[Arc Review] Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead

Gameboard of the Gods
Age of X #1
Richelle Mead
June 4th, 2013
Dutton Adult

Arc provided by Netgalley for an honest review.

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In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

Gameboard of the Gods, the first installment of Richelle Mead’s Age of X series, will have all the elements that have made her YA Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series such megasuccesses: sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; and relentless action and suspense.

 I'm really into Richelle Mead's books. She weaves an interesting tale with great characters. That is no exception here. Unfortunately, the book suffers in length and pacing. Exciting bits are interspersed with extensive sections that, were they subtracted, wouldn't have broke the book. Did we need chapters of extensive specifics on Tessa's school life? What could have been said in a quarter of the time was extended to a full chapter, creating dead areas between the action that required slogging through.

The book opens with a brawl. It lured me in with that whispered promise of action. There's terribly little of it, for it being 464 pages.

I'm unsure where I stand on the romance. Justin and Mae are drawn to each other by supernatural forces, but also by more base instincts. They are genuinely attracted to one another. There are higher forces at work, which makes the sexual tension both awkward and infuriating. Even throughout their tentative chemistry, they are consistently sleeping with other people, creating more awkward moments and unspoken feelings. I felt that the entire thing just didn't work. After awhile, I couldn't continue rooting for them to get together. I've never been one to latch on and 'ship' things when they are clearly impossible.

The mystery was enthralling. In order to not spoil anyone, I'll just say that there were a lot of threads that wove together into a tapestry that was both interesting and satisfying.

The dystopian setting has several interesting and new spins. While there is a rampant degenerative genetic disease, there are high caste's that consider their genetic traits so significant, they would rather remain inferior in health than marry someone below their status or outside their perfect picture in order to weed it out.

Instead of a world technologically devastated, this one has progressed forward.

Despite all the things I enjoyed, I couldn't rate this book higher. The characters, setting and mystery are amazing. The pacing is just off. It's so far off, that there were plenty points where I almost set this book down forever. Nothing about it called to me and made me want to finish it. When it finally picked up, I felt that it was too late. Perhaps I had too high of hopes, but I can honestly say I was disappointed.

[Arc Review] Peregrine Harker and The Black Death by Luke Hollonds

Peregrine Harker and The Black Death
Luke Hollands
June 3rd, 2013
Sparkling Books Ltd.
150 pages

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MURDER. SPIES. EXPLOSIONS. REVENGE.

Peregrine Harker is about to learn you're never too young to die.

London 1908: A secret society stalks the murky streets, a deadly assassin lurks in the shadows and a series of unexplained deaths are linked by a mystery symbol…

When boy-detective Peregrine Harker stumbles across a gruesome murder he sparks a chain of events that drag him on a rip-roaring journey through a world of spluttering gas lamps, thick fog, deadly secrets and dastardly villains.

Every step of Peregrine’s white-knuckle adventure brings him closer to the vile heart of a terrifying mystery – the true story behind the Brotherhood of the Black Death.

This book was a lot of fun. It follows a young journalist through his attempt to uncover a smuggling ring. As with most books of this nature, he gets himself into a heap of trouble in the process.

The first two thirds of the book were exciting, until it reached the point where pontification was the standard and everyone spent several pages discussing their treacherous plans and discoveries. I've always been more inclined towards books that show me, rather than tell me in long speeches. When it became the norm to have some sort of character speech every chapter instead of any action, I quickly lost interest.

The other problem I had with it was that the characters all talk as though they are at least ten years older than they are. I don't know if its just a sign of the time, or if that's how young people spoke back then, but it seemed forever out of character. When the twenty year old is talking like a puffed up old baron and the fifteen year old protagonist is talking like a young chap in his prime, I honestly didn't know what to do with myself.

Still, it was a solid adventure with plenty of twists and turns.

[Cover Reveal] Once Upon a Darkness Cover Reveal

Once Upon a Darkness by Aria Kane will be available from Entranced Publishing June 17!

Gretchen and her twin brother, Hank, were abandoned to a zombie horde when they were five years old. Intended to be a sacrifice by their zealot parents, they were instead rescued by The Company. Raised to become soldiers in the war against zombies, they now provide safe passage through danger zones, one contract at a time.

Clint's only skill is war, but he's weary of killing other men. When his contract with the Marines runs out, he takes a job on Gretchen's team, hoping that the search-and-rescue life will suit him better.

On Clint's second day, their four-man team is attacked, drugged, and taken to a prison full of frightened civilians. The only way in or out is by helicopter and, here, their enemies are human. One by one, the captives are culled from the holding area. Rumors say the facility director uses the prisoners as experimental subjects for the testing of a zombie cure.

When Hank is taken, Clint and Gretchen must put aside their personal feelings and find a way out of the prison, surrounded by thousands of starving zombies, before Hank becomes just one more disposable guinea pig in the hands of a twisted mad woman.

Add Once Upon a Darkness on Goodreads!

