I have a confession. When I watched Disney's The Little Mermaid for the first time, it changed the3.5 Stars
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book.
I have a confession. When I watched Disney's The Little Mermaid for the first time, it changed the course of my life! Ok, not really. I'm just a grown woman who loves mermaid stories...
So is Surfacing a good choice for someone (like me) desperately looking for a fishy tale? Yep. Is it the mermaid story that I've spent countless years searching for? Nah. But was good enough.
Surfacing is an interesting story that blends mermaids and sirens into one mythical being, and calls them finfolk. I'm not sure this is really a new idea, but it was still cool.
When it opens, Mara is on her way to meet her dad for the first time since she was a baby. And instead of finding herself with the father of her dreams, she ends up meeting a scruffy dude who looks like he's one step away from a homeless shelter. He's an artist and a fisherman, who (if his run-down house is any indicator) isn't doing so well financially. Bonus! Their relationship, while bad enough when it was non-existent, turns into a hostile mess once they are under the same roof. And to make matters worse, his specialty seems to be clamming up and walking out the door when things get awkward between them. So. He's emotionally distant, poor, and looks like a hobo. Basically everything you could want in a father!
On top of her family problems, Mara starts to notice that something is really weird about Swans Landing. Not only is she being openly bullied at school for unknown reasons, but it also appears that none of the adults (including her father) are willing to step in and do anything about it. Even her father and his close friends are treated poorly by people from the town, and they seem just as unwilling to stand up for themselves as they are to stand up for her. Between the cryptic taunts and the crazy woman that keeps popping up out of nowhere to scream at her, Mara is pretty darn sure her new home is hiding a strange secret. Unfortunately, no one will tell her what is going on. I thought this part of the book was fairly frustrating. I get that her father didn't want to freak her out over the whole 'Hey you might turn into a fish!' thing, but it seemed to drag on a bit too long for my taste.
After she discovers who and what she is, there is still the problem of the regular humans in the town. It seems that at one point, the finfolk and the humans had a fairly peaceful relationship. The events surrounding what happened to create all of the animosity between the two groups becomes the second mystery Mara needs to solve. Again, I had a problem with the way the humans retaliated against the finfolk. I didn't understand why they didn't 'out' them to the world if they hated them so much. The explanation given was that 'no one would believe them'. Eh? Has no one in Swans Landing heard of a video camera? If they know when and where they go to transform, then surely someone could sneak out there and record it, right? Seemed like a sketchy line of reasoning to think that no one would bother to at least try to expose their secret.
There is, of course, a love story running in the background. Now at first I thought the guy was a total douche, because he stood by doing nothing while his evil girlfriend picked on and abused Mara. However, the more I thought about it, the more it seemed a tad more realistic that he might not want to stick his neck out for some girl he just met. Wait. No, I still think he's a bit of a douche. But by the end of the book, I felt he had redeemed himself. And once his secrets came to light, it was a little bit easier to understand some of his more questionable actions.
The story has a good resolution, but also leaves the door wide open for the next book in the series. That one seems like it will focus on one of the side characters from this novel who is out to solve the mystery about the role her family played in Swan's Landing's downfall.
Again, I think Surfacing is going to be more enjoyable to those in the market for a story about mermaids, rather than someone just looking for a new young adult book with a paranormal twist.
At the start of the book, Aubrey isn't the most sympathetic character. She woke up one day with the ability to turn herself invisible, but she hadn't exactly been using her power to do anything worthwhile. In fact, she ditched her longtime friend Jack, and was using her special ability to steal clothes and other goodies that she normally wouldn't be able to afford. She was also using her power to spy on classmates. The high school's Alpha-Girl found about Aubrey's little secret, and had been using her to keep up with all the gossip in return for making Aubrey popular. Since Aubrey had always been known as trailer-park trash (due largely to her dad's drinking problem), this was a dream come true for her. Or it was until the military showed up at a dance and started throwing all of the kids on a bus. Not to mention that they killed one boy who fought back...after he turned into some sort of mutant monster. Aubrey pulled a disappearing act, assuming that they'd come for her, and hid until they were gone. She reconnected with Jack, but before the two could get away...her father sold her out to the government for beer. Nice! They both end up at a military camp that was designed to sniff out kids with powers. The kids who test negative for mutations get to go home, but no one will tell them what happens to the kids who test positive.
Meanwhile... Alec and Laura have been traveling around (with another teammate) blowing things up. They're part of some mysterious terrorist organization, who's main goal seems to be chaos and destruction. They'd been leaving quite a body count in their wake until one of their missions goes wrong and they got separated. Alec was still on the loose, but Laura got picked up and put into the same camp as Jack and Aubrey. Of course, she decided it was a golden opportunity to infiltrate the enemy, and immediately started worming her way into a power position.
I liked the different POVs you get in this book. I thought it added a little sumpin' sumpin' to the drama of everything to know what was going on in the bad guys' heads. Especially when Laura was working side by side with Jack and Aubrey. Nooooo! She's evil! Don't trust her! Why are you going into the basement with her?! Never. Go. Into. The. Basement.
I've barely skimmed the top of this book's plot, but let's just say that the psycho teen-terrorists aren't Aubrey and Jack's only problem. The military has plans for all of the kids who have powers, and they don't exactly ask nicely for their help. Lots of twists, near-escapes, secrets, and betrayals.
I do wish the terrorist organization and the cause of the virus had been explained a little bit better. I didn't get annoyed by the lack of information while I was reading, though. It was fast-paced enough that I breezed through the story pretty quickly, and only after it was over that I realized I still had questions. Maybe the author is saving those things for the next book?
All in all, I had a lot of fun reading Blackout, and I'd recommend it for YA fans of mutant kids in a slightly dystopian setting.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
Iolanthe is an elemental mage who lives with her increasingly frustrating guardian. In an effort to help with a local wedding she attempts to 4.5 stars
Iolanthe is an elemental mage who lives with her increasingly frustrating guardian. In an effort to help with a local wedding she attempts to fix a potion and she finds out she can call down lightning. And nobody can call down lighting. Ooooh. Sounds like someone has a special destiny.
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Imagine her surprise when her (young & handsome) king shows up to save her from the forces of Atlantis (they're the bad guys) who want to capture her for nefarious reasons. Ok. Back it up.
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The Domain is where Titus and Iolanthe were raised, but they end up hiding out in a non-magical realm and going to Eton. Well, Iolanthe is hiding, Titus is supposed to be there. He's kind of in exile, retaining his title as a figurehead only. Of course, this means Iolanthe has to pretend to be a boy, which brings yet another layer to the story. And she's never visited the non-magical world, so she has no idea what these boys are talking about half of the time. Ok. Back it up again.
