#Tuesday Review - Raging Sea by Michael Buckley (Young Adult, Science Fiction)

Series: Undertow # 2
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Release Date: February 2, 2016
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

In the first book of Michael Buckley’s Undertow trilogy, the Alpha arrived and the world was never the same. At the start of the second book, most of south Brooklyn is in ruins and the nation is terrified. Nearly everyone that Lyric Walker loves is either missing or presumed dead, including the mesmerizing prince Fathom. It’s up to Lyric to unite the Alpha before the second wave of a cataclysmic invasion wipes out mankind for good

Raging Sea is the second installment in Michael Buckley's Undertow series. In the weeks following the end of Undertow, 17-year old Lyric Walker, her best friend Rebecca "Bex" Conrad, and Titan clan member Arcade, went on the run. Lyric is on the FBI's most wanted list, and is being labeled as the Coney Island Terrorist. Funny since she and others actually tried to save her home of Coney Island from an invading force lead by the Prime and his deranged consort Minerva! 

Now, with family and friends missing, or captured by a group called Tempest, Lyric will travel from Coney Island to Texas in an attempt to break them loose. The problem with being infamous and supposedly responsible for creating the Tidal Wave that destroyed Coney Island, is that Lyric can't go anywhere without being noticed. Especially wearing a metal glove on her hand. Dead broke and living in cars they steal, Lyric, Bex, and Arcade end up in some interesting situations which leads to conflicts and second guessing. 

Lyric has some issues to resolve with almost everyone in this book. Bex doesn't like her plan; Arcade thinks Lyric is weak and not focused enough on the plan, and then there is Fathom, who, spoiler alert! is alive and at the Tempest camp. He is a much different character than the first book. I would call him a calibrator. She also has to deal with Doyle, who she thought was an ally, and Donovan Spangler the head of White Tower contractors. 

A rather large part of this story happens after Lyric reaches Texas, and discovers that Doyle is not who she think he is. In fact, once Lyric reaches the Tempest Compound, things don't go at all how she planned. She's treated as an animal, they try to use similair techniques to those who are labeled as terrorists, and she has a major shock coming when she discovers that she is once again a pawn in someone else's game.

It is unfortunate, for me, that Lyric ends up in a mess with her romantic interests. After discovering that Fathom is alive, well, let's not spoil that. She's been fighting Arcade over Fathom for awhile, and that just takes up too much of my time to explain. I will say that things get more interesting with a boy from Lyric's hometown, Riley, ends up at the Tempest camp and she has to train him. He is a major flirt, and has eyes only for Lyric. Kind of crazy how Buckley uses a bit of comedy relief with Lyric saying she wants no part in love triangles. Of course she doesn't!

Shocking enough, this book ends on a major kick me in the head cliffhanger. Luckily, readers only have to wait until November to read the sequel called Heart of the Storm.

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#Monday Review - Invaded by Melissa Landers (Young Adult, Science Fiction)

Series: Alienated # 2
Format: Hardcover, 356 pages
Release Date: February 3, 2015
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: Library 
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

The romantic sequel to Alienated takes long-distance relationships to a new level as Cara and Aelyx long for each other from opposite ends of the universe...until a threat to both their worlds reunites them. 

Cara always knew life on planet L’eihr would be an adjustment. With Aelyx, her L’eihr boyfriend, back on Earth, working to mend the broken alliance between their two planets, Cara is left to fend for herself at a new school, surrounded by hostile alien clones. Even the weird dorm pet hates her.

Things look up when Cara is appointed as human representative to a panel preparing for a human colony on L’eihr. A society melding their two cultures is a place where Cara and Aelyx could one day make a life together. But with L’eihr leaders balking at granting even the most basic freedoms, Cara begins to wonder if she could ever be happy on this planet, even with Aelyx by her side.

Meanwhile, on Earth, Aelyx, finds himself thrown into a full-scale PR campaign to improve human-L’eihr relations. Humans don’t know that their very survival depends on this alliance: only Aelyx’s people have the technology to fix the deadly contamination in the global water supply that human governments are hiding. Yet despite their upper hand, the leaders of his world suddenly seem desperate to get humans on their side, and hardly bat an eye at extremists’ multiple attempts on Aelyx’s life.

