28 January, 2011

Book Review: The Keepers of Sulbreth by Susan Gourley

Book: THE KEEPERS OF SULBRETH
Author: SUSAN GOURLEY
Genre: EPIC FANTASY

Published: January 2010, MEDALLION PRESS

Series:
The Futhark Chronicles #1
Beyond The Gate (The Futhark Chronicles #2)


I received this book from Medallion Press for free, in exchange for an honest review


From Good Reads:
In this magical, medieval fantasy, forces must combine to save the kingdom of Futhark from the evil abyss that threatens it. Sitting within this land and high above an unexplored sea is Sulbreth, the seat from which the Otten family has always ruled. Standing next to their throne are the Keepers, gifted sorcerers who hide a guarded truth only the king understands.

When Prince Jonared takes the throne, he also inherits a tragic and dark shadow ready to befall his land. He and the Keepers summon Sabelline Shelton, a rare sorceress gifted in metallurgy, for a duty she has always feared. But even her exceptional talents are not enough to forestall the soulless enemy issuing forth from the dark places of Futhark.

When Cage Stone enters Sulbreth in a tournament to secure his sister’s future, he too is called by a prophetic destiny to help fight the otherworldly foes and renew the seals that protect their kingdom.



My Review:
I think I liked this book from the very first sentence. I couldn't quote it, without looking it up, but I just know that I was utterly fascinated from beginning to end. Epic fantasy (which is, of course, subjective whether a reader might consider this particular book to be in the epic fantasy genre. I do.) is a genre that I used to read extensively when I was in middle school. But, as I moved through high school, college, and later, my reading was much more in the romance genre. All of this is to say, that until I started reading THE KEEPERS OF SULBRETH, I didn't realize how much I had missed reading it.

I will say that there are many characters in this novel to keep track of. The Keepers, of which Sabell is the main female character, are not only named, but so are their companions, who are warriors that act as guardians and fighters to protect the people of Sulbreth. There's the King, Jonared, and his personal guardian. There's Sabell's family: a sister and a father. There's Cage's family: a sister, step-mother, and close family friend. And, then there's Cage himself. The half-elf, half-human whom the survival of Sulbreth, and indeed the whole of Futhark, seems to rest upon. For readers that like to have a smaller, inclusive cast of characters to follow, this may not be the book for you.

However, I had no trouble following the story line. There was always a definitive plot that stretched throughout the book. There were no events that seemed to distract, or be irrelevant to the overall idea. Each character had their own personality. There was real growth in each one too, like Cage's acceptance of his mission solely to help his family gain their own residence, to his resignation that, however he had been forced into the situation, he was a key part to the Keepers' defeat of the demons plaguing Sulbreth.

The bottom line: I was entertained. I wanted to experience the lives of these characters, their plight, and what would happen next. I wanted to keep reading at the end of every sentence, and then at the end of every chapter. This was a novel about people dedicating their lives to keeping evil at bay, finding a purpose for their talents, and being a part of the greater good. THE KEEPERS OF SULBRETH is the perfect book for readers who enjoy fantasy, a seemingly impossible quest, and an enthralling journey to another world.


4.5/5 for plot
4/5 for characters
4/5 for language


My Rating: 12.5/15 (4 stars)

Highly Recommend, if you liked:

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb



Links for the author:
* Blog
* Twitter
* GoodReads
* Facebook



Purchase at:
* Barnes and Noble
* Book Depository
* Amazon


Available formats: Print, E-Book

24 January, 2011

Bloggiesta Finish Line



The Fourth Edition of Bloggiesta has come to a close for me. This was my first time participating and I will definitely be back for more! Bloggiesta was a chance for me to evaluate the different things that I wanted to change or improve about my blog. It was a change for me to see what could be done to make the blog itself better, in terms of SEO, navigability, looks, and of course, content. As PEDRO denotes:

Plan. Edit. Develop. Review. Organize.