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See, Titus' mother was a seer, and she left him with her diary that reveals her dreams and ultimately his destiny. That destiny included Titus being the one to find and train the prophesied savior of The Realm. Except he just assumed this savior would be a guy, so his preparation included bringing him to Eton. Hmmm. Unfortunately, with the evil villains hot on her trail, Iolanthe doesn't have much of a choice in the matter. Due to a spell placed on her guardian, she's lived her entire life unaware of the extent of her powers. So it's either follow Titus and attempt to turn herself into a dudeand the most powerful elemental mage of their lifetime, or die at the hands of a spooky Inquisitor from Atlantis.
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And Titus isn't exactly hiding Iolanthe just because he wants to keep her safe. In return for his services, he expects her to use her powers to fight against their oppressors. Whether she wants to or not. So, he's no knight in shining armor. He uses every underhanded trick in the book to force her to do what he wants, and she, quite frankly, hates him for it. Sort of? Every now and then, she catches a glimpse of what Titus could have been if he hadn't been born into this role. And once she finds out that Titus' destiny includes...well, that's a spoiler, so you'll just have to find out on your own. Anyway, she starts to understand him a little better and respects him a lot more. The fact that he's still desperately trying to save his people, even though his mother's diary said spoilery things. Well, let's just say it inspires her to do the same. And somewhere between the blackmail and the threat of impending doom, these two start to develop a tentative friendship. Maybe even something more?
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Sometimes YA stories annoy me but thought this one was good. If you like magical worlds then The Burning Sky might be something you'd enjoy.
I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Philip Battley this second time around and I thought he did a good job....more
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for a copy of this book. 3.5 stars
Here on Goodreads you'll see some fairly low ratings for this book, but I doThank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for a copy of this book. 3.5 stars
Here on Goodreads you'll see some fairly low ratings for this book, but I don't think they're necessarily deserved. I actually thought this one was pretty entertaining. However. Don't go into it expecting it to be an epic journey into mythological Egypt. No, it's more of a story about growing up and realizing that just because your parents aren't perfect, doesn't mean they don't love you.
The older I (and my children) get, the more I understand my own mother. And by understand, I mean sympathize. She had no idea what she was doing! I don't mean that in a bad way, either. If you have kids, you know what I'm saying. I mean, everyone knows the basics. Feed them, take them to the doctor when they're sick, don't beat them, and don't sell them to strangers. Easy, right? Yeah. Not so much. Turns out there's a lot of gray area in there... I have this friend (true story) who told me she was going to get Purity Rings for her sons when they started middle school. She was serious. *crickets chirping* When it was time to have the talk with my boys, I Googled 'penis sores/swollen testicles' and clicked on Images. Then I told them to think about that the next time they saw a pretty girl! Ka-Ching! What I'm trying to say, is that those are both equally idiotic ways to try to keep our boys from having sex before mom is ready for it. Also, we both love our kids, but there isn't really a guidebook for how to do this whole 'parenting' thing exactly right. It's a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of job, and there's no way to say or do everything perfectly.
But my way was better. Admit it.
Isadora has lived a sheltered life in Egypt with her family. Now, her family is made up of Egyptian gods and goddesses, so it wasn't exactly a normal upbringing, but she had a happy childhood. Until she found out that her parents hadn't bothered to make her immortal. Nope. She was gonna die just like everyone else. Her father, being the ruler over death, had a nice tomb made up for her, though. Screw getting a dumb pony! My daddy got me my very own sarcophagus! It also seems as though her mother only had her in order to keep from fading. See, the gods only exist if they have people who worship and believe in them. So every twenty years her mom has a baby, and Ta-da! a new worshiper is born. Isadora comes to believe that she does this to basically ensure that there is always someone out there believing in her and the rest of her immortal family.
The final straw for Isadora happens when her mother announces that she's pregnant. She feels as though she's being replaced (sooner than normal), and decides that she's done with her whole wonky family. Especially her mother. So when good old mom starts having dreams about something bad coming their way, Isadora see her chance for escape. With the help of her aunt, she manages to convince her mother that it would be safer for her to go live with her brother in California for a little while. Except her plans don't include coming back. Ever.
Once there, of course, she meets an awesome guy who thinks she hung the moon. He's gorgeous, he's talented, and he's perfect for her. Pssst. He also has a cool secret, but I'm not going to tell you what it is... Except she still can't get past the fact that she's going to die someday. For some reason, she thinks that since her life will eventually end, then there's no point in falling in love. I'll admit that was an odd focal point for all of the relationship drama, but I decided to just go with it. You know, think of it as a metaphor for all of the 'psychological damage from childhood' that we have to get over to become an adult.
Although, I find that most people who blame their childhood for the reason they can't function as a responsible adult are usually idiots looking for an excuse to behave badly. For example (I know you've heard this one), "I can't be faithful to my spouse/lover because my parents divorced when I was 10, and now I just can't fully commit to anyone. *sob*". Huh? For those first 10 years did they force you to live in a box and eat crickets or something?! No? Ok, then. Suck it up and move on.
And that's the plot of Chaos of the Stars. Oh, there's a bit of danger lurking in the background (the dream stuff), but it isn't the main part of the story. Don't expect much from it, and you won't be disappointed. On the whole, I thought it was entertaining, quirky, and different enough to keep me interested.
This ARC was given to me through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
So in the future there's this thing called the D-mat. Think: Star3.5 stars
This ARC was given to me through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
So in the future there's this thing called the D-mat. Think: Star Trek Teleporter. Beam me up, Scotty! Almost everyone all over the world uses it to travel anywhere they want to all across the globe. So if you live in Denver you can go to school or work in Amsterdam. Very cool, right? I say almost everyone uses it, because there is (of course) a group of granola crunchers (Abstainers) who refuse to step inside the D-mat for fear of...well, all kinds of conspiracy theory reasons. You know, like the people who go on and on about eating organic because all of the chemicals pumped into things. Except, now that all kinds of diseases are on the rise, they don't sound quite as crazy anymore...do they? Well, Clair stumbles into into the same sort of realization when she inadvertently uncovers some very unusual things happening to her best friend. Libby is Clair's popular cool counterpart, who hates the birthmark on her face. So she tries to improve herself via chain-mail like instructions that she found on the Air. The Air is basically the internet, and (most) everyone is connected to it continually through augmentations in their eyes and ears. After Libby announces that she's tried Improvement and it worked, she sort of stops communicating with anyone. Libby's disappearance coincides with Clair and Libby's boyfriend sharing a secret kiss, so Clair isn't sure if something bad has happened to her, or if she's somehow found out about their indiscretion. Soon, however, the messages that Clair does start getting from Libby point to something more strange and sinister than just hurt feelings. But the instructions for Improvement are just too goofy to be believed. Kind of like that crap on Facebook that someone always 'shares'. *Insert sentimental garbage here* Now make a wish and re-post to all of your friends. If you believe enough, your wish will come true. If you're not brave enough to re-post this... Horrific things will immediately begin to happen to you and those you love!!!!!! Nobody but crazy old ladies from church and my friends' little kids (who shouldn't have FB accounts to start with!) pass this stuff onto me. Why? Because everyone else in the world knows they're absolutely ridiculous. Same thing goes for this Improvement thing that Libby tried. It basically said that you write down what you want to change about yourself, then hop around from place to place in the D-mat. The letter (or some form of it) had been circulating the Air for a while, and the vast majority of people did exactly what I do with the dorky FB posts...they sighed and scrolled on past it.
