Mark This Book Monday: Marked by Sarah Fine!!

Hello there guys!

A new week starts with another Monday and it's a working Monday for me, but before that it is a Monday to juggle kitchen estimates for the last time! I'm finally choosing a design and estimate! And I'm hoping for some awesome book mail to arrive too!

To start this week's Mark This Book Monday I have a book that had been in my Kindle library a while, and that I was prompted to read once I got approved for the sequel on Netgalley! Since this one is a fantastic mix of urban fantasy, paranormal romance with a generous dash of both Greek mythology and postapocalyptic it counts both towards my 2015 Mythology Reading Challenge and the Dystopia Reading Challenge 2015!!

Marked by Sarah Fine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I have heard such great things about Sarah Fine's books and although I have her YA series already in my shelves and Kindle library, once I got approved for the eARC of the sequel, I decided to start her first adult series!

Marked is fantastic mix of different genres, since it's got mythology, dystopian, paranormal, urban fantasy and some quite awesomely done romance.

We meet Eli once he's just moved to a new city with his sister Galena, we don't know much of their past or the world they live in, but we keep getting tidbits here and there. Eli is a paramedic and find himself paired with Cacia Ferry, who aside from a great paramedic is also the daughter of the most powerful man in the city. And that man and his family have a few mysterious secrets.

I loved how everything was so well described, from the futuristic work as paramedics with techniques even if the technology is different, to the dystopian/postapocalyptic setting and world, with climate changes and water shortages. Even if we don't get the full background story about how it came to happen, we get enough information for us to get a clear picture of the world.

And the most intriguing part is the Greek mythology that's woven into the story. How a family has the charge to help the souls of the dead cross to the place they ought to go (they Ferry them along...), the head of the family is the Charon and those who will die are "marked" by Fate and then the Kers are the one that make sure they die. I wasn't expecting that twist added and really loved it!

I love how the plot and the world building progressed pretty much in parallel, finding out more about the world as we try and unravel the murder mystery that is the linchpin to all the events to come! And at the same time we're trying to figure out things and make sense of the world and discover who's behind everything that doesn't make sense, we also see the relationship between Eli and Cacia develop, from an early attraction that both refuse to act on, to becoming partners at work and a big support through tough times to finally getting together. And boy, do they have chemistry! Chemistry enough to jump off the pages!

Both Cacia and Eli are complex characters that have many secrets that belong to the past that shapes them, but they discover that together they can find a way to go ahead accepting that past and stopping it to define who they are and who they can be.

My first Sarah Fine book was a complete success because I stayed up till 4 am reading till I finished the book, completely engrossed with it, its world, the plot and the amazing romance between Eli and Cacia! Very well deserved 4 stars!



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Friday Reads: Gates of Thread And Stone by Lori M Lee!!

Friday at last! And this week also means a weekend off for me!

For this week's Friday Reads I've got a book that I've finally got to read, that has been on my TBR pile since August of last year and that was one of my most anticipated debuts of 2014. I pushed it back for some reason or other and now I finally got to read it!

As a 2014 debut it counts both for my 2015 Debut Author Challenge and for my 105 Challenge as one of the books that has been in my TBR pile since 2014 or before!

Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


From the moment I heard about this book I was extremely excited about it, then saw the cover and was in love and then I got a signed copy and flailed all over the place... and then it took me months to finally read it, and boy am I kicking myself for not having read it before!

I went into this book expecting a fantasy book but I got an added extra bonus of having some uniquely postapocalyptic added touches to it. Unique because the world was already a fantasy world before the catastrophe happened and it continues to be so afterwards.

Kai, our main character, is an orphan that was taken in by Reev, her brother in any way that counts but blood. I loved how their relationship, of one caring for the other and trying to protect each other, is what moved the plot along. It's quite unusual that a familial relationship would be the stronger motivator for a character, instead of the romantic one.

She is determined to get her brother back, and to rescue him she'd do anything. Use her secret & hidden ability, start a dangerous adventure and get herself infiltrated in the most dangerous place in the city. She's strong, determined a lil rash but not overly so and she has so much trust and faith in her brother that you sometimes worry about her, in case she is disappointed.

That the romantic relationship is not the one driving the main character doesn't mean there isn't one here, because there is, and one that I was a huge fan of from the start. Avan and Kai are friends, there is attraction and butterflies in the stomach and something more going on, but it's a fantastic slow burn and Kai is always putting her search for Reev first. So much that poor Avan feels like a second fiddle but remains with her protecting her and helping her every moment.

