Review: Cold Fury

Cold Fury (Cold Fury, #1) by T.M. Goeglein
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile 
Format: Hardcover
Source: Sent for review by author 
Buy It From Amazon |  Goodreads
★★★☆☆

Jason Bourne meets The Sopranos in this breathtaking adventure.

Sara Jane Rispoli is a normal sixteen-year-old coping with school and a budding romance--until her parents and brother are kidnapped and she discovers her family is deeply embedded in the Chicago Outfit (aka the mob).

Now on the run from a masked assassin, rogue cops and her turncoat uncle, Sara Jane is chased and attacked at every turn, fighting back with cold fury as she searches for her family. It's a quest that takes her through concealed doors and forgotten speakeasies--a city hiding in plain sight. Though armed with a .45 and 96K in cash, an old tattered notebook might be her best defense--hidden in its pages the secret to "ultimate power." It's why she's being pursued, why her family was taken, and could be the key to saving all of their lives.

Action packed, with fresh, cinematic writing, Cold Fury is a riveting and imaginative adventure readers will devour

Despite starting off a bit slow for me, I thoroughly enjoyed the action-packed thriller that is Cold Fury! Filled with mystery, intrigue, ass-kickery, and betrayal, this is one not to be missed by adventure fans.

Before you read this book, understand one thing: Cold Fury is one of those books that you just have to go with. I realized that I found the story much more enjoyable when I didn't think about it or analyze it - much like an action film where things can be just a bit far-fetched but the scenes are still entertaining and engrossing. You won't find much depth here but, as I said before, you will most certainly find entertainment.

Character-wise I really enjoyed the protagonist, Sara Rispoli! This is probably because I love a good kick-ass heroine and Sara definitely doesn't disappoint! She is smart, clever, and strong in so many ways.The other characters, while interesting, fell a bit flat for me. I felt that they were lacking in some sense. I hope to see more depth in the characters in the next book!

If you are looking for an action-filled book with a strong female protagonist then Cold Fury is for you! I'm excited to see more of Sara's adventures in Flicker & Burn.

Review: The Raven Boys

The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle, #1) by Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc. 
Format: ARC
Source: BEA 
Buy It From Amazon |  Goodreads
★★★☆☆

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”
It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

Unfortunately, having enjoyed Maggie's Wolves of Mercy Falls series, I found The Raven Boys to be quite a disappointment. The difference may lie in listening to The Wolves of Mercy Falls series on audiobook verses reading The Raven Boys. Maggie has very gorgeous, beautiful writing, but at times it can be hard to follow. I found myself rereading sections several times just to understand what the heck was going on. Like the Scorpio Races, I almost stopped for this reason. When a book becomes work, I generally don't want to continue. I think I would have enjoyed this much better had I listened via audiobook.

The Raven Boys certainly gets points for originality. I can honestly say it has a story unlike any other. The mystery of it all drove me to push through what was ultimately a good story. I would recommend this book to most people, however, I would strongly recommend listening to it on audio! If you are up for the challenge, give reading it a shot, but it may leave you frustrated and disappointed like me.

Mini Review: Unraveling

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Katie Schorr
Source: Audible
Release Date: April 24, 2012
Audible | Amazon | Goodreads
★★★☆☆

Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn't possible, she knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her revival, and Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what's right in front of her: Everything that's happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben's sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she's going to need to uncover Ben's secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl's fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming.

Unraveling is a unique sci-fi thriller that is set apart from other YA Sci-Fi novels by its original plot. The plot is so different, in fact, that I'm not going to say anything else about it except to expect the unexpected! 

This book, characters, and narration were just "meh" for me... Unfortunately, I've already forgotten most of them! Originality and good writing weren't enough to keep me hooked in Unraveling, but, to others, it may be worth checking out.

Review: Thief’s Covenant

Thief’s Covenant (Widdershins, #1) by Ari Marmell 
Publisher: Pyr
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 240
Source: Received from publisher for review
Amazon |  Goodreads
★★★☆☆

Once she was Adrienne Satti. An orphan of Davillon, she had somehow escaped destitution and climbed to the ranks of the city ’s aristocracy in a rags-to-riches story straight from an ancient fairy tale. Until one horrid night, when a conspiracy of forces—human and other—stole it all away in a flurry of blood and murder.