The Way clearly needs humans’ help . . . but with what? And what will they ask for in return? 

Invaded is the second chapter in Melissa Landers Alienated series. Things are about to get a whole lot more crazy for Cara Sweeney and Aelyx from the Planet L'Eihr. While Aelyx is staying behind on Earth to fix the alliance between planets that he helped unsettle, Cara is heading for Aelyx to complete her part in the exchange and to say for an extended period of time. Cara is supposed to learn more about the culture, the colony that she and Aelyx are supposed to be settling, and a deeper look at the Way, whose word is law. Landers alternates narratives between Aelyx and Cara, but it really is Cara's adventures that take center stage.

Cara arrives on L'Eihr alongside her brother Troy, and Aelyx's sister Ellie who is also a medic, and the who ends up guiding Cara into understanding the new culture including the brutal physical training. From the onset, Cara really is the alien this time around. Her time on planet will be anything but easy. She faces discrimination, and a puzzling secret that nobody wants to talk about, and the ogling of disturbing character who just won't leave her alone. Cara learns about the colony, and becomes a citizen of the planet by way of a ceremony called Sh'ovah which is perhaps another way to make Cara feel less than human. But, Cara also learns by doing her own research, that an ancient alien species is sending probes to L'Eihr. What do they want? Are they allies, or enemies? Is there anyone working for them that she's met?

Meanwhile, back on planet Earth, Aelyx and Syrine are trying to change people's image of the L'eihr with stops across the nation, and interviews with select talk show hosts. It becomes obvious that there are those who don't want to see the alliance go forth. In fact, Aelyx ends up being an assassination target more times than you can shake a stick at even with a bodyguard alongside. Aelyx also begins to wonder why the alliance is so important to the Way. They pretty much ignore his assassination reports, and move in the quickest way possible to have a treaty signed so that they can fix the problem with the water supply. Even though there is some issues between Aelyx and Cara's long distance relationship, in the end it still manages to keep things interesting. One of the most awe inspiring scenes is when Aelyx sends Cara a special present to make her miss him less.

The way things end for Invaded, is obvious that there is a necessity for a third installment. Apparently, that book called United will be released later in 2016. There are just too many unexplained mysteries that haven't been uncovered. There also way too many characters who are just not what they seem. Are they working for the Aribol. or are they trying to destroy the alliance? What does it mean now that Cara is a member of the Way, and also the human representative for the Colony? Will Aelyx feel left out? Guess if we desire the answers to these questions, we will be reading the third installment.

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#Saturday Review - The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine (Young Adult, Fantasy)

Series: Ravenspire # 1
Format: E-Galley, 400 pages
Release Date: February 16, 2016
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.

In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.

But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose. 

The Shadow Queen, by C.J. Redwine, is apparently the first chapter in the Ravenspire series even though the story wraps things up rather nicely. Ravenspire could be considered a re-imaging of Snow White and the Huntsman, but without any character who could possibly be mistaken for Kristen Stewart. 17-year old Lorelai Diederich is the fugitive crown princess of Ravenspire, and a budding mardushka. (Mardushka's have the ability to connect with a living heart and gain powers from it.) She, along with her brother Leo, and their mentor Gabril are the only survivors of a coup that killed the King, and brought Queen Irina (think Charlize Theron) to power.

Lorelai, Leo, Gabril, and Lorelai's gyrfalcon Sasha, have been in hiding, stealing supplies from the queen, and training for NINE years to bring Irina down from her ivory tower of deceit, darkness, and corruption. Her reign has brought pain and suffering to the land and its people, and Lorelai plans on changing things once she is ready to face Irina. Lorelai is portrayed as being a cunning strategist, who makes plans and jumps into them without worrying about what happens next. She is also a wonderfully athletic character who can not only fight, but use magic against her opponents. She is also on equal footing to Irina magically speaking, but she isn't swayed by the darkside. I love Lorelai's connection to Gabril who was once her father's lead guard. Let's just say that were it not for Gabril, things could have played out a whole lot differently.