Since nobody believes Improvement is possible, that leaves very few people on the planet left for Clair to turn to for help. Hmmm. Who does Clair know that would believe a crazy conspiracy theory? Well, there's this one kid in her classes named Jessie that comes from a family of Abstainers (think: futuristic version of the Amish), who might be able to point her in the right direction. He's basically a social pariah, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And speaking of desperate measures...Clair decides to try Improvement for herself. Whether or not it has any effect on her is a question that plagues her for the rest of the book, and I'm not telling you what happens. So there! Trying Improvement and looking a bit deeper into the D-mat conspiracy leads her to meet a disembodied super-hacker with amnesia, who goes by the name Q. How does this person play into everything? Well, if you've read a lot of adult sci-fi, you'll probably be able to figure out Q's origin fairly quickly. But I think for a teen who's new to the genre it might come as more of a shock.
In the beginning, there's lots of teen drama, but after Clair teams up with Q and Jessie the story takes a more exciting turn, and leaves most of the angst behind. As far as romance goes, there are two boys in the story that Clair likes, but (for reasons I can't go into) there is no actual love triangle. I thought the plot had an interesting concept, and there was also a well thought out world to back it up. It's a good young adult sci-fi story, but I'm not sure it translates into something that adults will fall in love with. I was totally entertained the entire time I was reading it, but if you're not a fan of YA you may find some of the things that happen to be a bit too predictable. A bonus point for the book is the body image theme that starts the story off. If I remember what it was like to be a teenager correctly (and I do! Smartass.), then this is definitely a theme worth having.
Although, I have to admit that I still nit-pick my imperfections...even at such an advanced age. About one day every month I feel bad about the way I look, and decide to try some sketchy rejuvenating cream/tool that I've seen on tv. I usually come to my senses before I manage to give the operator my credit card number. I mean, can something really change your life for only 29.95 a month for four months? Eh. Probably not. Besides, part of the beauty of surviving adolescence is the knowledge that it perfection is overrated.
Believe me, you will have lots of questions when you close the book. If you go into the story knowing this, I don't think you'll be disappointed. I'm sBelieve me, you will have lots of questions when you close the book. If you go into the story knowing this, I don't think you'll be disappointed. I'm still thinking about the story days later, so I think it deserves at least 4 stars. And while it might not be for everyone, I enjoyed it.
The book focuses on Morgan and her journey, rather than on giving you answers about the world she lives in. The world building for the city of Internment felt complete, but the reason for Internment to exist is a total mystery. The people believe that when the earth started going to hell in a hand basket, the gods took a hunk of the planet and flung it into space. So Internment basically floats above the earth like a big rock with no communication from below. There's a force field (that the gods supposedly created) surrounding it, and it keeps anyone from throwing themselves overboard, so to speak. You just kind of bounce right back if you jump. Not many people do this though, because while you do bounce back, you come back fucked up somehow. For example, Morgan's brother tried it, and now he's blind.
The city of Internment actually sounds pretty awesome. I kept thinking I'd found the fatal flaw in their system, only to be slapped upside the head and told that it wasn't. When Morgan mentions that everyone is assigned someone at birth to be their betrothed, I thought that was the problem. Except it wasn't. Everyone seems genuinely in love with their other half. Do the folks in charge of that sort of thing have a special way of knowing who is your perfect match? This is one of the many unanswered questions I mentioned. Then when Morgan talks about how everyone is basically recycled when they can no longer be useful to society, I thought that was when the city would begin to look horribly evil. Ehhhh. Not really. You work (in a job you pick) until you get too old, then you go live in some sort of a retirement home called a dodder house until you're 75, then you get recycled. Yeah, ok. I don't want anyone picking out the date of my death, but at the same time it's not exactly a super-evil time span, you know? You're guaranteed 75 years with the love of your life, doing a job you enjoy, and you get a retirement package to boot! Oh, and there's no crime. But I guess that's the point. Lots of things look good on paper, but the reality isn't quite as awesome.
Everything starts to unravel for Morgan when a girl about her age is found murdered on the train tracks. That sort of thing just doesn't happen, after all. Once she starts to open her eyes and question things, she finds out that not everything is what it seems. Even the people she loves most.
The ending is fairly crazy. I don't want to spoil too much, but I will tell you it involves a giant mechanical bird, a wanted murder, and a crazy-ass princess. And, yes. There's a cliffhanger ending... ...more
I'm a sucker for romances featuring couples that start off as mortal enemies, especially the humorous ones. Dark and tortured souls really aren't my thing when it comes to love stories...not that there's anything wrong with that! Nope, give me a funny lighthearted story and you can basically guarantee that I won't put it down. If you're into that sort of thing too, then Lingerie Wars is something you'll enjoy.
The small town of Invertary is full of quirky characters that make the story pop off the page. My personal favorite was Betty, a crabby old lady who does everything in her power to make everyone in Invertary miserable. Lake inherits Betty as part of the contract that his sister signed when she bought the lingerie shop, and now he's stuck with her as his sidekick. Or at least that's what she call herself. Lake refers to her as the evil little hobbit troll. She's awful to everyone, and I loved her!
Lake is unapologetic about his need to beat Kirsty's shop out of existence, and equally up front about wanting to sleep with her in the meantime. This doesn't pose a problem for him because he's a man. A stupid, stupid man. Kirsty, however, is determined not to let his stupid man charms lull her into forgetting that his number one priority will end with her bankrupt and living with her mother. But he is kinda hot...
As Lake slowly worms his way into the hearts of the town, Kirsty realizes that she may have more of a fight on her hands than she thought. She decides to ask her closest friend for help getting some publicity at the town festival, and ends up with more than she bargained for. Enter the Lingerie Wars! The town comes up with a unique solution to showcase both shops (and get some tourism dollars flowing) by cashing in on Kirsty and Lakes' rather public fighting. Kirsty still has enough fame left over from her modeling days to be interesting to the press, and Lake has managed to insert himself into the spotlight as her 'smokin hot nemesis' in this small town war.
By the time these two finish sabotaging each other privately and slugging it out publicly, they get to know each other pretty well. That's a problem for Lake. I mean, now he's got these pesky feelings inside of him, and since he's a stupid man, he's just not sure what to do to get rid of them. His big plan includes selling his shop once it's out of the red, and getting the hell out of Invertary as fast as he can. But leaving just doesn't hold the same appeal that it once did...