Today she is Widdershins, a thief making her way through Davillon’s underbelly with a sharp blade, a sharper wit, and the mystical aid of Olgun, a foreign god with no other worshippers but Widdershins herself. It’s not a great life, certainly nothing compared to the one she once had, but it’s hers.

But now, in the midst of Davillon’s political turmoil, an array of hands are once again rising up against her, prepared to tear down all that she’s built. The City Guard wants her in prison. Members of her own Guild want her dead. And something horrid, something dark, something ancient is reaching out for her, a past that refuses to let her go. Widdershins and Olgun are going to find answers, and justice, for what happened to her—but only if those who almost destroyed her in those years gone by don’t finish the job first.

Ok.. so here's the deal: In theory, this book is fantastic! In reality, however, Thief's Covenant didn't live up to my expectations. I was in love with the idea of the book versus in love with the book itself.

My main issue with this book lies in the fact that I felt a constant disconnect between myself and Widdershins. She was spunky, witty, strong, and intelligent - all qualities I look for in heroines. I just never felt dedicated to her cause. I lacked that passion for her character. I didn't feel a push or drive to care what happened to her. That, for me, is what made this book fall apart.

On top of my issues with the main character, I also had some major problems with the pacing. While there was plenty of action in Thief's Covenant, I felt the book moved very slow for some reason. I didn't feel like all that much was happening. I was also confused by the use of flashbacks. They hindered my understanding of the story rather than helping it. I've seen the value of flashbacks in other books, but when they range from two to six years back, it can be rather distracting.

Overall, I think that there are readers who will find this book enjoyable, however it wasn't for me. I had an incredibly hard time getting into it despite my enthusiasm at the start.

Review: Sue’s Fingerprint

Sue’s Fingerprint (Sue, #1) by Andrew D. Carlson
Publisher: Self-Published
Format: Ebook
Source: Received for review from author
Amazon | Goodreads
★★★☆☆

A gel-like substance is suddenly discovered across the country. Ted Stevens, a Director in the Department of Homeland Security, is assigned to investigate. He enlists the help of scientists at a government laboratory to analyze the ‘goo’. They discover the substance was sent to Earth and has unique properties; it can clone animals. Ted soon learns the substance can also clone humans.

Sue is the first of eleven new people cloned from the alien substance. She and the others arrive without prior knowledges (and without clothes!). They are discovered and recovered by Ted and contained on an abandoned military base. While there, the clones learn about themselves and the world around them. They also receive a message. Sue decides she must deliver it, and one morning they find she’s gone.

During the recovery of Sue, Ted learns of the clones’ message and begins to understand their true intentions. He needs to know more about the clones before making a life-changing decision, so he collects samples for DNA fingerprint testing. The fate of the new people will be decided by the results from Ted’s friends at the laboratory.

Sue’s Fingerprint was certainly not what I had expected it to be. I loved the fact that it was Earth-based Sci Fi – A genre we don’t see enough of! It was intelligent, thrilling, creative, and interesting all at once. These things helped the plot to move along quickly and maintain my attention throughout. I liked Carlson’s writing and found it to be clean and efficient. His use of short chapters made reading a breeze and provided plenty of good break points. If I had to pick out one problem, it would be that the writing lacked depth. When I say “depth” I don’t mean background to the story,  I mean emotional depth. While I enjoyed the writing, I wish there was more feeling to it!

I found the story to Sue’s Fingerprint  intriguing, but I did come away with a few qualms. While this is marketed toward a YA audience, there aren’t actually any young adults in it! None of the main characters are within the YA age range, something I found kind of strange. This certainly does not mean that YA readers shouldn’t read this! It’s just, personally, I would have liked to see at least one main character within the age range. I think that the audience for this book may need to be reconsidered.

I would also have liked to see the characters fleshed out a bit more! This goes along with the lack of emotional depth mentioned before. There’s a great story here, but it’s lacking that human element that makes us, as readers, care about the outcome!

Overall, I would recommend Sue’s Fingerprint to readers who are looking for an intelligent read. While it left me a bit dissatisfied with the characters, there is definitely a place in the Sci Fi genre for Sue’s Fingerprint.

