Broken City By D.D. Chant

Broken City

By D.D. Chant

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.

Katie

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Carlousia: The Passing of the Guard By E.G. Carter

Carlousia:

The Passing of the Guard

By E.G. Carter

Ten year old Eddie is going through some major life changes, first his family moves to Drayton Woods, and then his Grandfather who was also his best friend passes away. After his Grandfather passes away Eddie soon learns that the stories his grandfather has always told him of a magical place called Carlousia were not fairy tales but in fact is an actual place. Carlousia is in trouble when Eddie first visits and needs his help as the new Guardian, with help from his Carlousian guide Torgy and his furry little friend Wahhaha can Eddie save Carlousia before it’s too late?

This was such a fun book! Eddie and his friends as well as the characters from Carlousia work well together as the story progresses each one bringing a new aspect to the storyline making it a truly fun read. The only real problem I had was in the edition I received there were so many typos, even though they were just little things like except instead of accept it is frustrating but hopefully this will be revised in later editions. That aside it’s a great story from the very beginning and E.G. Carter does remarkable job bringing to life an incredible young adult fantasy. With great fantasy, intense action scenes, and amazing characters I would rate this book five stars hands down if only the typos weren’t in the way.

 Heather

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Flight By J.A. Huss Review

Flight

I am just Junco Book Three

By J.A. Huss

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.

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Eden by David Holley Review

Eden

Book One

By David Holley

★★★★★

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.

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The Jealousy Glass by Gwen Perkins Review

The Jealousy Glass

Artifacts of Empire Book two

By Gwen Perkins

Asahel and Felix barely escape a shipwreck; the two depend on each other to get back to civilization in order to survive. Once they are back they must walk a fine line as political tension is rampant in Anjdur between the Empress and those who wish her dead.

 

Ok so I missed a lot by not reading the first book, this book jumps right into the middle of the story as Asahel and Felix are on their merry way and the ship they are on is soon tossed to the bottom of the sea. The author didn’t do a very good job in “playing catch up” so if you haven’t read the first I certainly suggest it. Otherwise I liked this book, from the subtle M/M Romance (a romance that revolves around two Males) to the high octane action this is certainly a unique novel.  I truly wish I had read the first though the story seems so interesting but confusing as there are times that I have no idea what Gwen Perkins is talking about. This is definitely an amazing adventure novel with strong religious undertones as well as sexuality, if either of these topics offend you or may be a touchy subject for you skip it otherwise this is a must read!

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The Panther by Nelson DeMille Review

The Panther

John Corey Book Six

By Nelson DeMille

Agent John Corey and his wife Kate Mayfield have just been posted overseas in Yemen. Their mission is to track down the Panther, a high ranking Al Qaeda operative. But once they arrive in Yemen they realize the reason they were sent to Yemen was not to track down the Panther but something much more sinister.

This book doesn’t actually pick up until the end and when you read a book that is six hundred and twenty-five pages long you expect more than just build up for what takes place in the last one hundred pages. Most of the book is dialect and meeting new characters, with only four or five actual action scenes. John Corey is always making sarcastic comments, whether in his head or to the people around him, this does start out as funny making the novel a little more light-hearted but it soon becomes tedious since he seems to be complaining about every little thing that takes place. However the intrigue is certainly there but it is so drawn out that I couldn’t sit and focus on this book at one time, I kept putting it down and reading a different book. It took me four days to make it through this book, and considering I read a book a day that is saying something. I can’t judge whether this is just one of those books that was a “miss” for the series since this is the first Nelson DeMille book that I have ever read, but the writing and storyline leads me to believe that the others may have been better than this one. I must admit though the ending is superb even if you have to wade through some uninteresting content to get there.  

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A Bridge to Treachery: From Extortion to Terror By Larry Crane Review

A Bridge to Treachery:

From Extortion to Terror

By Larry Crane

Ex-Army Ranger Colonel Lou Christopher is getting used to life in the civilian world and is working for a New York investment broker when he is assigned more lucrative accounts he begins living the lap of luxury. When he is approached to use his former military training and is coerced into leading a team on a domestic terrorist mission, he goes through with the mission only to find out that all along his team was never supposed to survive. Now he vows to bring all the ones responsible to justice one way or another.

