Ellyn Gibbs: Torn Heart

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From back cover: A rebellion is rising… The peasants of Sierr have dealt with Queen Livia’s cruel hand long enough. Sixteen-year-old Jacha Simyrna, who has spent her whole life stealing food and places to sleep in the queen’s castle, finds herself trapped between the two sides. The clink of promised gold echoes in Jacha’s ears as she sets out to do what the queen asks of her, but she finds life with the peasants different than she had ever thought it would be. Will Jacha yield herself to the powers of money, or the powers of friendship?

I started reading this book on the heels of a self-published book that made me cringe. Once you have a bad experience, you wonder if you have read all the good self-published books.  This book proved that self-published books are, many times, wonderful. It restored my faith in the self-publishing community.  Thank you Ellyn!

This book started out as a nice story and an enjoyable one, but about a third of the way through it took a twist and became a totally awesome book! I felt it was a unique story with unexpected twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Ellyn has a wonderful way with description and characters.  The only weak part of her book that I found was that were a couple of references to things that seemed out of place in a medieval/fantasy world.  However, I only think that there were two or three places where that happened.

Jacha was a very real, relatable character. Her internal struggle between the two sides is believable and takes unexpected turns.  It was by far my favorite part of the book, and what made me want to keep turning those pages.

For those who try to avoid romance, you are in luck with this book.  There is only a hint of romance for the main character.  More of a maybe-when-we’re-older-but-for-now-we’re-just-friends type of romance which begs for a sequel. As for age range I think that even though there is some violence (what would a book about a rebellion be without a battle) that any child can read it.

I highly recommend Torn Heart for people looking for a non-magical adventure book.

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I received this book from Ellyn Gibbs in exchange for my honest review.  I was under no obligation to write a positive review.  The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Book Review: Torn Heart

From back cover: A rebellion is rising… The peasants of Sierr have dealt with Queen Livia’s cruel hand long enough. Sixteen-year-old Jacha Simyrna, who has spent her whole life stealing food and places to sleep in the queen’s castle, finds herself trapped between the two sides. The clink of promised gold echoes in Jacha’s ears as she sets out to do what the queen asks of her, but she finds life with the peasants different than she had ever thought it would be. Will Jacha yield herself to the powers of money, or the powers of friendship?

I started reading this book on the heels of a self-published book that made me cringe. Once you have a bad experience, you wonder if you have read all the good self-published books. This book proved that self-published books are, many times, wonderful. It restored my faith in the self-publishing community. Thank you Ellyn!

This book started out as a nice story and an enjoyable one, but about a third of the way through it took a twist and became a totally awesome book! I felt it was a unique story with unexpected twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Ellyn has a wonderful way with description and characters. The only weak part of her book that I found was that were a couple of references to things that seemed out of place in a medieval/fantasy world. However, I only think that there were two or three places where that happened.

Jacha was a very real, relatable character. Her internal struggle between the two sides is believable and takes unexpected turns. It was by far my favorite part of the book, and what made me want to keep turning those pages.

For those who try to avoid romance, you are in luck with this book. There is only a hint of romance for the main character. More of a maybe-when-we’re-older-but-for-now-we’re-just-friends type of romance which begs for a sequel. As for age range I think that even though there is some violence (what would a book about a rebellion be without a battle) that any child can read it.

I highly recommend Torn Heart for people looking for a non-magical, adventure book.

You can buy the book on Amazon and Creatspace


I received this book from Ellyn Gibbs in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

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The winner is... Virtuous Girlhood!!

Book Review: Torn Heart

From back cover: A rebellion is rising… The peasants of Sierr have dealt with Queen Livia’s cruel hand long enough. Sixteen-year-old Jacha Simyrna, who has spent her whole life stealing food and places to sleep in the queen’s castle, finds herself trapped between the two sides. The clink of promised gold echoes in Jacha’s ears as she sets out to do what the queen asks of her, but she finds life with the peasants different than she had ever thought it would be. Will Jacha yield herself to the powers of money, or the powers of friendship?

I started reading this book on the heels of a self-published book that made me cringe. Once you have a bad experience, you wonder if you have read all the good self-published books.  This book proved that self-published books are, many times, wonderful. It restored my faith in the self-publishing community.  Thank you Ellyn!

This book started out as a nice story and an enjoyable one, but about a third of the way through it took a twist and became a totally awesome book! I felt it was a unique story with unexpected twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Ellyn has a wonderful way with description and characters.  The only weak part of her book that I found was that were a couple of references to things that seemed out of place in a medieval/fantasy world.  However, I only think that there were two or three places where that happened.