Here are the goals that set to to do that I was able to accomplish:

--archive reviews that I have posted between December and the present

-possibly relocate some of content in my sidebars

--display the blog/book tours where I am a member

--figure out how I want to display the information for the challenges that I am attempting

--create a privacy policy

--return review requests emails

--visit the blogs of the book tour that I participate in and leave introductory/salutatory comments

--create a google doc to organize/plan my review, guest post, or author interview post dates for the next 60 days

--create a google doc to organize the ARC tour books that I will be receiving, as well as the ones that I express interest in

--create a google doc to organize the e-books for review that have expiration dates (S&S galley grab and NetGalley books)

--make a schedule of the review books, and personal books that I want to read for the next 60 days


In addition to finishing the above goals that I had set beforehand, I found myself adding a few things to my list, after seeing the tweets, goals, and mini-challenges of the other bloggers that were participating. I thought it was great that I could ask questions, and maybe help out others who had questions of their own. I only did one mini-challenge. Several of them were things that I already utilize, like the google forms, the button, the book organization, and the vanity alerts. But, I learned much just from having the mini-challenges as part of the event.

A few goals that I added and completed during Bloggiesta:

Create an About Me page (not just the profile page that Blogger has)

Get listed on several book blog directories

Have my blog graded



I'm happy that I was able to get so much done, but the one issue that I had with time, was when I got involved in reworking some of my template's HTML. I don't have a self-hosted domain yet, and I found that Blogger's template customization can be limiting when I know the code, and I know what I want the code to do, but it can't be inserted under the particular template that I use. I got way too caught up in trying to change something that I ended up having to remove anyway. It was a little disappointing. The next time that I participate in Bloggiesta, I will have to better parse my time, or decide between improving the content aspect, or the HTML aspect.

There were two projects that I started to work on, which I couldn't finish for Bloggiesta, but will be a priority going forward:

--figure out a way to better organize my review archive

--make a template for my reviews to include publisher, date release, series, author/book links, and if you liked recommendations



I also never got a chance to do any actual writing. I had this outlook that I would be able to catch up on all of the reviews that I needed to write. A few were reviews of books that I had read on my own, a couple were for books that were read for request, but the majority of the reviews would have counted toward my reading challenges. Again, I realize that I spent too much time on the design aspect of my blog, and didn't allow for writing time.

Two goals left unstarted during Bloggiesta:

--write reviews for the backlog of books that I have finished reading (7-8 reviews)

--update my challenges with the books that I have read for the month and link review pages



I loved having the change to dedicate myself to doing more for my blog, and I liked being part of a community of bloggers doing the same. Sincere thanks go out to Natasha at Maw Books, for hosting this event, and bringing together the fabulous bloggers that presented the mini-challenges, and well as having Pedro tweet such good links with helpful hints. And, I'll definitely be back for Bloggiesta the Fifth!

Did you participate in Bloggiesta? How did you do?

22 January, 2011

10 Things Bloggers Should NOT Do: #bloggiesta




It's P.E.D.R.O.!
Plan. Edit. Develop. Review. Organize.


This is my first mini-challenge of Bloggiesta, and I'm taking a good, hard look at my blog practices, in terms of being a good hostess. Hannah at Word Lily has given participants the chance to evaluate themselves honestly, and come up with some good ways to improve for the future.


10 Things Bloggers Should NOT Do:

1. YOU MUST NOT EXPECT RESULTS OVERNIGHT: 3.5/5
I admit to checking out my Google Friend Connect and Feedburner stats daily, but the one thing that I don't do is to compare my blog to others. Sure, someone could have started a blog in a fraction of the time that I have been live, but their follower count does not indicate reader loyalty. Nor does it indicate the quality and actual discussion that their posts generate. I like the readers that I have, and when someone new joins the circle, I cheer. However, I do realize that growth can come quickly or slowly, what matters is that I blog for who is there, not who isn't.

2. YOU MUST NOT IGNORE YOUR READERS: 3/5 I could do better with responding to comments. I do usually respond to those that visit the blog regularly, and actual questions, but I could have more discussion posts that generate a conversation, and I know that I need to be more timely in my responses.

3. YOU MUST NOT SCRAPE ANOTHER BLOGGERS CONTENT: 5/5 I always include links when I refer to another blogger. I've never knowingly taken another blogger's feature and used it without citation. I've never even considered using content from another blogger without their permission.

