Book Reviews

Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky, Book 2)

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through the ever night cover

 

Author: Veronica Rossi

Series: Under the Never Sky

Genre: Dystopian/Sci-Fi

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 368

 

After being forced to separate at the end of the first book, Aria and Perry are finally reunited in the desert. Aria has spent much of their time apart with Roar, training both her battle skills and their shared gift. Perry has gained a group of faithful followers, and has become the Blood Lord of the Tides. When Aria accompanies him back to the Tides, though, they are not a fan of her due to her being a Dweller. Events stemming from this, as well as a deal that Aria had to make in order to save Talon, force her to steal away in the night with Roar without Perry’s knowledge. When Perry finds out, he knows that he has to stay with the Tides rather than follow after them, and do his duty as Blood Lord. They all have a goal, a mission, to accomplish separately before they can come back together.

The second book in the series was actually more interesting than the first, in my opinion. The world and character building continued to improve, as did the relationship building. Several relationships were strengthened in this book, as well as those that completely fell apart. The story line got even better, as we watch Perry try to figure out the best way to be a leader to what is now his tribe and keep his relationship with Aria together at the same time. Aria seems to have settled in to the world outside of Reverie now, and she is trying to find her way as and prove herself to be more than a Dweller. More interesting characters are introduced that should play an interesting role as he story progresses. I think that the last book in this trilogy will be quite interesting to see how it plays out.

 

Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky, Book 1)

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under the never sky cover

Author: Veronica Rossi

Series: Under the Never Sky

Genre: Dystopian/Sci-Fi

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 400

 

Aria has lived her entire life in the enclosed city of Reverie, where the only glimpses of a world outside of hers that she has seen have been artificial ones through her smart eye. That is, until a horrible event finds her exiled from her protected city and thrown in to the land known only to her as The Death Shop. She knows that she is sure to die out there, as her immune system is not made to withstand the world outside of the carefully controlled environment of Reverie. Perry has lived his life as an Outsider, a Savage. He is a gifted hunter for his tribe, where his brother is a blood lord. He is marked, meaning he has special abilities. When he and Aria meet, he is on a mission of redemption, after his nephew was taken while in his care. They soon realize that they can help one another, if they can stand each other long enough.

This is the first book in a trilogy, and it is a promising start. It has some interesting elements to it: the enclosed pod-like cities, the ether in the skies, etc. The characters were well developed and the world building was great. It read fairly quickly and only dragged in a couple of places. I am interested enough to read the next book in the trilogy to see what happens to Aria and Perry, as they continue on their journey. If you’re looking for something quick to pick up, this may be a good one to grab!

Remember Why You Fear Me

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remember why you fear me cover

 

Remember Why You Fear Me

Author: Robert Shearman

Genre: Dark Fiction/Horror

Publisher: ChiZine Publications

Pages: 425

 

This collection of short stories from Robert Shearman is exactly what you would want if you are looking for dark fiction. It is a collection of beautifully written short stories that are a bit frightening in a creepy, not necessarily scary, way. They are laced with enough satire and dark humor to lighten them a bit, but some of them will definitely leave you wondering if you should sleep with a night light on. I am utterly thankful that this author was recommended to me, and I look forward to reading more of Mr. Shearman’s works.

 

The Forest of Hands and Teeth (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Book 1)

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forest of hands and teeth cover

Author: Carrie Ryan

Series: The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Genre: Dystopian

Publisher: Ember

Pages: 336

Mary lives in a world where things have always been pretty black and white: The Sisterhood has always been in charge, and they are right. The Guardians protect their village and mind the fences that keep them safe. The Unconsecrated (think zombies) want to get in to kill or turn them, and they will never stop trying. Their village is all that is left after The Return, and there is nothing beyond The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Only Mary grew up with her mother telling her stories of what life was like before The Return, and she has always dreamed and believed that there has to be more out there beyond their village and the Forest. A startling series of events turns Mary’s world upside down a very short period of time. The biggest change: the fences are breached… The unconsecrated swarm the village, and Mary and her group run for it. On the run, and looking for anywhere to go, Mary realizes that this is her chance to find out what it beyond the Forest. She also must choose between the man whom she is promised to and the man to whom her heart belongs, but is promised to her best friend.