On the flip side of things, meet Kolvanismir (Kol) Arsenyevnek who calls Eldr home. (Think DRAGONS!) Kol is a playboy, a trickster, and one who has been in lots of hot water at his school because of his pranks. But, things change when his parents and older brother are killed by Ogre's and he is named King. Kol's kingdom is at war with the Ogre's, and there doesn't seem to be anyway to stop them from totally taking over his country. Kol, and his friends Jyn and Trugg travel to Ravenspire to request assistance from Queen Irina. After a short meeting with Lorelai, Kol ends up striking a deal with Irina. Let's stop there for fear that I might spoil what happens next.

Ravenspire is a captivating story with plenty of action, and suspense, and yes, even a bit of romance. For those thinking about whether to read this book or not based on a lower than 3 star rating, use your own discretion. If you liked Snow White and the Huntsman, you will like this book. If you like Once Upon a Time, you will find yourself pleased with both Lorelai, and Kol. Each has a path to follow. Each wants what's best for their Kingdom's. While Lorelai has spent more timing fighting back, Kol has his good and bad traits. I don't care that there has been similar stories already told. Ravenspire needs to be given credit because of the dragon dynamics that are not included in other re-tellings of Snow White. 

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#Stacking the Shelves / Bought, Borrowed, & Bagged # 4

Bought Borrowed and Bagged is all about the latest additions to your library – virtual or actual, with books that are  bought, borrowed, won or ARCs  you will be reading soon. Bought Borrowed and Bagged is a homage to to Barron’s Books and Baubles from Karen Marie Moning’s amazing Fever series, and is hosted by Braine over at Talk Supe. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Kind of a large haul this week thanks to my library, and some surprising new additions. Oh well, more books to read! 

~Shelley~

The Week in Reviews:

Monday - The Girl From Everywhere - Heidi Heilig (YA, SyFy)

Tuesday - Bluescreen by Dan Wells (YA, SyFy)

Nightstruck by Jenna Black (YA, Fantasy) - Talk Supe Blog

Wednesday - The Immortals by Jordanna Max Brodsky (Urban Fantasy)

Thursday - The Rule of Mirrors by Caragh M. O'Brien (YA, SyFy)

Friday - Firstlife by Gena Showalter (YA, Fantasy)

Saturday - The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine (YA, Fantasy)

Scheduled for Next Week: 

Monday - Invaded by Melissa Landers (YA, Science Fiction)

Tuesday - Raging Sea by Michael Buckley (YA, Science Fiction)

Wednesday - Traveler by Arwen Elys Dayton (YA, Fantasy)

Thursday - Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan (YA, Fantasy)

Friday - The Widow by Fiona Barton (Thriller, Fiction)

Saturday - After the Woods by Kim Savage (YA, Mystery)

*Received from Publisher/Authors*

   

 

*Received from NetGalley*

*Borrowed from Library*

   

   

#Friday Review - Firstlife by Gena Showalter (Young Adult, Dystopian)

Series: Everlife # 1
Format: E-Galley, 480 pages
Release Date: February 23, 2016
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian

ONE CHOICE.

TWO REALMS.

NO SECOND CHANCE.

Tenley “Ten” Lockwood is an average seventeen-year-old girl…who has spent the past thirteen months locked inside the Prynne Asylum. The reason? Not her obsession with numbers, but her refusal to let her parents choose where she’ll live—after she dies.

There is an eternal truth most of the world has come to accept: Firstlife is merely a dress rehearsal, and real life begins after death.

In the Everlife, two realms are in power: Troika and Myriad, longtime enemies and deadly rivals. Both will do anything to recruit Ten, including sending their top Laborers to lure her to their side. Soon, Ten finds herself on the run, caught in a wild tug-of-war between the two realms who will do anything to win the right to her soul. Who can she trust? And what if the realm she’s drawn to isn’t home to the boy she’s falling for? She just has to stay alive long enough to make a decision…

FIRSTLIFE, by Gena Showalter, is the first chapter in the Everlife series. Welcome to Tenley Lockwood's world. It is a world where two kingdoms, Myriad and Troika, are at war and will do anything to claim supremacy over the other. This includes forcing a girl who may be the ultimate weapon to choose a side. It is a world where humans are expected to sign a covenant with one or the other kingdom. There is a third choice, but being an Unsigned at your death, sends you to a place you might as well call Tartarus. It's really a dark, dangerous, bloody thirsty place.