4. YOU MUST NOT EXPECT SUCCESS WITHOUT PROMOTING: 3.75/5 I am fairly active on Twitter, I have business cards, and I do mention my blog in conversation. I try to balance the line of letting people know that I have new content, without being spammy. I could be more active on Facebook, I suppose. However, their privacy practices are worrying to me, and up until recently, I didn't connect with bloggers, publishers, authors, or publicity reps there.

5. YOU MUST NOT BE ANOTHER BLOGGER: 4/5 Just recently, I started adding author website/ social media links along with publisher information to my reviews. This was something that I noticed on many other blogs, but it seems more like good sense, than trying to homogenize my content with that of other bloggers. Other than that, I write my reviews my way, and I'm happy with the way that I operate my blog.

6. YOU MUST NOT FAIL TO UPDATE YOUR BLOG REGULARLY: 3/5 This is another point that I could do better with, if I'm being completely honest. There are times that I post 2-3 reviews a week, and times that I post no content for a week. I'm working on being more consistent, with many of the goals that I've put forward for Bloggiesta working toward that goal.

7. YOU MUST NOT IGNORE SEO: 2.5/5 I've been slowly learning more about SEO, and trying harder to make sure that it works for me. Some of the things that I could work on are making sure that my blog is listed in important places like the Book Blogs Search Engine.

8. YOU MUST NOT IGNORE NETWORKING: 3.5/5 Last year, I attended the Book Blogger Convention in NYC, which happened right after BEA. There were all kinds of publishing people, bloggers, and authors there, that were great contacts to make. But, everyone was there about books, so conversation was easy. I've been trying to do better cultivating contacts that don't necessarily mean contacts in the publishing community, but also readers who will visit the blog and enjoy interacting with my other visitors.

9. YOU MUST NOT HAVE AN UNREADABLE/UNNAVIGABLE SITE: 3/5 One of the reasons why I have all of my blog subscriptions sent to my Google reader, is that for a while, I had issues with loading blogs that have complicated html in their templates, and too much in their sidebars. Having my blog email subscription, RSS feed, and other social media links, as well as a way to contact me through email, easily accessible is important to me, and one of the first things I look for when I visit other blogs. Broken links are one thing that I need to investigate, and make sure that I don't have any.

10. YOU MUST NOT THROW MUD AROUND: 5/5 I absolutely agree with this. I've never engaged in mud throwing with another blogger, author, or anyone who has visited my site. Sure, I am open to a debate, as long as everything stays civilized. I don't want my reputation or my blog's reputation to hinge on feuds, nor do I want to alienate the very people that I am trying to connect with. It's just bad business.




This really was a challenge for me, and I'm glad that I put some thought into whether I do, or don't do, any of the above things. Improving is the only way to move forward, and now I know how to better focus my attentions.

Well, I'm off to see about more mini-challenges, and try to connect with some of the other Bloggiesta participants. Ole!

21 January, 2011

Uno, dos, tres...Start the fiesta!




Bloggiesta the Fourth is well on its way, and I am gearing up to take part. This is my starting line post, so I've got some goals that I intend to complete during the weekend. I'll bold the items that I have completed, and italicize the items that I start. Some things might be ongoing during the weekend, so I want an option for the things that won't be one and done. Let's take a look at what I'll be doing.




--archive reviews that I have posted between December and the present

-possibly relocate some of content in my sidebars

--display the blog/book tours where I am a member

--figure out how I want to display the information for the challenges that I am attempting

--figure out a way to better organize my review archive

--make a template for my reviews to include publisher, date release, series, author/book links, and if you liked recommendations

--create a privacy policy

--return review requests emails

--visit the blogs of the book tour that I participate in and leave introductory/salutatory comments

--create a google doc to organize/plan my review, guest post, or author interview post dates for the next 60 days

--create a google doc to organize the ARC tour books that I will be receiving, as well as the ones that I express interest in

--create a google doc to organize the e-books for review that have expiration dates (S&S galley grab and NetGalley books)

--make a schedule of the review books, and personal books that I want to read for the next 60 days

--write reviews for the backlog of books that I have finished reading (7-8 reviews)

--update my challenges with the books that I have read for the month and link review pages



And, now to get started!