The mythology that we get to discover in this book is once again at the same time unique and familiar. There's some limited magic left after the fight that led to the catastrophe and there are some extremely powerful beings that are not exactly gods but are godlike, The Infinite. I cannot wait to find out more about them, their past and even more after the information that we got at the ending of the book!

About that ending... well it was quite explosive with revelations and fights and Kai kicking arse and refusing to be manipulated and quite a bit of heartbreak and a shock or two, BUT it doesn't end with a cliffhanger! We do want to know more about what comes next but aren't left crushed and wailing for the next book, which for me it's always a plus! Very well deserved 4 stars for this one!





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Tell Me Tuesdays #14!!

Tell Me Tuesdays is a meme/feature created by the awesome ladies of Please Feed The Bookworm and La La In The Library where we can share how we choose the book we are currently reading from our TBR pile!

I'm always curious about that, cause as much as I tend to make myself a rough schedule for books to read and the like, I'm quite a mood reader and sometimes I just HAVE to ignore my schedule and read something else!

 Lark Ascending by Meagan Spooner

Lark thought returning home to face her city was the hardest thing she'd ever do. She was wrong.

No longer the girl who ran for her life, Lark's ready for the Institute. She never dreamed she'd find a rebellion, a Renewable, and those she used to love embroiled in the fight of their lives. She's mastered her magic, but she still doesn't know if she can master the darkness stirring inside her.

Nothing is simple anymore, and finding her place in this war—and discovering the terrible secrets behind her ruined world—might cost her everything she has left.




I was extremely lucky to win a signed ARC of Lark Ascending from Meagan Spooner and I had been postponing reading it but now that release date approaches I've finally allowed myself to read it!!

 So what are you all guys reading and how and why did you decide to pick up that book? Shiny new ARC? Comfort read? Scheduled for review? Must have new release? Tell me!!

  

It's My Birthday Week: Today I'm giving away The Girl With All The Gifts!!

Hello again dears!

So, Tuesday is here and continuing with the birthday celebration, I have another book to give away today! And it is, of course, open internationally!

Today I'm gonna be giving away a paperback copy of The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey! This one came highly recommended by Wendy from The Midnight Garden and when Kristen from My Friends Are Fiction and myself did a buddy read for it, we both absolutely loved it! It has a very interesting take on the zombie phenomena and it's full of surprises on each page you turn! You can read my review for it HERE!

So if you want to win this one, go enter in the rafflecopter below!


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Friday Reads: ARC Review of In A Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis!!

Hello guys! Happy Friday!

This week Friday means the start of 7 days in a row of work, so not exactly as celebratory was when it's the herald of the weekend off, but I am finalizing all my details for my trip to the US next month, so there's always something good to look forward to!

For this week's Friday Reads I have the review of an ARC of a book that was one of my highly awaited ones, releasing this month and that I was very lucky to be approved for by Harper Teen on Edelweiss!

As an ARC it counts towards my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge, and I think I'm still doing quite decently on this one!

In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When I read Not A Drop To Drink last year I absolutely loved it, loved how gritty and plausible it was, and I loved the character growth of Lynn, the main character. So when I heard about In A Handful of Dust, the companion novel to that one, I was very excited to get to read it, and even more when I was approved for an eARC via Edelweiss!

In A Handful of Dust is a companion novel more than a sequel cause it takes place quite a few years after NADTD and although at first most of the characters are familiar to us, things quickly change when illness spreads through the community that they built and it seems like Lucy might be in danger. Lynn decides to go with Lucy and see if the rumours of desalinization plants in California are true.

The main story of the book is about Lynn and Lucy on the road, trying to stay safe in a world that's full of dangers from nature itself and even more from other survivors out there. In a tough world like the one we see here, a lot of those who are left are sticking to the survival of the most ruthless, something Lynn & Lucy have to keep in mind if they want to reach their destination safely.

Despite having Lynn in our story, this is mainly Lucy's story and this is why although I enjoyed the book, with appropriate moments when it made me cringe and fear for the human race, I never found myself really involved and engrossed in it the way I was with NADTD. I guess I never really connected with Lucy's voice the way I connected with Lynn. I'm not sure why it was, given that Lucy's perspective is a lil more similar to ours since she grew in a safe community protected from all the things she has to face on their journey.

I found Lynn to have grown into her older self very believably and very true to the Lynn we met, so she was the one that carried the book for me. It was great to see her shine as a survivor that won't back down and also learning to trust in the good intentions of some of the people she find in their journey.

