Mystic ~ Melody by Jo Michaels (4.5 stars)

About Mystic ~ Melody

Title: Mystic ~ Melody (book four)
Author: Jo Michaels
Genre: New Adult Paranormal
Length: 120 printed pages
Amazon (Kindle): $3.99
Paperback: $8.99

Melody Acworth sounds like an angel. If she's not careful, she'll become one soon. Enrolled in singing lessons at age seven, she took to the stage and began to get fan letters. Some were good, some were detrimental to her psyche.

When Melody sees magazines laden with beautiful girls, she begins to look at herself in the mirror and think she should look more like them. Her mind takes the cruel letters to a dark place and she stops eating altogether. Before long, she's in the clutches of death.

By the time Markaza, a mystic with purple hair and tattoos, shows up, Melody's on her last legs. It's either eat or die. Markaza works furiously to try and repair the mental damage done so she can get Melody to New York; where she must learn to use a power hidden deep within herself to save the world.

They're running out of time. As December 21, 2012 approaches at an alarming rate, Markaza's visions turn dark and foreboding. The creature grows stronger every day. Soon it will rise and destroy mankind unless all six women band together to fight it.

Melody must be saved or the world will be destroyed.

To read an excerpt, please visit here.

Review

Melody is young and talented, but her insecurities come to a head after she receives a cruel letter about her weight. Alone and devastated, she takes matters into her own hands and decides to control--she stops eating. Soon she's spiraling toward a life or death situation.

Markaza, thanks to some disturbing visions, knows she only has a short time to make a difference in Melody's life. Not just because Markaza wants to save Melody, but because many lives depend on Melody joining forces with some other amazing ladies. Ultimately, the whole world is depending on Melody and the other women Markaza is gathering against a very real evil.

First, I must admit this was the first book I've read in the Mystic series. Yet, I jumped right in and enjoyed the story and can't wait to go back and read the first three and all future installments. Melody is a damaged character, but she joins forces with some other ladies who are fighting their own demons. Each of them is finding a way to tap into their own strength. Women power!

Eating disorders are a timeless and cruel part of teenage life. It's a devastating illness, and the author does not shy away from telling a realistic tale of a young woman in its grips.

If you love a story centered around strong female characters, Mystic ~ Melody definitely fits the bill.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Giveaways

First, there's a giveaway for four printed, signed copies going on over at Goodreads. Information:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Melody

by Jo Michaels

Giveaway ends October 01, 2013.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

And I'm thrilled to be running my own giveaway of this amazing book. Enter to win a paperback or Kindle copy of Mystic ~ Melody. Open to US residents only.

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About Jo Michaels
(from Jo's Amazon Author Page)

Jo Michaels is a writer who's really had a taste of life. She's lived in Louisiana, Tennessee, and Georgia; but visited states from coast to coast. Michaels, a high-school dropout, put herself through college while her husband was deployed to Iraq and still managed to come out on the other side with all five of her children still breathing. On top of that wondrous feat, she managed to graduate Summa Cum Laude. After her fourteen year marriage ended cataclysmically, she took to the keys to fulfill her dream of becoming a writer. Using the degree she obtained in school, Jo set out with tools in her belt not many writers possess: a strong design eye, the skills necessary to format her books, and the ability to use her artistic talents to create stunning covers.

Now, Michaels writes full-time in her garage while imbibing copious amounts of coffee to keep her motor running from son up to son down (and daughter, too). Her inspiration for her books comes from relationships, life, friends, passion, and her own incredible imagination. A fight for achieving her dream (along with her super duper boyfriend) is what drags her out of bed every morning to do what she does best: spin tales laced with high-octane emotion for readers worldwide.

You can find out more about Jo on Twitter, her website, her blog, and Facebook. Also, find out more about her indie author services at Indie Books Gone Wild.

Note: Although I have high respect and a great working relationship with Jo and did receive an ARC, she did not force me to say nice things about her or her books. All opinions are my own. You can ask my husband if you think I'm easily influenced. *smiles*