Review: Shades of Doon (Doon #3) by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon



Author:  Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon 
23433222Publisher: Blink
Publication Date: September 1st 2015
Source: ebook (given by Netgalley)
Rate:




Summary:

After cheating death, Veronica Welling is determined to savor every moment in her idyllic kingdom with both her true love and best friend by her side at last. At the same time, Mackenna Reid is enthusiastically building her new life and a theater with her prince. But just as their dreams of happiness are within reach, the world Vee and Kenna have chosen is ripped away, leaving them to face their most horrific challenge yet—their old lives.
Thrust out of Doon, the best friends are confronted with tormentors from their past and no way to return to their adopted land. When the MacCrae brothers rush to their rescue, the girls' situation turns from nightmare to modern-day fairy tale. But their happiness could be short lived: unbeknownst to them, someone in their closest circle is aiding the witch of Doon in her bid to destroy the kingdom once and for all.

Review: Destined for Doon (Doon #2) by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon




Author: Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon

18866743
Publisher: Blink
Publication Date: September 2nd 2014
Source: ebook (purchased)
Rate:



Summary:

The second book in the popular new Doon YA series that takes on a classic story, Brigadoon, and spins it in a new way to give readers a fresh, modern experience.
In this sequel to Doon, Kenna Reid realizes she made a horrible mistake-choosing to follow her dreams of Broadway instead of staying in the enchanted land of Doon. Worse, she's received proof she and Duncan are meant to be, along with torturous visions of the prince she left behind. So when Duncan shows up and informs Kenna that Doon needs her, she doesn't need to think twice. But even if Kenna can save the enchanted kingdom, her happily ever after may still be in peril.

Beautiful Places and Beautiful Stories #1: Mafra's National Palace

Hey guys! Today I'm here with a different kind of post and this as taken me a very long time to put together, so I really hope you enjoy it.
As you may know by now, I'm Portuguese and I've been studying a book by the Nobel award winner José Saramago, called Memorial do Convento, in English Baltasar and Blimunda and, because of that, I had a very fun field trip to Mafra's National Palace and the Basilica (all in one building).
I'll start by telling you a bit of the convent\palace history:
The palace, which also served as a Franciscan monastery, was built during the reign of King John V of Portugal (1707–1750), as consequence of a vow the king made in 1711, to build a convent if his wife, Queen Mary Anne of Austria, gave him offspring. The birth of his first daughter, princess Barbara of Braganza, prompted construction of the palace to begin. The palace was conveniently located near royal hunting preserves, and was usually a secondary residence for the royal family.
This vast complex is among the most sumptuous Baroque buildings in Portugal and at 40,000 m², one of the largest royal palaces. Designed by the German architect João Frederico Ludovice, the palace was built symmetrically from a central axis, occupied by the basilica, and continues lengthwise through the main façade until two major towers. The structures of the convent are located behind the main façade. The building also includes a major library, with about 40,000 rare books. The basilica is decorated with several Italian statues and includes six historical pipe organs and two carillons, composed of 92 bells. - Wikipedia
The beautiful thing Saramago did was to take this building's history and then writing a story that commemorates the People's memory. I wrote people with a capital P because what Saramago wanted was to talk about the lives of those who suffered in order to build a magnificent piece of architecture: they were taken from their homes, they were famished and sick and their names are not written in history books. He wanted to honour those who were forgotten.



Walking through this place is like entering a completely different world where beauty and attention to detail reign and where you can feel like you're a faerie in an enchanted garden full of magic. Every statue, every stone carving and every window is strategically placed so it amplifies the grandiosity of the place in general, I really don't think my camera made it justice.




One of my favourite parts of the visit was the basilica! You can almost taste the material's richness and the explosion of sensations: you feel small, you feel grand, it's very dark, it's very illuminated...



When I exited the basilica we went for a quick walk through the palace and I have to admit that I learned so many fun curiosities and we joked a lot about the really long corridors the king had to walk in order to get to the queen's chambers!









