The 5th Wave

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm not even sure what to write in a review about this book.... Let me just say that this book IS AMAZING! It deserves, 5, no 10, no ALL the stars.

I loved this book. I loved the characters, it was beautifully written. I love the way the Book was broken up into parts for different experiences and points of view . Cassiopeia is easy to love as a badass dystopian character.

Although the ages of this book make it young adult, if you are into thriller or sci-fi, it has none of the cutesy young adult themes that may make you think twice about it. Do yourself a favor and READ THIS BOOK!

I can't wait to read more in the series, one of the best alien novels I've read EVER. Heck, one of the best novels I've read ALL year!

I had many theories and thoughts, many of which were correct, but some that weren't but it was not predictable. The 5th Waves takes you on a ride and you don't ever want to get off! 5 Stars easily!

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5th Wave:The Movie......

WTF.  Seriously.  Did whoever wrote the script even READ this book?  The movie was akin to a REALLY Long trailer and lost all essence and emotion of the story.  You destroyed this story.  What a waste.  The characters weren't badly cast, but they truncated every scene and changed intricate details, and WHY?  WHY oh Why?  Please do not just this story based on this horrible rendition that was portrayed in the movie.  This book is SO MUCH MORE!   

The Amber Project

The Amber Project by J.N. Chaney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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The Amber Project opens us up to a futuristic world, about 200 years after the spread of a toxic gas known as the Variant (which spread in 2157). The gas steadily spread across the globe killing all living things it came into contact with and drastically changing the atmosphere. The sky is now purple, the grass is now blue and there are some predators who managed to adapt and change, but little is known about them.

An underground city was established and cordoned off and sealed from the Variant. The population is controlled by 3 main sections, the military/education, scientific and the matron. The three bodies must act together in order for there to be any order in this new world. The matron is in charge of all of the mothers that birth the population. Children are made through contacts and a mother must have the right genetic coding in order to be eligible to be a mother. Women see mothering as a sign of honor and stability and began having children as early as 14.

Once children reach the age of 7 they are taken from their homes (only run and managed by their mother and any possible siblings) and placed into the education system. Mara is one of the mothers with almost perfect genetic coding which causes her to be chosen for a specific scientific program, allowing her to fuse new experiments with her eggs to produce a possible child that can exist on the surface of the Earth with the Variant. This child is named Terry.

If you want to know more, than you must read the book. Suffice to say that the book is loaded with a devastating new world, political intrigue and power struggles as well as the troubles of growing into one self with the added side effects of being a scientific experiment.

The story is told through multiple points of view to give a brilliant all-around look into the world. In addition, there are answered questions through the release of past and current audio files and text to help the reader understand what has happened and is happening in the futuristic Earth.

Chaney has managed to brilliantly fortify a place within a genre rife with half-hearted attempts of literature and created a gripping new series! I can't wait to read on. This was an easy 5 stars and hard to put down.

** I received a copy of this book for free with the For Love of a Book Advanced Reader Opportunity Program

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Review: IA: Initiate

IA: Initiate by John Darryl Winston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of Naz, but it is also more than just about one single character. John Winston has created an almost dystopian-type world, that doesn't seem to be so different than a poor neighborhood. If that neighborhood were to be somehow cut off from the rest of society. As I read this book, I couldn't help feeling that there was a vortex around the area that was not escapable.

Naz is an underrated hidden kind of smart, but also has immense dreams that seem to come true in his sleep... without his control. His sister, Meri has soaring intelligence that pushes Naz to live his life for her and push for he to have a better life outside of their neighborhood.

The opening of the book leaves many intriguing questions for the reader, especially in terms of Naz's parentage, and what sort of experimentation may have been going on while he was still in the womb.
Naz faces many challenging issues such as gangs, and foster care and new schools, but he also finds solace in his sister and in chess, and learning how to be a better person and keep himself away from negative peer pressure.

Overall this was a great read, I was left with a lot of questions and would have liked a bit more character development outside of Naz, but perhaps that was intentional. I really wanted to know more about the place they live and why they were there, I hope this will be revealed in later novels. Solid 4 stars for me. A great debut novel!

