#Review - Honor Lost by Rachel Caine, Ann Aguirre #YA #SyFy

Series: The Honors #3
Format: Hardcover, 448 pages
Release Date: Hardcover
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Science Fiction

Quick-thinking Leviathan pilot Zara Cole must stop a planet-eating monster or lose everyone she loves in the finale of this action-packed trilogy from New York Times bestselling authors Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre. 

Space renegade Zara Cole may have finally met her match. Lifekiller—a creature that can devour entire planets—is spreading terror throughout the universe, and it seems nothing can stand in the monstrous godking’s way.

Reeling from a series of battles, Zara and her wounded band of allies are going to need a strategy before they face Lifekiller again. Zara’s street smarts may not be enough when their enemy could be anywhere, destroying civilizations and picking his teeth with the bones.

And just when it feels like she’s reached a special place in her bond with Bea and Nadim, an ex from Earth with an ax to grind comes after her with nefarious intentions. With human enemies, alien creatures, and mechanical stalkers on her tail, it’s down to the wire for Zara to save the galaxy—and the people she calls home—before the godking consumes them all.

Honor Lost is the third and final installment in co-authors Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre's The Honors Trilogy. Picking up right where Honor Bound left off, 16-year old Zara Cole, Bea Teixeria, and their Leviathan ship, Nadim are trying to figure out a way to stop Lifekiller from destroying the galaxy. To make things even more dangerous for the crew, they receive a message from Earth accusing Zara and Bea of unlawful occupation of a Leviathan (Nadim) and are ordered to return to Earth immediately where they've been stricken from the Honors Program. 

Honor Lost raises the stakes of the first two books with not just one but two villains that will stop at nothing to destroy everything Zara holds dear. Thankfully, Zara & Bea have allies with the Leviathan Typhon, Chao-Xing Zhang and Marko, as well as Starcurrent, and Yusuf. Typhon tells Zara that he will stand alongside her against anyone who tries to come for her or Bea. Suncross and his crew are willing and able to sacrifice everything if it means helping the crew of Nadim surive against human and alien enemies.

By far one of the best scenes in this book, were Starcurrent and his Bruqvisz crew. They are 4 handed lizard aliens who are basically hard-partying warlike librarians. EMITU, the medical bot with a snarky disposition–courtesy of Bea’s mischievous streak–is turning into something of a rebellious nature, and the crew is forced to interact with him a little bit differently than they have so far. He really comes into his own in this volume.

The relationship that has slowly been developing between Zara, Bea, and Nadim comes to fruition in this volume. Not a fan, but perhaps you will like it. I really liked books one and two and the story of book three but it sort of, as the saying goes, “jumped the shark.” The storyline with Zara’s ex and his powerful, amoral boss has an anticlimactic finish but on the flip side, new characters were added like Jury who has the ability to do what Zara can't do. Finish her enemies.

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#Review - Heartwood Box by Ann Aguirre #YALIT #Thrillers #Suspense

Series: Standalone
Format: E-Galley, 336 pages
Release Date: July 9, 2019
Publisher: Tor Teen
Source: Publisher
Genre: YA / Thrillers & Suspense

A dark, romantic YA suspense novel with an SF edge and plenty of drama, layering the secrets we keep and how appearances can deceive, from the New York Times bestselling author

In this tiny, terrifying town, the lost are never found.

When Araceli Flores Harper is sent to live with her great-aunt Ottilie in her ramshackle Victorian home, the plan is simple. She'll buckle down and get ready for college. Life won't be exciting, but she'll cope, right?

Wrong. From the start, things are very, very wrong. Her great-aunt still leaves food for the husband who went missing twenty years ago, and local businesses are plastered with MISSING posters. There are unexplained lights in the woods and a mysterious lab just beyond the city limits that the locals don't talk about. Ever. When she starts receiving mysterious letters that seem to be coming from the past, she suspects someone of pranking her or trying to drive her out of her mind.

To solve these riddles and bring the lost home again, Araceli must delve into a truly diabolical conspiracy, but some secrets fight to stay buried...
 