I would like to give a special thanks to Andrew for allowing me the opportunity to read and review his book!

Review: Within

Within by Clare C. Marshall
Publisher: Faery Ink Press 
Format: Ebook
Pages: 192
Source: Author (provided for tour)
Amazon | Goodreads
★★★☆☆

Trinity Hartell’s life changed after the accident. Left with irreversible brain damage, she becomes a burden to her mother, a cause for heartbreak for her boyfriend Zack, and a flattened obstacle for her best friend, Ellie.

But then she starts writing. Perhaps it’s a coincidence that the psychotic, murdering protagonist of her novel bears a striking similarity to the charming Wiley Dalton, a mayoral candidate in the upcoming election.

Or, perhaps not...

First thing I need to say is… CREEPY! The whole dang story is creepy. The villain is so twisted and merciless that at times I found it hard to stomach. On top of that, there are some very dark and somber undertones as you observe the family and friends of Trinity deal with the accident. I could feel the tension building as I progressed through the story. Though I may not read thrillers often, this story has made me want more of them!

The plot starts off a bit on the slow side, but really gains momentum as Trinity begins her writing! I found some parts to be predictable, but overall the story was original and, at times, heart-wrenching. The plot certainly didn’t play out as I had originally thought it would, but I love it when stories keep me on my toes!

I had a few qualms with the characters in this story.  Many of the the characters were dull, underdeveloped, and lacking spark and originality. They didn’t grab me and make me care what happened to them. The mystery of the plot is what pushed me through. Because I appreciate well developed characters as much as I do, I found Within hard to get through at times.

Despite my issues with the characters, I really enjoyed Marshall’s writing style! There is a wonderful flow and pacing about it. It is clear and concise without being wordy or too simplistic. Overall, Within pours out suspense and developing talent!  I’m very curious to see where Clare’s work goes in the future. She is definitely one to watch!

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This review has been posted as part of the Official Within Blog Tour. I’d like to give a special thanks to Clare Marshall for allowing me to participate!

Official Blog Tour | Faery Ink Press

Review: A Beautiful Friendship

A Beautiful Friendship (Stephanie Harrington, #1) by David Weber
Publisher: Baen Books
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 361
Source: Publisher
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads
★★★☆☆

Stephanie Harrington always expected to be a forest ranger on her homeworld of Meyerdahl until her parents relocated to the frontier planet of Sphinx in the far distant Star Kingdom of Manticore. It should have been the perfect new home --- a virgin wilderness full of new species of every sort, just waiting to be discovered. But Sphinx is a far more dangerous place than ultra-civilized Meyerdahl, and Stephanie’s explorations come to a sudden halt when her parents lay down the law: no trips into the bush without adult supervision!

Yet Stephanie is a young woman determined to make discoveries, and the biggest one of all awaits her: an intelligent alien species.

The forest-dwelling treecats are small, cute, smart, and have a pronounced taste for celery. And they are also very, very deadly when they or their friends are threatened as Stephanie discovers when she comes face-to-face with Sphinx’s most lethal predator after a hang-gliding accident.

But her discoveries are only beginning, for the treecats are also telepathic and able to bond with certain humans, and Stephanie’s find --- and her first-of-its kind bond with the treecat Climbs Quickly --- land both of them in a fresh torrent of danger. Galactic-sized wealth is at stake, and Stephanie and the treecats are squarely in the path of highly-placed enemies determined to make sure the planet Sphinx remains entirely in human hands, even if that means the extermination of another thinking species.

Unfortunately for those enemies, the treecats have saved Stephanie Harrington’s life. She owes them and Stephanie is a young woman who stands by her friends.

Which means things are about to get very interesting on Sphinx.

A Beautiful Friendship is a solid YA Science Fiction novel. The story is definitely tailored toward the younger YA audience, but the reading/apprehension level is quite high for the younger YA crowd… It appears as though Weber was unsure as to what age group he wanted to target with this book. Not only was it wordy at times, but A Beautiful Friendship was also overly descriptive of certain elements. For this reason, I found myself skimming a few times as much of the description didn’t seem to add to the story. I also found there to be some issues with pacing. I would have liked to see this split up into a couple books versus having one big climax at the beginning and one at the end.