I received a copy of this book from the author for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.


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Slip

Slip is written by David Estes, and is the first book in the Slip Trilogy.  It is a fast paced dystopian sci-fi thriller geared for a young adult audience and older.

The book opens up to a view of the now Reorganized United States of American.  After natural disasters have changed the landscape of the country and the scare of food shortage has been numerically assessed, the government has determined an exact population number that can be supported by the current country.  Procreation can only occur after a birth authorization has been purchased and following the receipt of a death certificate.  In short, in order for one to be born, one must first die.  Death certificates can be issued for a terminally ill person, but if that person does not die as planned, than a birth cannot occur. 

Pop Con, short for Population Control, is the government agency responsible for ensuring the enforcement and regulation of such laws.  In the event of unauthorized births/beings or UnBees, they are tasked with tracking down and terminating the unlawful child.  Any child that manages to go undetected past their 2nd birthday is henceforth referred to as a “slip” and is deemed a national security threat. 

Pop Con is heralded for their ability to terminate unauthorized births before a slip occurs.  However, one boy finds himself hidden and protected long past his 2nd birthday.  Being raised by a father and a woman who cares for him he finds himself wondering why he cannot be outside with other children as he gets older. 

This child without a name in his youth starts to figure out that things aren’t right in his life when events lead to his father injecting his eyes to change his identity as he becomes instead Benson and is sent to swim in hopes of survival sent off to a futuristic St Louis.  Benson is left alone and outside of society, having no true knowledge of what is going on.  Many questions and theories lead him to suspect that he may in fact be a slip. 

In this book we get to know many exhilarating characters to conclude the head of Pop Con, Michael Kelly: a man who must make ruthless determinations, while in constant battle with his conscious.  Harrison Kelly, his son who finds hatred in his father for missing so much of his life due to work.  Lucy a street savvy friend and romantic interest of Benson’s who fights to protect her little brother.  Janice, the wife of Michael Kelly, who went from eccentric to mental break and now lives in a mental institution; constantly hallucinating about things that may or may not have been.  Domino Destovan is the sadist you love to hate; his evil endeavors grow throughout the book as well as his thirst for death and acknowledgment. 

The first part of the book is told in First Person POV from a young nameless boy and his views in the world.  News headlines and blurbs are interjected to keep the reader alert of the state of affairs in the country.  Then the book moves on to a more third person POV after the nameless boy becomes Benson.  In the initial naming of Benson, I had a little trouble keeping track of the fast paced character change in the story, but once the narratives became more detailed, it was easy to go back to the flow of the book.

Overall I give Slip 5/5 Stars.  David Estes can create a world like no other, and his ability to bring it to life is commendable.  With a slightly rocky character transition, this levels out enough to not detract from the story.  By the time you get over the transition from unnamed boy to Benson, it is practically impossible to step away from as the action is fast paced.  It very readily flows into a desire to want to know MORE about what happens next.  Although this is a young adult novel, it is definitely on the mature end of the spectrum as there are some themes that may be sensitive to include sexual and physical violence.  If you are interested in dystopian, young adult, population control, futuristic, sci-fi, fiction, action, etc., then this book is definitely worth a read. 

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

Don't forget to also check out my review of David Estes' Fire Country.

Ohio 2029

Ohio 2029: Utopia Has Never Been So Wrong is written by D.A. Winstead and is about the state of affairs of the country after a huge stock market crash that has caused America to split apart amongst its political parties, and this is the fallout.

In a sense it can definitely be classified as a dystopian novel, but it is scarier than most. While reading this book I could feel this as being a VERY real possibility for our country. I would like to think that things would never go this far, but it is hard to define a VERY real divide in America between the two major political parties.

Starting with an intro from 2015 that features an economic implosion that makes the last major crash look tame in comparison. The timeline then moves on with short snippets and news headlines, the reader is caught up to the future. The public has completely rejected the Democratic Party with the crash happening during Obama’s time in office. The Republican Party has now been lifted up as saviors, disbanding big government and sectioning it out to different states. However, there is still a lot of anger and rebuilding that must take place.