The ending came as something slightly unexpected, Lynn really surprised me, even if as I think about it, the journey changed her a lot too, and her actions do make a lot of sense, even if it was unexpected if we think of the reason of the journey in the first place.

All in all, despite my lack of connection with Lucy, I managed to enjoy this one and feel like this is a very scary world that Mindy McGinnis has painted, even more when it is so plausible. 3.5 stars to this one.



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Xpresso Book Tours Book Blitz & Giveaway: The Last Mission of the Living by Rhiannon Frater!!

Hello everyone!!

Welcome to release week's Book Blitz for The Last Mission of the Living by Rhiannon Frater, organized and hosted by Xpresso Book Tours!

Let me introduce you to the book and author and remember there's a book blitz wide giveaway going on!

The Last Mission of the Living of the by Rhiannon Frater

(The Last Bastion)
Publication date: August 28th 2014
Genres: Adult, Horror, Post-Apocalyptic, Zombies

Synopsis:

Humanity teeters on the brink of extinction…

Vanguard Lindsay Rooney has faced the undead hordes of Inferi Scourge and lived to tell the tale, but she has also suffered horrible losses. Like millions of other civilians, she had hoped that The Bastion would recover after a team of modified soldiers eradicated the undead hordes of Inferi Scourge that infested their valley. Yet the city still crumbles around them, along with any chance of survival.

Lindsey’s growing friendship with Torran MacDonald, an officer with the Science Warfare division, is her only solace as the decline of the city continues. When food riots fill the streets, martial law is enacted, and the upper echelons of government battle for control of the city, Lindsey is conscripted by her superiors to embark on a dangerous mission into the dead world beyond The Bastion. To add even more complications, Torran and the SWD join the squad.

Soon, Lindsey realizes that her mission is more than what it seems, and there are secrets that could both destroy The Bastion and take her life.

 Amazon 

 About the author:

Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of over a dozen books, including the As the World Dies zombie trilogy (Tor), as well as independent works such as The Last Bastion of the Living (declared the #1 Zombie Release of 2012 by Explorations Fantasy Blog and the #1 Zombie Novel of the Decade by B&N Book Blog), and other horror novels. In 2014, her newest horror novel, The Mesmerized, will be released by Permuted Press. Dead Spots will be published in 2015 by Tor. She was born and raised a Texan and presently lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and furry children (a.k.a pets).  She loves scary movies, sci-fi and horror shows, playing video games, cooking, dyeing her hair weird colors, and shopping for Betsey Johnson purses and shoes. 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Blog

Blizt Wide Giveaway!

Paperbacks of both book 1 & 2 in the Last Bastion series (US only - INTL winner will get ebook copies)

Ends September 9th

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Friday Reads: Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin!!

I'm gonna be starting this week's Friday Reads with the sequel for one of this week's Mark This Book Monday entries. It's always great when a sequel builds up over the previous book but also manages to stand on its own. No middle book syndrome for this one, sometimes I felt like I needed to take a breather with everything that was happening but I also had to keep on reading to see what happened next!

This one is also part of two of my challenges, the 2014 Series Challenge and the Dystopian Reading Challenge 2014!

Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Ashen Winter is exactly what a middle book in a trilogy should be, full of a plot that will stand on its own, that moves the general plot of the series along and that will make you want to keep on turning the pages!

As always, you ought to expect some spoilers for book one, Ashfall, in this review, but I will do my very best to keep it as spoiler free for the main plot points of the book.

Ashen Winter starts where Ashfall leaves us, with Darla and Alex finding some sort of a safe haven, that proves to be not as safe as everyone would have wished. But Alex still feels like he needs to find his parents, so he and Darla decide to trust what little information they have and mount an expedition of two to try and locate and bring back Alex's parents.

This is another book where Darla and Alex are travelling, and though they are more prepared and know more about surviving in the new world, with the volcanic winter and the hardships of it, it's still as dangerous or even more than it was before, since all the survivors are making their choices on how they're gonna ensure they continue to survive.

While Ashfall was more about living through the catastrophe and the consequences of it while trying to get your head around the new reality that you had found yourself in, Ashen Winter is more about surviving and trying to adapt to that new reality, and how it will change you as a person, or not.

One of the biggest strenghts of this book is not only how it shows us the harsh conditions people have to deal with, but also how people would react to those conditions, and how that extremeness can bring out the worst and best on people. I really like how it doesn't forget the criminals and how prisons might be affected, so not only regular people can change and be monsters, but also, you have to contend with the regular monsters out and finding themselves in a lawless place.