I have to admit that the real highlight of the visit was the library! It has over 40.000 volumes and it was founded and looked after by the friars that lived in the convent. It's a work of art on itself.
One very curious peculiar fact this library has it's the special guardians that inhabit within it: the bats. The friars founded a bat colony within the library so they can help preserve the books by eating bugs and other things, they do not even stain the books!



I hoped you liked this post! Tell me what you thought!

My Kindle Shelves #2

Hello, my lovely readers! Today I bring you a list of some books that I've added to my Kindle. I have a really peculiar taste in books and these are just a little sample of the books I think I'll like, even though some of them are experiences (I don't really know if I'll like them).
Give me your opinion in the comments!


Bound by Prophecy (Descendants Series Book 1) Kindle Edition by Melissa Wright

Aern's only job is to protect the chosen. The trouble is, she's the key to a prophecy and everyone wants her. Hiding a girl in the center of a secret war is tricky business, but when her sister shows up to take Aern hostage, all bets are off.
A slim brunette in borrowed jeans should be the least of his problems, but there's something about Emily he just can't put to rights. And it's not her penchant for using hand tools as weapons or the fact that she seems immune to his sway.
Everything about her screams run. But when he discovers she's working toward her own prophecy, he's got no choice but to keep her safe. It might have been easy, if she didn't think she was the chosen's protector. When the opposition descends, their only hope is to stick together, but the truth unravels, and together might prove the biggest complication of them all.


Bound by Duty (Bound Series Book 1) Kindle Edition by Stormy Smith
Amelia grew up in a world of half-truths. She knows she's an Elder, but has no idea what that means. Her father reminds her daily that she must maintain control, but he refuses to explain why. Even worse, she's betrothed to the prince of the Immortals and doesn't even know his name.
Finally breaking free to live a few normal years at a community college, the last thing Amelia expects is to find her best friend in a cheeky southern girl, or fall for a self-assured human who sees her for who she is, not what she will become.
As she learns more about herself, Amelia realizes the line between love and duty is a thin one. As her power continues to increase exponentially and her questions are slowly answered, Amelia must make the ultimate choice. The question is, will her head win the battle, or her heart?


Love Beyond Time: Book 1 (Morna's Legacy Series) by Bethany Claire

It began nearly four hundred years ago. The Conall clan and all their people were murdered in a surprise attack, their beloved castle and all evidence of who destroyed them burned to the ground with their bodies. In the centuries following, archaeologists searched through the ruins looking for any evidence of what or who had caused the untimely demise of such a powerful Scottish clan. All efforts were fruitless, until a spell put in place by an ancient Conall ancestor finally began to work its magic...
Texas kindergarten teacher, Brielle Montgomery, finds comfort in the mundane routines of her life, but when her archaeologist mother asks her to accompany her on a dig in Scotland, she decides to step out of her comfort zone. Once in Scotland, they discover a secret spell room below the castle ruins, and Bri finds herself transported back in time and suddenly married to the castle's ill-fated Laird. Now, she must work to change the fate of his people, all while trying to find a way to return to her home and century. But with each passing day, Bri finds herself falling more deeply in love with her new husband. If she can find a spell to bring her home, will she use it? And if she stays, will it ultimately mean her own death as well?


Daughter of Time (The After Cilmeri Series) by Sarah Woodbury

A medieval man with an uncertain destiny, Llywelyn, the Prince of Wales, faces treachery and deceit at the hands of friends and foes alike ...
A modern woman with a troubled past, Meg's life is in tatters when she slips through time and into medieval Wales ...
Only by working together can Meg and Llywelyn navigate the shifting allegiances that threaten the very existence of Wales--and create their own history that defies the laws of time.

Orison by Brandon Gray
Shunned by the other dryads, Aurianna lives unloved and alone. When a beautiful human named Branson King crashes into a tree and kills her grandmother, the dryads force Aurianna to take an oath that she will find and kill Branson—or die herself. But instead of finding a hardened human heart, Aurianna discovers friendship, affection, and sparks of passion—along with a deadly secret. As her relationship with Branson grows, Aurianna is confronted with a harsh reality: in order to live, she must kill the only person that might ever love her.