This is not the first time that I have read The Forest of Hands and Teeth, but I obtained it in hard copy (my other copy is digital) in my post-Thanksgiving book buying, so I decided to read it again. I’m so glad that I did! I enjoyed it as much the second time as I did the first. Carrie Ryan does a beautiful job of world building in this novel, so the reader can really visualize what she imagines the land to be like post The Return. The characters are very well fleshed out, so the reader can feel for them, and really feel the emotions coming off of them as the book progresses. You can really feel Mary’s struggle in the book, and know what she is going through. There is definitely a love/romance component to the book, but I love how the author is able to balance that with the larger issues at hand, so that it doesn’t overwhelm it. If you are looking for a good, quick, zombie book, give this one a try! It’s definitely different than any of the other post-zombie apocalypse books that I have read before!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Creeping

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Creeping cover

Author: Alexandra Sirowy

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Fantasy

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Pages: 400

 

Twelve years ago, when they were six, Stella and her friend Jeanie disappeared while picking strawberries in Jeanie’s front yard. Stella returned, Jeanie didn’t. No one knows what happened to them, and it has become what the town, and Stella, are known for. Stella has no memory of what happened that day, and she is beyond trying to figure it out. She is over everything having to do with it. That is until the body of another little red haired girl shows up. Fragments of Stella’s memories begin to resurface, and she begins to try to remember, with the help of those around her. If you hunt for monsters, you will find them…

I really enjoyed this book! It wasn’t quite what I thought that it was going to be, from simply looking at the cover and reading the blurb in the bookstore, but it turned out to be really enjoyable. The writing flows really well, and the characters are really well written. I had a very clear picture of them and the setting while I was reading. I actually became really engrossed in it and read the last 250 pages in one sitting, and I love when I can do that. It has some really great twists in it, and when I thought I had it figured out, I didn’t. I recommend it!

Fangirl

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Fangirl_book_cover

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Genre: YA Lit

Publisher: St. Martins

Pages: 448

 

Cath and her sister, Wren, have grown up in the world of Simon Snow (think Harry Potter). Cath even writes a hugely popular fan fic about the series. When it is time for them to go off to college, though, Wren is read to leave the Simon Snow world behind her, and see what else is out there in the world for her apart from being mainly know as a twin to Cath and Simo Snow fangirl. Cath, on the other hand, is not ready for any of this. She is blindsided that Wren has requested to not be her roommate, and is hurt that Wren prefers to spend the majority of her time hanging out and partying with her new roommate. As the socially awkward Cath attempts to navigate her freshman year of college without having her twin and best friend at her side, what will she discover about herself?

Being quite a fangirl myself (again, think Harry Potter…along with many others!) and that I did love Eleanor & Park, I expected that I would dive in and be fully engrossed in this book from the beginning…but I wasn’t. It moved just a bit slow for me, and I just couldn’t become as invested in it as I thought that I would. Don’t get me wrong, the writing was great, and the characters were fully developed and well written. It was a good book, it just wasn’t up there with Eleanor & Park, in my opinion. If you’re looking for a likeable coming of age story, though, this will be a good one, and chances are you may relate to it far more than I did! Many, many readers have!

Birthmarked (Birthmarked, Book 1)

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Birthmarked Cover

Author: Caragh M. O’Brien

Series: Birthmarked

Genre: Dystopian

Publisher: Roaring Book Press

Pages: 368

 

Gaia is a young midwife outside the wall, where she is required to bring the first few babies that she delivers each month to those inside the wall to “serve the Enclave”. They call this advancing” the babies. One night, after delivering one of these babies, she returns home to find one of the older midwives waiting for her to deliver the news that her parents have been taken inside the wall and imprisoned. She also gives her a ribbon that belonged to her mother that she is to destroy. When she makes her way to her home, she finds a guard member waiting to question her. Gaia tells the guard member that she knows nothing. He eventually leaves. She then sneaks inside the wall to find out what happened to her parents. She ends up imprisoned herself, after saving the baby of a woman that was hanged. And so the story goes on…

This book was not awesome. It wasn’t really bad, but it wasn’t great. The story doesn’t feel really well built, especially for a dystopian novel. We know that something happened to make the world end up this way, but we don’t know what. We know that these people inside the wall have figured out a way to have all of these resources to survive, and that they feel that the people outside of the wall are leaching off of them, but we don’t know why. Where did these people from outside of the wall come from? Did they just appear, or were they the ones that were already lower caste than the others whenever whatever this event was happened? The characters also seem to fall a little flat for me. There really isn’t enough time building them for the reader to get a sense of who they are. Things just sort of happen without a lot of explanation or build up. It wasn’t really bad writing, but maybe just poor development. It was also a bit drug out for what actually happens in the story. Then it ended kind of abruptly. I’m really not even interested enough to read the next book in the series, which is rare for me. I will say that there are many five star reviews of this novel, so others, obviously, really enjoyed it. It just wasn’t what I typically look for in a good dystopian read.