What saved this book for me was the wonderful world building. Weber managed to create a completely original, complex, and dangerous setting for A Beautiful Friendship. The humans were fairly flat characters, but the treecats were well thought out and interesting. As a reader, you get a deeper look into their minds than you do the humans.

I would recommend this for more skilled YA readers. As both a Sci-Fi and YA reader, I found this book to be a bit confusing. It doesn’t know exactly what it wants to be. Overall, it was an interesting read, but I think I’ll check out Weber’s non-YA Sci-Fi books next time.

Review: Dangerously Placed

Dangerously Placed by Nansi Kunze
Publisher: Random House Australia
Format: Paperback
Pages: 274
Source: NetGalley
Amazon | Goodreads
★★★☆☆

A fantastic romantic sci-fi thriller for teens featuring virtual reality, simulated environments, and just the right mix of mystery and first love

He lay on the ground, his eyes open but unseeing, his pinstriped body blinking in and out of existence like the picture on a fault television.

Alex Thaler can't wait to start her dream work experience placement at Virk, where staff from all over the world mingle in an astonishing virtual office. But when an employee is found murdered, the dream becomes a nightmare—because Alex is the prime suspect. Fortunately, Alex's friends are willing to brave shark tanks, disgusting pathology specimens, and even a nude beach in order to clear her name. Can a hippie chick, a goth girl in a lab coat, and two guys with a taste for  blowing things up really help solve the mystery before Alex becomes the next victim?

Dangerously Placed was quite a thrill ride. I was blown away by how developed and realistic Nansi’s virtual reality technologies were! They were extremely well thought out. So much that I could definitely see us using similar technologies in the future. I also enjoyed how the book was physically broken up: Each chapter takes place over one day. This made it easy to keep track of how time progressed. Sometimes, for me, it is easy to lose track of how much time has passed in novels. Unfortunately, I did find Dangerously Placed lacking in character development initially… BUT by the end the flatness I felt at first was gone and I had a chance to see the intricacies of the secondary characters.

Though this was an interesting, developed story, it did not grab me like the many sci-fi books I have read before. Perhaps the timing was off, but I just wasn’t “feeling it.” I do however feel that this book definitely has a place in the YA sci-fi genre!

Dangerously Placed finished as a strong sci-fi adventure! At 274 pages, this qualifies as a quick read. I definitely recommend this to fans of the sci-fi and adventure genres. I’m very curious to see what Nansi has in store for us next!

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I’m the last stop on the Dangerously Placed blog tour!! Cheers to an good book and some awesome bloggers. Thank you to NetGalley, Nansi Kunze, and Shara Zaval for allowing me to be part of this tour!  Don’t forget to enter my giveaway of Dangerously Placed HERE and watch out for a guest post by Nansi this Sunday!
 Goodreads | Amazon | Author Site

Review: Geek Girl

Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett
Publisher: Cedar Fort Publishing
Release Date: December 8th, 2011 
Format: Kindle Ebook 
Source: NetGalley  
Amazon | Goodreads
★★★☆☆ (3.5 stars)

"Think I can turn that boy bad?" 17-year-old Jen turns her life upside down when, out of boredom, she makes a bet that she can turn school geek Trevor into someone like her. Instead, the goth girl finds herself sucked into his world of sci-fi movies, charity work, and even-ugh!-bowling. To truly belong with him-and with her new foster family-she must first come to terms with her violent past.

First off, Geek Girl is one to own simply for it’s stunning cover!! The original cover was ok…. but this immediately made me want to grab it from NetGalley. If you weren't sold on the cover, let me tell you there is quite a good story found within it. I was so happy to finally see a NICE guy as the love interest. I’m getting so tired of the YA genre with all of the love interests who are just plain assholes.  

Geek Girl was a refreshing change for me. Not only is there a nice love interest, but there is also a completely refreshing main character! Jen is nothing like the usual insecure, boring, dependent,  YA females. Not that I mind those types… I not only found her story intriguing, but her character was extremely complex. I’m a sucker for complex characters… I love that Cindy was able to make me hate Jen for playing with Trevor’s emotions in the beginning, but then have my mind completely changed by the very end. I really enjoyed watching Jen discover that Trevor wasn't exactly what she thought he would be like. Definitely a book with a "Don't judge a book by it's cover" theme.