 

I wasn’t impressed by the main character in the beginning, he seemed pompous and annoying, but when it came down to it and he was knocked off his high horse he turned into a highly exciting character. Then you have the relationship between Lou and his wife though it seems tenuous at first as he is indeed keeping secrets from her and she believes that he is cheating on her as he has done it in the past, but as the novel goes on the relationship takes a turn and I found myself really enjoying it. Lou and Mag end up having a much stronger connection than you would think and though Lou is the main character it reminds me of the saying, “Behind every great man is an even greater woman.” Though it starts off slow and doesn’t actually pick up for until after a hundred pages or so the novel does turn around in the end making it an interesting read.

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The Athena Effect By Derrolyn Anderson Review

The Athena Effect

The Athena Effect Book One

By Derrolyn Anderson

Cali was born and raised without any modern conveniences having been secreted away by her parents. Completely off the grid until one day when both her parents are in a motorcycle accident that leaves Cali orphaned. She soon moves in with her aunt and her sleazy boyfriend biding her time until she can return to the countryside that she loves so much. That is until she meet Cal and he shows her there is more than just amenities she will be missing.

First you have a great storyline of a girl who knows nothing of modern day society except what she has read in books, which the author did an amazing job in bringing to life, then you have the reason she has been kept hidden adding a whole new dimension to the novel. I am fast becoming a fan of Derrolyn Anderson as her writing is fantastic and her stories are truly unique and captivating. This is no exception The Athena Effect has aspects of fantasy and science fiction rounded out by the young adult genre turning this into one fascinating novel. I cannot wait to see where the rest of this series will take us as Cali and Cal are two of the most interesting characters I have come across and when you add in the characters that appear towards the end there is no doubt you will want more.

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The Cursed Nile by S.W. Lothian Review

The Cursed Nile

The Quest Series Book Two

By S.W. Lothian

During a festival celebrating the Nile God, Hapi, the waters from the Nile disappears and no one Hapi has inexplicably disappeared. The alliance of the Gods in Egypt is desperate to find out what has happened to Hapi so they again call on JJ, Linc, and Rani three teenagers from the future to return to Ancient Egypt and get to the bottom of what is going on.

I loved the first novel in this series, The Golden Scarab, and this book is no exception. The author does a remarkable job in not only bringing to life the present day for these kids, but also for creating Ancient Egypt so vividly and comprehensively that even if you barely know anything about the Egyptian Gods you are able to follow right along. The history behind the novel is intriguing in and of itself, by S.W. Lothian has taken it to a whole new level with this series. The storyline so far has been for the middle grade level but it is so much fun that anyone can appreciate it. I would definitely recommend this for anyone whether you are a child or just a child at heart.

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Path of Needles by Hannah Kollef Review

Path of Needles

Paths Book One

By Hannah Kollef

Seventeen year old Kat Finnegan is not your average teenager, she has grown up in a world full of art and culture in New York, goes to a private school, and has a twin brother. If this was not enough to make her interesting her father soon goes missing and she is pulled into a world that she always thought of as a Fairy Tale.

 

This novel is a young adult urban fantasy, whew what a mouthful, and is so much fun to read. Hannah Kollef has taken a classic tale in its original form and weaved a magnificent story in a modern setting. To further capture your attention in this novel and to guarantee you will continue on with the story the twin brother and sister are called “The Truth” and “The Lie” in the fey kingdom and their coming is referred to as the “Lost Prophecy” this is just the beginning of the story! I loved the characters and not only does Hannah Kollef suck you in with the main story she also fills the story full of emotional side stories that certainly keep you entertained as you go along, such as the sense of loss you feel over Kat’s father going missing. This is worth the read and I cannot wait for the next book to come out!

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Hammered by Kevin Hearne Review

Hammered

Iron Druid Chronicles Book Three

By Kevin Hearne

The best thing that anyone has ever heard about Thor, the Norse God of Thunder, is that he is a douche. Not only is Thor a complete jerk to put it mildly, he is a bully and takes pleasure at other peoples pain. Now after centuries of this, it is about to bite him in the butt. Atticus, the last remaining druid, along with a werewolf, a vampire, a sorcerer, another thunder God, and a team of frost giants they will travel to Asgard and exact revenge on Thor.

