Review: Pawn

PAWN

Author: Aimee Carter

Publication Date: 11/26/2013
Audience: YA

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian

 

YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING.

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

 

Summary from Goodreads

 

 

REVIEW

Review: Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

UNINVITED

Author: Sophie Jordan

Publication Date: 01/28/2014

Audience: YA

Genre: Science Fiction, Romance

When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

Summary from Goodreads

REVIEW

Review: This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers

THIS IS NOT A TEST

Author: Courtney Summers

Publication Date: 06/19/2012

Audience: Young Adult

Genre: Science Fiction, Apocalyptic

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

Summary from Goodreads

REVIEW

Review: Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson

HUNTING LILA

Author: Sarah Alderson

Publication Date: 08/05/2011

Audience: YA

Genre: Science Fiction, Romance

17-year-old Lila has two secrets she’s prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she’s been in love with her brother’s best friend, Alex, since forever.

After a mugging exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust—her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organization called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they’ve found them.

In a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realizes that she is not alone—there are others out there just like her—people with special powers—and her mother’s killer is one of them…

Summary from Goodreads

REVIEW

Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

OF BEAST AND BEAUTY Author: Stacey Jay Publication Date: 07/23/2013 Audience: Young Adult Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance  

 

In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret...

In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city’s vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds.

Isra wants to help the city’s Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe.

As secrets are revealed and Isra’s sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love.

  Picture and Summary from Goodreads     REVIEW

 

This book is absolutely beautiful.  It didn't start out that way...during the first few chapters I struggled to find my groove and it really wasn't until the middle of the book that things started to speed up for me.  By the end though I was completely captivated and found myself tearing up during the epilogue.

 

The idea behind the story is a classic, Beauty and the Beast, but it's totally transformed into something original and set in a world that is described in amazing detail.  I had no trouble envisioning the society and world that the characters found themselves in.  There are these humans that have been corrupted and deformed and have become nothing more than beasts in the eyes of high society.  I could almost see where the nobles are coming from because the monstrous are truly terrifying.

 

The narration is mostly split between Gem and Isra which was fine but every once in a while we get a chapter from Bo. This makes sense in a way because it helps readers connect with him but I don't know that it was necessary.

 

Overall I enjoyed this twisted version of Beauty and the Beast and I feel it will stick with me for a while.

 

  ~ Goodreads ~

Unite by Jamie Campbell

UNITE

PROJECT INTEGRATE #1

Author: Jamie Campbell

Publication Date: 12/03/2013

Audience: Young Adult

Genre: Science Fiction

 

United They Stand.

Seventeen years ago an entire generation of aliens were sent to Earth in order to save their home planet and integrate into the human population. Now, those aliens are being hunted.

Amery Jones is your typical teenager, except for the fact she is an alien and a member of the government’s secret Project Integrate.

When Amery’s best friend Lola is kidnapped in order to get to her, there is only one person that can help – the exceedingly annoying and charming Lochie Mercury.

Together, Amery and Lochie must put aside their differences and attraction in order to rescue Lola before it’s too late.

 

Picture and Summary from Goodreads

 

 

** I received this as an eARC through Netgalley from the publisher in exchange for a review.  In no way does that effect the thoughts and opinions expressed here.  I did not receive compensation in any way for this review.**

 

 

 

REVIEW

 

Hmm.  Well.  That was disappointing.

 

I had such high hopes for this book only to have it fall flatter than flat.  Don't get me wrong, it had it's redeeming points but there were some serious issues that truly drove me batty!!

 

First off the MC is being trained for something.  She starts off telling us that she was in a group of babies that were "chosen".  It takes SEVERAL chapters for us to finally find out what exactly it is that she's being prepared for, which seems kinda ridiculous since the synopsis obviously gives the secret away.  So after we find out that Amery has been placed by the FBI among the earthlings I began wondering...why is Amery so unuseful?  I mean she has spent all her life in and out of the FBI headquarters and knowing what her future holds for her you would think she could invest in some self defense classes.  PLUS she's an ALIEN!  Shouldn't she have some kind of superpowers?? (Not really a bad thing, I just wish she had super powers.) When her BFF Lola is kidnapped we really start to see how lacking Amery is.  I mean yeah she does everything she can to save Lola but she kind of goes at it like a chicken without a head.

 

Another thing that drove me CRAZY is Amery's almost obsessive like hatred for Lochie, the boy she has grown up "hating".  You know how some books have insta-love?  Well I'm pretty sure Campbell was so scared of having her characters fall in insta-love that she went in the complete opposite.  Why is Amery so insistent on hating Lochie?!  He seems like such a nice guy who really likes her and only wants to help!  I mean not once did I ever agree with her when she said he was being "so annoying".