For me, there were definitely some issues with pacing, but overall this was a very enjoyable read! Geek Girl would be great for readers looking for a light, quick read that they can finish in one sitting (at least I did). It will leave you smiling and laughing throughout! Though this book may have its flaws, there is a wonderful story to be found here and it is most definitely worth checking out!

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This review is featured as part of the Geek Girl Blog Tour

 

Tour Stops | Goodreads | Amazon | Author Site

Review: The Initiation

The Initiation (The Secret Circle, #1) by L.J. Smith
Publisher: HarperPrism
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Source: Purchased 
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads
★★★☆☆

The author of the bestselling The Vampire Diaries presents a suspenseful new trilogy. Seduced by the Secret Circle, Cassie is initiated into the mysterious "in-crowd, " a coven of young witches whose power has controlled New Salem for 300 years--and risks falling prey to the dark powers in order to have the coven leader's boyfriend.

After seeing the TV show, The Secret Circle, I had to give this series a try. I really enjoyed the characters and tension from the show. Sadly, The Initiation was quite different from the TV series. It was a super quick read for me but I found it lacking substance and plot. I really loved the concept of this book, but it really failed for me in the delivery department. When I look back... not much happened throughout the course of the book. I feel like there were things that could have been expanded on that weren’t.

I would have liked to see much more in the way of character development as well. Watch out if you aren’t a fan of insta-love because it is really terrible in this book. As in: this is the third time I’ve met you but “I love you..” I just don’t understand why Smith would have the characters commited in that way so early. Why not give the tension some time to develop? Why not give some mystery to the reader or doubt in the character's minds? Not only is there insta-love with the guy, there is also friendly insta-love between Cassie and her newfound best friend Diana.They meet and are like sisters immediately.

What kept me moving through the bad relationship development and cheesy lines was the great writing style. L.J. Smith’s words flow seamlessly. I believe most readers can definitely appreciate that. This was my first encounter with her writing, and I will definitely be continuing this series for this reason. I truly think that there is potential for this series to turn into something good! If you are looking for a quick, mildly entertaining read then I would suggest checking this out. If you are like me and looking for something to complement the TV series, don't get your hopes up.

Review: Thin Air

Thin Air (Thin Air, #1) by Lynn Seresin
Publisher: Self Published 
Format: Kindle Ebook 
Pages: 452
Source: Author 
Amazon | Goodreads
★★★☆☆ (3.5 stars) 

Alice Ayre is no ordinary teenager. She took her first name from a statue in Central Park, pulled her last name out of the air (literally), and she’s actually almost a thousand years old. In fact, the only “ordinary” thing about Alice is that she’s in love.

Alice was a sylphid—a winged air spirit—when she spotted Daniel Field camping in the Adirondacks and lost her heart to the handsome NYU student. Intangible to the human senses, her only hope of winning his heart resides in becoming mortal, even though transmutation is forbidden by Paralda, ruler of the air. Risking punishment, however, seems a small price to pay for a chance at true happiness.

This is one of those indie books that makes me wonder why it hasn’t already been picked up by a publisher. I feel that with further editing and a few other changes, This Air could be a young adult hit!

The elemental world was fleshed out  so well in Thin Air! I was hooked on the beautiful descriptions from the start. Seresin has a poetic writing style that I absolutely fell in love with. This style really showed through when she was writing about emotion and love. For example, I think she did a wonderful job expressing Aeris’ desperate longing for Daniel. Seresin managed to make Aeris’ love for Daniel believable, even if initially seemed out of place.

As far as the plot goes, I found it to be quite predictable. Being predictable however, did not take away from my enjoyment of the story and of the writing. I found that the story’s strongest points were the beginning and the end. In the beginning, I just loved reading about the naiveté and innocence that Aeris possessed once she became human. Seresin did a great job making Aeris’ transformation to a human realistic.  It was reminiscent of the 1984 mermaid film, Splash, starring Tom Hanks. Unfortunately, Thin Air did hit some dry spells in the middle for me. During that time, some circumstances and events seemed forced to push the story along. Overall I found the story to be enjoyable, but predictable.