Not a particularly steamy romance, but it's funny and sweet. Definitely recommended for anyone looking for a fluffy read that will make you giggle!
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book!...more
This review and other cool stuff can also be seen at Addicted2Heroines
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book.
If you are a fan of books with lovelThis review and other cool stuff can also be seen at Addicted2Heroines
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book.
If you are a fan of books with lovely descriptions and long journeys of self-discovery? Do you enjoy books that are set on planets that closely mirror our own? Do you love books filled with details that show what an alien culture might be like? Most importantly, ask yourself this...Do I like reallyreally long books? 'Cause this bad-boy is almost 600 pages long. Just sayin'.
Evidently, a (mostly) benevolent race of aliens has taken over our solar system. Tess' brother fought back against them, and instead of punishing him, they gave him a bunch of planets to rule over. Weird, right? Her brother decided to make Tess his heir, which elevated her status among the aliens. Their whole caste system is kinda confusing, but after a few hundred pages you get a pretty good grip on it.
It starts with Tess boarding a ship to another planet, and accidentally discovering something hinky going on that relates to a planet under her brother's rule. Sounds cool. I love me some evil alien stuff! And then the sci-fi stuff sort of stops, and you end up following Tess as she rides over the countryside with a group of nomads called the Jaran. Their society is different in the fact that women (sort of) rule the tribes. But in the same breath, they have no control over who they marry. See, the guy who wants to marry them sort of sneaks up and cuts them across the cheek. With a knife. Eh? There are lots of other odd and interesting tidbits of their society that Tess learns to navigate during her time with the Jaran. It's a learning experience for her, and for them. That's the theme of the book, I guess. Her growing respect for a culture that, at first glance, seems barbaric.
There's a romance that brews between Tess and one of the Jaran, but it slowly builds over the course of the story. It's also a romance that comes from respect and friendship. Let me assure you...this is no bodice ripper. Look elsewhere if you want to read about kinky alien-lovin', ladies!
This is not the type of book that I would seek out...ever. For me, there were too many descriptions of their surroundings, not enough hot sex with yummy guys, and the page count was too high. But. That doesn't mean this was a bad book. It was well-written, it had fully developed characters, and great world-building. It's wasn't my cuppa, but it might be yours....more
Another great novella in the Superlovin' series! I actually liked Super Bad a bit better, but I think it's just becAlso reviewed for Addicted2Heroines
Another great novella in the Superlovin' series! I actually liked Super Bad a bit better, but I think it's just because I'm a fan of anti-heroines. This one was still a great read, and if you like superhero stories and romance novels you need to latch on to this series.
Super Hot picks up where the last book left off, with Dr. Eisemnann now dealing with his new (unwanted) psychokinetic abilities. Most supers who develop this power end up...well, dead. It's the most frightening super power, because there is usually little to no way to control it. Eisenmann has worked with heroes long enough to know exactly what's going to happen to him, and he's withdrawn from everyone he knows in an effort to protect them. Nothing says 'friendship' like setting someone on fire... He's also in a desperate race against time to find a way to cure himself. And he thinks he may have found a way to do it, but he's going to need to convince Tandy Nightwing to help him. Tandy is the only non-super in the famous Nightwing family, and if he can isolate the gene that kept her from developing powers, then maybe he can reverse what's happened to him.
Unfortunately, for Eisenmann Tandy isn't interested in being poked and prodded anymore. She's made her peace with not having any power, and she's manged to make quite a name for herself without one...thank you very much. The only problem with that plan is that Tandy is still a Nightwing. And with the family name, comes a deeply ingrained sense of honor. Honor...Guilt Trip. What's the difference, right? Anyhoo, she decides that it won't hurt to let him test her blood. Besides, he's not the same Eisenmann that we met in the previous story. Nope. In Super Bad, he was the nerdy (but nice) lab rat who was trying to help Mirage recover her memories. Now? Well, to keep from torching his equipment every five minutes, he's had to resort to working out every day to get the excess energy out of himself. Growr! Hot Nerd Alert! So. Tandy decides to hep the yummy smart dude. And can you really blame her? No. I would raise my hand to be part of that kind of experiment, too.
Although, it turns out there's more to Tandy's non-powers than she originally thought, and if she's going to help him she's going to have to do more than just let him draw a vial or two of her blood. And you know that if these two combustible people spend time together...sparks are gonna fly! Ok. I'll admit that line was cheesy, but I just couldn't help myself!
Also, unbeknownst to Eisemnann, there may be someone out there who has an interest in his research with Tandy that might not be all that benign. Can these guys find the cure before it's too late for everyone? Duh. Of course they will! It's a love story, people!
If you haven't read the other books in the series, don't worry about it. These stories are self-contained, and you won't feel lost if you start with this one. However, you'll probably want to grab the other two after you finish this.
Silent Echo has some really good things going for it. One of them is the interesting take on the story of the sirens from Homer's story. Only two of the original sirens are evil, one of them just goes along with the whole luring sailors to their death thing, because of a promise she made to her mother.
See, her mother loved her best because...well, the other two girls were kind of psychotic. And she'd heard from a seer that if her beloved daughter didn't go along with her sisters' nefarious plans, that they would kill her. So the mother made her promise (while she was dying) to go along with whatever her sisters wanted her to do. And that's how we ended up hearing the tale of three sirens who liked to eat sailors.
Then along comes Portia. She's been mute her entire life, and has given up on ever being able to speak. It's ok, though. She has wonderful parents, goes to a great school, and has good friends. Especially her best friend, Felix. He's deaf, and the the two of them have come up with their own special form of communication over the years. Life is pretty good, considering.
Well, it is until strange and scary things start happening to her body, including coughing and feeling that her throat is closing up. Lots of odd things happen, but long story short, she turns into a siren. But I'm guessing you already knew that, right?
Enter the new boy, Max. He's hot, he's sweet, he's charming, and he's got musical talent oozing out of his pores. He's also head-over-heels for Portia.
But what about poor Felix, you ask? Ah, yes. Felix has changed over the summer, and turned into a pretty good-looking boy himself. And he's also in love with Portia. Warning! Warning! Triangle Ahead! There's no avoiding this one, folks. She loves Max, she loves Felix. Whatshegonnado?! I personally don't care who she ends up with, but I'm sure some of the fans out there will have t-shirts printed up by the time they finish the book.
Even with a love triangle, I still thought the plot was fresh and interesting. In fact, I only have one real complaint. Unfortunately, it's a big one, and the reason that I just couldn't bring myself to rate the book any higher. The Singing.
Huh? The book is about sirens. They sing. It's their superpower, right? Yes. But this book is filled to the brim with these kids singing to each other. Max sings to Portia, he writes songs for her, he sings her to sleep (via webcam), he even pulls an impromptu song out of his ass in the freaking lunchroom about how badly she is treating him. Portia sings to Max, she has some sort of an Epic Rap Battle in the mirror with an evil siren, and she even sings to boys in the hallway. Speaking of the hallway songs... She actually asks one of the boys to beat-box to 'Bust A Move' so that she can impress them with her vocal styling. Yes, I'm serious.The list goes on and on.
