In the future the world was nearly
destroyed by religious extremist so now religion is outlawed and treated as fictitious. Justin March was a servitor whose job is was
to investigate claims of paranormal activity and ensure that the religions
followed strict guidelines; however he was sent into exile following an event
that forever changed his life. One day Mae Koskinen, warrior elite for the
Republic of United North America, comes bearing a message that will allow
Justin back into the civilized world and redeem his name.
Gameboard of the Gods is an amazing
science fiction novel mixed with paranormal fantasy. The characters are complex
yet blend together wonderfully as their relationship grows into something
adjacent to a friendship. I absolutely enjoyed Mae’s storyline, not that Justin’s
wasn’t excellent as well, from her past as a debutante into the present as the
warrior she has become and the losses she has faced in her life it is intricate
and wonderful to follow along as her character develops and the story
progresses. Richelle Mead has done a wonderful job with this book and though she
is known for her young adult series she has seamlessly taken over the adult
world with her new novel. With action packed scenes and tantalizing “steamy”
scenes it’s sure to have a little bit of something for everyone. This book is highly original and definitely
worth the read.
This
is book number one in a story about a post-apocalyptic world where families
live in tribes in one of the many abandoned buildings left over after something
known as, “the crash” happened. The main
characters of this story are Deeta Richards and Tom. Deeta longs to see what is
outside of her building because the only ones allowed outside of the compound
are soldiers who go out and fight whatever is still out there and Tom is one of
those soldiers. Tom is her dearest friend in this new world and although he keeps
secret about his life before he was brought to Clark Tribe , Deeta never
expected him to have kept the secret he shares with everyone after a kidnapping
occurs from her. It is after this kidnapping that her entire life is turned
upside down, and changes in a way she never expected it to.
The
first half of this story is describing the longing Deeta feels to see the world
outside of the tribe, her friendship with Tom, and describing the rules and
traditions of the tribe. Although Deeta has her own family she spends a great
deal of her time taking after the Jepsjon family that consists of three
children, Tom, and the father figure being Professor Jep. Everything in the
compound is routine until one night that men in camouflage break into the compound
and kidnap Dec Jepsjon while the soldiers who fight outside the compound are
gone. When the soldiers return and find that Dec , one of the Jepsjon children,
has been taken it is then that Tom shares a family secret with the entire
compound, and the tribe is in uproar over it. Soon after the tribe votes to
decide if Tom and the remaining Jepsjon family should be allowed to stay in the
tribe, the tribe must go out into the city and move to the Marshall tribe for
protection against Tom’s secret. Once
the Clark tribe has safely moved into the Marshall compound, the remaining
Jepsjon family leaves without saying a word and that same night there is an
attack on the Marshalls. Deeta and her sister, Jan, is then taken by the same
camouflaged men that took Dec. From this point forward I will keep a secret
from you because I do not like to spoil a good story but just know that there
is a war, conspiracy, and a new found love within all of it.
Although I was extremely
skeptical reading this book, picturing it being similar to a Hunger Games type plot,
but changed my mind when I read the first few pages of the book I cannot wait
to read the second book and hope that D.D. Chant releases it soon considering
Broken City came out in 2010. D.D. Chant had a few errors that should have been
caught in the editing process, but overall is an excellent author and I love
how through her descriptions, such as on page 273 when Chant writes the
following “The children are listening to one of Uncle Jep’s stories as we enter
the flat, it is an idyllic picture: Tarri has again wrapped herself around
Uncle Jep and with her head on his shoulder is staring sleepily into the fire.
The rest of the children are huddled on the floor, the fire’s warm glow playing
over their excited faces.” With such
beautiful imagery I am truly able to visualize everything as if I am Deeta
herself.
Once again we join the adventure of
Robert a seventh grader at the new Lovecraft Middle School picking up right
where Professor Gargoyle left off. There are two new monsters to fight against
in this book, twin sisters who are running for student counsel. Will Robert be
able to stop them before they take over the entire school?
Once again Lovecraft Middle school
sucks you straight into the story, with Robert battling monsters from another
dimension that appear as students from around the school. I absolutely loved
this book it’s a great continuation of the story but also in this book Charles
Gilman has added an unlikely ally to Robert and Glenn as they continue on in a
search to stop the evil Tillinghast. Not only is this a fantastic story it also
has some amazing illustrations by Eugene Smith who does a fantastic job
capturing what Charles Gilman is trying to get across to his readers and
bringing it to life throughout the pages of the books. This is definitely one
of those “fun for all ages” books making it a perfect series to read along with
your kids.
Set over one hundred years in the
future in a declining society we meet a special boy, Harry who will soon leave
his mark on the world. The story begins when Harry is fourteen after he loses
his one friend and confidant, his grandfather, Harry spirals into a deep
depression until he meets a remarkable girl that soon captures his heart. Harry wants nothing more than to spend the
rest of his life with Lorrie; instead he spends the rest of his life searching
for her when she disappears.