I found the romance between Alice (Aeris’ human name) and Daniel to be cute and sultry (if that makes sense). They had some great chemistry from the start. Despite my love for Daniel, I secretly hoped for a love triangle between Alice, Daniel, and Terra. I would like to see Terra make an appearance in the second book! *crosses fingers*

It’s not often that you see books about elementals. This would be my first, but I don’t think it will be my last. I’m definitely looking forward to reading the second installment in the Thin Air Saga! Thin Air had a strong ending and left me wanting to find out what happens next!

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This review is featured as part of the Thin Air Book Tour

 

Goodreads | Lulu | Barnes and Noble | Amazon | Facebook

As a grand prize, Lynn's giving away a signed paperback copy of Thin Air, and a gorgeous pair of earrings to one lucky, randomly chosen entrant! Here's how you can enter for this amazing prize: Visit the blogs listed on the main tour site and collect all of the letters. The letters are only featured on some of the blogs, not all of them. Once you have collected the letters, they should form two words that you can enter in THIS FORM to win!

Next Tour Stop (10/5): Everything To Do With Books (Giveaway)

Review: Solid

Solid (Solid, #1) by Shelley Workinger
Publisher: Self-Published
Format: Kindle eBook 
Pages: 221
Source: Author
Buy It!? Paperback | Kindle
★★★☆☆

Teens who discover they were secretly genetically altered before birth are
brought together at a classified site where they develop
"super-abilities", while at the same time forging new friendships,
finding love and unearthing a conspiracy.

 

I was so excited to finally get around to reading this. Unfortunately, Solid just didn’t live up to my expectations…  Would I recommend it to others? Yes. I think it depends on what you’re looking for. I expected this to be an epic story, not the quick, light adventure that it was. It was a super fast read for me: slow at parts, but it was definitely entertaining.

I found this to be lacking in the plot department. I liked the characters, but felt I didn’t have enough time with them. Some parts of the story were a little unrealistic. For example: Government offices were left unlocked? What happened to security? I would think it would have to be a bit more in this sort of operation.

If you are looking for a fast, solid (no pun intended!), and entertaining read, then this is for you! I enjoyed it, but I wanted more depth. Will I still be reading the next in the series? Yes, most definitely. I’m just really hoping that Settling, book 2, will give me the depth and expansion I was looking for in Solid.

Review: Crusade

Crusade (Crusade, #1) by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: Paperback
Pages: 470
Source: Borders
Buy It!? Paperback
★★★☆☆

For the past two years, Jenn has lived and trained at Spain’s Sacred Heart Academy Against the Cursed Ones. She is among the few who have pledged to defend humanity or die trying. But the vampires are gaining power, and the battle has only just begun.

Forced to return home after death takes a member of her family, Jenn discovers that San Francisco is now a vampire strong-hold. As a lone hunter apart from her team, Jenn is isolated — and at risk. She craves the company of her fighting partner, Antonio: his protection, his reassurance, his touch. But a relationship with Antonio comes with its own dangers, and the more they share of themselves, the more Jenn stands to lose.

Then Jenn is betrayed by one who was once bound to protect her, causing her to doubt all she had held as true. To survive, Jenn must find the courage to trust herself — and her heart.

I would describe Crusade as having a great plot but not-so-good execution. I had many issues with the writing style, as I found it to be very jumpy and lacking description. Several times, I had to go back and reread to understand what had just happened. Reading for enjoyment should not feel like work. And unfortunately, it felt that way.

Crusade was one of those books where I kept pushing through, hoping something would catch my interest. I found Jenn, the main character, and Antonio, the love interest, to be flat and boring throughout the story. Their interactions lacked that spark for me. I didn’t feel the passion and love between the two. I would have enjoyed seeing their relationship beginning to develop more so than jumping right in the middle of it. Strangely enough, the one character that stood out the most for me was Skye, the witch. I thought she was awesome! She was well written, extremely dynamic, and had an air of mystery about her. I also enjoyed reading about Holgar as well.

I’m not saying that Crusade was a bad book! I just don’t think it was for me as the writing style didn’t hold my interest. If you look at the big picture, the story was epic and personal, but was lacking in the execution department.

