beloved son Magnus. The Chaoswar promises to be the crowning achievement in the three decades-long career of a New York Times bestselling master fantasist who rules the sword and sorcery universe along with Terry Goodkind, George R. R. Martin, and Terry Brooks.

 CJ Wishart is a hardworking country girl with a heart of gold but a life that can be tough.  Her job as a wool classer is back-breaking, her family life is a disaster and, after a string of dating debacles, she's put men in the too-hard basket.

When strong, handsome Lindsay arrives on the scene as their new shearer, CJ can't help but take notice.  They have an undeniable spark, but can she handle the complications and potential heartbreak of falling in love?

With help from her friend and an endearing old farmer, CJ learns that when you stay true to yourself and open your heart, anything is possible.

Set in the colourful world of the shearing sheds, this is a lively and uniquely Australian story of love overcoming adversity.

The Clifton Chronicles is Jeffrey Archer's most ambitious work in four decades as an international bestselling author.

The epic tale of Harry Clifton's life begins in 1920, with the chilling words, 'I was told that my father was killed in the war'. But it will be another twenty years before Harry discovers how his father really died, which will only lead him to question: who was his father?

Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore who worked in Bristol docks, or the first born son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line?

Only Time will Tell covers the years from 1920 to 1940, and includes a cast of memorable characters that The Times has compared to The Forsyte Saga. Volume one takes us from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Harry must decide whether to take up a place at Oxford, or join the navy and go to war with Hitler's Germany.

Gift Card Update

Just a quick update - at the moment we are'nt accepting any gift vouchers. We advise that our customers hold on to them for a couple of week to see how the wind blows. Sorry for the inconvience caused by this!! There are a few glitches we have to work out and we ask for patience from our customers, but in the long run it will be business as usual.

If you have any enquires about the gift card situation then please call 03 96004922 or 03 92853400

 

Tarran's Character Blog

I will admit to it - I am a writer. I have written a MS and what I have done, is made a blog for my work and characters. If your interested in reading my trials and tribulations, bit and pieces of the novel itself. If you want to give some good advise then come over to Chronicle of the Demon War

REDgroup Angus & Robertson/Borders News

Hi all,

Just a quick update on what everyone has been hearing about the REDgroup going into voluntary administration. We don't really know much at this point in time. I know it is plastered all over the news and all, but we won't know anything for a little bit. Don't fret though, we are open and ready for business. The only thing we can't do at the moment is sell gift cards - though we are redeeming them. 

There has been a lot of controversy about the redeeming of the giftcards at the moment and customer has every right to be upset and angry - but spare a thought for us (staff). We get told absolutely nothing until the very last moment. We are trying to work with our customer's with their vouchers - trying our hardest to make it so they are not charged double the price. It is all up in the air for us - but we are working on things. Read this page if you want to know more



There are a lot of factors as to why things are like this which Bookseller/Publisher Mag has written up here if you would like to go have a look.

Just a few to list are:

• Among the former: no stimulus package payments for Christmas 2010, a strong Australian dollar, overseas online competition (helped slightly by lack of GST on overseas purchases), move by consumers to online purchasing whether driven by price or not
• 2010 was the first year in its 10-year history in Australia that Nielsen BookScan reported a decline in book sales by mainstream retailers
• Anecdotal evidence in the local book industry suggests around 10-15% (possibly more) of book sales to Australian consumers are from overseas online retailers and the current strong Australian dollar and visibility of price differentials mean this proportion is growing
  

All these things hurt us and as we are a independently owned franchise we just can't compete with the supermarket chain stores. They sell their books at below cost and they buy their stock at such low discount that we just can't compete. They have other stock in which they make up the loss of profit by selling books for under the cost price at which WE buy them. As we can't order from overseas as we would like, because there are the laws tying our hands it make it difficult to make money to stay open. 
If we can't stay open then where are you going to get your books from? Online you say - yes you can and probably will go online as it is so much cheaper but think of this when you do buy online, you are not supporting Australia. All your money is going to the US and the UK. 