Rioting occurring in many states leads to those locations being partitioned off as zones, and as things get worse, marshal law is brought into the zones for order. To teach the country a lesson and to move forward, any openly affiliated Democrat is then moved to within reach or even put inside of the zones for punishment. The theory is that if they want to live in a state of being supported by the government and in a state of sharing all that they have, then they can do so within those zone. In the meantime the rest of the country will move on with life and rebuild in a stronger and smarter way, albeit more carefully and strictly with many freedoms American’s have known unable to be given back at this time.

In the middle of all of the chaos the story follows the lives of two families. One is a red state senator’s daughter named Mary Catherine Marshall and the other the boy who used to live next door Maddie Garner. Maddie’s family was relocated to the dirtiest and most violent reform zone in Cincinnati, Ohio. In a way this is a modern political party Romeo and Juliet, but it is so much deeper than that.

Winstead has created a world that is scary to think about and one I hope we never come close to. With so much hate and fear in this world today, it is easy to see how a novel of this caliber could take hold within our hearts. The scenes came alive before my eyes in a desperate manner of living for many. The people were real and easy to connect, root for, and abhor.

I give this book 5/5 stars. Definitely something I probably wouldn’t have picked up on my own, but I would have missed out on some wondrous storytelling, strewn from the heart of our country’s security fears. Winstead translated these fears and bleak outcomes in brilliance. If you are into futuristic novels, sci-fi, political thrillers, romance, dystopian, fiction, suspense, etc., you should definitely pick this one up.

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

BREW BLAST and Interview with David Estes

I was blessed with the honor of interviewing author David Estes in anticipation of his latest novel which will be based around the witch apocalyspse and starts off with the excitement inducing book Brew.  Already he has released the cover for the second part Boil and a quick synopsis.  This talented man wastes no time in pacifying his reader's desire for more novels from his brilliant mind; however, don't think for a minute that it means that quality of storytelling will suffer.  Once he gets on a roll with a storyline, he just runs with it.  Here is the interview between David and I that will give a little insight into his mind, and don't forget to read on for information about his two new books, ways to learn more about David, as well as FREE STUFF and GIVEAWAYS!  

INTERVIEW WITH DAVID ESTES

KB: What made you want to focus your new novel around witches?

DE: Great first question! One thing I pride myself on is bringing something unique to my readers' experience with each new series. After writing a successful but long 7-book dystopian series (The Dwellers/Country Sagas), I really wanted to stick with the genre I love the most, which is dystopian/post-apocalyptic, but I knew I'd have to bring something fresh to the story. In this case, I decided to include a paranormal element. I made a list of all the possibilities, and then started crossing out the ones that I had no interest or inspiration to write about. Every time my pen hovered over witches, I got excited about the possibilities and my mind started writing the story. That's a really good sign for an author. The books that have been the easiest for me to write (and my best books, in my opinion), are the ones that are constantly playing in my head while I'm working on them. Brew was one of those books, and the sequel, Boil, was the same, like a movie in my mind.

Of course, just adding witches to an apocalypse isn't necessarily hugely original in and of itself; so I put a new spin on witches, having them separate into gangs (rather than covens), that were primarily based on magical specialty (rather than familial relationships). What you get are a variety of types of witches, some ultra-violent, some strangely humane, and some downright mystical. I hope it'll make for an awesome story!

KB: What time period of witch lore has stood out to you the most?

DE: I decided not to go that far back, as that made things more realistic for the facts of a current story set during our time. So I basically focused on the Salem Witch Trials, which were a hugely embarrassing series of events leading to the murder of so-called witches. Brew centers on the idea that maybe some (or all) of those so-called witches really were REAL witches and their friends have been plotting widespread revenge against humanity for some time. Stupid human mistakes of the past tend to repeat themselves, so I think using a well-known bit of history adds an element of reality to a story that is otherwise complete fiction.

KB: As a man, what drives you to write for the empowered female character?