Review: The Last Archangel

Title: The Last Archangel
Author: Michael D. Young
Source: Received for review from NetGalley.
★★★☆☆

Xandir has been exiled to earth until the end of time. But when his cherub trainee disappears, Xandir makes a deal with rogue angels and giants that could restore life to the mortal woman he loves and end his assignment as a destroying angel in exchange for helping them bring about the end of the world and all of mankind.

I was not able to get through this book… Around about 65% through I forced myself to give up and accept that I couldn’t keep dragging it out… After 2 weeks of trying to get through The Last Archangel, I figured it was safe to quit. I wanted to like this. I really, really did. In theory and summary, this sounds like a book I would end up loving. But in reality,  the formula was just too wrong for me.

First I will start with what I liked about this book: It has a very original concept. Never before have I read something that is so rife with culture and mythology. Young definitely did some research for this.… He makes paranormal, seem normal, if that makes sense. Young was able to make me believe that things like angels, demons, giants, cherubs, and Atlantis could actually exist without being seen.

Now, for the things I didn’t like…

(1) This could not hold my attention for more than 10 minutes. It seemed like there was quite a bit of action, but I was unable to fully invest myself in it (and I usually love reading action scenes).
(2) 65% into the book and no love story, no background on this mortal woman he loves so much (well only a little). I just couldn’t feel the passion that Young was trying to portray! I was very disappointed about this. I would have liked to see a passionate love flashback every once and awhile to make me understand WHY Xandir was jumping through hoops to save her.
(3) I felt no connection with the characters and had no desire to see whether they succeeded.
(4) My time spent reading this, was time spent wondering what else I could be reading.
(5) I had to force myself to read.

In conclusion, this book may be worth a shot if you are a fan of angel-themed books, but it definitely was not for me! And don’t read this if you are looking for an epic love story (not that I was, but I hoped it would turn into one). This could have been a great book, but it was lacking in so many different areas that I think it was unable to recover.

Review: Dragon Wing

Dragon Wing (Death Gate Cycle, #1) by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
Publisher: Spectra
Format: Ebook
Pages: 417
Source: Purchased
Amazon | Goodreads
★★★☆☆

Preeminent storytellers Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have redefined epic fantasy. Since the publication of their Dragonlance series, millions of readers have enjoyed their imaginative world-building, rich characterization, and intricate storylines. Now these bestselling authors bring their talents to one of the most innovative fantasy creations ever in Dragon Wing, the first volume in The Death Gate Cycle.

I really, really like the concept behind this book. It is a truly unique fantasy world that Weis and Hickman have created. Dragon Wing contains quite the crazy combination of genres/themes: post-apocalyptic, classic fantasy, and a fusion of technology and magic. They managed to seamlessly combine all of these genres into a unique, innovative world that readers will find addicting.

With that said… I loved the first half of this book, then somewhere along the way I got tired and bored with it. I kept thinking about stopping and starting a new book, but I had already invested so much time into it, I figured I should at least finish it (I’ll admit there was some skimming). For whatever reason, whether it was the writing or me, Dragon Wing was unable to keep my interest.

I did not mind jumping back and forth between the different characters, in fact, for once it was actually refreshing. If you are a fan of character-driven chapters, you will like this.

I really do believe that many people will embrace this story and this world! The characters are interesting and well developed and the setting is just awesome. I even found myself researching this world and it’s realms outside of reading. So why did I lose interest? I have NO idea. It has all of the elements that would usually make a book a winner for me. I am very perplexed by this.

That’s about all I can say about Dragon Wing. I don’t want to spoil anything for someone who may want to read this. Give it a shot if you think you may be into a classic fantasy story with a twist.

Review: Blue Galaxy

Blue Galaxy by Diane Dooley
Publisher: Carina Press
Format: Ebook
Source: NetGalley
Amazon | Goodreads
★★★☆☆

Falling in love is easy; staying alive long enough to enjoy it just might be impossible.

Javan Rhodes, the hard-drinking, disreputable captain of space freighter The Kypris, took a mission to save himself from hitting the bottom of the food chain. Transporting Sola, a beautiful young aristocrat, from Earth to an unknown destination on the outer rim of the colonies is lucrative, but also highly illegal.

