Rogue Hunter: Inquest

I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Rogue Hunter: Inquest is a book written by Kevis Hendrickson. It is the first in the Rogue Hunter series and centers around a galactic bounty hunter named Zyra Zanr.

Rogue Hunter is a Sci-Fi novel that starts out with a news bulletin that states that the wanted killer Boris Skringler has been captured in New Venus. The bounty hunter Zyra Zanr went to retrieve him and was also captured, who is now believed to be dead.

It took me about 4% of the book to figure out what was going on… and then I couldn’t put the book down. I lost sleep I got so into the story. It is not just any book that can possess a reader in the way that Rogue Hunter:Inquest had with me. I loved about 85=90% of the story. But when the galactic battle began, I felt like the visualization and character connection was all of a sudden missing. There were all these names of ships, but not a good idea of the size or capability of them. Also the new players on the scene in the battle had little descriptors that stood out, except for their eyes.

Overall, the flow of this book was exquisite. I loved that Kevis was not afraid to push the envelope and that Zanr was not choosy in the sex of her heart’s desire. There was not a lot of background in the beginning, but flashbacks filled the reader in on what brought Zanr to the present predicament. It was easy to connect with Zanr and root for her. The ending was one of those “please don’t let it be true…” sort of endings that left me wanting more from this series.

I give this book a 4.5/5 stars. If it wasn’t for the jumble of the battle I would give it a 5/5 either way for site review purposes, it deserves to be rounded up to a 5. For a book that I cannot put down in my busy lifestyle that is saying a lot about the story telling ability of the author. I highly recommend this book as an entertaining read. It is most suitable for people who enjoy sci-fi, romance, intrigue, betrayal, suspense, unsavory characters, fiction, woman-empowering, etc.

Fire Country

I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Fire Country is Book 1 in the Country Saga and written by the talent David Estes.  Fire Country is a book based around a girl named Siena who lives in Fire Country, which is essentially a desert type terrain that stays hot for the majority of the year.

This book was truly phenomenal.  David has created a unique world, realistic characters, a new governing body and even a fitting language for the setting.  Fire Country is a breath of fresh air after all of the unfinished products I seem to have read recently.  There was amazing flow, I didn't have to worry about constant interruptions with typos and grammar issues, and it was easy to get lost in this world as I was rooting for Siena and wanting her to rise above her social status and find a way to find true happiness in life. 

Fire Country happens in a somewhat post apocalyptic world where the population is much less than it was and the life expectancy is much lower with the average person dying at age 30.  As someone who turned 30 this year, I found this crazy to think about that this could be my last year.  Due to these circumstances, the fire people have rules enacted that involve girls turning 16 to become bearers for the tribe.  Once a quarter every girl at the age of 16 must attend a "call" ceremony.  This means that she will be paired with a randomly selected man over the age of 18 to become his "bearer" and to bear his children.  Once having a child she will be expected to bear another child ever three years after, until the household is full.  A normal full household has 3 "bearers" and nine children.  Siena is a "scrawny" girl prone to daydreams and has no interest in becoming a bearer, and not having any choice in who her call will be.  Unfortunately for her, her father is in high-level leadership in the tribe.  Through her slight rebellions she comes to discover unimaginable secrets, and just when you think the scandal of the tribe is enough for the book, there is a new and crazy turn of events. 

David has made such a brilliant story with Fire Country and each character comes to life from Siena to her family and friends and even the ancillary characters.  Even when in a depression I couldn't help but chuckle at Siena's dry and witty humor and her sometimes conversations with Perry.  Siena shows the world that even a skinny young girl can stand up against what she feels is wrong and find herself in the process.

I give this book 5/5 stars, and cannot wait to read book two in the saga.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys getting lost in a story.  Within these pages you will find intrigue, hope, rebellion, betrayal, love, independence and growth.  This book is more than fiction, it is entertainment at its finest.  Don't wait to pick this one up.

Rise of the Trinity

I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.  

Rise of the Trinity is written by Claudia Cullen and is based around a prophecy of triplet sisters that will stand as the only force to defeat “the destroyer.”  Slightly cliché, I know, but this book is worth the chance.

Claudia has done a great job of personalizing each sister in vastly different ways, Sinhade, Jessale, and Liana were all separated at birth to fulfill different obligations for their queen mother.  The world building and storytelling is definitely commendable.  Claudia has definitely created the great first to a book series (a Trilogy would only be right with the Trinity after all).  ;)

Although the girls are reaching their 15^th birthday and rite of passage, Claudia superbly captures the older age of time in the book when the youth were burdened with adulthood life and decisions even before this age.  Each girl is mentally broken in a unique way, and each has vastly different strengths.  On their 15^th birthday their father bestows upon them their birthright gift which opens up a whole new world for each of them.

Initially I loved Jessale the most, even though she is the most broken, but by the end of the book, I couldn’t help but champion Liana for her spark and independence.  Although the good vs evil fight has been; and will continue to be written about, a thousand times over, Claudia was able to make this story uniquely her own.  This book stands out from others in its genre.  