 

And to top it off I wanted to knock sense into her hypocritical parents aka HANDLERS.   Towards the beginning of the book her mom witnesses Amery making faces at Lochie (Seriously! She sticks her tongue out at him) at supper that evening they grill her about who he is and how she can't risk him not liking her, everyone NEEDS to like her!  But when she explains who he his they get all worried stating she isn't allowed to date and maybe she should stop being his project partner, better to not have the temptation.  Do you want him to like her or not?!

 

As for those redeeming points.  I really did love Lochie, he seemed like such a sweet guy.  And the alien idea is a great one, I just wish it had been executed a little differently.  The pacing was most definitely fast paced, it only took me a day to finish it.  I think that if Amery were a little more tough I would have liked it a lot more.

 

I finished the book and it was okay but I probably won't read it again, or the next one.

 

 

 

 

 

~ Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~

 

 

THE AUTHOR 

 

(Picture and Bio from Goodreads Profile)

 

Jamie was born into a big, crazy family of 6 children. Being the youngest, she always got away with anything and would never shut up. Constantly letting her imagination run wild, her teachers were often frustrated when her ‘What I did on the weekend’ stories contained bunyips and princesses.

Growing up, Jamie did the sensible things and obtained a Bachelor of Business degree from Southern Cross University and worked hard to gain her membership with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.

Yet nothing compared to writing. Quitting the rat race to spend quality time with her laptop named Lily, Jamie has written several novels and screenplays. Spanning a number of genres and mediums, Jamie writes whatever inspires her from ghost stories to teenage love stories to tantalising murder mysteries. Nothing is off limits.

A self-confessed television addict, dog lover, Taylor Swift fan, and ghost hunter, Jamie loves nothing more than the thrill of sharing her stories.

 

Goodreads

Website

Twitter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

External Forces by Deborah Rix

EXTERNAL FORCES

The Laws Of Motion, Lex 1

Author: Deborah Rix

Publication Date: 09/15/2013

Published By: Dime Store Books

Audience: Young Adult

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian, Romance

 

TREASON. BETRAYAL. HEARTBREAK.
A LOT CAN HAPPEN TO A GIRL BETWEEN HER FIRST KISS AND HER FIRST KILL.

It’s 100 years since the Genetic Integrity Act was passed and America closed its borders to prevent genetic contamination. Now only the enemy, dysgenic Deviants, remain beyond the heavily guarded border. The Department of Evolution carefully guides the creation of each generation and deviations from the divine plan are not permitted.

When 16-year-old Jess begins to show signs of deviance she enlists in the Special Forces, with her best friend Jay, in a desperate bid to evade detection by the Devotees. Jess is good with data, not so good with a knife. So when the handsome and secretive Sergeant Matt Anderson selects her for his Black Ops squad, Jess is determined to figure out why.

As her deviance continues to change her, Jess is forced to decide who to trust with her deadly secret. Jess needs to know what’s really out there, in the Deviant wasteland over the border, if she has any hope of making it to her 17th birthday. Because if the enemy doesn’t kill her first, the Department of Evolution probably will.

 

(Picture and Summary from Goodreads.)

 

 

**I received this as an eARC through Netgalley from Dime Store Books in exchange for an honest review.  In no way does that effect the thoughts and opinions voiced here.  I did not receive compensation in any way to write this review.**

 

REVIEW

 

Well we have another one folks!  This book was fantastic!

 

The concept behind the reason for the world falling apart is different, something I hadn't read in a dystopian thus far.  The Devotees who make up the New World's governing body have spun a tale saying God sent an asteroid to destroy the world to cleanse them of the Deviants.  Now they have to prove they are worthy which leads them to messing with the genes of the people.  While we learn a lot behind the Devotees reasons and motives I still think there is a lot more to learn.

 

Our MC is Jessica Grant. Jess is a strong MC but because of her past is full of insecurities and trust issues.  She has one friend, Jay.  Her mother hates and fears her, so other than Jay she has no-one.  The story starts off with her and Jay twisting the system so they can be called into the military rather than leave their futures to be decided by the Devotees.  Once inside the military Jess has to prove herself worthy of being there, along the way she makes new friends and finds herself falling for her black ops sergeant.  I was really happy that Jess was able to find herself a part of such a tight group of people.

 

I feel I should mention up front that while there is action and suspense, a big part of the book also revolved around the budding relationship between Jess and Matt.  I was completely fine with this since I happen to like a little action with my romance stories.  Not to mention the chemistry between Matt and Jess is soo intense.  Matt is pretty smooth and there were numerous times he had me feeling like a giddy school girl. *sigh*

 

Rix did a good job of balancing everything going on.  While there is obvious chemistry between Jess and Matt it isn't the only thing going on.  Rix also develops strong relationships between Jess and her black ops team.  I especially love Sheree, she balances out Jess' self consciousness by being overly confident. 