DE: Love this question! There's a character introduced partway through Brew who fits the "empowered female" label perfectly. She's a real firecracker. As you know, however, this isn't a new type of character for my books. The majority of my female characters have strength in them, whether it's apparent at the beginning of the book or whether it's developed over the course of the tale. As a male, I'm appalled at the brutality and atrocities committed by my gender against women. I'm equally horrified by the women who continue to take the abuse or even justify it as their fault. Personally, I believe that having strong female role models is extremely important for young women, so they don't let themselves be pushed around in their lives. Women deserve equality in all things, and although men have a greater capability (on average) for physical strength, women seem to have an inner strength and resolve that far exceeds their male counterparts. I believe my portrayal of that to be fairly accurate.

KB: Will you have a warlock/wizard side to Brew?

DE: YES! Brew is not all about witches. Although it's designated as a "witch book", it's more about the collective group of magic-born, which include witches, warlocks, and wizards. The apocalypse is caused by both male and female villains!

KB: What has been your favorite character to write so far?

DE: This used to be a really hard question, and now it's getting even harder! Obviously, the more characters I write, the more competition there is for that number one spot! And yet I still go back to Siena from Fire Country. Her voice was SO STRONG and she never stopped speaking to me, even months before I actually started writing the book. She's become a fan-favorite, too, which makes me love her even more.

KB: If you had to spend the rest of your life in one of your created worlds, which one would it be?

DE: Ugh! That's a hard one because all my created worlds are pretty rough places that cause all kinds of problems for my characters! But if I had to choose just one...I'd say Water & Storm Country (Country Saga #3). I live in Hawaii and both my wife and I love the beach, so despite all the hardships the tribe in the book face, it would be worth it to be near the water and be able to swim.

KB: Do you have any advice for the author starting out?

DE: I get a ton of questions from Indie authors and I have plenty of advice, to the point where I started an Advice page on my blog here: http://davidestesbooks.blogspot.com/search/label/advice

However, if I had to choose the most important things for an author starting out, I'd go with:

1) Write for the right reasons. If you're just starting out, don't do it because you want to be the next JK Rowling or because you think your first book will be a bestseller. Write because you love writing, words, and telling stories. Write because you're passionate about it, and because you want to improve, and because you're willing to write a million words even if you only sell a few books to your immediate family and friends. I get so many frustrated e-mails from authors who say they spent all this time writing a book and no one is buying it. Being an author is a lifetime pursuit, not a sprint to the finish line. Success has to be earned in stages, so don't give up.

2) Write and read every day. I'd say to write at least 500 words, but if you can't manage that because of a busy schedule, go for 200 words, or whatever works for you. Even if you read your words and think they suck at the end of the day, that's okay. Just ask yourself why they suck, and then focus on improving them the next time. And when you read them back and you realize they're really good, it will help motivate you forward. The crappy writing sessions are sometimes just as important as the really good ones! And read because it's important to never lose the thing that got you into writing in the first place: your love of reading! Plus, you can learn from the pros and be inspired by the authors who you look up to!

3) Don't spam! Once you finish your book and finally decide to publish it, don't be a pusher of your own book! Don't spam sites with "Buy my book!" types of messages. Read the rules of any sites you visit, or bloggers you'd like to review your book, and respect their rules. If they don't accept Indie requests, don't send them a message pleading for them to try it anyway. Only post in places where it's permitted, and even then do it tactfully, respecting your potential future readers.

4) Giveaway free books! This is one of the biggest pieces of advice I can give a new author. I know you spent a lot of time on your book and you think you should be compensated for your time, but come on, you're not Stephen King! No one knows who you are, and asking them to spend their hard-earned money, as well as their time, on your book is a big ask. So offer free books as often as possible in the beginning, so readers can try your writing out with no risk. If they love it, you've got a lifelong fan and someone who might tell ten other people about your book who will then PAY to read it.

That's all, I hope this helps some aspiring authors out there! But if anyone has any follow up questions, I'll always respond if you contact me on one of my preferred social networking sites: Goodreads, Facebook, or my blog.

Thanks for having me on your AWESOME blog, Brittany! 