With all of that being said, I have to point out some glaring deficiencies.  TYPOS!  They are so distracting, and in this case it was mostly to do with character names.  There is an ancillary character named Enoch, whose name is spelled Enoch, Enock and Inoch all within the span of about 3-5 pages.  I also found there was sister name swapping several times.  I’m not sure if this had to do with another sister originally carrying out an action and in edit the sister’s role was changed, but the name was mistakenly left, or what was the case.  Luckily it was easy to keep reading and figure out which person was meant, but it did break up the flow of the writing.  

Overall I give this book 4/5 stars.  Despite the typos, it was an engaging story and was easy to get into.  The book hits the ground running and keeps the pace for the majority of the story.  This initial book in the series is like a huge set up for the main events to come.  I will definitely be reading on to the second book when given the opportunity.  If you are into fantasy, fiction, young adult, prophecy, light and dark, spirituality, and anything in between, you will enjoy this book. 

Copyright Infringement and E-Books

Just some of my thoughts......  Please feel free to share your own.

Already the publishing industry has seen changed due to e-readers such as the Nook, Kindle and iPad.  A lot of people incorrectly assume that this has been bad for the publishing companies, but I have to disagree.  As an aspiring author that has extensively researched book publishing; as well as someone who regularly reviews books for publishing companies, I can attest to the fact that they have changed with the times in many ways.  Just because a book is published in an electronic capacity does not mean that it was not attached to a publishing company.  Publishing companies also have a hand in many e-books, and aide in processes such as editing.  Most major authors are publishing in multiple formats, hardback, paperback, audio and e-books.  The biggest take-away from publishing companies is the ease in self-publishing that has been brought about.  However, having read and reviewed books from many independent authors, I have found a lot lacking in many books that are not professionally produced.  The editing is atrocious and takes away from the story.  This results in a book being released that is in more of a draft format than a polished copy feel that readers want to see.  Self-publishing also does not provide for assistance in advertisement and the author must to their own marketing, which utilizes many social networking sites.  Self-publishing can be successful and profitable if done correctly.  There are also many ways to “print on demand” that allows an independent author to have physical copies of books made up without a publishing company.  In order for a publishing company to truly be affected it takes a knowledgeable driven author that has reliable editing and promotion help, otherwise the published books are a better read. 

Copyright issues will always be a problem as long as it is easy to copy the information and share it.  Many e-books are available at free at one time or another.  I personally only “purchase” amazon kindle books during “free” sales.  I am legally obtaining the books, and never having to pay.  Books, as with music sell based on reviews and word of mouth.  I have received many books for free in the past few months because the author or publishing company is giving them away for a free review.  Ripping off a story is illegal and should be punished, but sharing a story for the review and word of mouth it will generate is still in the best interest of the author, and can help obtain future fans and sales. 

When it comes to the reading of physical or e-books, I still will choose a physical book every time.  There is just something about being able to hold a book in my hands that makes me feel even more connected to the story.  I also love being able to put the book on my bookshelf.  One of my dreams in life has been to have a multiple story library in my house.  I think it was inspired by the Beauty and the Beast library, which was based off of a real castle in Germany.  E-readers are better for travel and for quick reading as they stay on the page that you last left off when you turn it back on.  It the best to have both for certain books that are only published in digital format.  

Reluctant Intern

I was given a copy of this book by the author Bill Yancey in exchange for an honest review.

I was definitely interested in this book from the description.  The book is based around the experiences of the main character, Addison Wolfe, or Addy...  sometimes even Wolfie.  A former military man who was rejected by NASA and is now a medical intern at a hospital in Florida in the 1970s. 

The book was very insightful into the life of a medical intern at that time and it was great to read the little hidden jokes about new technology that is used in the medical field today.  I must feign ignorance on the majority of medical terminology but Bill was good about his descriptions into what he was talking about. 

It was very interesting to read about the medical internship especially at this time in history.  I took this to be a historical fiction book, likely based upon some of the author's own experiences based off of his history. 

It took a little bit of getting used to all of the medical setting in the beginning, but the book had great flow and it was easy to get into.  I was able to enjoy it while I read it, and the characters were relate-able to real people. Bill wrote characters that you rooted for and characters that you disliked.  There were some pretty crazy patient stories and although I knew that basically medical interns didn't sleep much, it was a real eye opener to all of the different departments that they can make their rounds in.  It was great to see Addy grow as a character as his knowledge of the medical world, the world and himself grew along with the story.  He also through in some crazy events that I don't want to spoil for you. 

I can't say that it was something that I normally read, but it was definitely a great enjoyable read and I am glad that I took the time to go through it.  I am also glad that Bill Yancey shared his story with me.  I would definitely read another one of his books as he is definitely writing from an intelligent stand point.  I give this book 4/5 stars and definitely recommend it to anyone, especially if you are interested in the medical world.