Alex and Darla are pushed to their limits even more than in Ashfall, and I love how strong their relationship is. How they're there for each other, being strong when needed and never giving up on one another. I really liked how they kept having to remind the adults that even if they're just teens, things are not what they used to be, and they have to be taken more seriously after all that they've been through.

This book is full of tension and I kept on thinking... what else can happen now! Damn it! Everything that could go wrong seemed to go wrong! The climax and ending was quite heartbreaking and when you hope that they'll find some measure of safety and quiet to try and deal with all the physical and emotional scars, they find themselves thrown into another battle about to begin! It is not exactly a cliffhanger per se, but I'm quite happy to have the final book here to be read now anyways!

All in all a fantastic sequel that kept me tense and scared for the character turning page after page! 4 to 4.5 stars.





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Mark This Book Monday: Ashfall by Mike Mullin!!

I'm starting this week's Mark This Book Monday with the first book of a trilogy that was quite a fantastic read. Very much disturbing in the way it made me think of how human nature can go from worst to best and how sometimes extreme situations make us less human.

I have this one as part of two of my challenges! It's a series that I had been thinking of reading for a long time, so it's part of my 2014 Series Challenge, and since it's a dystopian & postapocalyptic book, it's also part of my Dystopian Reading Challenge 2014!

Ashfall by Mike Mullin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Ashfall has been in my TBR list forever and this time during my vacation time, I decided it was about time I started it!

It starts with the eruption of the Yellowstone super volcano, we experience it from afar through Alex's experience. Even if he didn't live that close to the actual volcano he could feel a lot of after effects. Insane noise from the explosions, ash rain thicker than snow, darkness for days on end... And Alex starts trying to adapt and survive without his family, but once things seem to have got a lil more stable, he decides to leave to look for his family.

Everything has been changed by the one event, nothing works as it used to. There's no telephone, no electricity, the roads are useless... So Alex decides to sky to his uncle's house where his family were travelling to when the eruption happened.

Ever since the start of the book we see the different ways people are reacting to such a extreme change. Some are kind and focus on survival and banding together to help each others. But others just go berserk and try to grab as much as they can, not matter who they hurt.

Alex is a very normal teenager at the start but as the action progresses he shows that he's made of tougher and kinder stuff than he even imagined. He then meets Darla and her mum that help him when he really needed it, and in turn he then helps Darla when she needs it most.

Alex and Darla make a fantastic team, both with different sets of skills and with different approaches to situations and they work so well together! Their relationship develops over time, getting to know each other, working together so them developing feelings for each other was a natural progression and it never takes over the story but strenghten them as a team.

This was a fantastic read that got me turning pages faster and faster, wondering how they were going to get through what was coming next and then the next thing, and even when you think they're getting a break... something else happens! And the thing is... this is so plausible! We don't know when but that volcano can erupt and it will be as life changing and scary as we can read in the book, and it might just be nightmare inducing!

A great dystopian & postapocalyptic book and the most promising start for a trilogy! Very much deserved 4 to 4.5 stars!



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Saturday Pages: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa!!

Following the bloody theme of this week's Saturday Pages, here's the review of the second book of the Blood of Eden series, by Julie Kagawa. As book two of a trilogy it is part of my 2014 Series Challenge. And as a paranormal postapocalyptic dystopia, it is part of my Dystopian Reading Challenge 2014!

The Eternity Cure (MIRA Ink) by Julie Kagawa

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Eternity Cure is the second book in the Blood of Eden series, and let me tell you from the start on that is doesn't suffer from the middle book syndrome at all!

I will try my best to avoid spoilers for the book, but it is quite likely that this review will contain spoilers for The Immortal Rules. I usually try to avoid those too, but most of the time those are hard to avoid.

The Eternity Cure starts mostly where we left Allison by the end of book 1, trying to find Kanin and rescue him from Sarren's hands/claws. She's once again on her own but she's not the same vampire she was before. She has a better hold on her monster and her humanity, and even though she's clearly hurting, she keeps on telling herself it was the right thing to do.

While looking for Kanin she meets up with Jackal, and despite not trusting or liking him, they establish a truce to rescue their sire from Sarren, and following the blood trail they end up back in New Covington, Allie's city. And here Allie finds herself with a very unexpected surprise, she finds Zeke in there being a leader for the few Frigue humans that aren't affected by the new plague.