**************END INTERVIEW//START BREW BLAST FUN**************

Brew Synopsis

Salem’s Revenge strikes without warning or mercy, ravaging the powerless human race under the forces of united gangs of witches, wizards, and warlocks. During the slaughter, Rhett Carter's foster parents and sister are killed, and his best friend and girlfriend are abducted by a gang of witches calling themselves the Necromancers, who deal in the dark magic of raising the dead. Rhett’s sword-wielding neighbor with a mysterious past saves Rhett from becoming another casualty of the massacre and teaches him the skills he needs to survive in this new world.

Rhett is broken, his normal high school life of book blogging and football playing shoved in a witch-apocalyptic blender. The only thing he has left is his burning desire for revenge. Armed with his new witch hunting skills and a loyal, magic powered dog named Hex, he sets out into the unknown with one mission: hunt and destroy those who took away everyone he ever loved.

But Rhett isn’t just a witch hunter; He has secrets of his own that he has yet to discover, secrets that his enemies will stop at nothing to keep him from.

And discovering the truth about himself is the human race’s only hope.

Boil Synopsis(Sequel to Brew)

Revenge. That’s all that’s left for witch hunter Rhett Carter. The magic-born have stripped everything from him - killed his friends, cursed his warlock father, shattered his future - leaving him bare and broken, but not dead. Their mistake.

When Rhett and Laney are suddenly thrust in different directions, Rhett must decide who to trust and who to kill. Backed by his trusty canine sidekick Hex, Rhett will embark on his deadliest mission yet, one that will lead him directly toward those who want him dead, pushing his unique resistance to magic to the edge and back again as he tries to remove his father’s curse.

Separated from Rhett, Laney seeks to understand the strange changes to her sister, Trish, who’s believed to be the last living Clairvoyant, and what role she’s destined to play in the future of humankind.

Wrapped around everything are four major groups: the Necromancers, the Changelings, the witch hunters, and New America, the remnants of humanity. When the major forces are brought together for an epic battle, the fate of the world hangs in the balance.


Get both Brew and its sequel, Boil, the first two books in the Salem's Revenge series, for a special price of $0.99 each for a limited time only (Amazon Kindle exclusive: Brew until October 17th; Boil until October 7th) Click on the above buttons to take advantage of this limited time deal!
Brew:Amazon Buy Link
Boil: Amazon Buy Link
Brew on Goodreads: Check it out
Boil on Goodreads:Check it out

Giveaway

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About David and Links
David Estes on Goodreads
David's Blog
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David's Goodreads Fan Group

David Estes was born in El Paso, Texas but moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he was very young. David grew up in Pittsburgh and then went to Penn State for college. Eventually he moved to Sydney, Australia where he met his wife. They now live together in their dream location, Hawaii. A reader all his life, he began writing novels for the children's and YA markets in 2010, and started writing full time in June 2012. Now he travels the world writing with his wife, Adele. David's a writer with OCD, a love of dancing and singing (but only when no one is looking or listening), a mad-skilled ping-pong player, and prefers writing at the swimming pool to writing at a table.

To celebrate the launch of Brew and Boil, David Estes is also giving away FREE Kindle copies of his popular YA dystopian AND adventure book, Fire Country.
Amazon Link (Click for the Free e-book)
Goodreads Link
 Kiribear's Personal Review of Fire Country (which was spectacular by the way, so don't miss out on this freebie!)
Check out the fun that was had with the BREW cover reveal

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.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Today I finally had the opportunity to finish watching Catching Fire as the plumbers were fixing stuff in my house....  Let me start by saying:  Wow... just wow.... phenomenal.  I laughed, I cried, I yelled, I hated when it was over, and don't want to wait for the rest of the story!  I have been boycotting reading the books until the movies are over because I don't want to ruin the movies that I love so much.  If the movie is this spectacular, I can't even imagine how amazing the books must be.

Catching Fire is the 2nd movie in the Hunger Games Trilogy.  It was released in 2013 and is based on the Suzanne Collins book of the same name (Catching Fire).  The first movie (The Hunger Games) was released in 2012.  Catching Fire is an American sci-fi, adventure, dystopian film.  The movie is taking place one year after the original Hunger Games movie ended.  Filming began in Atlanta, GA and ended with the majority done in Hawaii.