Throughout the story we follow along
through each of Harry’s loves and losses spanning his entire life, we also follow
along through his triumphs in his own personal life as he is determined to
effect change in the world around him and not just be a bystander in society. The story itself is interesting, a love story
mixed with futuristic political unrest. The author does a great job of getting his
point across and describing the nation and the problems the world is facing
drawing you into the story even further as you begin to hope for a solution. The
only real problem with this book is that if you are going to set it in the
future we need more descriptive scenery you wouldn’t know it was a futuristic
novel if the author didn’t incorporate holograms and also add in dates so that
you know how much time has passed between each event in Harry’s life. If you
don’t mind relying on your own imagination when it comes to the scenery then
this is definitely worth the read.
Junco and her team must travel to
earth in order to save The Siblings of Earth. Along the way Junco finds that
everywhere she turns is full of secrets and revelations. What if you had the
power to save a race of beings at the cost of the other? Junco may be strong
willed but what she faces back on Earth will be a trial even for her.
I love Junco she is a loud mouthed
character who doesn’t take crap from anyone. Plus she cusses like a sailor and
chain smokes cigars, what’s not to love? What was annoying in this book though
was that the men in Junco’s life seemed to turn into whining and needy men,
each one vying for Junco’s attention and pouting if she didn’t reciprocate.
Other than that the book is pretty good with tons of action and adventure, and
so many twists it is hard to keep count. I did have one question, at the end of
the book how did they keep everything straight? That’s all I will say or I will
run the risk of ruining the book for those who haven’t yet read it. This is one
of those books though you definitely want to read the rest of the series before
jumping in. From page one this book held my attention I wasn’t a fan of the
ending but it is definitely a great way to make sure you keep reading the
series.
After their plane goes down a group
of survivors find themselves stranded in a remote area of New Zealand. Through
the eyes of the survivors we are shown a world that has been drastically
changed after the United States was wiped off the face of the Earth because of
a natural disaster that is still sending shockwaves throughout the rest of the
world. Eden is the beginning of the end in the year 2022.
There is no way to do this novel
justice with a brief synopsis, first you have several unique characters each
with their own story to tell, and then the story itself is multi-faceted with
twists and turns that will leave you dying of anticipation of what will come
next. This book is futuristic, with a touch of paranormal, and a dash of
murder/mystery, and tons of action and adventure making certain to have
something for everyone. What is great about this novel is though this book has
so much going on the author manages to incorporate each action and reaction
seamlessly into a cohesive and fascinating novel. This is certainly the
beginning of the end and I cannot wait to find out what happens next.
Genetically engineered potato chips
are more flavorful, and also tend to talk more than your average chip. And so
begins the adventures of the Super Spud potato chips!
I can handle absurd crude humor;
sometimes I even love it that was not the problem with this book. My problem is
that there was no point. It seemed to be one short story after another, which
is not bad but the author bounces around from one story to the next so
frequently you cannot connect to the story or the characters themselves. Since
this book is supposed to be at least three separate novels you want there to be
a concise beginning middle and end for each book. The stories seemed more
suited for children, take out the violence add some pictures and you will have
an amazing children’s series. What I did
like about the book where some of the characters that were based off pop
culture or historic icons, can you imagine Robin Hood or Indiana Jones as
potato chips?
Danyael Sabre is an Alpha Empath
combined with his medical training he is one of the best empathic healers in
the world. His empathy can not only heal though it can also be used to kill,
making Danyael the target of the military that will stop at nothing to extort
his power for their own.
Jade Kerrion has certainly come up
with a highly unique and fascinating world. Where people are born and even created
with amazing powers. The only problem with this novel is that it does drag on
in some places, though this does build the suspense in certain areas and makes
the action scenes that much more powerful it can become tedious. Other than
this the novel has some amazing action scenes and along with a struggle with
morality it is certainly an amazing science fiction novel. I did enjoy this
book even with some of the slow spots, Jade Kerrion is a fantastic story
teller, creating some of the most poignant and amazing scenes. I know from
Perfection Unleashed that Jade Kerrion can do so much better so I am looking
forward to the next novel and hopefully we will have more of the epic plot
twists I enjoyed so much in book one.
American inventor Jed Reeve, just had
to fall head over heels in love with a suffragette, Esme Smith. Lately he has
had an overwhelming urge to protect her, which is the last thing she wants.
With his warring emotions he is not in the mood to hear the woes of someone
else but when a young man and his cousin come in he cannot turn them away and
is soon drug into a plot to assonate the Prince of Wales.
This novel is only about one hundred
pages long but in that time Jenny Schwartz packs a ton of action into a cute
romance making this quick read truly fun. Though the romance is a bit light since
Jed is already in love with Esme, it is still beautiful as he tries his best to
woo the headstrong woman. This is definitely one of those books I refer to as a
“fluff” novel, it’s fun, it’s short but there isn’t much substance that will
leave a lasting impression.