Ann Aguirre's Heartwood Box is a cross between fantasy, and science fiction, and speculation. Thanks to her parents spending time in Venezuela covering a story, because why not? Araceli Flores Harper is sent to her great-Aunt Ottilie's home on Long Island to spend the summer before she attends her final year of High School. Ottilie's husband disappeared 20 years ago. She still lives in the run down Victorian home she's always lived in. But, that's not the real story. 

Upon arrival, Araceli sees dozens of missing persons posters. It seems that people have disappeared and are never heard from again. In fact, it's gotten really bad with 11 disappearances in 10 months. Araceli is warned to stay away from the lights in the woods but nobody has any idea what they are. She is told there is a top secret government research facility known as Fairhaven Labs.What do they really do at said lab, and are they to blame for what is happening?

Araceli becomes part of a group which includes Kimala, Tamsyn, Jackson, Derek, and Logan. Araceli has spent a lot of time in various countries, including Mexico. She speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, and Mandarin. She is also supposed to be a decent dancer and tries out for the dance team. But, according to Araceli, she is worried that white folks with pitch forks and white hoods will suddenly show up to kidnap her. In New York. 

She's scared that ICE will take her away to some secretive location where she will disappear without a trace. She claims the town is more dangerous than the entire country of Venezuela which is tearing itself a part at the seems! She's apparently never been to Venezuela, and I'm pretty sure neither has the author or she wouldn't have made such an ugly and unfounded claim. The town where the story takes place was founded by German immigrants. If you know where I am going with this fact, you'd be correct. Therefore, the author tells you about the towns history without naming it. 

Anyway! Araceli stumbles her way across a mystery box. The aforementioned heartwood box. In the box there is a letter from someone named Lucy to Oliver. This letter was dated 1918. After putting her homework in said box, it disappears. This sets off an interesting two way communication across time between Aracelli and Oliver who is a GI sent to fight the Germans in World War I. The next curiosity is discovered when Aracelli learns her Tia is leaving food for her husband and that food is always gone the next morning. Weird, right?

I think it was curious the connection between Oliver and Logan. While Oliver is pretty much catching Araceli's heart strings, and she's falling hard for the him, Logan is disappearing right before our eyes into the background. What's humorous is the author mentions the movie Lake House with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. In the movie, they each leave letters in the mailbox. So, twist it just a bit and Araceli and Oliver leave their letters in the mysterious Heartwood Box instead. 

Honestly, this part was the best part of the story for me. You can tell that Araceli was falling for Oliver, and vice versa. When she falls asleep, she is able to see who Oliver is, and what he is doing. He thinks she's an angel, or a bruja. She's just a girl whose family is off gallivanting across the world trying to find the next story while she tries to decide her future. There are certain elements of the Butterfly affect in this book. How can there not be? After all, once you start messing with actual time and history, things must change as well.

There have been some wrong claims about where this story is told. Trust me, it's on Long Island, not Upstate New York. I lived in New York for most of my life, except the last 20 in Florida, and the 4 years spent in the military. It is also true that the town was where the Army had a training camp for soldiers from New York City. If you love history like I do, look up the Lost Battalion, 77th Division which was exclusively New York City poor men.

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#Review - Honor Bound by Rachel Caine, Ann Aguirre #SyFy #YALit

Series: The Honors #2
Format: Hardcover, 480 pages
Release Date: February 19, 2019
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Library
Genre: YA / Science Fiction / Alien Contact

In the second book of this action-packed series from New York Times bestselling authors Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre, savvy criminal turned skilled Honor Zara builds new alliances and clashes with bitter enemies in the Leviathans’ interstellar war.

Zara Cole was a thief back on Earth, but she’s been recently upgraded to intergalactic fugitive. On the run after a bloody battle in a covert war that she never expected to be fighting, Zara, her copilot, Beatriz, and their Leviathan ship, Nadim, barely escaped the carnage with their lives.

Now Zara and her crew of Honors need a safe haven, far from the creatures who want to annihilate them. But with two wounded Leviathan to treat, plus human and nonhuman refugees to help, they’ll have to settle for the nearest outpost, called the Sliver: a wild, dangerous warren of alien criminals.