17 January, 2011

So here's the deal... News & Winners


2011 is going to be the year that I get really organized with the blog, and try not to have these absences of more than 3 days where I don't post anything. Unfortunately, I'm getting a slow start to 2011.

I try to pre-schedule posts when I can. Last week, I had a couple of posts that I had pre-scheduled during the weekend, and they went up. But, I struggled with blogger to upload pictures, and getting my posts to go live immediately, which resulted in some very frustrated hours, and a lack of reviews in the past 10 days. Clearly, the pre-scheduling is the way to go. This is something I am going to address during Bloggiesta, which I am taking part in this coming weekend.

But also, I haven't been taking care of the blog because I have been reading. Many books. I'm already up to about 13 books read since January 1st. Anyone who is Good Reads friends with me, can see my progress there. I have challenged myself to read 200 books in 2011. I'm a little slow on adding books that I read in a very short amount of time, so I think my list is missing 4-5 books.

This week, I decided to plunge into the world of MacKayla Lane, the star of the Fever books series by Karen Marie Moning. Many of the bloggers that I follow, as well as people in my Twitter feed have been raving about this series. Since the newest book, Shadowfever comes out TOMORROW (!), I thought I'd try to read the previous four before that. I'm making excellent progress. I've read the first three, and plan to finish the fourth, Dreamfever before the release tomorrow.

For anyone who hasn't read the books, or who has thought of reading the books, I say, give them a try. For me, the first two are a little slow. I have plenty of patience when I read. I've never wanted to throw a book at a wall, or DNF something that I don't engage in right away. I'm really glad that I stuck with the Fever series. The story line itself is really interesting, if you like grown-up fae stories. The monsters can be utterly beautiful, the good guys might not be pure, but they're better than the other choice, and deception is a way of life.

I took a while to connect with the female MC, Mac. She started out almost like a higher maintenance version of Sookie Stackhouse. But, there is a payoff in the third book, where I realized that I kind of liked her personality. Faefever is also where I started to find Barrons, the male MC, to be more attractive as a person. Yes, he's a bad boy, and I do love them! But, I thought he was missing something. I thought their relationship was missing something. (These thoughts will probably show up in my reviews; I plan to post them next month.)






So, before I close this post, I guess I should mention the winners. Some of you might have scrolled right down to this paragraph to see them! As always, I assign a number to each entry (including the extras, if I have 'em) then use random.org to find me a winning number.




A finished copy of Out for Blood by Alyxandra Harvey:
Alex Bennett!


Congrats, Alex. Please use my Contact Me form to email me your address, so that I can pass it along to Bloomsbury. Your prize will be mailed directly from the publisher.



Grave Witch by Kalayna Price, As Lie the Dead by Kelly Meding and Born to Bite by Lindsay Sands:
Theresa Cole!


Congrats, Theresa! I have your address from your entry form, and will mail out your prize within 10 days.


Happy reading to all!

13 January, 2011

Bloggiesta is Coming!




This year, I have decided to participate in Bloggiesta. Now what, you ask, is that?! Here's all of the details from Natasha at Maw Books, the esteemed host of this annual event:


It’s already time for the fourth edition of Bloggiesta! Are you a blogger? (With apologies to those who are not). If so, this event is just for you! Bloggiesta is scheduled for January 21st, 22nd, and 23rd. The beginning of the year is a great time to evaluate your blog, see how you’re doing, and get re-energized for the rest of the year!

Some of you may be asking what is Bloggiesta? In short, it’s a blogging marathon. A opportunity to cross those nagging items off of your to-do list and improve your blog while in the good company of other awesome bloggers doing the same thing. Our awesome mascot Pedro (Plan. Edit. Develop. Review. Organize) is ready to break out the nachos, enchiladas, drinks, mariachi music and whack a pinata or two! It’s nothing short of an awesome fiesta!
What to do during the Bloggiesta?