Jacha was a very real, relatable character. Her internal struggle between the two sides is believable and takes unexpected turns.  It was by far my favorite part of the book, and what made me want to keep turning those pages.

For those who try to avoid romance, you are in luck with this book.  There is only a hint of romance for the main character.  More of a maybe-when-we’re-older-but-for-now-we’re-just-friends type of romance which begs for a sequel. As for age range I think that even though there is some violence (what would a book about a rebellion be without a battle) that any child can read it.

I highly recommend Torn Heart for people looking for a non-magical adventure book.

I received this book from Ellyn Gibbs in exchange for my honest review.  I was under no obligation to write a positive review.  The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Torn Heart by Ellyn Gibbs

A rebellion is rising… The peasants of Sierr have dealt with Queen Livia’s cruel hand long enough. Sixteen-year-old Jacha Simyrna, who has spent her whole life stealing food and places to sleep in the queen’s castle, finds herself trapped between the two sides. The clink of promised gold echoes in Jacha’s ears as she sets out to do what the queen asks of her, but she finds life with the peasants different than she had ever thought it would be. Will Jacha yield herself to the powers of money, or the powers of friendship?

Introducing...

Ellyn Gibbs!

First, tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am sixteen and I self-published my first book when I was fifteen. I live in Minnesota with my parents, my grandma, and my five younger brothers - and no, none of us say “You betcha” on a regular basis.

My three cats and my horse Indy are four of my best friends, I love drinking tea, I practice knife throwing and archery in my spare time, I love the smell of crisp, wintry days, and I’m obsessed with British period dramas like Pride and Prejudice. I have vowed to learn to play the banjo someday. I long to be a redhead, I manage to be a complete romantic and a tomboy at the same time, and there’s nothing I find so rejuvenating as reading my Bible or cleaning the house.

What is your favorite Homeschool memory?
That would have to be in seventh grade, when my brothers and I got to make geometric shapes out of colored marshmallows and toothpicks on the first day of school. Then we ate the marshmallows.
Can’t get any better than that.

What started you writing?
My dad. He really encouraged me in writing, because he was writing a story at the same time I began my first one, and he was always willing to read my writings and give me advice.

I started getting really serious when, at about age eleven, I did a program for school called “How to Write the Novel Way.” It forced me to finish my first “novel,” since it was technically schoolwork.

What role does your faith play in your writing?
I don’t write books that are explicitly Christian, but I still believe that my faith is present in what I write. These days, it can be dangerous to walk into the young adult section of the library and pick up a random book because you never know what you might find. Needless to say, some young adults don’t want to fill their mind with crude language and other trash, but it seems as if that’s all there is to read.

I want to be one who supplies young adults with fiction that inspires them to aim high, to work hard, and to break out of the unflattering teenage stereotype.

I want to keep in accordance with Philippians 4:8, which says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.” Writers can have all this and have a great story at the same time!

What is Torn Heart about?
Torn Heart is the story of a young thief, Jacha Simyrna, who finds herself with a choice to make. When the cruel Queen Livia catches her stealing in the palace of Garnethall, she spares Jacha’s life, but commands her to spy on a peasant family who is suspected to be playing an influential role in a brewing rebellion.

The queen promises great rewards, and Jacha is content to work for money at first. However, as she experiences the love and acceptance the peasants have to give, Jacha wonders whether the side with the most gold to offer is always the side to take.

You can read the official ‘blurb’ on the links below!

Where can people get it?
You can get it from either Amazon or the Createspace store. Also, check out my author blog, “Writing Passion,” at http://ellyngibbs.blogspot.com! Torn Heart has a page there as well with some more details.

What would you tell someone who wants to start writing books?
Writing a book isn't a walk in the park. Don’t do it for the glory, because if that’s all that drives you, you’ll have to get your fifteen minutes of fame somewhere else.

I will also tell you this - writing is never a waste. I wrote two completed novels, along with countless novel beginnings, before I got one that could be self-published. However, I don’t regret any of the work I did on previous books, because they were helping me to become a better writer. Practice, practice, practice!

Do you have any final thoughts?
Thank you, Sarah, for giving me an interview on this blog!
And for all you writers out there - a gift with words is truly a priceless thing that I think we often take for granted. Don’t give it up for anything, even if you feel like you’re ready to jam your whole manuscript through the paper shredder or flush your notebook down the toilet (that’s not really recommended for any reason).



Ellyn has given me a copy of Torn Heart to review and giveaway!  The review will post on Thursday, but you can enter to win it now!

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