Zara’s skills from the Zone may be invaluable.

However, Zara discovers that the secrets of the Sliver may have the power to turn the tide of the war they left behind—but in the wrong direction.
Soon Zara will have to make a choice: Stand against the ultimate evil or run from it. But she’s never walked away from a fight.

 

Honor Bound is the second installment in co-authors Rachel Caine & Anne Aguirre's The Honors series. This book picks up right where Honor Among Thieves left off. After their dangerous encounter with the Phage, a terrifying alien race capable of devouring their beloved Leviathan which are sentient beings, Zara Cole, Beatrix Teixeira, Leviathan Nadim, along with Leviathan Typhon, Starcurrent, Yusuf, Marko, and Chao Xing (C-X) need to make a pit stop to the Sliver for supplies and better weapons.

The Silver reminds me of scenes in a Star Wars movie where anything and everything goes. If you need a part, you can barter for it with music, or fight in a gladiator type setting to earn enough credits to get what you want for your ships. It is a space-station full of aliens, different cultures, countless of different cultures, sexual preferences and behaviors. Here we see Zara at her best, which shouldn't come to anyone's surprise if you know where she's came from, and how she ended up as part of the Honor's program.

Since arriving on Nadim, Zara and Bea have merged with their Leviathan ship on what was supposed to be a one year journey, but has turned into a fight for their lives. Zara's bond is a whole lot stronger than the one with Bea, but I don't see that being an issue for long. I loved that Zara, Bea, as well as the rest of the Typhon crew work seamlessly together to get what they need to fix their ships. 

C-X understands Zara a whole lot better than she did in the first installment. She understands that Zara has a whole new way of looking at things, including knowing where the weaknesses are in their enemies. But, not everything is smooth in this book. Especially when they catch the attention of the Silvers alien in charge Bacia Annont, and ally themselves with another alien race in order to protect the Silver from the Phage, and a recently awakened God with horrible powers.   

Why you should be reading this series:

Zara is a complex heroine that readers will love to root for as she fights for her one chance at safety. She's also strong and unreservedly rebellious and her relationship with Bea and Nadim is worth reading about. Zara herself has really grown so much since she left earth and been awakened by how large and strange and dangerous the universe really is.

This is an action filled Intergalactic adventure with a fast-paced prose, sparkling characters, and unique details that bring the imagined futuristic world to life make for a gripping adventure that will appeal to both avid sci-fi fans and readers new to the genre.

I would have liked this book a bit better had the author(s) not thrown in a particular character who intends to make life even more difficult for Zara in the next installment. I will also be honest. It's not like she has to face a GOD who wants to destroy entire planets! It's not like there are massive quantities of Leviathan's around to help Zara and her allies fight against what is to come. Lastly, the use of certain pronouns is absolutely confusing and took away from the enjoyment of the story.

 

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#Review - Like Never and Always by Ann Aguirre #YALit #Suspense

Series: Standalone
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Release Date: July 17, 2018
Publisher: Tor Teen
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Genre: Young Adult / Thrillers & Suspense 
Young Adult / Romance / Contemporary


Liv Burnham thinks nobody knows Morgan Frost like she does, but a terrible accident pushes her down the rabbit hole where Morgan's secrets hide and she'll be lucky to make it out alive....

On a hot summer night, Liv, Morgan, Clay and Nathan are on the way home from a party in Clay's convertible. Best friends dating brothers? It doesn't get better than that. But the joyride ends in sudden impact, a screech of brakes, and shattering glass. On that lonely country road, four lives change forever.
Liv wakes in the hospital. At first she's confused when they call her Morgan, but she assumes it's a case of mistaken identity. Yet when the bandages come off, it's not her face in the mirror anymore. It's Morgan's.

Morgan always seemed to have the perfect life. But as Liv tries to fit herself into Morgan's world, she discovers endlessly disturbing secrets of the criminal and murderous variety and a dark task to finish...if she doesn't lose her mind first.

Forced to confront the disturbing truths that Morgan kept hidden in life, Liv must navigate a world of long-buried murder, a dangerous love affair—and a romance that feels like a betrayal.