As tough as it is to evade both the law and the lawless, the hardest part of the job is not falling in love with his irresistible cargo. Just as he decides that he will never be able to hand her over to the warlord she must marry, he discovers that Sola has been playing a very dangerous game—one that could not only cost them their lives, but could also affect the balance of power in an increasingly dangerous universe.

This is a tough book to review because there is only one major turn-off for me: Sola’s character. I liked everything else: the writing was great, the steamy scenes were great, and Diane Dooley is a very talented writer for sure.

Allow me to explain. When I read a romance I expect to fully vested in the characters. They are an enormous part of it for me! I loved Javan, his character was very real, but Sola… was a lying, manipulative bitch! Who wants to read a romance where one of the main characters turns out like this? Javan’s character was an idiot for even being interested in Sola after her betrayal! Something else that really got to me: There is not way this would be a happy ending... sorry. Dooley somehow manages to twist and force this into a happy ending. It didn’t make sense at all to me.

Once I started to see Sola’s true colors I was tempted to put this book down, but I pushed through hoping there would be some redeeming quality in her. She just used him to the end though. I guess Javan didn’t care… I don’t know what guy would want to be in a relationship with a girl who he can never trust again.

If you’re a fan of sci-fi romance maybe give this a shot. You might find it interesting. Like I said, the writing was great. I enjoyed everything except Sola. The only problem is that she was just a large enough part of the story to ruin it for me.

Review: Embedded

Embedded by Dan Abnett
Publisher: Angry Robot
Format: Ebook
Pages:416
Source: NetGalley
Amazon | Goodreads
★★★☆☆

HE'D DO ANYTHING TO GET A STORY. When journalist Lex Falk gets himself chipped into the brain of a combat soldier, he thinks he has the ultimate scoop - a report from the forbidden front line of a distant planetary war, live to the living rooms of Earth. When the soldier is killed, however, Lex has to take over the body and somehow get himself back to safety once more... broadcasting all the way.

Heart-stopping combat science fiction from the million-selling Warhammer 40,000 author.

For this book, I'm jumping straight to the review portion. I am going to be totally honest with you: I did not finish this book.

Embedded was extremely hard for me to get into. Obviously, I never really did get into it. It seemed to me that all the characters were doing was talking... and quite frankly, I was bored. Knowing that this was a military sci-fi I expected lots of action. I had not reached the point where he takes over the soldier's body, but I just couldn't take any more of it. I found myself skipping parts and, to my knowledge, not really missing anything of interest!

This book has a great rating on goodreads so I'm assuming that it does pick up later in the book. Don't not read this book because I didn't enjoy it! It just wasn't for me.

I give it 3 stars for having an interesting concept, even if I couldn't hang around to see it all play out.
   

Review: The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale

The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale
by Christine Bell
Carina Press
Advance uncorrected proof received from NetGalley
Genre: Historical Romance, Time Travel
★★★☆☆


 
I'm a time pirate-born in 1810, now a 21st-century woman. I travel through time trying to right wrongs without disrupting the fragile balance between what is and what can never be.

That's why it's vital that I go to 1836 and find the man who conned my brother out of his Time Travel Mechanism as quickly as possible. If the technology falls into the wrong hands, it could change the world as we know it. The notorious Duke of Leister definitely qualifies as the wrong hands. An amateur scientist of the slightly mad variety, he's bound to figure out how to use the TTM sooner rather than later.

I knew this wouldn't be easy. But I wasn't counting on him being as sexy as hell. Or winding up chained to his bed...

via goodreads

What I Loved

• Original plot
• Saucy and tough female protagonist
• Quick and mildly entertaining read
• Time travel elements

What I Didn't Like

• This book was quite short, and a bit too slow for my liking. There was always something going on, but I just couldn't get into it.
• The characters just seemed very shallow to me. Perhaps this is because there was not enough time to really get to know them.

Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆

Review

I think this story would be best for someone looking for a quick read. I was looking for something with a bit more substance. I personally felt that the plot was rather simple and shallow, though it does get a bit more interesting later in the book. Characters could have been somewhat more developed as well. I finished this book feeling as if I had not really accomplished anything by reading it. It always felt like it was missing something. As I said earlier, I recommend this for someone who is looking for a quick, mildly entertaining read (airplane ride perhaps?).