Allie does grow quite a bit during the course of this book, she learns to be strong for herself and others, and despite her dislike of Jackal, she also learns quite a lot about him and his sire from him. She's still a fighter, and she manages to never lose track of herself to the monster, even when facing a mad monster as Sarren ( I just cannot use the term madman with him).

Kanin is a character that I liked on The Immortal Rules, and despite spending quite a bit of this book in a rather reactive position and not taking part of the action, since he's being tortured and being used as bait, I found myself understand and growing to like him more and more. He's a vampire that believes a lot on making your own choices, atoning for your acts and fighting for what is worth it. And despite his very tough exterior, he really cares a lot for Allison as a father figure.

Jackal is a fantastic character, and one I love to dislike and like alternatively. He's irritating and horrible but provides the right sarcastic comedy relief even in the stark and harsh landscape that this book has. He's also a powerful ally and vampire and thankfully he's never used as a possible part of a love triangle!

Zeke is slightly rougher around the edges, but he's still this inherently good guy. He's always a fighter, he's always hopefull and he's always loyal. He managed to shift his world when he discovered he was in love with a vampire, and he can ally himself with the vampires to try and safe the world.

Sarren is the definition of the perfect maniacal villain. Despite the past and what he might have suffered, I couldn't empathise with him at all. He's gone beyond any possible empathy and he's turned into a mad monster, no longer fit to be called a madman. He's extremly strong and fast and cunning. He's the kind of monster to give other monsters nightmares, and that's proven here.

The plot gives us a few surprises here and there and the stakes keeps on getting higher with new versions of the viruses affecting humans and Sarren threatening everything and everyone.

The ending has to be one of the most heartbreaking and evil ones I've recently read! I was beyond glad I had read it with the final book, The Forever Song, just a pair of months away! But yeah, evil cliffhanger advisory announcement here.

Very much deserving of 4 to 4.5 stars!



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Saturday Pages: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa!!

This week's Saturday Pages are quite bloody themed, cause both books are vampire books, and are actually book 1 and 2 of a trilogy. And even if they weren't in my original post for my 2014 Series Challenge, I'm gonna be adding them to it, since the final book of the trilogy comes out this year.

I read them during my Julie Kagawa improptu readathon, when I read the entire Iron Fey series and then jumped to read these ones!

Since it is clearly postapocalyptic, I'm also adding this one to my Dystopia Reading Challenge 2014, even if the vampire aspect would make it paranormal. We'll call it a paranormal postapocalyptic dystopia?

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I've read many vampire books, and it's a genre I really like but I also feel it can get quite repetitive in the way vampires are portrayed and the dynamics between mortals and humans.

I decided to start this series cause I had read and loved the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa and if she had written books about the Fae that I loved, I was pretty sure I'd like her books about vampires. And I was right!

Allison lives in a postapocalyptic world were vampires are in charge, humans are treated as cattle, protected as food for the vampires, in the aftermath of horrible plagues that affected humans and then vampires: Red Lung and Rabidism.

Allie lives in the Fringue of one of the vampire cities but since she wants to be free from the monsters, she lives a day to day tough survival life, scavenging for food during the day and hiding in a somewhat safe place during the night. She hates vampires with a passion, but after a failed run for food, she is given the chance between dying of her wounds or be turned and live as one of the monsters. Despite her hate, Allie chooses not to die.

Kanin, the vampire that saves her and turns her, acts as her mentor on how to survive as a vampire, and on how to not turn into a full-fledge monster. Soon, Allie has to run from her city and survive on her own in the outside world full of "rabids" (mindless monsters that only care about flesh, blood and prey). She ends up meeting a group of human survivors looking for Eden, a city of humans without vampires. She finds herself hiding her true nature and trying to help this humans reach safety.

Here is were we meet Zeke, a fighter and a survivor, and a guy that is kind, positive and full of hope despite the horrible situation the whole world is in. He takes Allie into the group without a doubt and his whole attitude really throw Allie for a loop. Their interactions are fantastic and I absolutely loved reading them.

This book has a fantastic romance, and that coming from me that usually doesn't like romance as much, is saying something! I now understand the love for Zeke that goes round the blogosphere! Allie kicks arse but she hasn't fully accepted herself as a vampire, since she always hated them as vile monsters. She can't see herself as good as a vampire, and Zeke helps her with that.