Ann Aguirre's Like Never and Always is a dark, romantic, Young Adult suspense novel edged with a bit of paranormal. There's plenty of angst for those who love that sort of thing, mixed with layered secrets, a screwy love triangle, and the underlying story about how well we really know the person we claim to know best. The plot centers on a supernatural soul-switching/body-switching theme achieved a perfect balance between being goosebumps-inducing, fascinating, and singular.

One summer evening, best friends Olivia (Liv) Burnham and Morgan Frost are passengers in a car along with their boyfriends, brothers Clay and Nathan Claymore, when an accident changes all their lives forever. Liv wakes up in the hospital, but the visitors by her bedside are not her parents or her boyfriend Nathan, but Mr. Frost, Morgan’s father, and Clay, Morgan’s boyfriend. They all call Morgan by Liv by her best friend’s name, which frightens and confuses her—especially when they break the news that Liv did not survive the crash.

Any hopes that this is just a horrible case of mistaken identity are dashed, however, when they remove Liv’s bandages and it is Morgan’s face starring back at her in the mirror. Not wanting to appear crazy or upset anyone further, Liv decides to go along with it in order to buy some time to figure out what’s going on. But, becoming Morgan and stepping into her life is turning out to be more difficult than Liv realized. Her best friend, heiress to her father’s successful tech company, has lived in privilege and luxury, but her life had not been as well put together as anyone thought. 

Liv also discovers that, despite being popular and beautiful, Morgan Frost was a lonely girl with not a lot of close friends. And underneath that perfect and happy exterior, she was hiding all kinds of dangerous secrets, including an underage affair with a married man. All of it was part of Morgan’s plan to uncover the truth behind her mother’s mysterious death ten years ago, and now it is up to Liv to finish what her best friend started.  

I was conflicted at times and not because the story was boring. I was trying to cut through the cliche of whether this was a YA Romance novel, or a YA Suspense novel, or a combination of a whole bunch of genre's, including a bit of paranormal when Morgan has to decide whether or not she is really Morgan, or Liv, or a combination of the two characters mixed together. Liv (trapped in Morgan’s body) is a very compelling narrator, not the self-centered and overly dramatic teen we’ve come to expect in YA contemporaries. 

Liv is a relatable character. Totally out of her depth, in an unimaginable situation, she manages to survive, and do the one thing her best friend asked her to do. With no one who truly understands her situation, she is alone in dealing with her grief, both for her best friend and for her own life. She's caring and considerate, but also smart and strategic. I agree with others in that the best parts of this book were when Liv/Morgan had to decide who she really was, and how she is expected to move forward. Then there is the dreaded love triangle.....nope, I'll skip it, but thanks! I will say that there is definitely an edge that stands behind Clay, while wanting to totally dismiss Nathan who just doesn't do anything to help the story along.

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Book #Review - Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine, Ann Aguirre #YALit #SyFy

Series: Honors # 1
Format: E-Book, 480 pages
Release Date: February 13, 2018
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Edelweiss
Genre: Young Adult / Science Fiction

The first book in a daring new sci-fi series from New York Times bestselling authors Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre! In Earth’s distant future, a savvy young criminal is recruited to join the Honors space program, which sends humans into the far reaches of the galaxy aboard sentient spaceships called the Leviathan, only to discover that dangerous secrets are hidden amongst the stars.

Zara Cole has been in and out of New Detroit’s rehab facilities for treatment of her antisocial disorder. There’s no adjusting Zara’s attitude, though. A painful past has made her stronger than most, which is why she chose life in the Zone instead moving with her family to Mars. In her eyes, living inside a dome isn’t much better than a prison cell.

Still, when Zara commits a crime that has her running scared, jail might be exactly where she’s headed. Instead, Zara is recruited into the Honors, an elite team of humans selected by the Leviathan—a race of sentient alien ships—to explore the outer reaches of the universe as their passengers.Zara seizes the chance to flee Earth’s dangers, but when she meets Nadim, the alien ship she’s assigned to along with fellow Honor Beatriz, Zara starts to feel at home for the first time, along with a devotion she’s never experienced before. Yet nothing—not her Honors training or her street smarts—could have prepared her for the dark, ominous truths that lurk behind the alluring glitter of starlight.