Lots of returning faces and some new one can be seen in the cast:


Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss (Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook, Winter's Bone, X-Men:First Class)
Liam Hemsworth as Gale (Hunger Games, Last Song, Empire State, Expendables 2)
Woody Harrelson as Haymitch (Hunger Games, Cheers, Zombieland, No Country For Old Men, True Detective)
Josh Hutcherson as Peeta (Hunger Games, Bridge to Terabithia, The Kids Are Alright, Epic, Journey to the Center of the Earth)
Donald Sutherland as President Snow (Hunger Games, MASH, Italian Job, Pride & Prejudice, Crossing Lines)
Elizabeth Banks as Effie (Hunger Games, Next Three Days, Pitch Perfect, Modern Family, 30 Rock, Scrubs)
Lenny Kravitz as Cinna (Hunger Games, Precious, Zoolander, The Butler)
Stanley Tucci as Caesar (Terminal, Devil Wears Prada, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Julie & Julia, ER)
Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch (Capote, Doubt, Charlie Wilson's War, The Master, Moneyball, Mission Impossible III)
Sam Claflin as Finnick (Snow White & the Huntsman, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Quiet Ones)
Jena Malone as Johanna (Hatfields & McCoys, Sucker Punch, The Ruins, Into the Wild, Pride & Prejudice)

 

Catching Fire currently ranks as the tenth highest grossing film domestically, and surpassed the sales of the first film.  For Thanksgiving weekend rankings: it was the first 2-D film since 2008 (Dark Knight) to top the box office.  It was the first film since 1983 (The Exocist) to have a female lead that topped the box office.  The film grossed over $864 million worldwide.

In order to get rid of the shaky feeling of the arena scenes from the first movie, Catching Fire's arena scenes were all shot using IMAX cameras.  Reviews of the film have been positive overall.  The final installment of the trilogy: Mockingjay will be released in 2 Parts, with Part 1 being released this November and the 2nd part coming out in November 2015.

Overall I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars.  It was nothing short of spectacular.  The characters are done excellently.  The story is enough messed up and relatable.  The Costuming is amazing.  The visual effects are stunning.  It is just an all around wonderful movie.  Don't miss it.  Re-watch value is high! 





You can view the official website here: Catching Fire

Locks

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

Locks:Rapunzel Unhinged is written by Sarah J. Pepper and is a modern retelling of Rapunzel.  In Locks, Rapunzel (or Zel) is determined to escape her tower prison but is brought back and put under watch by a Mercenary that she finds herself insanely attracted to, despite her better judgment.  

I was REALLY excited about reading this book.  I absolutely LOVE the cover art work.  I had to settle for The Death of the Mad Hatter while I was waiting for this one (which I ended up really enjoying).  Needless to say I came to this story without much time in between the two books written by Sarah.  While Death of the Mad Hatter is a young adult book, Locks is written for a vastly different audience.  

Locks starts out as Rapunzel has escaped and is cornered about to be caught.  The sexism of the book is really right in your face right away.  I have no problem with this, but I was caught completely unaware after the darker, yet much more innocent Mad Hatter.  Although the only actual “sex scene” in the book is more PG-13 than rated R, just a lot of sexual tension throughout the story.

Sarah has written a lot of creative characters that I was able to connect with on the level that I could know them through Zel’s feelings.  Unfortunately I feel that the description of the majority of the characters fell a little short.  I could talk a lot about how everyone made Zel feel, but if I had to draw a picture of most of them I would be left wanting.  The environment does lend itself to better descriptors though.  Flynn, is described in magnificent detail, as he is the object of much sexual tension throughout the story.  

Locks reads like a mystery novel, trying to constantly assess and reassess the allegiance of many of the characters and figure out how it will end.  With that being said, I feel like there was a lot of lead up to a slightly fizzle of an ending.  The wow factors of things missing from Zel’s memory were written superbly, but the battle was short and not overly detailed.  The biggest disappointment for me was the Epilogue…  I wanted to know what happened to the ancillary characters as well. 

