Thursday, April 25, 2013

*REVIEW* Forged By Greed by Angela Orlowski-Peart

Title: Forged By Greed 
Author: Angela Orlowski-Peart
Series: Forged (#1)
Pages: 420
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: paranormal/urban fantasy romantic thriller
Release Date: September 20th, 2012
Publisher: Three Graces Publishing
Source Of Copy/Format: (Goodreads Group) We ♥ YA Books- ARR Program/ E-book
Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Nobles 
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
Two Seattle 16-year-olds, Jatred and Jasmira, are not your typical star-crossed lovers. They are not even your typical Shape Shifters. Sure, they try to live an ordinary life. At least, as ordinary as the Prince and the Princess of the rivaling ancient Races--the Winter wolves and the Summer leopards--can live. But eventually they learn that not much about their existence can be normal. Especially when the Races' two commanding Goddesses are involved.

One of the Goddesses is on a quest to tilt the scale of power to her side. The other will never let it happen, even if it means kicking Jatred and Jasmira's love to the curb. Nothing is off limits, including removing Jatred's memories of Jasmira.

To complicate things even more, there are the Universe's powers to consider. They are trapped in an ancient Amulet in order to protect the stability of the world. But the Universe has a mind of its own, and when the powers are unleashed, the forces of nature are disturbed; earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions shake the Earth. All Shifters of both Races are summoned by their respective Goddesses to fight in the name of, or against, the normalcy of the world.
My Review



I entered a Forged by Greed giveaway a few months ago, and was lucky to receive a handwritten copy of Jasmira's poem for Jatred from the author. Jasmira’s love radiates from the poem, while leaving behind a hint of sorrow. I wanted to read more about their story, find out the reason for the poem. I needed to know what caused the sadness hidden within the words. I wanted to get to know Jasmira and Jatred and experience their love. Thankfully, a few months later I had the chance to read the novel and I am happy to say that it lived up to my expectations.  

Writing Style:
The three different worlds the author created in this novel were absolutely mind-blowing! I love when I can physically feel the emotions that the characters experience and appreciate their world. Forged by Greed, takes that experience to a whole new level because of how realistic everything becomes. It is evident that a lot of time was put into the creation of the worlds because each is vastly unique. I was able to visualize the beauty of the Summer and Winter realms, I literally felt them come to life. I could hear the voices of each character clearly and felt every emotion they had. If they laughed, I laughed along with them. If they cried, I shed tears too. If they felt scared, I was terrified as well. Every situation they faced… I felt like I stood beside them, like I was part of the team.

My Opinion:
I loved everything about this book! The romance gripped my heart. The plot twists had me on the edge of my seat. Trust me when I say, this book will keep you guessing right until the very end. 

My favorite part of this book was the paranormal aspect. This book had wolf and panther shifters. It also included Goddesses, other realms, ancient spirits, and even natural disasters.  What I enjoyed most was the history of each of the races and how many details were revealed about both. I liked learning about deities from many cultures and how they interweaved with each Goddess. I could read an entire book just about the culture, traditions, and lore of each race. 

The romance in this book plays a very important role. Everything that happens in this novel is because of the love Jasmira and Jatred share. Much like the many other love stories, their love is forbidden. This love story becomes complicated when Jatred’s memories of Jasmira are erased. Their beautiful relationship is torn apart due to trickery but we all know that love had no boundaries. Can their love be saved? The ending brings hope, but who knows what will happen in the next book. I guess you will have to read it, just like I plan to.




 I thought I would share the poem that convinced me to read Forged by Greed:

 Jasmira's poem
 But if you fall
I will be there
To pick the pieces of your shattered soul
And put them back to together
I will solder them into a whole
With the heat of my love
I will stay. I will hold the time still.

About the Author
Angela Orlowski-Peart was born and raised in Poland. She describes herself as European born, American by choice. She was just seven-years-old when she decided to learn English and translate her favorite Polish fairytales. 

Angela writes in multiple genres, including paranormal, fantasy, urban fiction, sci-fi, and short stories. She is a member of Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Western Washington Chapter (http://www.scbwi.org), and several authors' and readers' networking groups on Facebook, Linkedin, and Goodreads.

Angela loves reading good books almost as much as writing them. She can’t decide which is her favorite season—summer or fall. She speaks with Polish accent, but loves listening to the Southern drawl.



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