Humankind was forced into the depths
of the earth soon forming a new society called the Tri-realms, with three
distinct realms Moon, Star, and Sun. The Moon realm is the furthest into the
ground and this is where the “Pen” is. The Pen is a penitentiary and houses
anyone who has committed a crime or anyone who may cause crime in Adele’s case
since she is sentenced to life imprisonment for something her father did. One
day Tristan the son of the President and a sun dweller comes down to the moon
realm and as soon as he lays eyes on Adele he feels an over powering
connection. But soon a war breaks out amongst the three realms everyone’s life
will be irrevocably altered.
Am I the only person who has caught
the similarities between the Mormon’s Three Kingdoms of Heaven and the
Tri-realms? I mean the Three Kingdoms of heaven are broken down into the Sun,
The Stars, and The Moon Kingdoms. Each one holding a different set of people
but since this is the Moon book I will focus there, The Moon realm houses the
poorest and the worst people in society; The Kingdom of The Moon is for liars,
thieves, and the worst kinds of people. This is not a bad thing the three
kingdoms of heaven is a great bases for a story I just can’t believe in all of
the reviews I have read No One has pointed it out. The story itself is amazing
full of romance and action, David Estes’ is a magnificent writer who is able to
bring to life each scene making this a great dystopian novel. I have to give the author his credit though,
not only did he dedicate the book to his wife but he named the main character
after her, if that didn’t win him brownie points then I don’t know what would.
Galahad was created to be the perfect
human being by Pioneer Labs. However Pioneer Labs is performing torturous
experiments on Galahad. When Zara breaks into the Labs to kill Galahad but instead
after discovering the horror he is going through releases him. This is only the
beginning as the story twists and turns weaving itself around three main
characters, Galahad, Danyael, Jason each having their own story to tell.
This was certainly an interesting
story; you have Galahad the genetically created perfect human being who has
been tortured his entire life. Then you have Danyael who is a strong empath and
has worked hard at controlling his abilities. Add in Jason who hates Galahad
with a fiery passion, so much so he even created his own hate group. With these
three interweaving stories you have a remarkable novel and Jade Kerrion used
exceptional writing abilities to truly capture the complexities of each of her
characters, and though these three stories should be enough to keep you reading
the author makes sure to throw in a few more twists and turns that will ensure
you will come back for more. I cannot
wait to see what is to come in the next book with the mix of science fiction
and fantasy there is an endless amount of possibilities.
Wink Hadrian does not like being in
“high society” she would much rather stay in her garage and tinker with her
inventions. She is in love with a werewolf, Liam McCullough and has been for
years however after she is proposed to by a dear friend and Liam pronounces
that he will never marry she gives up hope and looks toward the other man
instead. When Wink goes to visit the woman who took her in when she was a child
back in Wapping and finds out that her son has disappeared. She quickly turns
to Liam who works with the police. But Liam soon discovers that people are
disappearing at an alarming rate all of Wapping.
There is so much going on in this
book, first you have the steam punk aspect which is amazing and reinforced by
Wink who inventions are truly fascinating. Then you have Vampires and
Werewolves Oh my!, Liam is actually a werewolf and we get to see that side of
things with a firsthand perspective when he goes through the change. Now we
also have a couple of side story lines such as the world is dying out, wish
there was more on that, everywhere that anyone goes they must wear a filter
over their nose and mouths because the air is so unstable, really wish there
had been more on that. This is an amazing book and Cindy Spencer Pape has done
a remarkable job. I have yet to read any of the other books in this series but
the author brought to life Wink and all of her siblings so spectacularly that I
am dying to find out what will happen next.
Junco Coot has just made her way to
Amelia the avian capital city where she must undergo the Fledge ritual. Fledge
is where she will fight to the death in order to become a citizen. All the
while the love of her life and the one who brought her to Amelia, Tier, is on
trial for treason for letting her live, and if found guilty it is an automatic death
sentence.
When I first started reading this
book I was completely lost, I haven’t read book one so it took me a while to
get into the story as the author picks right up where she left off and doesn’t
start “flashbacking” until a little ways into the book. After this first hurdle
though I really enjoyed the storyline, it is a truly unique science fiction
novel. The characters that J.A. Huss has created are so fascinating not only
does the author describe the Avians, but through the Fledge she also encompasses
beings from other planets with their own unique abilities. The only problem I
have with this book is that it is another case of an author finding one
particular word that they enjoy and use it over and over, in this instance it
is the F word. The fact that it is a cuss word doesn’t faze me, what bothers me
was using the same word at least once three sentences in a row, sometimes more
than once, though different variances on the same word, in the same sentence.
Other than that it’s a great read action packed and so original that I cannot
wait to read more of the series.