My biggest negative points were the weird technology references that seemed thrown in.  If Zel has been locked into a tower and no one speaks as she does, I wonder where she learned some of her “potty mouth” language from.  It didn’t bother me, but may deter a more prudent reader.  My issues was with talk of things such as cell phones, and then have nobody use them, while the kingdom doesn’t really deal in technology, it seemed rather out of place, and like Zel wouldn’t know much about it since she spends most of her life in a tower locked away from people.  

Overall I give this book 4/5 stars.  Sarah has a lot of ingenious ideas; she created some really great ideas for characters and some crazy twists and turns to the story.  I love the spunk and fire in Zel’s personality, I love her development as a strong woman throughout the story.  I love many of the ancillary characters and the possibilities that could come about with them.  I love the twists and turns that the story takes.  I have to hold back a star for the seemingly out of place tech talk, the weak ending and epilogue.  Otherwise, it is definitely a story worth reading, there is a lot to love in it.  If you are into fairy-tales, especially Rapunzel, mystery, fantasy, mythology, Romance, etc., you will like this book.  

Becoming Human

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. 

Becoming Human (the 1st book in the Exilon 5 Trilogy) is written by Eliza Green.  Admittedly I was surprised that this was written by a woman, from the first 1/3 of the book, I had the feeling that it was written by a man.  Considering that the story is told predominantly through the eyes of men, I must commend Eliza on capturing the essence of man in storytelling views. 

Becoming Human is based in the year 2163 when Earth is overpopulated and polluted to the point that the sun is no longer visible in the sky and the temperatures have dropped.  A planet named Exilon 5 has been terraformed and has replicated 5 major cities that people have started being transported to.  However, the race that was on Exilon 5 before the terraforming process were not completely annihilated and have continued to thrive under the surface. 

Eliza does a great job of combining many fears and speculations into her futuristic novel.  Everyone has an ID chip embedded in their thumb that is used for everything from signatures to building entry.  Overcrowding has reached the point that bodies of water have been filled in to create more housing.  Medical advances allow people to live well into their 100s, reaching 175 as a ripe old age.  Optional suicide booths that inject a substance to painlessly kill people due to the mass overcrowding.  Workers are required for weeks at a time with drugs that allow them to stay awake and only getting hours or a single day off after a week or longer shift.  With no space for additional housing and the lack of sunlight from the layer of pollution, food can no longer be grown on Earth and people eat and drink substances from food replication machines to get the appropriate nutrients.  Vitamin D shots are readily available for mood enhancement due to the lack of sunlight.

The Prologue to the book had useful information but was very dry and overly technical.  It kind of set a negative tone for the book, and I was a little worried about whether or not I would be reading an enjoyable story or a science fiction technical novel; luckily the rest of book is much more inviting and easy to become immersed in.  Eliza has written a lot of characters that are cold and detached in many ways, and yet still have the ability for you to get to know them and want to know more about their stories.  The main negative thing that I have to say about this book would be the dry prologue and the fact that it needs a cleaner edit.  There were times within the novel that some sentences would be incomplete or missing a word on the end of them. 

Becoming Human is written from many different perspectives to give a "whole picture" kind of feel.  In the beginning it took a little bit of getting used to with a bit of jumping around in locations, but once I got into the story line and used to the different locations of main characters I had no problems seamlessly switching between people and locations for more pieces of the puzzle that was uncovering the big secret of Exilon 5. 

Overall I think that Eliza has a winning story with Becoming Human.  The build up is done well with hints at possibilities but nothing to amount to the actual ending of the story.  The book closes well, with lead up into the next book in the Trilogy, but not with a complete drop off.  I enjoyed the characters and was definitely feeling anger and disgust at what the leading organizations have been up to, and I am definitely interested in reading the second book: Altered Reality.  I give this book 4/5 stars, and could easily bump it up to 5 with some cleaner edit and a prologue that was easily to connect with.  If you are into Sci-Fi, Futuristic novels, Mysteries, Suspense, Space travel and Terraforming, this book is definitely right up your alley. 