The plot has a main overall arch, with the group of survivors trying to reach Eden, as well as hinting at what would be developed in the next books. There are also underlying themes of choice, not letting our circumstantes decide who we are, but we making each they the choices to be the best we can be and fighting for what's worth fighting.

Allie and Zeke are fantastic characters, but we meet many other secondary or not so secondary characters that also help drive the story and the plot, like Kanin and Jackal and Sarren and Jebediah... They're all fully fleshed and they all serve a purpose and drive the story in their own way.

This was a fantastic book to start a trilogy and very much a fresh take on vampires. Very much deserved 4 stars!



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Xpresso Book Tours Book Blitz: Pentimento by Cameron Jace & Giveaway!

Welcome everyone to another Blook Blitz organized by Xpresso Book Tours! This time it's all about Pentimento by Cameron Jace!

Pentimento by Cameron Jace 
Publication date: December 20th, 2013
Genres: Paranormal, Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult

Synopsis:

The day Iris Beaumont turns seventeen, she is threatened to be taken by the Beasts, the rulers of the new America. After the destruction of the world, the Beasts provide citizens with whatever they need in exchange for the one teenage girl they enslave every week. They call them the Brides, and they never comes back. Iris isn’t the worrying type though; she’s been defying the system since she was ten and never cared for the Beast’s rules.

Then she meets Colton Ray, who is not like any other boy she’s ever seen. His confidence and dominance are otherworldly she can’t rationalize the attraction she feels for him. Colton had one slight problem though. It’s rumored he is one of the Beast, and Iris could be the next on the Beast’s list.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19448790-pentimento

Purchase:

Will be found here come release day:

--Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&field-author=Cameron%20Jace&page=1&rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ACameron%20Jace

  

About the author:

Wonderlander, Neverlander, Unicorn-chaser, enchanter, musician, survived a coma, & totally awesome. Sometimes I tell stories. Always luv the little monsters.     

I write young adult paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and science fiction mostly. The Grimm Diaries series is a seven book saga that deals with retellings of fairy tales from a young adult POV - it connects most of the fairy tales together and claims to be the truth about fairy tales.     

I live in San Fransisco and seriously think circles are way cooler than triangles.

 Author Links:

Website: http://cameronjace.blogspot.ca/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/995289.Cameron_Jace

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camjace

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cameronjace

And now the giveaway! Open internationally!!

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Friday Reads: Review of World After by Susan Ee!!

This week's Friday Reads start with a very much awaited sequel and one book that I started reading as soon as it downloaded to my Kindle app and that kept me up till I finished it, at almost 5 am!


World After by Susan Ee

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


World After has been one of those very much awaited sequels of the year, and even if I was lucky enough to read AngelFall earlier this year so the wait was not as long... well, it still was a nail-biting-kind-of-wait!

Angelfall was my favourite angel book ever and a book I have to push the bf to read and World After is the kind of sequel that makes you happy, avoiding any of the falls that sequels might have and living up to the quite high expectations I had for it! I will try my best to keep my review spoiler free, but there might be some spoilers for Angelfall.

World After starts exactly where Angelfall leaves us, and so we have Penryn and Raffe apart and dealing with different sets of problems. Penryn now is reunited with her mother and Paige and they have been rescued by the Resistance. We meet again with some of the characters that Raffe and Penryn encountered, like Dee and Dum and it seems like being with them is the best option for Penryn and her family.

Penryn is the focus of most of the action for a big part of the book but that doesn't mean Raffe is completely absent, since we get some flashbacks/memories from Raffe's POV that are an absolute treat.

This book is full of action and full of very tough emotional moments, with once again a big look at the best and worst of human nature. We also get to learn a bit more about the politics of what's going on with the angels, and none of the information we learn is pretty or good news. Penryn goes through a lot of tough choices and she has to learn some really hard lessons, not only about the world she now lives in, but also about her own reactions and choices.

The moment she and Raffe are reunited we get back their banter and Raffe's sense of humour and we also get plenty of adorable swoony moments even through some life and death situations. Romance here is not your typical YA one, there are loads of small moments but they are not what moves the plot along at all. Penryn and Raffe are not yet a couple but they make one hell of an awesome team.

There are plenty of creepy moments, some supplied by Penryn's mom herself. She is such a complex character, always changing and always making you wonder how crazy she really is? And how come she get those moments of clarity? And what if she really has some knowledge and her talking of the devil is more than just her madness at play? Paige is also quite a mystery and a very complex character, and I'm quite intrigued as to what her role will be in the upcoming books.