 

One of the best things about this series is how outrageously funny it is, such as having a beer with Jesus as he makes fish and chips appear on everyone’s plates. This book goes into more details into some of the side characters that have been in and out of the other two novels and if you find yourself on team Thor at the beginning when you hear each of their stories you are ready for the biggest butt kicking you will ever come across. This novel is much more emotional than the others, I did not cry thank goodness but came very close. But this quick witted man’s man is definitely becoming one of my favorite characters.

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Hexed by Kevin Hearne Review

Hexed

Iron Druid Chronicles Book Two

By Kevin Hearne

The last remaining druid Atticus O’Sullivan has been happy living in Arizona but now there is a coven of witches who are after his life and will stop at nothing even if it means killing his close friends in order to get to him. Not only does Atticus have to deal with witches but also demons are on the loose and bound to the area until he is dead. If Atticus is not careful there may not be any druids left in the world.

 

Snarky and accident prone Atticus O’Sullivan is a man’s man his weakness is women, very attractive women which adds to the hilarious nature of this series along with his dog Oberon whom he shares a mental link with and his old Irish neighbor you can’t help but laugh out loud at the situations Atticus finds himself in. With tongue in cheek comedy witty dialogue and an action packed story this is one book sure to please anyone unless you don’t have a sense of humor that is.

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Cannibal Island By Cornell DeVille Review

Cannibal Island

By Cornell DeVille

Richie’s father had become obsessed with finding the legendary Golden Disk and along the way it became Richie’s passion too. One day Richie comes across an older man who is trying to sell a map with an island on it that is shrouded in mist. Richie offers to buy it from the man and learns that there is more to the story of the map, the old man himself has been to this island and warns of cannibals but also tells Richie of the treasure to be found there.

 

This is definitely a book for young men, it is full of action and adventure as you set sail on one of his father’s prized ships this story will literally take you around the world. I have never read a steam punk novel before but what I found out was I thoroughly enjoyed it, reminding me of DaVinci’s inventions that where before his time, such as LEO. If you don’t know what steam punk is, it is a sub-genre of science fiction for instance the movie with Will Smith called Wild Wild West is classified as Steam Punk where the technology is far superior than it was in reality. The author goes into a ton of details so you will know exactly what he is talking about as the story progresses, I loved how vividly he brought to life the ship, The Seahorse. All in all this is an amazing novel even if you aren’t a hard core steam punk fan.

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The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis by Sharon Ledwith Review

The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis

By Sharon Ledwith

When five eighth grade students get into a food fight at school none of them thought it would lead on an adventure through time, the five students are sentenced to yard duty as punishment for their crimes shortly after they arrive at Melody’s home the stumble upon an arch that was buried in her back yard.  Once they excavate the mysterious arch they are whisked away to Atlantis where they meet up Lilith who is in charge of keeping watch over the gate, she informs them they are the last timekeepers and must travel through time to stop an evil magus from changing time.

Not only is this an original novel in itself but also a retelling of a classic story, Robin Hood, as the teens travel back to Nottingham on their search to stop Belial.  The author does a wonderful job in crafting this novel, blending the two stories seamlessly such as when you think the timekeepers are going to inadvertently change history themselves the author weaves the story back to the original. The only problem I had with this novel is in the beginning when we are getting to know the characters. The author would call them by their first name and a paragraph or so later start using their last names to refer to the characters, as she is building the foundation of the story I would get lost thinking, “Okay, who is Treena and Mui?” when they are actually the same person. So be sure to pay attention to the characters last names as you go along, other than that this was a great young adult novel, it was highly unique and entertaining to read.

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Eve by Anna Carey Review

Eve

Eve Book One

By Anna Carey

Ninety Eight percent of the world’s population has been wiped out by a deadly virus, leaving many children orphans in the aftermath. Eve is one of these orphans, she lost her mother when she was a child and sent to a school where she became the top of her class and the best student they had seen. Eve looks forward to being sent across the lake to the dorms where the graduates will learn a trade, until she discovers that the girls sent to the dorms will never leave instead they are used to breed children, as many as they possibly can at a single time, after her world has been shattered all Eve can think of is escaping.

This is certainly an interesting novel as we travel along with Eve into the true aftermath of a world that has been left decimated. Once Eve escapes and is in the outside world the author truly brings to life a scary possibility full of gangs and the worst form of human nature possible, but she also shows the best side when Eve reunites with a classmate and is saved by a young man we see both sides of the coin, true love and true evil. Not only is Anna Carey able to create a world that you come to fear, and make you fall in love with each character along the way she also manages to pull on your heartstrings at every possible moment, if you are highly sentimental I recommend a box of tissues by your side as you read this novel. This was a fantastic beginning with an unexpected ending ensuring you will continue on Eve’s journey.