Honor Among Thieves is the first installment in co-authors Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre's Honors series. Set in a distant future (2142) where 100 years before, Aliens called Leviathans arrived in time to save the crew of the International Space Station from certain death. Since arriving, Leviathans have solved lots of problems for humankind. It gave humanity cleaner water, food, & great leaps in medical advancements. In return, the Leviathans require 100 volunteers a year to ride along with a cultural and scientific exchange. 

Zara Cole is the main protagonist for this story. Zara lives in New Detroit, the Lower 8, where she is basically a thief who steals in order to survive. While her own mother and sister have made a new life for themselves on Mars, Zara has absolutely no desire to live in any paradise. After stealing from the wrong man with a long reach, and trying to hide out in a last chance facility, Zara is shockingly chosen to be one of the 100 volunteers for this years crop. She is also the youngest ever chosen which in itself is remarkably curious to the point where you begin to search for Easter Eggs that will explain why Zara was really chosen.

Meanwhile, there is another character who is just as important to the story and just as likable. Nadim is one of the Leviathans who is looking forward to completing its mission so that it can go on its own Journey like others before it. But, Nadim has met his match with Zara. Zara has the ability to connect with her alien ship Nadim on an emotional level. The more comfortable they are with each other, the more certain boundaries that are supposed to exist between them begin to fall away. 

The more dangerous the mission becomes, the more Nadim, Zara, and Beatrix, an Honor from Brazil, becomes glued together in a united front against unlikely distractions. Some will call this the romance angle of the story. Ick! Sorry, not going to jump on that stage. As the team grows closer, they are even more determined to complete a successful mission so that they are not replaced.  

Strong and unreservedly rebellious, Zara is a complex heroine that readers will love to root for as she fights for her one chance at safety. Yes, these books take place mostly in outer space. And yes, some of the main characters are aliens. But the world building and writing are very accessible, with a story fast paced and supported by well-drawn relationships, which will appeal to mainstream readers as well as genre-based fans. Fast-paced prose, sparkling characters, and unique details that bring the imagined futuristic world to life make for a gripping adventure that will appeal to both avid sci-fi fans and readers new to the genre. 

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Monday #Review - Vanguard by Ann Aguirre #YALit #Science Fiction

Series: Razorland # 4
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Release Date: July 25, 2017
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Source: Publisher
Genre: YA, Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic

The Razorland saga continues. Since the war ended, Tegan has dreamed of an epic journey, so when she has the opportunity to sign on as ship's doctor, she can't wait. It's past time to chart her course. Millie Faraday, the kindest girl in the free territories, also yearns to outrun her reputation, and warrior-poet James Morrow would follow Tegan to the ends of the earth.

Their company seems set, but fate brings one more to their number. Tegan will battle incredible odds while aiding Szarok, the Uroch vanguard, who has ventured forth to save his people. Szarok is strange and beautiful, like a flower that blooms only in the dark. She shouldn't allow him close, as such a relationship is both alien and forbidden. But through stormy seas and strange lands, she will become stronger than she ever knew.

Vanguard is being called the companion fourth installment in author Ann Aguirre's Razorland series. Vanguard picks up approximately ten months after the end of the War of the River between humans and the Horde. This story focuses on four characters; Tegan, Millie Faraday, Szarok (the Vanguard of the Uroch), and James Morrow, aka the storyteller. Three of the four characters have settled into peaceful lives. Tegen, who still suffers from what happened to her over the course of the previous 3 installments, lives in Rosemere where she is Dr. Wilson's apprentice. 

Tegan became Dr. Wilson's apprentice after the War of the River. But, with his dying words that she should find Catalina, Tegen, along with Szarok, and Millie travel to Evergreen where they reunite with James, Deuce, and Fade and later join a crew where Tegen becomes ships doctor. Tegen promised Szarok that she would help find him a new home. Little did she know that they would find an everlasting connection. Millie is the girl known for her kindness. The girl made of sunlight and flowers. A kindness that ended up saving humanity from the Horde. 

