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Book Review + Giveaway – AMENDS (Diana Hawthorne Supernatural Mysteries) by Carissa Andrews

by thhernandez | Jul 30, 2021 | Adult, Blog Tours, Books, Giveaway, Kindle Unlimited, Movies, Paranormal, Reviews, Romance

Welcome to the blog tour for AMENDS, the second book in the adult urban fantasy/mystery series, Diana Hawthorne Supernatural Mysteries, by Carissa Andrews. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, my review, and details on her giveaway.

AMENDS, the second book in the adult urban fantasy/mystery series, Diana Hawthorne Supernatural Mysteries, by Carissa Andrews

AMENDS (Diana Hawthorne Supernatural Mysteries #2) by Carissa Andrews

Synopsis
For as psychic as she is, shit goes sideways far too often around Diana Hawthorne.

Diana now has everything she ever wanted–her memories, and the soul mate she didn’t realize she was missing. There’s just one problem… the old gods expect her to make amends for her absence. And her work starts now.

But time lost at the oracle isn’t the only thing she has to atone for. Her friend Demetri was stripped of his powers–and it was all her fault. If she could just set things right, she’d feel a whole lot better about moving forward. Unfortunately, Demetri wants nothing to do with her and knows exactly how to keep her out of his head.

To make matters worse, in the age of social media, Diana’s abilities have gone viral. People from all over the world are clambering to get on her books. One case, in particular, hits her radar and despite herself, she can’t shake it. A 14-year-old boy is wrapped up with a deadly governmental agency and he’s scared to death. And he should be–they want to weaponize his power.

Torn between what was and what is, Diana struggles to fully embrace who she’s becoming. Will she be able to help Demitri and make things right? Or will her new role mean leaving the past behind?

Calling fans of KF Breene, Shannon Mayer, and Shayne Silvers! If you like snarky-fun humor, gripping supernatural scenes, and twists that leave you spellbound — then you will LOVE Carissa Andrews’ world built especially for Diana Hawthorne.

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My Review
She’s baaaack! Diana Hawthorne from ORACLE returns with a whole new host of problems. If you haven’t read ORACLE yet, be aware there are mild spoilers head for book 1. Our favorite psychic/goddess is back, along with the rest of the cast, with a new mission — fix the problem she created for Demitri, and oh yeah, make amends for her past. Now that Diana finally knows who she is (the big question in book 1), with Blake by her side again, just as annoying and steamy as before, she has her work cut out for her. While Diana attempted to live in the past before, she’s now thrust into the twenty-first century with a vengeance she cannot ignore, which only complicates what she needs to do.

AMENDS picks up right after where the first one ends. This time, Diana will be forced to choose between her two worlds or find a better way to straddle them, all while still carrying a heavy dose of guilt over Demetri’s loss of powers she fully blames herself for.

Plot
As with book 1, AMENDS has an intense plot with solid subplots, including ones that span at least two books and definitely a third. Andrews does a stellar job with plotting, weaving the pieces together brilliantly. She ups the stakes this time, which was hard to do, considering we were dealing with a child sex-trafficking ring in book 1, but she manages to pull it off, generating another unputdownable page-turner.

Characters
Once again, the characters are complex and fun. Bringing in new characters, like the curmudgeonly Kyros, who is the oil to Ren’s water, along with favorites from Greek mythology, including Apollo. The “will they or won’t they” between Diana and Blake is only further intensified, making this even more delicious. Especially since they now both have the added insights of who they each other truly is.

What I Enjoyed About AMENDS
1. Greek Mythology. I absolutely love this part of the book. The author incorporates the mythology with expertise, that only adds to the story.

2. Diana. She really grew on me over the course of ORACLE, so by the time I started AMENDS, I already loved her. She’s more her than ever, now that she has her memories back.

3. Blake. The man with the perfect ass is less of a mystery, making him much more fascinating.

4. Kyros/Ren. The battle of the assistants is worth the price of admission alone!

5. Psychic Powers. I’ve always been fascinated by this particular trope, and the author does a great job of brining the supernatural to the modern world without making things too easy for Diana and crew.

Bottom Line
Better than the first, AMENDS is a wild page turner with a fantastic cast.

Disclaimer
I was provided with a copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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About the Book – Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited
Title: AMENDS
Series: Diana Hawthorne Supernatural Mysteries #2
Authors: Carissa Andrews
Release Date: July 23, 2021
Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy/Mystery
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Amazon DE | Amazon IT | Amazon FR

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Get Caught Up on the Series

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Author Carissa Andrews

About the Author
“An author emerges from the depths of Minnesotan waters. Sci-fi/Fantasy is my pen of choice.”