By the end of the book, I felt like I had just had to sit through High School Musical or some other tween Disney movie with my girls...again. And ya know what? It's fun to watch those campy movies with my eight year old, because she and my five year old don't know any better. They actually think teenagers run through the hallways battling it out vocally. *laughs hysterically* *wipes tears from eyes* Ahhh. That was fun.
But in reality, that doesn't happen. Well, unless high school has dramatically changed over the years. Somehow, I don't think so. However, if you are currently in high school and you and your chums run around having West Side Story song battles in the cafeteria? Feel free to correct me and leave your comments at the bottom. I've got a son heading into ninth grade soon, and if that's the case, I should probably get him in with a voice coach now......more
I loved it! I opened it up expecting it to be a vanilla romance about angels falling in love with4.5 stars
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book.
I loved it! I opened it up expecting it to be a vanilla romance about angels falling in love with humans, and what I got was a really cool story. And yes, it all started because a few angels were getting some sweetsweet lovin' from human women, but that's where the similarities to my original expectations ended.
Gaby is 19 and living a small beach town in Australia that she has no real ties to. She just wandered into it after waking up in a hospital, and sort of decided to stay for a while. She only vaguely remembers the car accident that took her twin brother's life, and she tries not to examine the rest of her past too closely. Her parents were distant, which was the main reason she and her brother took off to see the world on their own, so there's no real home she feels she can go back to and lick her wounds. However, she has found a good friend in her roommate, Maggie, and she's been slowly coming to terms with her new life.
Everything changes one night when she meets a stranger (a HOT stranger) at the local bar. He insists that they know each other, and that he was her brother's best friend. It isn't until he shows her the pictures he has on his cell phone of Jude (her brother) and himself, that she starts to believe him. Except the timeline is off. She and Jude had been traveling together since they were 16...so when did he have the time to hang out with this guy? There are other things that don't add up, like why does this guy act like she's going to take his head off. Literally.
I usually try not to give any spoilers, but the blurb hints at it anyway. And besides, this is the part that sucked me in and made me pay attention. It turns out that almost every memory she has is a false memory, implanted by...? Yeah, who knows?! Not only that, but her entire personality is totally different from what it used to be. Somewhere inside Gaby is her alter-ego, Gabe, an ass-kicker that makes grown men wet their pants!
There's definitely more to it than even that, but I think it would be much better for you to find that out on your own. This is one of those books that I want to tell you more about, but I'm afraid I'll ruin the reading experience. Even if angels aren't your thing (they aren't mine), definitely don't miss out on this one!
A dystopian time-travel story with an autistic girl as the main character? My first thought was, "Wow!"Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book.
A dystopian time-travel story with an autistic girl as the main character? My first thought was, "Wow!", and my second thought was, "Wonder if the author can pull it off?". Well, she did. Congratulations, Ms. Grimes!
There are a lot of us out there who know and love people on the autism spectrum. It's a mysterious condition that strikes without much rhyme or reason, and can range from debilitating to just a bit quirky. And even if you think you've never met someone with autism, you're probably wrong. Remember the weird kid with no social skills who sat behind you in middle school? Think about the kid you knew that randomly cleared their throat or made humming noises? Maybe they constantly pulled at their clothes and never looked anyone in the eye? Made strange jokes that didn't make sense? Or maybe they just never got the jokes that other people made. You've met someone. At some point. But with autism comes a range of other abilities that can be strikingly brilliant. Photographic memories, musical savants, artistic geniuses, and off the chart intelligence are some of the side-effects of autism. Not always, but sometimes.
In Clover's case, she can recall anything she's ever read. Nice, huh? Wish I could do that. But with the good, comes the bad. She is easily overwhelmed in situations, certain textures bother her (the seam in her socks, tags, etc.), and social situations are hard for her. She's wary of other people because she can't read facial expressions, and she's been burned over and over again by cruel kids who have made her the butt of their jokes. Can you imagine if you couldn't understand when someone was being sarcastic or giving you a backhanded complement? School is hard enough, but not being able to tell a bully from a friend? Nightmare!
In this version of the future, a virus has wiped out the majority of the population. A cure was found, but it needs to be taken daily (or at least every few days?), otherwise the symptoms will reappear. The suppressant was only found after a scientist discovered a portal that allowed him to travel two years into the future. He recovered a vial of the future cure, brought it back, reverse engineered it, and saved the day. Now time-travel is used to find out future problems and prevent them before they happen. In fact, murderers are executed before they have a chance to commit the crime. Hmmm.
Clover was only a week or so old when the cure was found, and her brother, West, was a toddler. Her mother contracted the virus at the hospital, and was dying painfully when her husband overdosed her on pain medication to spare her further suffering. He fully expected both him and his two small children to be dead within days, and was only hoping to survive long enough to care for them so that they wouldn't die alone. In a cruel twist of fate the doctor arrived at his doorstep with the cure moments after he euthanized his wife. He could never forgive himself for her 'murder', and slowly began withdrawing from his children. He eventually left them in the care of a neighbor, and took a job as an executioner.
In the present, Clover is getting ready to enter a prestigious academy because of her off the chart academic scores. West has put everything on hold to take over as Clover's caretaker and ensure that she didn't end up in Foster City. Now that she's finally leaving home, he can get on with his life. Except it doesn't go down that way. Clover has a service dog, Mango, that helps her cope when things get too overwhelming. When she goes to her interview at the academy, however, the headmaster realizes she's autistic, and tells her they don't allow animals. There's no way Clover can function without Mango, and the headmaster knows it. He then sends her to the Time Mariners, where the rather creepy man in charge informs her that she has been 'drafted' into their service. She's given a few strange instructions, and then thrown into the exciting world of time-travel. Ok. It's not really all that exciting. They kind of just go and pick up information packets at drop points...
Everything is going relatively well until she goes on a mission and encounters a young man who breaks the rules. Everyone knows that if they see a Time Mariner, they are supposed to turn away and pretend they aren't there. But not only does this guy approach her, he gives her a piece of paper...and then kisses her! It's the fact that he knows how to kiss her without setting her off that convinces Clover to take his message and hide it. When she returns from the trip, she open the letter and finds an execution order for West, for the murder of the girl he's secretly in love with. She knows West. She knows that he wouldn't kill someone. And there's no way she's going to sit around and wait for him to be arrested. Her only option is to go waaaay outside her comfort zone to save him.
This sets off a chain of events that turns everything they know upside down. It seems their entire society is built on lies...