Foreverland is Dead

I must disclose that I did receive a kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Brilliant…. Simply brilliant. When I first started this book I was coming off of the high of the amazing creation that was the 1^st book in this series The Annihilation of Foreverland.  That gem was told from the perspective of boys. Needless to say it was vastly different from Foreverland is Dead.  To start with, you start out in the mind of a girl and are seeing things from the girl side.  

Foreverland is Dead starts out with the main storyteller of a girl named Cyn.  She wakes up in a bunk house with 4 other girls, all with shaved heads and nothing but a long t-shirt.  They find themselves in the wilderness of someplace akin to Montana or Wyoming.  None of the girls has any recollection of who they are and even who their names are, apart from nametags on a box of items below their beds.  

Stress and tensions are quickly escalated as the girls find themselves resorting to survival mode without any more idea of what is going on than when they first woke up.  At least 40% or more of the book has you wondering if it will even be connected with the first book in any way….  That is when the plot thickens.  I don’t want to give anything away, but suffice it to say, that this book explores a similar virtual reality realm in a completely different way than the first book.  

Foreverland is Dead is written by the rapidly expounding author by the name of Tony Bertauski.  Tony already has quite the plethora of novels under his belt and upon finishing this 2 book binge of altered reality I will indeed need to check the out.  

The last book was so great that I started this book out ready to roll right in to the same type of action as the last book ended with.   Needless to say I felt kind of slowed down in the story establishment of this new story.  I started out enjoying the story but more at a level of 3 stars as opposed to the 5 stars awarded its predecessor.  However, I was still very into the story and as I got about 40% in, it was a solid 4 stars….  I binge read to finish the story that quickly sped up and sucked you into the crazy dystopian world of the girls and the ending was truly a work of art, firming establishing its rightful place as a 5 star novel.  If you are into character development, virtual reality, tough societal issues, survival issues, and dystopian worlds, than this book is definitely for you.  I can’t even decide which one of these was better as they are so vastly different and yet so vastly amazing.  Don’t sleep on Tony Bertauski and his Foreverland novels or you will missing out on some seriously epic storytelling. 

Here is my review of The Annihilation of Foreverland

The Annihilation of Foreverland

I wasn't really sure what I was going to think about this book.  It was technically a young adult books I suppose, but I felt like the issues and everything that was being faced was much more adult themed.  This book starts out with boys waking up on an island with jumbled memories about their past and even who they are.  The boys are sent into an alternate reality called "Foreverland."  They are told that they must go into Foreverland to heal themselves.  Danny Boy is the newcomer to the island and  he is about to find out what exactly "Foreverland" entails and how much being healed can cost. 

This book starts out intensely with one of the boys being tortured.  This books wasted no time in jumping into the story.  And a very imaginative story it is.  Set slightly in the future, but not too far off in the realm of possibilities, it delves into a new type of "virtual reality" of the mind.  I have never read a story quite like this.  It was very descriptive and very intense and not afraid to venture into some sensitive topics. 

I don't want to give away too many details.  I definitely recommend this book, more so to adults than even young adults.  There are many messages and great lessons in this book, and yet upon finishing I was still left with a feeling of unease in the way that people think and what lengths people will go to in order to obtain what is most important to them. 

The Annihilation of Foreverland is written by Toni Bertauski and has a sequel that I started on today called Foreverland is Dead.  I was swept into this story from the beginning and somehow managed to finish it in a few short days.  I loved how the book was broken up into Rounds with a newspaper clipping at the beginning of each to leave clues and insight into the direction the story is going.  I loved the ending and it left it open for many questions.  I must commend Mr. Bertauski on his incredible imagination. 

I highly recommend this book with a 5/5 stars.  It is very innovative and has a Matrix-esque feel to it.  It tackles a lot of societal issues.  It was written with great flow and could be made into an amazing movie with the right script writer.  If you are interested in things like virtual reality, lucid dream states, or dystopian fiction, than I would highly suggest that you check this book  out.