What they find on Jarr-Wya is an island tortured by a wicked Star anchored in the sea, and a raging three-way battle for dominion between the stone-wielding Bangols, the fiery Olearons, and the evil Millia sands. Ella’s wit and resourcefulness emerge in this new world, while Tessa is forced to confront her long-buried secrets and a confusing new love triangle. When Ella is captured, Tessa and Archie―with the help of a company of peculiar allies―set out to save her and unravel the terrible mystery of her cure. A mesmerizing, stay-up-all-night adventure of three unlikely heroes, Above the Star reminds us that even the smallest act of bravery can transform our lives and the fates of the worlds around us.

Cancer-ridden Ella celebrates her fifteenth birthday beneath an enchanted mountain, but it is what lies even farther below―the mysterious Star in the sea―that demands she grow up quickly. While Ella grapples with the sacrifice she must make and the lies she is forced to tell, her mother, Tessa, is hell-bent on protecting her.

Through bizarre encounters, love-sick Tessa realizes that she is not the lonely orphan she believes. Her husband, Arden, and father-in-law, Archie, are not the only ones with magical bloodlines. This revelation changes everything. As Archie chooses to embody his unexpected ancestry, he learns that leading the charge in the ultimate battle against evil won’t be as easy as he thought. He’ll need his family―and the strange allies he has gained―by his side to give Ella enough time to set things right.

Can they defeat the unstoppable Millia sands―and another unexpected foe―before everything they hold dear is destroyed? Or will their adventure tear them apart for good? The finale to The 8th Island Trilogy will hold you spellbound until the final page, and long after.

Chute’s bestselling memoir, Expecting Sunshine: A Journey of Grief, Healing and Pregnancy After Loss, was a top Kirkus title of 2017 and received a plethora of other literary distinctions. The memoir was accompanied by the feature documentary of the same name, which has screened internationally for the last three years. Chute received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art and Design from the University of Alberta, Canada, and studied at Media Design school in Auckland, New Zealand. She graduated valedictorian with her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, USA. 

Ends Aug 17, 2020

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I decided to read The Perfect Tear by Connie Lansberg. The fact that it was a fairytale/fantasy mix intrigued me. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly I became immersed in the story and loved Eleanor and her family. The story begins with a science fiction setting as we are introduced to Tsera's world, a powerful other world that functions with music and sound and seems to be above the earth.

The story then shifts to a medieval setting and we come to know Eleanor as a child. She is a lovely little girl who is kind and loves animals, and she has inherited the gift of her mother who is a Singer. This gift allows Eleanor's singing to bring life to the vegetation and to make things grow. But tragedy strikes when her mother dies and her father must leave her with the nuns. Little does Eleanor know that the Earth is slowly being destroyed by Lerion, a being from Tsera's world who is intent on taking Tsera's place. When she turns sixteen Eleanor is the special Singer who is entrusted to find The Perfect Tear so that she can save her world.

When Eleanor embarks on her search there is yet another shift and this time the setting is like an adventure that made me think of Alice in Wonderland. From otherworld beings that travel in light orbs to princes and castles and finally to giant caterpillars, a dragon with copious tears and foul smelling rodents, Eleanor has quite the journey before she makes a beautiful discovery. I was touched by the ending that actually brought tears to my eyes!

I enjoyed the medieval setting the best because I love historical fiction. The shift in settings made it seem like I was reading different stories within the same book at times. I have to say that although I loved the musical theme in the story, I did not understand why Tsera considered it a game and allowed a being from her world to wreak havoc and destruction to Earth with little accountability. Lerion did learn a lesson but not before callously destroying whole villages in his quest to beat Tsera. I did not understand this, nor did I understand their world. It was too vague. The world building of Tsera's world was insufficient for me.

Despite this, I was impressed with the author's storytelling. Her ability to create unique characters and take them on a grand adventure was well done. This book held my attention throughout and I enjoyed it. For readers who like mixed genres and want to read something different, The Perfect Tear is it. The ending is good and opens the way for a possible sequel.

To read more reviews, please visit Connie Lansberg's page on iRead Book Tours.

Disclosure: Thanks to the author for sending me this book for review. I was not told how to rate or review this product.

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Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

The first thing that caught my eye about this novel is the book cover. I love whales. The deep blue of the ocean and the evening starry sky is so beckoning. What great imagery. I thought it perfect for this story as it made me wonder about the connection of the whales to "the question" and to the fact that this book is labelled a thriller.

Nate Heartnell, a Navy-trained man and former football star is now Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies. He has the job of creating and controlling the disaster scenarios aboard a mock submarine. In this way, he and his team could study and assess how humans resolve complex questions. This led him to discover the brain's unique capacity to solve or answer a question when looking into the eyes of another person.

When this UNITY concept is further explored with amazing results, the President of the USA gets involved and so does the world, both in a good and terrible way. There are those who think this is an amazing discovery and those who take an extremist view. When Nate and his team set out to question if God exists, things go wrong. And a terrorist act ensues.  

Disclosure: Thanks to the author for sending me this book for review. I was not told how to rate or review this product. To read more reviews, please visit R. Breuer Stearn's page on iRead Book Tours.





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