I have to admit that I was drawn to this book because of the autistic main character. However, it turned out to be a very solid dystopian novel. I also thought the relationship between West and Clover was realistically written. West wasn't happy that he had to stay with Clover instead of do the things he wanted, but he stayed anyway. He's not some kind of a saint, but he loves her. I also thought it was great that Clover had a love interest. Very sweet, and totally appropriate.
While the idea of a world built of secrets and lies is nothing new to the dystopian genre, the characters are interesting enough on their own to keep this story fresh. If you're looking for something different, don't miss out on this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Escape Publishing for this ARC.
4.5 stars Honestly, when I was first asked to review this book I kind of gave a mental shuddeThank you to NetGalley and Escape Publishing for this ARC.
4.5 stars Honestly, when I was first asked to review this book I kind of gave a mental shudder. The cover gave me a 'paranormal romance' kind of vibe, and I've been burned out on those for a while now. However, the blurb classified it as a new adult fantasy, so I went ahead and downloaded it. But I also managed to put off reading it for as long as possible, because I couldn't stomach the thought of yet another paranormal boarding school story. Ugh. Just what I wanted to read...some kind of Vampire Academy romance for the 'New Adult' genre. Blech. I finally ran out of books that I wanted to read, and the only thing left was King Hall. Since I'm a good southerner, I said a little prayer, "Dear Baby Jesus, I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but if you could send a cool book my way next time, I'd really appreciate it. Oh, and please bless this book that I'm about to partake of, even though I know I'm going to hate it. Starving children, peace on earth, etc.. Amen.".
The story is already in progress when the books opens. In fact, after the first chapter, I rolled my eyes and looked it up on Goodreads. WTF?! These characters are already know each other, and the plot is in full swing! Did I end up accidentally getting into the middle a series that I know nothing about...AGAIN?! Uh, no. As it turns out, King Hall is the first book by this author. Hmmm. Ok, now I'm intrigued. 'Cause all of the 'getting to know you' stuff has already happened. Different and possibly cool.
Lily is enrolled in King Hall, which is basically a college for mystical beings. Her mate Dominic is slated to be the next king of the Shifters. He's hot, sweet, and he knows about Lily's secret. She's a hybrid (shifter and vampire), which would earn her a death sentence if anyone else knew about it. Dominic is truly the Love of her Life. Once you find your mate, the bond is unbreakable and lifelong. Each mated couple has their own gift, and their gifts are telepathy and empathy. They should only have one, but her hybrid status gave them two. Unfortunately, no one can know about the empathy...'cause of that pesky Death Sentence thing. Of course, the mean-girl Shifters hate Lily. She's seen as an oddity due to her short stature and strange (for them) hair. She's also a fox-sized wolf when she shifts....pretty embarrassing.
So I'm not too far into it at this point, and other than the way I've been dropped into this story, I'm still not overly excited. Sounds like a million other plots that I've already read. Yawn....
And the all of a sudden the entire story took off in a different direction. I. Couldn't. Put. It. Down. And the thing is, if I tell you all of the things that changed my mind about King Hall? Ugh! Total spoilers! What I can say is that the world-building was phenomenal, the plot was well-paced, and there was absolutely no sign of the smooth Velveeta cheese that I thought would be coating the pages. It was awesome! There's not as much action or political intrigue going on as the blurb might imply, but the characters more than make up for it. I really can't say enough about the uniquely engrossing friendship that the author created between Lily, Jack, Pearl, and Ezra. Ezra....*swoon* Speaking of Ezra, I think it's noteworthy to mention that I have a major crush on that vampire. Why is that noteworthy, you ask? Well, I pretty much throw up in my mouth when I read about vampires anymore. Let's face it, a few years ago the market was over-saturated with sexy vampires. Almost every book had at least one of the poor misunderstood bastards lurking in the shadows. The running theme (correct me if I'm wrong, ladies) being that [insert random vampire] could give a woman a mind-blowing orgasm just by drinking her blood. Which is pretty gross and probably a little unsanitary when you think about it. But I'll admit that I gobbled up my fair share of those books...and then some. Having said that, I'm sure I'm not the only one who now gags every time they see some new PNR with a pasty looking bad-boy on the cover. So you can imagine how surprised I was to find myself getting all tingly over Ezra. Yep. He transcended my hatred of all things Nosferatu. And that's really saying something.
I've gotta warn you, the ending has quite a cliffhanger. I'm not always a fan of those, but it totally worked for me this time. I loved it! Well, sort of... OhGodWhenIsTheNextBookComingOut?!
Anyone out there remember Captain Planet and the Planeteers? Yeah. Ok, imagine that Captain Planet is anThank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book.
Anyone out there remember Captain Planet and the Planeteers? Yeah. Ok, imagine that Captain Planet is an annoying young woman, and the Planeteers are misogynistic men. Ta-Da! You now have the plot of this book.
This is quite possibly the most craptastic thing I've read all year. I'm actually offended on a cellular level by some of its content, and that's hard to do. I don't offend easily. But this book managed to do it. First, it bored me to tears. It took me forever to wade through it, simply because there was nothing interesting to latch onto. Her 'powers' were stupid. Look! With the help of others, I can slowly make kelp grow! Wow. And the band of Planeteers? They were an awful bunch of guys would basically wanted to torture her into doing the bidding of what seemed to be the world's dorkiest cult. I mean, they were dirt poor! What kind of global organization that can control the elements is underfunded?! Use your powers to make some money, you jackasses!
Oh, but it gets better. Her lover/mentor tries to rape her. Why? So she can learn how to use her powers while distressed. 'Cause locking her in a freezer wasn't bad enough. And this was the guy who liked her.
The Planeteer who didn't like her really did rape her. Repeatedly. After he kidnapped her and took her to his evil lair. Why? I don't know. But nothing really happened to him because of it. Ahhhhhhhhhhh!
The cover is cool. So whoever designed that did a good job. Too bad it's wasted on the story inside....more
This was a nice blend of fairytales and faries. Not that it's unheard of to do that, but the Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book.
3.5 stars
This was a nice blend of fairytales and faries. Not that it's unheard of to do that, but the author did a good job of mixing them up into an interesting story that I really enjoyed. In fact, I started reading it in the afternoon and couldn't put it down until I finished it last night.
Dear Baby Jesus, please forgive me for feeding my kids Spaghettios and ice cream for dinner....again.
The plot was great (evil fairies using humans as disposable playthings), but what really stood out to me was the main character, Ruby. She was a believable teenager, but she also had a strong moral compass. You don't see that much, unfortunately. She's the kind of heroine that I would gladly want my girls to want read about. See? I care. I am a good parent. *pats self on back*
Ruby has a pretty shitty life. Her father died years ago in a car accident, so her mother and little sister are all she has left. Fleeing her mother's abusive boyfriend has left the three of them broke and living in a grody trailer park. Her mom works for a houskeeping company, but it barely pays the bills. This means Ruby has to stress about things most kids don't worry about...like keeping her sister fed. Due to exhaustion and stress, her mother get's sick, and without health insurance the bills really start racking up. Since they can't afford to lose any money, Ruby decides to stand in for her mom at a cleaning gig. No big deal, she's done it before. Enter the evil fairies,and their house of debauchery. Everything that happens to Ruby after she enters the house is intertwined with a fairytale. And to be totally honest, I'd never heard of that particular story/curse before, so I'm not sure how it compares to the original. It was cool, though, so I'm not complaining.