 

Even after finishing the book I feel like there is so much more going on.  I can't wait to see where this series goes and if I am anywhere near the truth.

 

 

 

 

 

~ Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~

 

THE AUTHOR

 

Deborah Rix has had a successful career in entertainment publicity, live music promotion, corporate communications and event management. She lives with her family in Toronto, Canada, where she is the proprietor of The Lucky Penny, a corner store and take-out joint in the Trinity-Bellwoods neighbourhood.
External Forces is her first novel.

(Picture and Bio from Goodreads Profile)

 

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

 

 

 

 

 

 

Halo by Frankie Rose

Halo

Author: Frankie Rose

Publication Date: 11/12/2012

Published By: Indie Inked

Audience: Young Adult, 16+

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy

 

Please note: this book was previously titled RAKSHA

 

She has no name.

She has her knives. Her training. Her halo.

The first and second give her the ability to defeat the opponents she is pitted against each month. The third frees her from pain and fear. From any kind of emotion at all. Everything is as it should be. Everything is as it should be, until…

Fear… Pain… Anger… Happiness… Desire… Guilt…

Love.

When a newly named Kit escapes the Sanctuary after killing her best friend, the last thing she needs is another knife in her hand. Or Ryka, the damaged, beautiful blond boy, whom she refuses to let save her. The sights and sounds of Freetown are new, yet one thing is familiar: the matches. The only difference? Where the blood in the Sanctuary landed only on the Colosseum floor, Kit will quickly learn that a river of red runs through Freetown’s very streets.

Without her halo, the inhabitants of Kit’s new home consider her saved, but is that really the case? The reality of her old life is paralyzing. Would she be better off free of the guilt associated with all the blood on her hands, or is the love of one boy worth living through all the pain?

Raksha is the call of the dead. It is the rumbling chant for fresh blood from the other side, the demand for sacrifice. The Colosseum is behind Kit. The fighting pits await.

Warning: due to graphic content, Raksha is suitable for readers 16 yrs and up.

 

 

 

**I received an eARC through Netgalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  In no way does that effect the thoughts and opinions expressed here.  I did not get paid in any way for posting this review.**

 

REVIEW

 

So much amazingness in one book.  Where do I even start?  How do I adequately express my love for it?

First off I just want to say how much I love a badass heroine.  Seriously, my favorite parts were when Kit proved she could hold her own against the toughest of men.  She has to go through a lot in just a few chapters.  Imagine feeling nothing your whole life then bam feelings start to trickle in and you're left feeling guilty and dirty.  She handles it well and I love that she doesn't really rely on anyone to get her through it.

Of course she had her weak moments but that was okay because it gave Ryka a chance to be a sexy he-man, which he does incredibly well. The chemistry between Ryka and Kit is the best, especially since Kit doesn't fully understand how she feels.  All I hate your guts one minute to I think I might kiss you the next.  Ok, maybe not that quickly, I don't consider it insta-love people!

The world building and character development is amazing.  In fact we don't get to know one character very well before they meet catastrophe but yet I still felt for them.  The author did a really good job showing how overwhelming it was for Kit as she started to experience emotions for the first time, but I loved that she didn't let Kit turn into a puddle of depression.  Kit kept her backbone.

The ending, oh that ending.  Such suspense!  While I'm content with how it ended, it still feels as if I've been cut off from a drug.  I'm having a serious book hangover here.  I'm dying to know what's going to happen next with Kit and Ryka, with Freetown, with JAMES (I'm sensing an unwanted claiming...NOOO)!  I hope publication is like SOON but if not I really, really hope Frankie Rose is writing the next installment, like right NOW.

Let's see, what did I not like?  Hmmmm... Nope there isn't ONE thing I would change about this book!

Halo has everything, action, suspense, gritty fight scenes, and unbelievable chemistry.  From page one I couldn't read fast enough, I HAD to know what was going to happen.  What are you waiting for?  Go get it now!

 

 

 

~ Goodreads ~ Amazon ~

 

THE AUTHOR

 

Frankie Rose was born in the United Kingdom, but now lives with her husband in sunny Australia.

She officially makes things up for a living, and when she's not doing that, she is generally making paper birds out of receipts and old lists or taking photographs that make her smile.