E-books are a part of our lives now and they are not necessarily the enemy. People who love an E-book generally buy a hard copy of it for their shelves, just like people who download on I tunes - they are more likely to go buy the cd of it as well.  We can deal with E-books and make a place for them in the stones and mortar stores. It is the overseas buying that is killing the book industry.

If book stores go, where are you going to meet your favourite authors? How are you going to have events? How can Australian authors make a break into the Australian market if the Australian publishers are not going to take a risk on them? This not only affects chains such as Angus & Robertson and Borders - it affects ALL the publishers in Australia! Where are they going to showcase the next author like Matthew Reilly, Fiona McIntosh, Monica McInerney, Peter Temple, Peter FitzSimmons? 

Yes the prices are dearer, we all know that. Do you know what your paying for? You are paying for service, your paying for the feeling of being able to talk with people who know their books. I know there are a LOT of book stores out there that are crap and unfriendly, but by people refusing to support their local stores they are shutting down the book stores (like ours) that are worth the time and trouble to come in. We are all feeling the pinch as times become harder, we need to survive as well.

Our store is a family owned franchise, if we fail it won't be our support office that feels it. It will be the two individuals that poured their savings into buying the store. We can't price match as we simply can NOT afford to, not because we don't want to. 

So we will weather this storm and see how it turns out. If there is any more info we will post it up on facebook, twitter or the blog. For now we are open and ready for business as usual - we will see you in store!!

'Angel by L A Weatherly' Review by Tamara

Angel has to be one of the most creative books i have read for a while. L A Weatherly has put a twist on what we know and think about angels. Most people consider angels to be angelic peace bringers, but in the new book Angel they are considered a menace and need to be disposed of fast, why, because the angels cause disease and in the long run death by feeding from humans auraus. Once you have been "Touched" by and angel, you are never the same. This book is well worth reading, and once you start you are hooked!

Mem Fox Signing Tomorrow

Mem Fox

Will be signing copies of all her books including Possum Magic, Where is the Green Sheep & Let's Count Goats.

At Angus & Robertson Edwardstown
On Friday 18th February at 12.00 noon

Voyager giveaway

If you head over to the VoyagerOnline blog they are giving away a copy of Paul Garrety's 'The Seventh Wave'

Win a copy of this book!

Take a thief, a witch and a journo.

Then … strange things happen.

Especially to Callum who, after breaking into a house is caught up in a terrifying occult world. He soon finds himself charged with protecting an ancient artifact from a deadly army of assassins, vampires and sorcerous Robes who are all desperate to recover it. Callum must work out who he can trust in a world he no longer recognizes.

There can only be one winner. And if Callum loses, so do we all.

For your chance to win one of ten copies of The Seventh Wave tell us in 25 words or less:

If one ancient artifact could ‘find’ its way into your possession – what would it be and why?

Leave a comment to enter. The competition is only open to Australian residents, but we'd still love to hear from you if you live elsewhere. Competition ends at 5pm on Friday 25 February. We'll post the winner's name and entry on the blog.

Finding Destiny - Jean Johnson

Four brand-new novellas, from the national bestselling author of the Sons of Destiny series.

The slave...Chanson, a privileged Arbran dyara, discovers an unexpected connection with the excitingly different Eduor, a bracingly sexy war-slave who desires his freedom.

The knight...The Arbran diplomat Sir Zeilas must turn the Guildaran people from former enemies into allies. But in the case of their intriguingly beautiful leader, perhaps something more intimate is in order.

The mage...Gabria never expected to become a Guildaran envoy to Aurul. But the most stunning surprise was what waited for her in His Majesty's winter palace-and why.

The pirate...Captain Ellett would do anything for his king-even hunt down the pirates plaguing the Jenodan Isles. But he never counted on the seductive powers of the pirate's captain-beautiful, tempestuous, and impossible to resist.