Most of the fairies in this story are pretty vile, with little to no redeeming qualities. You immediately know that Violet is deep-fried evil on a stick, but a few of the others are a little less obviously nasty. Take Tam, for example. He's the hunky love interest, and so sweet to Ruby. He stands up to his friends for her, and then follows her around like a puppy dog. But Ruby doesn't totally trust him...and neither does the reader. This is one of the many reasons I loved Ruby. She looked around at all of the hinky shit these guys were doing, and didn't automatically think Tam was the Exception to the Rule just because he was nice to her. She had the sense to assume that if someone chooses to hang out with horrible people, they might not be all that nice themselves. Duh. As the story progresses, we see Ruby's life spiral from bad to worse. Thanks to a crazy necklace and her sister's book of fairytales, it soon becomes obvious to her that something more than just Bad Luck is at work in her life. The only question is whether or not she can reverse the curse. Does she have what it takes to give her story a Happily Ever After?
Ok, just so you know, there's a pretty big OhMyGod! moment at the end. Is it a cliffhanger? No idea. There's no listing for a sequel, but the last page sure leaves it open for one. And if Ms. Blake decides to write more about Ruby, I'll definitely read it!
Have you been searching for a good clean romance? One with no sex whatsoever...not even the Fade To BlaThanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book
Have you been searching for a good clean romance? One with no sex whatsoever...not even the Fade To Black scenes? A book with a heroine who's moral standards keep her from hopping in the sack with a boy just because he's perfect for her?
Yeah, me neither. But if you know someone who is looking for something like that, you can recommend Friday Night Alibi to them!
Ok, the premise is actually really weird. Like, Syfy channel weird. Sundale is a community filled to the brim with the super-wealthy. That's not the weird part, by the way... The weird part is that all of these people are heavily involved in the local church. Even their country club is called the Christian County Club. Very religious. As in, their kids don't get their trust funds if they fool around before marriage and/or date heathens. Because the rich have always been the benchmark for morality in America, right? *crickets chirping* Um, right. Now, if you're going to get any enjoyment out of this book, you're just gonna have to roll with it, and pretend that this kind of place could be real...outside of the state of Utah.
So, like the blurb says, Kelli is a good girl who runs a business for trust fund babies that enables them to date people who their parents would consider unsavory. Nudists, atheists, hippies, etc.. It's not that Kelli needs the money. Oh, no. She's a trust fund baby, too. Her own parents, although morally upright, are emotionally distant and often absent. She's your classic Poor Little Rich Girl.
Her life is bumping along at boring pace until she meet Chase. Chase and Kelli's courtship, especially in the beginning, is very antagonistic. Their interactions really are pretty cute and funny, and they're the main reason for the highish rating. Also, you have to admire any girl who sets a guy up for an impromptu butt-waxing. Very nice. They were a fun couple read about, though, and I found myself rooting for them to make it.
Alright, I feel it's only fair to warn you that they do a lot of kissing. A lot. And that's all they do. He does attempt to touch her boob at one point, but she doesn't feel like she's ready to move that fast. He's such a good guy, that he immediately hops off of her and apologizes for trying to get to second base...with his 18 year old girlfriend. After the tittie-touch incident, they decide that they should never make out on a bed again, because the temptation to squeeze each other's naughty bits inappropriately is just too great. It's not a big deal to him, though. I mean, he's never gotten his hands on a girl's hooters before anyway. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. There is an explanation for his bizarre lack of experience with women, but I couldn't swallow it. Then again, not much could convince me that a 21 year old guy who wasn't socially inept had zero sexual experience. Sure, they're both stunningly attractive young people with charming personalities. And, of course, there's been no parental supervision in their lives. Logic dictates that these two would, naturally, both be virgins. Seems reasonable to me! *Theme to Twilight Zone playing* I don't..what? Look, we all can suspend disbelief to get into stories about zombies, superheroes, and vampires. Is is such a stretch to use that same mental muscle to believe that this scenario is possible, too? *sigh* That's a decision that only you can make. As for me, I'm immediately buying this, and then adding it to my daughters' bookshelves when when they get older. "Boys are yucky! Don't let them touch you!" Yeah, I know. I'm a hypocrite. Sue me.
This was a cute fairytale romance about two sisters and the men who love them.
In the first story, Delilah is the good girl who gets rewarded by the family fairy. She's got zero self-esteem due to a lifetime of insults from her wicked stepmother. She's also head over heels in love with her accountant. He's a handsome but iffy guy who proposes to her in order to get enough money to save his family's company.
He sounds horrible, but he's not all bad. He isn't actually out to steal her money. He plans on paying it back before she realizes it's gone. Yeah, that doesn't sound much better, does it? Also, he plans on throwing himself on the grenade and going through with the marriage. He's just not in love with her...at first.
Delilah has a few secrets of her own. The biggest (other than the fairy) is that she moonlights as a dominatrix. Surprisingly, that part of the story doesn't really go anywhere interesting. I mean, it plays a part, but ...I don't know, I just expected...I don't know. Anyhoo, it had a cute ending.
In the second story, Isadora is the evil sister who ends up cursed by the exact same magic. I can't say that her character ever really grew on me much. She was awful in the beginning, and then became less awful as the story wrapped up. It was an ok romance, and she does progress as a human being by the end. I just didn't think she progressed enough to end up with a great guy. Whatever. We all know that men love bitchy women.
Don't even bother denying that one. How many awesomely sweet men do you know who are married to or are dating an absolute nightmare of a woman? See?! I'm telling you, the secret to keeping your man happy is to let your evil side come out and play every now and then. Make sure you tuck her away when your friends come over, though. Women aren't as stupid as men, and your girlfriends won't put up with that bullshit for very long.
I wish the actual fairy had been explained a bit better, but all that's really said about her is that she's been their 'family fairy' for a long time. Not really sure what that entails, and I would have liked a bit more background info on that whole situation before the book ended. Then again, it's not like I'm going to lay in bed at night worrying about it. So does it really matter? No.
I read romances when I just want something fluffy that's not going to challenge my mind or tick me off. This fits the bill nicely. I'd recommend it for someone looking for a Rainy Afternoon read.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book....more
The cover is so cool, the name of the book is cool, even the name of the series is cool. *sigh* It's not a Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book.