Millie wants to be known for something else instead of the girl who saved humanity. She gladly joins Tegen on her adventure, only to discover that she has the ability to be, and become anything she wants to be. James returned home to Evergreen where we find him writing a book and waiting for the imminent return of Tegan who he still has feelings for. James joins Tegen, Szarok, and Millie on their curious journey to different ports of calls. But, James finds himself being moved by the girl, Millie, who has heard about James, Deuce, Fade, and Company D's adventures. 

Szarok, meanwhile, searches for a new home for his Uroch. He understands that humans will not willingly open their arms to the Uroch and let them settle near them. His people are not patient, and it's only a matter of time before he has to leave Tegen and their adventure behind to return home. I loved that we get to actually meet the remaining Uroch clan who have given him the distinction of being Vanguard. I loved that he really isn't just a monster who found humanity, and later a connection to a woman who carries a heavy burden but has so much to offer the person who lets her be herself. 

Without spoiling a thing, I will say that this is pretty much just a feel good story with lots of romance, a bit of action and adventure, and a way to say goodbye to Tegan, Millie Faraday, Szarok, James Morrow, and of course, Deuce and Fade. I really don't see any reason why there would be a 5th book in this series. Plus, do we really want to drag Deuce and Fade into another adventure? Although this installment can stand alone, I would definitely recommend reading the previous three installments as they do explain how we got to this point. 

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#Thursday Review - Infinite Risk by Ann Aguirre (YA, Urban Fantasy) @MsAnnAguirre @FeiwelFriends

Series: Immortal Game # 3
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Release Date: August 2, 2016
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

In a world of infinite risk, the stakes have never been so high.

Beyond the pull of life and death lies the Immortal game. Edie Kramer has leaped back to put things right and save the boy she loves. Alone in the wrong timestream, she must reinvent herself and square off against dangerous Immortals determined to win this mortal match once and for all.

But righting past wrongs carries fresh dangers. As she navigates a new school and tries to put Kian on a different path, she also battles those will stop at nothing to keep her from derailing their deadly schemes. With few allies and her first love treating her like a stranger, Edie faces the most dangerous enemy of all―time itself. Yet she's come a long way from that dark night on the bridge, and when her back's to the wall, she'll go down fighting...

Infinite Risk is the third and final installment in author Ann Aguirre's Immortal Game Trilogy. Edie Kramer has learned some valuable lessons after making a wish on a monkey's paw. Since then, she been dealing with immortals who see humans as paws in their deadly game. While she's had some heart breaking losses to go along with the fact that she now has a weapon that can easily kill any immortal, including one Buzzkill the clown. Edie knows that she has to do something to Kian Riley before it's too late. This sends Edie to a time stream where she's actually 18 pretending to be 16. 

Edie, aka Chelsea Brooks, aka Nine which of her missing finger, is trying to save her parents, herself, and all of the students at Blackbriar school. To everyone else in the Immortal Game, Edie is off the grid and concealed thanks to Raoul. That is until Harbinger shows up. But, Edie is also under a time constraint. The longer she spends in this new time, she risks the old one catching up with her. Not a good thing. The closer she comes to Kian's birthday, the more she loses of herself. If she can't stop Kian from becoming Wedderburn's pawn, she loses the game. 

You have to ask yourself if Harbinger is really as evil as he claims to be, or is he a master of deception. Harbinger has been my favorite character by far of all those that have made their presence felt. He is rather creepy, mischievous, and funny. Technically speaking, there is sort of a tether that connects Harbinger and Edie. That connection can't be ignored no matter how hard Edie tries to save Kian. When Edie hurts, Harbinger hurts. When Edie is taken by Black Watch, Harbinger makes mince meat out of them. I dare say that Harbinger finds Edie to be fascinating even with all her mistakes she made over the course of this game.