About the Author

Aria Kane is a recovering mechanical engineer and romance writer. She lives in sunny Florida with a 60 lb mutt who thinks he's a Chihuahua. You can learn more about her at ariakane.com or on Twitter @aria_kane.

Giveaway

To celebrate the Once Upon a Darkness cover reveal, Aria is giving away a $20 giftcard and an ecopy of an Entranced book of the winner’s choice.

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[ARC Review] The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The 5th Wave
5th Wave #1
Rick Yancey
May 7, 2012
Putnam Juvenile
Review from copy of an ARC

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The Passage meets Ender's Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

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Wow, I started reading The 5th Wave and I was hooked.   For me, it wasn't one of those books I couldn't put down but one I wanted to savor because I loved the world so much I didn't want it to end.
In The 5th Wave aliens have invaded earth.  They are are killing off mankind in waves.  I have always been fascinated with the idea of any kind of post apocalyptic survival story because I am curious of how people will react.  In The 5th Wave people start out about the way you would think with looting and rioting.  Then as the numbers dwindle down there survivor camps.  Then the aliens start turning humans on humans and there is no one to trust.  The 5th Wave follows the story of two survivors Cassie and Ben.

The book is told in parts and I would read a part and put down the book and think that is crazy or man did they really just do that.  Like the first part is called The Historian and gives details from Cassie's point of view from when the mother ship appeared to right after the 4th Wave.  The first part of the book in my opinion is riveting.  I love stories of survival.  I think that no matter what an alien would throw at Earth there would always be human survivors.  I think humans are like cockroaches or as Cassie, in The 5th Wave, later describes herself as a Mayfly.  Humans always find a way to stay alive and either fight or hide.  Cassie is tired of hiding by the time the first part of the book is over and she has to go find her brother.  So she sets out on a journey and gets hurt and saved by a stranger named Evan. 

I think that Cassie is a strong character.  I loved that she will fight tooth and nail to save her brother.  I liked that she was weak and flawed as well.  I can see where some have compared this book to The Hunger Games because there were parts of Cassie that reminded of Katniss.  The only thing I didn't like about the book was the romance. I felt it was a little too rushed because after the first part there is a lot going on as the book does switch point of views. Overall, I really liked The 5th Wave it had tons of action and parts were I was on the edge of seat wondering what was going to happen next.  I give this book four laser pistols and recommend it fans of aliens and post apocalyptic fiction everywhere.  Now my only problem is waiting until the next book comes out.

[Audiobook Review] Grave Mercy by

Grave Mercy
His Fair Assassin #1
Robin LaFevers
April 3rd, 2012
Graphia

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Robin LaFevers has enchanted young readers with her Nathaniel Fludd: Beastologist and Theodosia series, which earned starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly. In Grave Mercy, LaFevers crafts a fantastical tale sure to win her a new fan base among young adults.

Escaping an arranged marriage, 17-year-old Ismae finds sanctuary in the St. Mortain convent, where the sisters worship the gods of old. There, Ismae learns that the God of Death has special plans for her—a destiny that will one day compel her to betray the man she loves.

I was intrigued by this book and could not stop listening. My first initial thoughts while reading this book was it felt like the love child of Graceling and Games of Thrones. Grave Mercy has that strong female heroine but it is also rife with political intrigue.

Grave MErcy is about Ismae who is the daughter of death. She has been born to the turnip farmer and he beats her and the other peasants in the small village fear her. So when the turnip farmer sells her to a passing man and he finds out who she really is he tries to beat her as well. With the help of Priest, Ismae escapes that tiny village and all those awful people to the nunnery of St. Mortain. There she will train to be the handmaiden of death and carry out the will of St. Mortain her father.

I love the concept of nun assassins. After listening to this story I found out that this book is so much more than that, it's about learning to heal and love again. At the beginning of the book Ismae hates and distrusts all men. Who could blame her for the way she was treated. In her world women have very little say in their own lives as all the decisions are made by men. I liked how when Ismae's new assignment, the brother of the Dutchess, Lord Duvall, starts to make her question herself. He is not like any other men she has run across. He cares for his sister and wants her to marry not just for political reasons, but someone decent. He also treats Ismae with kindness and respect. He treats her as an equal. I loved that through that kindness Ismae herself learns the meaning of mercy.

I do have to agree with my fellow reviewer Fry when she said Grave Mercy was good but long winded. I felt liek some of the parts could have been shortened because it got really steeped down with who is back stabbing next. In the end I really liked the growth of Ismae and secret assassin nuns in a world full of mistrust is so much fun that I give Grave Mercy 3.5 laser pistols and round that up to four. The audio version was really good because Erin Moon narrating, she  really brought the characters to life and kept it from getting boring. I already have the next book in the series and look forward to more stories in this world of murder, lies, and romance.

[Review] Crash by Lisa McMann

Crash
Visions #1
Lisa McMann
January 8th, 2013
Simon Pulse
233 pages

Amazon/Book Depository/B&N

If what you see is what you get, Jules is in serious trouble. The suspenseful first of four books from the New York Times bestselling author of the Wake trilogy.