World After was a brilliant mix of action, humour and plot progression sprinkled with a little understated romance for good measure. A fantastic sequel that earns a very well deserved 4.5 stars.



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Mark This Book Monday: Angelfall by Susan Ee!!!

And for the final entry of this week's Mark This Book Monday a review that was a long time coming, and that was an absolute surprise for me!


Angelfall by Susan Ee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Angelfall wouldn't have been a typical read for me since I'm not too big a fan of angel themed books, but with the more than enthusiastic recommendation of two of my fellow bloggers Kristen from My Friends Are Fiction and Sam from Realm of Fiction I decided to give it a shot and oh boy, am I glad that I did!

Angelfall is quite a different take on angels, with a very unique perspective. The world we find is a postapocalyptic one and the ones responsible for  the apocalypsis are the angels themselves. They let loose on humanity and have destroyed civilization as we know it and the survivors try to survive the gangs and the angels by hiding as best they can.

Penryn is a teenager that is doing her best to survive with her unstable mother and her disabled little sister, hiding from gangs and angels alike. They've survived for six weeks but an attack from angels separate them, Penryn's mum runs away, her sister is taken by one of the angels and Penryn is left with an injured angel as her only clue on how to get her sister back.

Penryn is such a strong but realistic character, she's dealing with the end of the world as we know it, but her life was never really easy before, so she's more prepared than most to survive in the aftermath of the Angel Apocalypse.

Raffe is an angel, a being of strength and air that finds himself captive of a regular human, a rather pathetic looking girl at that!

Both characters change so much from uneasy alliance to a more cooperative truce to working together towards a common goal, since Raffe agrees to take Penryn to where angels are since that's where her sister will be if she's still alive, and during the journey to San Francisco we discover so much about the new world that they have to face, and how much things have changed.

This story has such a fantastic study on human nature and how extreme situations can bring the best and worst on us and how even unhuman beings as angels can change for better or worse by being in contact with humanity.

The plot has so many unexpected revelations and twists, it's one hell of a rollercoaster, full of action and full of emotions! The sequel will be released this November and I just can't wait!

A fantastic book very much deserving of 4 and a half stars!



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Waiting On Wednesday #5!!

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted at Breaking The Spine  that spotlights those can't-wait-to-get-my-hands-on-them books that we are eagerly awaiting!

This week I'm quite excited to finally get my hands on the sequel to The Hallowed Ones (see my review here), The Outside by Laura Bickle!

Goodreads summary:

"One girl. One road. One chance to save what remains…

After a plague of vampires is unleashed in the world, Katie is kicked out of her Amish community for her refusal to adhere to the new rules of survival. Now in exile, she enters an outside world of unspeakable violence with only her two “English” friends and a horse by her side. Together they seek answers and other survivors—but each sunset brings the threat of vampire attack, and each sunrise the threat of starvation.

And yet through this darkness come the shining ones: luminescent men and women with the power to deflect vampires and survive the night. But can these new people be trusted, and are they even people at all?

In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, it’s up to one Amish girl to save her family, her community, and the boy she loves . . . but what will she be asked to leave behind in return?"


Why am I eagerly awaiting The Outside? Well, I loved The Hallowed Ones, and found it a very unique and compelling story, with a different take on the postapocalyptic, with Amish and monsters! Loved Katie's attitude and I really want to know what happens next after that ending!


What are you all (im)patiently waiting to read?

Friday Reads: Reboot by Amy Tintera!

For the final entry this week on Friday Reads another dystopian that manages to not be just another dystopian.


Reboot by Amy Tintera

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Reboot was one of those books I had on my TBR list for quite a while before I decided to read it. The premise seemed different enough to be an interesting read, and I love dystopian & postapocalyptic stories, but I was scared that there would be too much romance of the insta-love category and it'd end up dampening my book experience.

I'm glad that I decided to read it anyways, cause even if it didn't blow my mind, the book was very entertaining and I'm surely awaiting the sequel!

The premise for Reboot is that humany has been falling prey to this virus that kills but not permanently, at least in some cases, so after some time the person comes back to life, changed, stronger, self-healing and depending on the time it took them to come back, less human. At first humanity looked at it as boon, no more fear of death! but after seeing how different the Reboots could be after their change, there was a war: Reboor versus humans and the aftermath of said war is the world where the story takes place.