Carissa Andrews is a Minnesota-based genre-bending author who writes a combination of science fiction, fantasy, and dystopia. When not writing her own books, she’s busy reading them. Carissa’s internationally bestselling trilogy, The Pendomus Chronicles, is now in digital, print, and audiobook formats. She has hit the scene as an up and coming speculative fiction author who uses a mix of scifi and fantasy, twisted in modern mythology and alternative history. Check out The Final Five, Oracle, Awakening, and Love is a Merciless God!

Carissa has big plans for 2020. Check out her upcoming series, The Windhaven Witches. For more information on their release, visit Carissa Andrews’ author website: www.carissaandrews.com and sign up for her newsletter notifications. She lives in central Minnesota with her husband and brood of five kids. Not to mention, her insane husky puppies, Aztec and Pharaoh.

Carissa is also a freelance graphic designer, writer and content creator, social media manager, and marketing professional. She writes consistently on topics of science, technology, art, writing, photography, graphic design, health, self-improvement, and more. Her articles can be found published across the interwebs. Carissa is also a Top-Rated Freelancer on Upwork, and can be contacted for freelancing opportunities: http://bit.ly/UpworkCarissaAndrews.

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Giveaway
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Movie Review – If I Stay, Based on the YA Novel by Gayle Forman

by thhernandez | Sep 13, 2014 | Movies, Reviews

If I Stay (Movie)

Synopsis
Just listen, Adam says with a voice that sounds like shrapnel.

I open my eyes wide now.
I sit up as much as I can.
And I listen.

Stay, he says.

Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones: Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind?

Then one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it’s the only one that matters.

If I Stay is a heartachingly beautiful story about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make. Based on the book by the same name by Gayle Forman, the movie stars Chloë Grace Moretz and Jamie Blackley.

My Review
I went to see this movie not having read the book first, something I almost never do. But when my 14-year-old daughter begged me to take her, and my ever-growing list of ARCs prevented me from getting to it anytime in the next few weeks, I decided to break with tradition. Afterall, it’s impossible for a movie to disappoint me by not being true enough to the book when I haven’t read the book. And since that keeps happening, I figured this might even be a welcome change. I ended up loving it. I thought it was beautifully filmed, the acting was great, the story is moving, and soundtrack is simply amazing.

Story
Because I haven’t read the book, I don’t know how true the movie is to Gayle Forman’s story, but what I saw on screen was wonderful. The dialogue was witty, the chemistry between the characters felt really authentic, and the telling of the story through flashbacks was well done. All I knew of the story was what I’d seen in a trailer on TV. But because I know there’s a second book in this series, I had a pretty good idea Mia would survive the car accident. What I didn’t know was how or why. I love the way it all unfolds through flashback with bits of Chloe in an out-of-body existence woven in as she struggles with incredible loss and intense longing. Living feels like a bigger chore than giving up as her family and friends beg her to come back via bedside vigil.

Characters
I’m dying to read the book now because the characters are so strong, and I want to see how close they come to the characters created by the author. I loved the way Chloe Grace Moretz portrays Mia, the teen cellist with dreams of Juilliard who falls in love with rocker, Adam. Speaking of Adam, Jamie Blackley is phenomenal as the boy who seems to have it all and is still believably insecure when it comes to the girl he loves. I couldn’t help but feel for Adam when Mia tells him she got an audition for Julliard, knowing the school is on the opposite side of the country. But I also pulled for Mia because, well, it’s freaking Julliard. And that age, do you really make choices about your future based on teen love? What they feel for each other is so real, the angst comes across so vividly on screen.

Music
The soundtrack is awesome. From classical music to 90s grunge, and modern indie, it fits the whole symphony meets PNW music scene vibe. With music by Beck, Sonic Youth and the movie’s fictional Willamette Stone, there is a little bit of something for everyone.

Acting
The acting was just flat-out incredible. I never once questioned that these characters were who they presented themselves to be. The actors so thoroughly immersed themselves in their characters, I got lost in the story as the acting itself faded into the background.

Bottom Line
I thoroughly enjoyed If I Stay. I thought it was emotional, beautifully acted, gorgeously filmed, and has a fantastic soundtrack. If the movie is any indication, I’m going to love the book.

Title: If I Stay
Screenplay: Shauna Cross
Based On: If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Director: R.J. Cutler
Producers: Denise Di Novi and Alison Greenspan
Cinematography: John de Borman
Music: Heitor Pereira
Release Date: August 22, 2014
Link: IMDb | Movie Site | Trailer

Book Review + Giveaway – AMENDS (Diana Hawthorne Supernatural Mysteries) by Carissa Andrews

Movie Review – If I Stay, Based on the YA Novel by Gayle Forman

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