Maria and the Angel (Short Seductions, Story 8)

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Maria and the Angel

Author: Jordan K. Rose

Series: Short Seductions

Genre: PNR

Publisher: Jordan K. Rose

Pages: 41

This hot little novella had me seriously considering finding an Angel to mate with!

This, like the others, begins at Seductions, the bar filled with Others. Maria, the Werewolf, and Dante, the Angel, are having a great time dancing the night away. That is, until the subject of their mating comes up. Maria has yet to broach the subject with her Alpha, which does not sit well with Dante. They have been together for several lifetimes, and he wants to make their bond official. Maria isn’t sure how this will go over with her Alpha and the pack. Dante threatens to leave her, in a fight that will end with the hottest of endings.

We all know by now that I love were’s. They are probably my all-time favorite paranormal being. Maria is a kick-ass were! I loved her attitude and spunk. That combined with Dante, the Angel (who knew they could be so hot… and hot tempered!), and you have a fantastic story! Jordan did a wonderful job of bringing these two beings together in a way that I, for one, did not see as possible. Love otherworldly beings with a side of steam? You’ll love it!

Blood Ties (Blood War Chronicles, Book 1)

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Blood Ties cover

Author: Quincy J. Allen

Series: Blood War Chronicles

Genre: Steampunk/Fantasy

Publisher: Wordfire Press

Pages: 263

Set in the Victorian era, the newest release from author Quincy J. Allen introduces us to Jake Lasater, an injured Civil War veteran who happens to have some clockwork limbs that are magic infused. He is on a quest to deliver a mysterious package for Lady Danesti, but there are those who are out to prevent this. The Chinese Tong and a few others would like to find Jake and settle a score with him, as well. Jake is travelling with his partner, Cole, and Skeeter- who is his ward and a tinker. His lady, Qi, is also a tinker (helpful!). They run in to more trouble than one can imagine during their action packed journey!

I know that I have told you guys that Mr. Allen’s novel, Chemical Burn (which I reviewed earlier this year), is my number one book of the year thus far. I really didn’t expect that he could write something else that would compare to it: He did! The characters in this novel are so well developed that I felt like I knew them within a few pages of them being introduced. I could not stop reading this book! I didn’t so much feel like I was reading it, as it felt like a friend was telling me a story, and I love getting that feeling from a novel. It was fast paced and filled with action and witty banter between the characters. I really enjoyed that, as with his other writing, the female characters were strong and played a pivotal role in the story. There really weren’t any “background characters”; all of them were really well developed.

I didn’t think that Quincy Allen could make me love him more as an author, but he certainly did with Blood Ties. I am anxiously awaiting book number two!

You can get the e-book today on Amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Ties-Book-War-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B016L3NZVU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1446329263&sr=1-1

Eleanor & Park

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Eleanor & Park cover

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Genre: YA/Contemporary Romance

Publisher: St. Martin’s

Pages: 336

Eleanor- the new girl at school- comes from a dysfunctional (to say the least) family, and is bullied because she dresses weird, has wild red hair, and is a little overweight. Park- who has grown up in this same neighborhood his whole life- is half Korean/half Irish, comes from a good home, but is still a bit of an outcast because he loves alternative music and comic books. Park reluctantly lets Eleanor sit by him on the bus on her first day of school. From there, they begin to silently bond, as ark realizes that she is discreetly reading his comic books with him. That bond slowly grows in to first love throughout the school year. It’s difficult because of Eleanor’s home situation, but the make it work- until her home life erupts one fateful night.

Eleanor & Park is a story that reminds you of how it feels to find your first love. It’s a little awkward, and you really have no idea what you’re doing, but it’s sweet. It’s also a story that reminds you of how mean kids can be, especially when they have no idea of what someone is really going through. Never fear, those mean kids have a little redemption in there, too! It’s a bit of a coming of age story of these kids, in the mid 80’s, when it was even harder to know what to do in a bad situation and of how they came together to figure things out. It’s sweet, funny, and a little heartbreaking all at once. It was a really good book, and I really enjoyed it.