Galdoni by Cheree Alsop: Book Review + Giveaway

Title: Galdoni
Author: Cheree Alsop
Publisher: CreateSpace
Date Released: December 2011
Genre: YA/Paranormal/Dystopian
Received from the author for review.

"This is the Arena, and here we live to die." These are the words carved into a holding cell where genetically-altered gladiators, the winged humans called Galdoni, are trained to fight. Kale, rescued by three high school students and nursed back from the brink of death, is given the chance to experience life as a human. When he is captured, he has to use what he learned in the world outside the Academy in order to free the other Galdoni and return to the human girl that he loves.

Review

You guys! This book was fantastic! I had seen Cheree Alsop's name around the blogosphere but I didn't know anything about her books. I hate to admit it but I'm a total follower and usually lean more towards mainstream books instead of indies. But this book took me by complete surprise!

Right away, there were a number of things that really impressed me about this book. First off, don't you just adore the cover?! It's beautiful and fits the book wonderfully.

The second thing that I really liked was that this book had a male protagonist. My husband complains all the time that the YA books I recommend to him have female leads. It was so refreshing to have a male voice. And it suited the theme of the book so well because men can relate better to issues dealing with violence.

One of the reasons I don't read many indie books is due to formatting and grammatical errors. Many of these books are written hastily and not carefully edited. As a technical writer myself, little mistakes that other readers might not even notice drive me crazy! However, this was definitely not the case with Galdoni. There were few, if any, grammatical errors, the formatting was good, and it was well written.

This book had all the genres that I love included in it: paranormal, dystopian, and romance. How could you go wrong with that?! The society and government reminded me a little of The Hunger Games but with a unique twist to it. And I liked the subtle touch of romance which added to the story but did not overpower it.

I was so impressed with Galdoni that I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fresh voice in YA. I can't wait for the sequel and will definitely be checking out Cheree's other books!

(Quick side note for all my LDS readers. Check out this quote from the book: "It is better that one man perish than a whole nation dwindle in unbelief." Recognize it?!)

                                   About the Author

Cheree Alsop is the mother of a beautiful, talented daughter and two amazing twin sons who fill every day with light and laughter. She married her best friend, Michael, who changes lives each day in his Chiropractic clinic. Cheree is currently working as a free-lance writer and mother. She enjoys reading, riding her Ninja motorcycle on warm nights, and rocking her twins while planning her next book. She is also an aspiring drummer and bass player for her husband's garage band.

Cheree and Michael live in Utah where they rock out, enjoy the outdoors, plan great adventures, and never stop dreaming.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway

Cheree has very kindly offered to giveaway 4, yes 4, ebook copies of Galdoni to 4 very lucky readers (trust me, you really want this book!)

To enter the giveaway, fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

• Open from May 6 to June 1.
• You must be 13+ years of age to enter.
• International entrants welcome!

Earn entries by doing any/all of the following:

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• Leave a blog comment for Cheree.
• Fan Cheree on Goodreads
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• Tweet about the giveaway

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Purchase the Book

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