review ~ furthermore

Title: Furthermore: An Anthology
Authors: Rebekah Campbell, David Estes, Amber Garr, Karen
   Amanda Hooper, Stephanie Judice, and Leigh Michael
Genre: Short Stories
Pages: 274
Published: December 11, 2012
My Copy: Kindle edition
Average Rating: 4.62 / 5 stars
My rating: 4 / 5 stars


Synopsis from Goodreads  :
A first date, a lottery, treachery and deceit. Sometimes fate has other plans. Sometimes there’s more to tell.

In Furthermore: An Anthology, eighteen original stories take you on a journey through worlds here and beyond. From the depths of the earth to the embrace of the sea, your favorite series continue. Prequels, alternative views, and new scenes give readers a chance to experience more than originally told.

Including stories from Rebekah Campbell, Amber Garr, David Estes, Leigh Michael, Karen Amanda Hooper, Stephanie Judice, and Mayandree Michael. And most importantly, in honor of those who lost the battle and those who continue to fight, all proceeds from this anthology will be donated to cancer research and support.

My Thoughts:
I signed up to be a part of this blog tour and spread the word about this book. I wanted to read it as soon as I heard of it, and when I found out the proceeds go to cancer research and support, I knew this was definitely something I wanted to be a part of. I took part in the cover reveal and release day .

I received an ARC for review, but I decided to purchase it because I wanted to donate to the cause, too. There are so many people out there who have been touched by cancer in one way or another--either facing it themselves or a loved one. I am no different. Two very close, very loved family members of mine were both diagnosed with the same type of brain cancer and succumbed to the illness a little over a year after diagnosis. I was eleven when my maternal grandpa died fourteen when my mom died. My life and the lives of my family members have been irrevocably changed forever--there is no going back.

I also follow  Rockstar Ronan , a mother's blog about her little boy, who died from stage 4 neuroblastoma cancer. There are many days I can't bring myself to read her posts, and having children myself,  I can't imagine the kind of pain she and her family have been in since the time he had been diagnosed. If you haven't visited this blog, I highly recommend that you do. The mother, Maya, has a strength and fire you rarely find in someone who has experienced a trauma such as she has, and she expresses herself so beautifully and eloquently, you feel every single day the family has endured.

As for the book itself, I really loved it. Every story, every author made me want to read all of their works. As was expressed in the release day post, Furthermore consists of seventeen stories that include prequels, alternative views, and new scenes to each author's series. I own at least one book by every author who wrote for this anthology and am excited to read the novels the characters in these stories are in.

The stories from The Darkness Through the Light Series penned by Rebekah Campbell made me wonder why in the world haven't I read this series already. :) I liked the characters right away and was drawn into the story quickly. If you plan on reading this anthology but haven't yet read the books in these different series, but never fear--you won't be lost nor is anything given away. I don't know how the authors did it, but they did!

I read The Moon Dwellers by David Estes and will be reading The Star Dwellers soon, so I was excited to read more about Tawni and events that occurred before the start of the first book. Reading the two stories was like an answer to my wish to find out more about one of my favorite characters, Tawni, and to know what happened the day of the lottery, which was how people were chosen to live underground and escape the coming destruction to Earth, something I would never want to see come to fruition in "real" life. Eep!

The Syrenka Series by Amber Garr is a must read on my tbr list with the wedding day drama and the different characters' perspectives...wow! It was a lot to take in, and I'm ready to plunge into this series head first. Eviana is intriguing, and I'm torn between feeling sadness for her and feeling sadness for the people she has hurt with her choices. Amber Garr's Leila Marx novels is also a series that I am planning on reading. I'm very interested in Leila's gift and want to learn more about her world.

Karen Amanda Hooper's story, "The Sound of Love," was emotional, and in the short time I had to get to know the characters, I was so sad for them when tragedy struck. I'm happy to know this is a series, and there's more opportunity to get to know these characters and their life together.

I read the stories by Stephanie Judice that are companions to her Saga of the Setti series and was taken from 1352 A.D. to the present day to the near future. I thought the story telling was clever, and it was interesting to read about the three different time periods. I thought about Game of Thrones in the beginning due to Muirne living as Torvald's slave, and teh lust he felt for her. It reminded me of the girl who was forced to marry a man she didn't love, who looked at women as property rather than as human beings. I'm ready to follow these characters into whatever situations they might find themselves in!

Leigh Michael's "Fate" is divided into sections, each from a different character's point-of-view, and it was nothing short of fabulous. Reading the events that happened from different perspectives really enriched the story and gave me a deeper understanding of what was happening and the motivations of the characters. I'm looking forward to reading Annabelle's Story.

To every author who contributed their time and work to this anthology, to everyone who has purchased the book, to everyone who has taken steps towards fighting this atrocity that's called cancer, and to Amber Garr, who dreamed up this idea and made it reality, I just want to say a heartfelt thank you. The existence of this disease in all its forms is absolutely unacceptable, and with everything in me I believe the proceeds from this book will definitively make a difference. Thank you.