(Photo and Bio from Goodreads Profile)

 

 

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

 

 

 

 

 

The Last Bastion Of The Living

THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING:

A FUTURISTIC ZOMBIE NOVEL

Author: Rhiannon Frater

Publication Date: 06/12/2012

Published By: Indie Inked

Audience: Adult

Genre: Science Fiction, Horror, Zombie

 

The Bastion was humanity's last hope against the fearsome undead creatures known as the Inferi Scourge. A fortified city with a high wall, surrounded by lush land rich with all the resources needed to survive, protected by high mountain summits, and a massive gate to secure the only pass into the valley, the Bastion became the last stronghold of the living on earth. But one fateful day, the gate failed and the Inferi Scourge destroyed the human settlements outside the walls and trapped the survivors inside the city. Now decades later, the last remaining humans are struggling to survive in a dying city as resources and hope dwindle.

Vanguard Maria Martinez has lived her whole life within the towering walls of steel. She yearns for a life away from the overcrowded streets, rolling blackouts, and food shortages, but there is no hope for anyone as long as the Inferi Scourge howl outside the high walls. Her only refuge from the daily grind is in the arms of her lover, Dwayne Reichardt, an officer in the Bastion Constabulary. Both are highly-decorated veterans of the last disastrous push against the Inferi Scourge. Their secret affair is her only happiness.

Then one day Maria is summoned to meet with a mysterious representative from the Science Warfare Division and is offered the opportunity to finally destroy the Inferi Scourge in the valley and close the gate. The rewards of success are great, but she will have to sacrifice everything, possibly even her life, to accomplish the ultimate goal of securing the future of humanity and saving it from extinction.

 

(Picture and Summary from Goodreads)

 

 

 

 

 

**I received an eARC of this book through Netgalley from Indie Inked in exchange for an honest review.  In no way does that effect the thoughts and opinions voiced here.  I did not get paid in any way to write this review.**

 

 

 

 

REVIEW

 

I had forgotten how much I love stand alone books!  It's so nice to end a book and have everything tied up nicely with all my questions answered.  I was reminded of this with The Last Bastion of The Living.  Unless Rhiannon Frater changes her mind it is very much a stand alone novel and I LOVED it!

 

The world that the story takes place in is one where a zobie-esque virus has wiped out much of the population.  The humans remaining have one last hope (even if they don't know it's happening) that lies with a special ops team lead by our MC, Maria.  I loved Maria, she's fierce and independent, and she totally knows how to handle herself.   When she volunteers for the top secret mission she thinks she knows what she's getting herself into.  That's her first mistake and from that moment on the plot twists and turns throwing one surprise after another until you're dying to know what's going to happen!

 

The author does a great job of world building and her characters are anything but shallow.  She paints a vivid picture of everything that is going on around Maria while she is out in the field.  Frater has created monsters that are frightening yet still hold a touch of humanity.  In the end the creatures Frater has created turn terrifying.

 

The ONLY thing I had a problem with was the fact that Maria's love interest was named DWAYNE (I mean seriously?! That name is not what I think of when I think hot, interesting love interest!) and the fact that he was 25 years her senior, EW.  But that comes with it being more of an adult novel rather than a YA novel.  It also didn't bug me past first finding out about it.

 

The ending was simply beautiful.  I seriously wish all books could end as nicely as the one created by Frater.  Like I said things are wrapped up nicely but still left room for the reader to have a little imagination with where the characters go from there.

 

Overall The Last Bastion Of The Living was an exciting thrill ride.  One that I will definitely read again. 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~

 

 

 

THE AUTHOR 

 

Rhiannon Frater was born and raised a Texan. Though she has lived in various towns all over the state, she finally settled in Austin, Texas where she met her husband and worked as a governmental consultant.
During her travels for her job, she was inspired to write the story of two women fleeing into the Texas Hill Country in an attempt to survive the zombie apocalypse. Originally published as a serial online under the title AS THE WORLD DIES, she later self-published the series in three novels to satisfy the many fans of the story. The first novel in the series, THE FIRST DAYS, won the 2008 Dead Letter Award for Best Book (Fiction). The second book, FIGHTING TO SURVIVE won the 2009 Dead Letter Award in the same category.

The AS THE WORLD DIES books were purchased by Tor in 2010.The first book, THE FIRST DAYS, was released in July 2011 and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. The second, FIGHTING TO SURVIVE, was released on November 8, 2011. The third book, SIEGE, will be released in April 2012.

She is also the author of THE LIVING DEAD BOY AND THE ZOMBIE HUNTERS, PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES: A Vampire Novel and two novels in the Vampire Bride Series (THE TALE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE and THE VENGEANCE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE). All her works have been optioned for either TV or film.

Rhiannon continues to live in Austin, Texas with her husband and is now a full-time writer.
She is represented by Hannah Gordon of the Foundry Literary + Media agency.

(Picture and Bio from Goodreads Profile)

 

Goodreads

Website

Twitter