Aguirre adds yet another fantastic character named Selena, aka Huntress, aka Goddess of the Moon. She becomes a temporary ally and bodyguard for Edie while answering to Dwyer and fighting Wedderburn's denizens like Buzzkill and the creepy bag man and his children. Things are rather humorous at times between the two of them, especially Selena's love of the TV show So You Think You Can Dance and Olives. I dare say that I would have loved to see more of them together. As this is the conclusion of the series, I have to say that I was not prepared for that ending. Excuse me, those endings! Yes, Aguirre has some nice surprises in store for readers once you get to the final two chapters. 

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#Review - Public Enemies by Ann Aguirre (Young Adult, Fantasy)

Series: Immortal Game # 2
Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
Release Date: August 4, 2015
Publisher: Feiwell & Friends
Source: Author
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

In Book 2 of the Immortal Game trilogy, Edie must learn the rules of the game . . . and then play better than anyone else.

Through a Faustian bargain, Edie Kramer has been pulled into the dangerous world of the Immortal Game, where belief makes your nightmares real. Hungry for sport, fears-made-flesh are always raising the stakes. To them, human lives are less than nothing, just pieces on a board.

Because of her boyfriend Kian's sacrifice, she's operating under the mysterious Harbinger's aegis, but his patronage could prove as fatal as the opposition. Raw from deepest loss, she's terrified over the deal Kian made for her. Though her very public enemies keep sending foot soldiers--mercenary monsters committed to her destruction--she's not the one playing under a doom clock. Kian has six months...unless Edie can save him. And this is a game she can't bear to lose.

Public Enemies is the second installment in the Immortal Game series by author Ann Aguirre. Edie Kramer has had her entire life turned upside down since this series started. She's gone from the taunted and bullied at school, to a player in a game between Immortals who treat humans like game pieces. She's lost her mother, her boyfriend Kian has only months to live, Edie is now under the protection of the Harbinger thanks to Kian's deal, and her father has pretty much checked out on reality. What is a girl to do when her boyfriend gives up his life so that you can live? 

If you are Edie, you grow a backbone, you do whatever you can to fight back against those in charge of the game, and you find a way to defeat your enemies before they can take you down. Surprisingly, I actually preferred this book to Mortal Danger because Edie is a whole different character. She's one who takes the fight to the enemy and doesn't sit back waiting to see what happens next. She's made some unusual alliances, including a temporary one with Buzzkill the clown, and has some interesting moments with the Harbinger, who more than stole the show this time out. 

I found myself more engaged with the story, and really liking Edie a whole lot more. especially in the last third of this story. I liked that besides Kian by her side, she also has Ryu, Vi, Jen, Davina, and yes, even Allison Vega the so called psychic vampire who impressed me by going into battle with Edie. I loved it when it was revealed who she really is. Never saw that coming! I liked that Edie found herself a mentor in Raoul, who stole an artifact from Wedderburn and has been hiding ever since. I liked that Edie pushed herself to learn how to fight and protect herself so that she doesn't have to rely on everyone else to keep her safe. 

Edie though does have a weakness. That is finding a loophole to save Kian. But, what happens when the loophole is right in front of her face? I guess I could guess at what was coming, but it takes a whole lot of guts for Aguirre to move the story forward the way she did. I liked that Aguirre gave Edie a whole new weapon that can defeat an Immortal. With said weapon, Edie has come close to evening things out with her enemies. Edie also has a secretive society wooing her to join their cause of ending the Immortal Game.

Final Thoughts:

Edie was kicking ass and taking names and killing off villains like they were Florida Palmetto bugs. Then, all of a sudden, the story took an abrupt U-Turn and tossed me for a loop. I am still lying on the ground stunned and in agony from that ending. What was a 4 star review, became a toss up. Damn, I hate when that happens! I do think there needs to be more of a summary of what happened in Mortal Danger. Waiting a full year for the sequel, kind of takes the sails out of my yacht. I do think the last third of the book was well done, and full of bloodshed, action, and intense moments where you don't know who is going to live, or survive, or what happens next. I kind of like the mystery of not knowing how Edie will overcome her challenges and survive. But, while I liked the ending, it kind of threw me for a loop. 

**I received this book for free from (Publisher) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

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