Review: Wander Dust by Michelle Warren

Wander Dust

Michelle Warren

Published: November 3rd, 2011 by Kristine Michelle Preast

Ever since her sixteenth birthday, strange things keep happening to Seraphina Parrish.

The Lady in Black... burns Sera's memories.

Unexplainable Premonitions... catapult her to other cities.

The Grungy Gang... wants to kill her.

And a beautiful, mysterious boy... stalks her.

But when Sera moves to Chicago, and her aunt reveals their family connection to a centuries old, secret society, she is immediately thrust into an unbelievable fantasy world, leading her on a quest to unravel the mysteries that plague her. In the end, their meanings crash into an epic struggle of loyalty and betrayal, and she'll be forced to choose between the boy who has stolen her heart and the thing she desires most.

Wander Dust is a breathtaking fantasy that will catapult you through a story of time, adventure, and love. (Goodreads)

I...I am having serious problems, here. I don't know what to do. All the awesome is screwing me up. I want this in a physical copy it is SO GOOD. And I'm troubled because I don't know if I want to order Wander Dust and Protecting Truth in paperback copies and just wait for the next one, or if I should download the sequel and just get right into it. This will plague me all night, I'm sure. 

Anyway, no one cares about my personal dilemma, do they? They want to know my opinion on this amazing book right here. Well, I will tell you.

Wander Dust by Michelle Warren is one of the first books Mel told me I absolutely HAD to read. It is one of her favorites, and, like a current favorite of mine, she told me several times I needed to read it so she could fangirl to somebody. I'm a little slow in my readings, unfortunately, so I hadn't gotten to it. But when Michelle was looking for reviewers, Mel actually TEXTED ME and told me this was something I must jump at. And I did. And Mel? *hugs* THANK YOU!

This book is filled with drama and suspense, with a fierce and funny main character that never whined or annoyed me. Not ONCE. Ha! *happy-dance* Sera, I think, handles things surprisingly well, while keeping it realistic. She didn't automatically believe it, nor did she protest and protest until 50% of the population was dead. She has got to be one of my favorite characters. And don't get me started on Bishop. Really. Don't. I don't think you have enough time to listen to me ramble about him, I really don't.

Wander Dust doesn't have a dull or boring moment. I tore through the book the entire way through, and now, as said above, I'm having a problem... *sigh*

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast, entertaining and hilarious read! Warren is genius!

My Rating:

Michelle Warren is the author of Wander Dust, the first book in The Seraphina Parrish Trilogy. She didn't travel the road to writer immediately. First, she spent over a decade as a professional illustrator and designer. Her artistic creativity combined with her love of science fiction, paranormal, and fantasy led her to write her first YA novel. Michelle loves reading and traveling to places that inspire her to create. She resides in Maryland, in a historic Baltimore row-home, with her wonderful husband.

Find Michelle:

Facebook

Goodreads

Website

Author Appreciation Day 9:The Marvelously Multi-Talented Michelle Warren!

Today we are going to talk about why I adore Michelle Warren, author of Wander Dust (Book 1 in the Seraphina Parrish trilogy). Did you know she designed that beautiful cover? I love it. I love the book as well & she's pretty fabulous, too.

Michelle Warren 

I came across Michelle on facebook, of all places! One of the blogs I follow had posted about her page & I went to check it out. The cover of Wander Dust is really what caught my attention at first. And then Michelle posted on the page about bloggers who were interested in reading the book contacting her. Of course I did so,  right away!  After reading ( and loving) Wander Dust, I asked Michelle to answer a few questions for our readers & she was kind enough to do so! (See interview below!)

Now onto WHY I love her. Well, it's simple; Michelle Warren has crafted a story you want to crawl inside and characters you want to hang out with every day! I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. I can't wait for Sera's next adventure! And now, without further ado, here is my interview with Michelle Warren. 

1- What idea sparked the creation of Wander Dust?

Michelle: The concept for Wander Dust originally came from a conversation I had with my sister about traveling through time. I’m fascinated by science fiction, because it seems unreal but may be completely possible one day.

I love this quote from Arthur C. Clarke:
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."


2- Which of your characters is the hardest to write?

Michelle: Actually, Seraphina's character was difficult to write. I wanted her to be strong and independent. I wrote several scenes many different ways before I was happy with the outcome. Also, I wanted to make her reaction to her new surroundings/ability believable so that stepping into her new fantasy world would feel comfortable to the reader.


3- What inspired you to start writing?

Michelle: A few years ago, I saw an inspirational interview with an author. She mentioned that to escape her everyday world, she made up stories in her head. This idea fascinated me. I’m sure this is no breakthrough to a writer. To me, as an artist, it seemed like a fun idea, a new way to release my creativity. I started playing with story ideas in my mind. Occasionally, I would sketch the scenes in a notebook. I did this for almost a year. Not long after, the recession hit my home. With the new stress, I found myself needing even more of an escape, so I started writing. I guess you could say the recession made me write. Sometimes good things come from undesirable experiences.


4- Can you give us any info on what happens in the next book?

Michelle: Many readers have asked me about Bishop. I can assure you that book two will delve deeper into he and Sera's relationship. We'll also learn more about the Society of Wanderers. There will be a few new character additions that I'm really excited about.

5- When can we expect the next installment in Sera's story?

Michelle: I'm currently working on draft one of book two. There will be a title and cover reveal this spring, but I have yet to set a release date.

Thank you so much Michelle!! 

Michelle: Thanks so very much for the opportunity!