The cover is so cool, the name of the book is cool, even the name of the series is cool. *sigh* It's not a bad story, it's just not awesome. There was a lot of room for awesomeness, but it never really happened. Imagine a new friend calls you up and invites you over to their house for dinner. "Hey! Come on over! We're grilling out and hanging by the pool!" Now in your mind you're imagining a good time, right? Except when you get there it's just them, their weird cousin, and you...sitting in lawn chairs around an inflatable Spongebob pool. Oh, and they were out of charcoal, so dinner consists of microwaved pizza rolls. Now, consume enough alcohol, and you might be able to salvage the evening. But I doubt it. And, unfortunately, I've never found reading and drinking to be much fun. My point is, The Genesis was like eating soggy pizza rolls when you were expecting steak.
Catrina is a 19 year old girl who has evidently been adopted or fostered by a shady guy named Tony since she was 10 or so. He evidently taught her...bad guy stuff, I guess, 'cause it's not really explained....and apparently she's now his gun-for-hire. It opens with her almost getting shot in an alley by some guy she was sent to to kill. Just when she thinks she's a goner, a mysterious man with super-human strength jumps out of the shadows and saves her. Ta-da! He takes her to a bar and tells her that his people have been keeping tabs on her for a while, then offers to make her like himself. Now, this is a really great start for a book, don't you think? I'm totally excited! And then it just kind of slowly peters out. I thought she would be some kind of a bad-ass prodigy with a gun, or maybe a kick-ass assassin? But no. She's kind of toughish, but she didn't pull out any Matrix moves and wow me. And the whole 'I was raised by a hit-man' backstory kind of poofed into thin air. Huh. Ok... Anyway, at some point (off page) she agrees to be turned into a vampire. Only, when she wakes up a changed woman, she doesn't remember how she got there. Well, except a hazy recollection of being attacked by the shadowy dude. *Freak out stuff happens here* When she finally calms down, Fox (the mysterious stranger) takes her to the vampire stronghold and explains that they are at war. As the story unfolds, you learn that there are evil agents out to kill them, a crazy vampire who is trying to gain total control of the clan, a prophecy about a vampire who may be their salvation or destruction, and a sweet-heart of a demon who mixes drinks for everyone. Again, it sounds pretty good. But the actual execution of the story was like chewing on a dry hunk of meat. It could have been good, if it wasn't so...dry and chewy. There were also too many things that didn't add up when it came to the vampires. Why did they continually let these agents come in and kill them off without retaliating, or even doing much to defend themselves? It's not like they were portrayed as hippie vamps or anything. None of them seemed to have a problem killing people, even if they didn't go out of their way to do it on a regular basis. It was odd to see these vampires running and screaming from the agents all of the time. Um, maybe if this happens so often, it would be a good idea to train yourselves to fight. Or at the very least hide yourselves better. I'm just sayin'. Think outside the box, people.
In the end, it was ok. I've been waffling over the rating while writing this, and I can't bring myself to give it less than three stars. I mean, all of the elements of a good book are there! Ugh. But I can't rate it any higher than three stars, because by the time I was halfway through I was having an easy time putting it down. The ideas behind the book were great, the potential for the characters to be interesting was there, and writing wasn't amateurish. The whole thing felt one dot away from being connected! I wouldn't mind trying something again by this author in the future, but The Genesis just wasn't my cuppa.
Whoa! I totally did not realize that the author published this book until I started to write this review. I'm floored. Floored!
Ok, I'm going to let you guys in on a secret. I. Am. Batman. Ok. Not really. I do have a superpower, though. Totally true, ask my kids! My special power is...Mother's GUILT. Don't laugh. It's some powerful mojo! "What do you mean, you're too busy to take out the trash? Was I too busy to give birth to you?! Do you have any idea how painful labor was...especially considering you have your father's freakishly large head?!" Sock! Pow! "Was I too busy to stay up all night, rubbing your back and cleaning up your barf when you had the flu last winter?!" Snikt! Snikt! "What about the time you pooped your pants at school? Was I too busy to bring you a clean pair of shorts?" Ka-Blaaam!
Fine, Mom. I'll take out the garbage. Jeez...
For those of you who don't know, I am a massive comic book fan. Huge! And Super Bad is perfect for those of us who find Truth, Justice, and the American Way just as sexy as shirtless werewolves. That werewolf kid sure was sexy, though... Excuse me for a minute. Bow chicka bow wow
Ok. I'm back. Even though this is a novella, it's one of those shorts that feels like a full size story. The plot is great, the characters are realistic, and the pace is dead-on. Honestly, people, what more do you want?
Mirage is an awesome character. Loved her! She's definitely an anti-hero, and she's pretty unapologetic about it. It's not that she's eeeevil, she just doesn't necessarily want to be...good. On the flip side, you have Justice. He's your classic hero-type. He's good to a fault, and doesn't understand why someone else wouldn't want to spend their life as a do-gooder. Of course, they're perfect for each other! Besides, he's smokin' hot. That's a superpower no woman can resist! You know, what? The blurb tells you enough about the story. I'm not going to taint it with my crappy run-down of what happens. Just know this, there's more to the story than the blurb let's on...and it's so good! If you've ever fantasized about Logan, Bruce, Peter, Clark, Hal, or Steve, then this book is for you! And, yes. I purposely left Barry Allen off of that list. I mean, seriously, The Flash? Yeah, no thanks. Been there, done that...
The cool thing about this story is that something has happened to create a new mutation in the huThanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book.
3.5 Stars
The cool thing about this story is that something has happened to create a new mutation in the human race. Now everyone has the ability to read minds, except for a small group that are called Zeros. Since nobody can tell what they're thinking, they are treated very poorly. They don't get accepted into colleges, are only allowed to hold the most menial jobs, and dating or marrying one of them is looked down on because they are considered mentally retarded.
Usually the ability to read minds manifests around puberty, and since Kira is already sixteen it looks like she's doomed to become a Zero. That is, until she accidentally discovers that while she may not be able to read minds, she can control minds. With the help of Simon, who also has this same ability, she learns that she can jack into others' thoughts and pass as a mindreader.
Unfortunately, Simon wants to do more than just pass and blend in with everyone else. He's involved with a frightening group of mindjackers that want Kira'a abilities, and won't take no for an answer. In an effort to escape this group, she inadvertently puts herself on the government's radar. And while the vast majority of the population has no idea that people like her exist, the government is fully aware of their existence. With mindjackers that are able to implant false memories working for government task forces, people like Kira can disappear...and no one is ever the wiser.
I didn't really feel any real chemistry between Raf and Kira, but it was still a sweet BFF turned boyfriend kind of love story. Maybe it heats up a bit as the trilogy progresses? I actually thought Simon had more potential, but it looks like that won't be in the cards. I also peeked at the next two books, and it seems like the story probably gets even better.
Open Minds is overall a pretty interesting page-turner, so I'd definitely recommend it for someone looking for a good sci-fi book in the young adult genre.
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