* Write reviews.
* Write backup posts for a rainy day.
* Write that great post idea from three months back.
* Work on series posts.
* Write guest posts.
* Put out invitations for guest posts.
* Conduct and edit author interviews.
* Create template posts for your future reads (ie: title, images, linking, tags, etc,) so you can open up, write review and post without being bogged down with technicalities
* Clean up your tags, archives, books reviewed list, etc.
* Create a text file (or Google Doc) of cheat sheets (html codes, post url’s, etc)
* Improve your blog template, clean up sidebars, add a favicon, install those plugins that you’ve been meaning to do.
* Add or edit your about me page, review policy, disclosure policy, privacy policy, create landing pages (for example – an about me for Twitter readers page) or any other pages you might have.
* Any bloggy type housekeeping that you’ve been neglecting.
* Clean up and update your challenge lists. Link up your posts with hosts.
* Make sure all of your social network profiles are up to date. Be consistent in those profiles with color scheme, images, etc.
* Go get a gravatar.
* Visit the Blogging Tips group on the Book Blogs Ning and find ways to improve your blog.
* Work on any specialized projects that you may have going.
* Clean out and organize your feed reader and blog subscriptions.
* Create an elevator pitch.
* Make business cards.
* Find a blogging buddy.
* Analyze and re-evaulate your blog.
* Back up your blog.
* Learn more about blogging, read great articles, get inspired.
* Make sure you have properly copyrighted your blog and know what to do when somebody reposts your material.
* Brainstorm blogging topics.
* Manage your feedreader.
* Help other bloggers, answer questions, share your expertise (let’s face it – this is the best part of Bloggiesta!)
* The sky’s the limit!


How to play:

1. The date is Friday, January 21st, Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd. You can really start whenever you want within that time but official hours are 8am to 8am (wherever you are). That is a total of 76 hours, the hours spent on the challenge do NOT need to be in a row. Use the entire 76 hour time frame and see what you can do with it.
2. It’s your call as to how much you want to put into it. But you have to put something into it or it’s not a challenge. So stay up all night or sleep and take care of kids when you need to.
3. When you start the challenge, come to this blog and to the “starting line” post and link to your specific post about beginning the challenge which is posted on your blog. That way I’ll be able to track participants and know who’s really at the party.
4. How many updates (if any) you want to do is up to you. Make it work for you. Personally, I like making a to do list and then crossing off items as I accomplish them. There will be bloggers hosting mini-challenges as well. These are great to learn new information. To get an idea of the mini-challenges last time, check out the list.
5. If you are on Twitter, use the hashtag #bloggiesta to join the chatter.
6. Your final summary post needs to be posted no later than end of the day Monday, January 24th. Come back to the finish line and link to your specific summary post (again- can be that same post you’ve been updating). Your summary should include the number of hours spent on the challenge, what you accomplished, links to mini-challenge hosts if you completed them and any other experiences you’d like to add.





I'll be making up a to-do list for my starting line post, but I already know some of the things that I wish to accomplish will include:

--archiving reviews that I have posted between December and the present
--possibly relocating some of content in my sidebars
--creating a page for the blog/book tours that I take part in
--figuring out how I want to display the information for the challenges that I am attempting
--figuring out a good way to better organize my review archive (ie, should I separate e-books & print books? Advance reviews & already available books? Review requests & purchased books?)
--making a template for my reviews to include publisher, date release, series, author/book links, and if you liked recommendations
--creating a privacy policy


Anybody else participating? I'll see you at the starting line!

11 January, 2011

Advance Review: The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

Book: THE IRON QUEEN
Author: JULIE KAGAWA
Genre: YA FANTASY

Published: February 2011, HARLEQUIN TEEN


Series: THE IRON FEY #3 (Good Reads links)
THE IRON KING (#1)
THE IRON DAUGHTER (#2)


I received a print copy through Just Another Book Blog ARC tours, and also an e-ARC version from Harlequin Teen via NetGalley for free, in exchange for an honest review.


From Good Reads:
My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.



My Review:
I make no secret that I really like THE IRON FEY series. Sure, there's action, and a love triangle, and a teen heroine that has to overcome massive obstacles, after learning that her heritage is so much more than any human could begin to imagine. But, at the heart of the series, there is really good characterization and world-building. In THE IRON KING and THE IRON DAUGHTER, I found myself focusing more on the fantastic world-building. However, because much of THE IRON QUEEN was war preparation and less epic quest, I needed to see how the journey of the characters had brought them to this moment.