Jules lives with her family above their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double-meatball-shaped food truck to school. It’s not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that.

What she can’t handle is the recurring vision that haunts her. Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode...and nine body bags in the snow.

The vision is everywhere—on billboards, television screens, windows—and she’s the only one who sees it. And the more she sees it, the more she sees. The vision is giving her clues, and soon Jules knows what she has to do. Because now she can see the face in one of the body bags, and it’s someone she knows. Someone she has been in love with for as long as she can remember.

In this riveting start to a gripping series from New York Times bestselling author Lisa McMann, Jules has to act—and act fast—to keep her vision from becoming reality.

Final Destination with enough internal drama to completely overshadow the thrilling parts. That is how I would describe this book. The book blurb is basically the exciting version of when you watch a movie trailer and see all the funny parts of an upcoming comedy. The rest of the book is filled with feelings and a Romeo and Juliet-esque forbidden romance. If you could really even call it a romance. It's really more of Jules screaming, "I love you" at inappropriate times to Sawyer.

There's a lot of annoying sequences in the books. A lot. So many I couldn't possibly list them. I'll hit on the most jarring.

- There are two cases where the author decides on a footnote, only for that footnote to demand you look something up. You know what, with that attitude, I'd not care what a wenus was if I didn't already know.

-At one point there is a quazi-masturbation sequence. Or maybe it was actually masturbation. It was very colorfully written and there were some sparks and a buildup. Generally showers do not make me feel that way unless something else is going on.

 The amount of the usage of  "Oh my dog!" At one point, the character said God and I wasn't sure if it was a typo or if she was really upset and forgot to change the word back to dog, or if it was just an oversight of some sort.

- Despite obligations and being grounded, Jules is allowed to wander about whimsically and take off school for no reason. I hate when YA books do this. Sometimes, just sometimes, kids have overarching issues. They can't go be creepy stalkers trying to Early Edition away other people's problems.

The actual crash happens way before the end of the book. There isn't a crash, then a chapter to wrap things up. There is a crash and then another flood of feels. It got to the point where the crash was just a secondary plot point. The real plot point being the forbidden love (still not sure if its mutual?) between the two characters and their family drama. The family drama ended up being way over the top. Like, Veronica Mars style over the top family drama.

The cliffhanger at the end of the book was ridiculous and uncalled for.

Sadly, a book with this much promise should have been much better.

[Joint Review] Thorn Abbey by Nancy Ohlin

Thorn Abbey
Nancy Ohlin
May 7th, 2013
Simon Pulse
304 pages

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Nothing is as it seems in this darkly romantic tale of infatuation and possession, inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca.

Becca was the perfect girlfriend: smart, gorgeous, and loved by everyone at New England’s premier boarding school, Thorn Abbey. But Becca’s dead. And her boyfriend, Max, can’t get over his loss.

Then Tess transfers to Thorn Abbey. She’s shy, insecure, and ordinary—everything that Becca wasn’t. And despite her roommate’s warnings, she falls for brooding Max.

Now Max finally has a reason to move on. Except it won’t be easy. Because Becca may be gone, but she’s not quite ready to let him go…

 My first initial reaction on this book is a decent read. I liked it if I take the book as a separate story on it's own. It was spooky, tragic, and full of mystery. I liked that the story moved fast and it was a quick read. In the beginning, it moved kind of slow, but picked up about 30% into the story. That is when Tess gets involved with Max and spooky things start to happen. Tess starts seeing things and warnings pop up in her bedroom. Her roommate Devon starts acting creepy. The ending of the book left goosebumps on my flesh. In the end the story of Thorn Abbey was a nice homage to the classic Rebecca. The original story in my opinion will always be my favorite. I felt Thorn Abbey didn't try to be exactly like Rebecca to the point where I didn't like it. I give Thorn Abbey three laser pistols. I liked it but it didn't blow me away. It was a decent read, a tribute to Daphne du Maurier's classic tale.

I'll state right now, Rebecca is one of my favorite classics. This book had a lot to live up to and it didn't hit the mark.

Think of every book you've read with a boarding school in it. There, you have the generic backdrop. Now, add some R.L. Stine. Add a dash of Mean Girls and some of the du Maurier original. Bake at 350 degrees for some hours. You've now got yourself a generic YA novel.

Nothing jumped out at me. Nothing screamed originality. The other students were brats, as expected. Even the big shocker, which I must say, after just watching Old Boy, did not at all give me a gut lurching flutter. The scene with the dress, the big, iconic devastation was even lackluster.

That ending though, straight out of something I'd read in middle school. A Christopher Pike or an R.L. Stine ending, something that is meant to be shocking, but generally ends up over the top and silly. I felt that way reading their books long ago, I felt that way now. At least there was no poetic irony involved.

I'm giving it three stars only because it really did give off a Babysitter or Cheerleaders vibe. I read it all the way through, and it remained entertaining in its simplicity.