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Toys by James Patterson

Toys

By James Patterson

Hays is an Elite genetically altered to be perfection personified with super strength and speed, but when Hays finds out he is not actually an elite but was born as a human his entire world is tossed upside down and thrown into a battle as the Elites he once loved and was an integral part of want to exterminate all humans. Together with his adoptive sister he had not known existed, the two work together to aid the human resistance and bring an end to the war between the two factions and along the way their relationship becomes more than either of the two expected.

James Patterson is a fantastic author and this book is no exception he brings science fiction and mystery combining the two into a face paced and unbelievable action and adventure novel. I am not big on the romance he created in this book I know they are not actually related and that they had never met before, but calling each other brother and sister playfully then lusting after her the next minute is a bit weird to me, not to mention he has a wife and kids even though his wife wants him dead after she finds out he is a human. Maybe I am a bit biased since I have read some of Patterson’s romances and I know for a fact he can do much better. That withstanding it is a fun book and a great read.

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The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

The Bourne Identity

By Robert Ludlum

Off a small island in the Mediterranean a man is found floating in the ocean. The man has no memory of who he is and how he came to be floating in the ocean clinging to a plank. He is taken to a doctor who has been tending to him upon his awakening the doctor tries to help him remember the man has had extensive facial reconstruction and something implanted in his hip that has a bank account number on it. The man follows the bank account lead and begins to discover very odd things about himself, that he has an uncanny knowledge of how to kill without being detected, how to blend in to his surroundings and even how to change his appearance so thoroughly no one will recognize him, but how does he know these things?

I have never seen any of the Bourne movies and this is my first spy novel so I had no idea what to expect. I guess I didn’t expect there to be so much discussion on every little thing and I had thought there would be a lot more action. There were times when I desperately wanted to tell the author to get to the point, or at least back to the fun action parts, but when it did come to the action it was so well written and intense I would feel even more irritated when I had to sit through more debate. Not only was this novel a brilliant action packed story but also a love story, Jason Bourne meets takes a woman hostage but then the hostage begins to be his only ally and the bond they form is remarkable. This was a well written and thoroughly addictive story.

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The Deep by Peter Benchly Review

The Deep

By Peter Benchley

A Honeymooning couple is diving off the coast of Bermuda when they come across a shipwreck and a small glass vial that will forever change their lives. When they return to their hotel room with the glass vial a strange man approaches them trying to buy it from them claiming the glass is rare they refuse, proclaiming they must find out what is in the vial before they are willing to sell it to anyone. From there a man who doesn’t even exist officially tries to hire them to find more of the vials and soon the couple discovers what is so valuable, the small vials actually contain pure morphine. This is only the beginning of their adventure as they work with the local light house keeper to find as many of the vials they can before they fall into the wrong hands.

The man who wrote this also wrote Jaws so I was excited to be able to write a review, it turns out I wasn’t disappointed. Though not quite as scary as Jaws was this book certainly holds up with its action and adventure until the very last moment. I will say I hated the ending and it will definitely leave you wanting to know more, otherwise it was a fun and quick read.

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The Second Prophecy by R. Alan Ferguson Review

The Second Prophecy

The Dragdani Prophecies Part One

By R. Alan Ferguson

John Stark has been exiled to the “normal” world where he has married and created a life for himself, but one day a great wizard arrives to tell him that he is no ordinary wizard he is the last remaining descendant of the only Dragon/Wizard/Elf and he must return to his home to defeat the Evil Ulicoth. Things do not go as planned though as the King John Stark is murdered bringing about a reign of terror. When it comes to light that his wife is with child all they can do is wait for their savior to be born and come into his full powers. But Peter Stark is not like his father or any other that has come before him, he is something more powerful than their world has ever seen.

From the beginning this story captivates your attention; it is truly an imaginative tale full of creatures rarely used in novels to the most creative invention of beings. The story itself is fast paced with so many things involved I was afraid I would not be able to do it justice in my synopsis. The only problem I found is that there are quite a few typos, such as though instead of through, though they are small mistakes it gets a little annoying if not for this then this would be one of the best books I have read in a long time.

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