Meghan is a character that I enjoyed immensely, this time around. She wasn't the same girl that she was in THE IRON KING, when she naively set out to save her brother from the "evil fey". That girl blundered in a bit. Her inhibitions and inexperience allowed the fey to take advantage of her. Though her intentions were good, she was clearly overwhelmed in this other world.

Now, she is stronger. Now, she has no illusions about the fey. Now, she takes the offensive, and stands tall against the encroachment of the iron fey. I wanted to see a Meghan that didn't just let Ash protect her. I wanted to see a Meghan that could navigate the topsy-turvy communication with Grimalkin. I wanted to see a Meghan that could truly make her own destiny happen, not just go along with the one that came about with the choosing of Ash or Puck. And, for the most part, I was not disappointed in the least.

I love this world of THE IRON FEY series. Kagawa's creation immersed me in a dangerous place, with dangerous beings; a place with faithful companions and dubious allies. It's a place that I will want to visit often, and will not soon forget.


4.5/5 for plot
4.5/5 for characters
3.5/5 for language

My Rating: 12.5/15 (4 stars)

Highly Recommend, if you liked:


The Mortal Instruments (series) by Cassandra Clare
Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater



Links for the author and books:
Julie Kagawa Website
Blog
Twitter
Good Reads

Iron Fey Facebook Page

04 January, 2011

Blog Tour: Out For Blood by Alyxandra Harvey

Book: OUT FOR BLOOD
Author: ALYXANDRA HARVEY
Genre: YA PARANORMAL

Published: January 2010, WALKER BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS



I received this book for free, from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review


From Good Reads:
Hunter Wild is the youngest in a long line of elite vampire hunters, a legacy that is both a blessing and a curse at the secret Helios-Ra Academy, where she excels at just about everything. Thanks to her friendship with Kieran Black, Hunter receives a special invitation to attend the coronation of Helena Drake, and for the first time, she sees the difference between vampires that must be hunted and vampires that can become friends—or even more. When students at the academy fall victim to a mysterious illness, Hunter suspects they are under attack from within. She will need someone she can trust to help her save the future of Helios-Ra . . . help that shockingly comes in the form of Quinn Drake, a drop-dead gorgeous vampire. Who said senior year would be easy?


My Review:
The Drake Chronicles resumes, this time following the relationship of Hunter Wild, and Quinn Drake. First of all, can I say how much I love the name Hunter Wild? She is very aptly named, as the first page of the book states. How could this character NOT turn out to be a kick-ass girl, who tries her best to do her family of hunters proud?

Though there were times that Hunter seemed very head-strong, there was never any doubt in my mind while reading, that she is a formidable person. Whoever she decided to be with, would have to match her wits, resourcefulness, and drive. Enter Quinn. Ok, he is a playboy and very full of himself, but I liked how Harvey wrote him as a more typical teen boy. And his being a vampire, did not overwhelm his very human-like personality.

OUT FOR BLOOD has danger, action, mystery and romance from the outset. I was sent on a pretty fast rollercoaster ride through Hunter and Quinn's relationship. And, I enjoyed the ride immensely. There was no wishy-washy love triangle, and the mystery surrounding the students' illnesses, along with the unusual reactions of the Hel-Blar vampires, revealed itself without me feeling that it was too rushed or too drawn-out. Everything that I wanted from a good YA paranormal, I found here.

3.5/5 for plot
4/5 for characters
3.5/5 for language

My Rating: 11/15 (3.5 stars)

Recommended, if you liked:

Darkest Powers (series) by Kelley Armstrong
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
White Cat by Holly Black



Links for the author and book:
Facebook Pages:

Bloomsbury Teens
The Drake Chronicles
Alyx Harvey



Also, here's an exclusive of what Alyx is working on next! A Victorian ghost story that will be out in June. Bloomsbury, her publisher, has offered an excerpt, for blog tour participants only, that I can share with you here: Haunting Violet.

Finally, Bloomsbury is kindly offering a finished copy of OUT FOR BLOOD to one of my blog readers. Just leave a comment with a YA book you are looking forward to reading, that comes out before June. If you don't wish to leave your email address in the comments, please use my Contact Me form to email me. Giveaway runs January, 4th-January 14th, 6pm est.

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