Tenley, Ten for short, has been sent to a asylum called Pyrnne where she has spent the past 13 months for disobeying her parents demand that she choose Myriad. Pyrnne is supposed to be neutral, but tell that to the administrators and guards who work there. Tenley, who is really good and obsessed with numbers, is trying to hold out until her 18th birthday when she will be free and on her own. In the meantime, Tenley is tortured into making a pledge to Myriad by some really disgusting pieces of work. Thankfully for the reader, and Tenley, that choice isn't made until much later in the story.

The author states that it was her intention to give Tenley the freedom of making her own choices just like the bible claims that humans have always had. Why should Tenley be pushed into making a bad choice which she has to live with until her death? Why shouldn't she be able to choose her own destination without being held against her will, or pushed and pulled by agents from both Kingdoms? I have to say that I liked Tenley's determination, attitude, sarcasm, and ability to fight back at a moments notice. I liked that she is a a stronger character than others in her situation.

Obviously, there is a whole reason behind the desperation of the two kingdoms in pursuing and signing Tenley, but let's not spoil, or go in that direction. Trust me, if you read this book, and like it, you will want to jump to the sequel called Lifeblood to find out what happens to Tenley next. On happier news, I am clapping at the lack of love triangles in this book. While there are two obviously swoon worthy men in Archer Prince, and Killian Flynn who are sent to sway her to their side, the romance is only in one direction. But, each of the men are important cogs to this story, and they go through just as much pain and suffering as Tenley.

Firstlife has plenty of action, adventure, and suspense to last right up to the final page. Tenley's struggles are cataloged without shying away from the bloodshed that would make people shiver or become sick. I'm not afraid to share this but, Wow, what an absolutely brutal ending! I'll give Showalter respect in that she could have taken the easy road for these character but didn't. Thank you for that! Firstlife bottom line is this. Two spiritual kingdoms battling it out with humans as pawns. There are Life vs Death and Light vs Dark issues to deal with. Also, the idea that life actually begins after death is one that kept my interest peaked.

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#Thursday Review - The Rule of Mirrors by Caragh M. O'Brien (YA, SyFy)

Series: The Vault of Dreamers 2
Format: Paperback, 432 pages 
Release Date: February 16, 2016
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

The fast-paced, psychologically thrilling sequel to The Vault of Dreamers follows Rosie after her consciousness has been split in two.

The entire country was watching when Rosie Sinclair was expelled from Forge, the prestigious arts school that doubles as a reality TV show. But few know how Dean Berg was mining students' dreams in laboratories deep below the school. And no one, least of all the Dean himself, knows that when Rosie's dreams were seeded into the mind of another patient, Rosie's consciousness woke up in that body--a girl far from Forge, a girl with a completely different life from Rosie, a girl who is pregnant.

Told from alternating points of view between Rosie as she makes sense of her new identity and the shattered subconscious that still exists in her old body, this sequel to The Vault of Dreamers will keep readers on the edge of their seats and leave them hungry for more

"Most women appear to be ruled by their mirrors. We can't be content until we find a true reflection of ourselves."  

The Rule of Mirrors, by Caragh M. O'Brien, is the second installment in The Vault of Dreamers series. It has been three months since 16-year old Rose (Rosie) Sinclair was expelled from the Forge School and Dean Berg became her legal guardian. Trapped in a vault of dreams, Rosie doesn't realize it but her consciousness has split into two. One that stayed with the original Rosie, and the other that was reseeded into the brain of 18-year old Thea, who has been in a coma and is also pregnant.

You have to feel for Rosie who was left in the vault of dreams, and continually mined by the narcissistic Berg who truly believes that he is doing is morally right, and therefore he controls all the cards, and all the answers to why Rosie is that important to him. You also have to feel for Rosie since she has no clue who to trust, and has no contact with her family who continues to search for her for fear of putting them in Berg's sights. She finds herself stalked by an attendant, then somehow manages to escape a hidden clinic, and nearly dies in the process. She still does have contacts with Burnham, and yes, even Linus. In the end, this Rosie is totally and absolutely harder, and more resolved on her road to revenge.

As Rosie is escaping, and working out a way to seek out revenge against Berg, Thea wakes up surrounded by parents she doesn't recognize, in a clinic in Iceland, of all places, and in her last trimester of pregnancy. Thea/Rose, as I am calling her, discovers a few secrets of her own, and can really think of one thing; finding Rosie, and helping her fight back against Berg. Thankfully, while Thea/Rose's parents aren't exactly happy about their daughter's situation, there is still the ex, Tom, who is willing to help her even if it does seem rather cray cray.

I think this story is a major step forward in Rosie's growth as a character and to what will happen in the next installment. A whole lot of stuff happens in this book and of course, I shan't spoil anything. But, the book is very entertaining. You essentially have two Rosie's finding their way in the world. They both struggle, and they both seem to end up at the same place either by coincidence, or fate. The ending was probably the most action packed, and O'Brien has left herself with quite a wide open road to travel in Rosie's next adventure. 

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#Wednesday Review - The Immortals by Jordanna Max Brodsky (Urban Fantasy)

Series: Olympus Bound # 1
Format: E-Galley, 464 pages
Release Date: February 16, 2016
Publisher: Orbit
Source: Publisher
Genre: Urban Fantasy

MANHATTAN HAS MANY SECRETS.
SOME ARE OLDER THAN THE CITY ITSELF.

Manhattan.
The city sleeps. Selene DiSilva walks her dog along the banks of the Hudson. She is alone-just the way she likes it. She doesn't believe in friends, and she doesn't speak to her family. Most of them are simply too dangerous.

Murders.
In the predawn calm, Selene finds the body of a young woman washed ashore, gruesomely mutilated and wreathed in laurel. Her ancient rage returns. And so does the memory of a promise she made long ago. To protect the innocent-and to punish those who stand in her way.

Gods.
With the NYPD out of its depth, Selene vows to hunt the killer on her own. But when classics professor Theo Schultz decodes the ancient myth behind the crime, the solitary Huntress finds herself working with a man who's her opposite in every way. Together, they face a long-forgotten cult that lies behind a string of murders, and they'll need help from the one source Selene distrusts most of all: the city's other Immortals.

The Immortals, by Jordanna Max Brodsky, is the first installment in the Olympus Bound series. This series is based on the idea that some of the Twelve Olympians are still alive, and living as mortals. Some Olympians have faded away, while others are barely hanging on to who they once were thanks to man no longer believing in them. This first installment focuses not only on Artemis (Selene DiSilva) the Goddess of the Hunt, Virginity, Wild Animals, and the Moon, but also the discovery that someone is attempting to bring back the Eleusinian Mysteries that were thought to have been outlawed in the fourth century A.D by Holy Roman Emperor Theodosius.

The Mysteries are said to have been true, and were a religious ritual that ancient Athens participated in. It is said to be able to give mortals immortality. While the author does a fairly impressive job of cobbling up what different experts have written about, the actual Mysteries remain just that today, a mystery. Selene, as she is currently known, has a penchant for protecting the innocents, mostly women, from being harmed by men. So, it is not surprising nor shocking that after she discovers the body of a woman disemboweled, she goes on the hunt for answers to whom is responsible. 

That brings Selene to the attention of classicist Theodore (Theo) Schultz. Theo is an instructor at Columbia, and has a deep understanding of all things Greek Mythology. He is also the ex of the first victim. The author does alternate narratives when the story deems it necessary. As the two run around NYC like chickens with their heads cut off trying to stop bloody sacrifices, the mystery as to who is actually responsible, gets played out perfectly right to the end. Along the way, there are appearances by Apollo, Dionysus, Hermes, Hades, Persephone, Orion, and Hephaestus. 

I've always enjoyed fictional characters in actual settings for stories, so, let's call this Immortals of New York City since the entirety of this story takes place around the city that never sleeps. I love that author Brodsky has done her research, and then some. If you're not sure of something, look in the back of the book! I love that she uses historical figures like Alexander Hamilton, and Theodore Roosevelt as characters whom one of Selene's former alias met. I love that Brodsky mentions the Policewoman's bureau of the 1920's which another Selene alias was a member of and was a real thing. 

If you live in NYC, you will probably have a clue what the author is speaking about when she mentions Franklin Roosevelt's presidential railroad car, the waterfall in Central Park's Ravine, and Liberty Theater, One of the more interesting things I had no clue about, was the Pneumatic Transit system that never quite got off the ground. As a fun research project, go to Google and do a search. If you've watched Ghostbusters, you definitely saw what's remaining of a remarkable idea.

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