A Reboot does sound a bit like a zombie, since seems like they reanimate and are undead, only way to kill them is blowing their heads off... but Reboots are not exactly zombies, but much more. Adult Reboots are killed upon reanimation, but any under 20 is taken into special facilites to be trained and controlled and turned into efficient fighters and killing machines to do the dirty work of humans, the perfect special forces that don't question orders.

Wren 178 (number refers to the minues you've been dead before reanimating) is the most perfect of those special forces, she had been training and taking missions for a long time, and she's drilled herself to not feel and to just do her job. Along comes Callum, a mere 22 minutes that make him almost human, a new recruit that starts turning things upside down for Wren by not settling into the routines and challenging the status from small to big ways. Add an ugly situation with Ever, Wren's room mate and even when ever did not show it, her only friend and all hell breaks loose.

I was glad that the romance that started between Wren and Callum was not the only motivator for Wren's change, but also her relationship with Ever and what happens to her is what makes Wren realize she won't just take orders anymore.

For some reason I can't pinpoint exactly the later third of the book didn't kept me as engaged as the first half of it, so it lost a little of steam for me... maybe having them running wasn't as compelling as the build up for me, but the end of the book really was something! And will be the reason I will make sure I'm NOT missing out the sequel!

Still unsure if I'll give it 3 or 3 and a half stars, so I'll leave it as 3 and a quarter stars!



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Friday Reads: ARC Review of Deception by C.J. Redwine!!

I've decided I need more days to review books here in the blog, so let me introduce you to Friday Reads!

For the first entry I'm having a review of an ARC of one of my most anticipated books of the year, and one of those reads that give you a "book hangover".


Deception by C.J. Redwine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Ever since I finished Defiance last year I had been eagerly awaiting the continuation of Logan & Rachel's story, so when I had the chance to win an ARC of Deception on a giveaway I jumped at it. It was a strike of luck that I won and couldn't be happier that I got to read this book in advance.

Deception starts where Defiance left us, so this review might have a few spoilers for the first book but I promise to do my best to keep it as spoiler-free as possible. Logan and Rachel are trying to organize the survivors of Baalboden after the Cursed One attack and the Commander's flight and they both are trying to deal with the aftermath of everything that happened.

Rachel is still our fierce warrior, but she's also trying to deal with how broken she feels and how she doesn't think she can stop and deal with all the hurt inside cause there are a more important things to deal with, like leaving ravaged Baalboden and travel the Wastelands in search of assylum in another state-city.

Logan has been chosen leader of the survivors and he continues to be his logical self, planning and plotting and doubting he can be up to task of getting the survivors to a safe haven.

There is not a dull moment in Deception, right from the start there is dissension between the survivors since not everyone agrees with Logan's leadership. Then they get attacked before they are completely ready to leave Baalboden, so they have to make a more hurried departure under Carrington's army attack. Once they travel along the Wastelands they discover the bigger threat might not just be the Commander with the army coming after them, but also a potential traitor on their midst that starts by trying to sabotage Logan's inventions and quickly escalates the actions ending up in murder.

Rachel and Logan continue to try and make their relationship work even with the numbness and guilt that Rachel can't seem to deal with and she gets no respite, cause it seems that whoever is after them will make sure to add to the torture of losing people they care for.

There is a little bit of everything in Deception, romance with some tiny swoon moments where Logan proves he's not just a "best case, worst case scenario" kinda guy, quite a few heartwrenching moments with Rachel trying to deal with all her loses and her guilt, a murder mystery feel to the whole "enemy mole in our midst" and all the tensions any group of human beings would have to deal with under pressure: mistrust, panic, solidarity and even xenophobia. I kept on having to take little breathers now and then cause I was fearing turning the page wondering what new hardship the would have to face! We also get a broader look at the world they leave and even more information on the past and present, and a few quite unexpected revelations!

The ending was just one of those "WHAT THE HELL, YOU CANNOT END IT LIKE THAT?!" sort of cliffhangers... There is quite a lot of hope in it too, and I'm very happy about how Rachel grows as a character, but in the name of everything that has ever been holy... I need book 3 now!

A great sequel, I'd even say better than Defiance, very well deserved 4 and a half stars.



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Mark This Book Monday: The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle!!

For the second (and last) Mark This Book Monday of this week I have a book I had on my TBR list for a long time, but finally got around to read, and it has quite the unique premise, it mixes the Amish and the end of the world as we know it!



The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I had this book on my TBR list for a while, cause I read the blurb and thought that was such an unique idea, but for some reason I never got to reading it till I saw the ARC for the second book on NetGalley and I thought I needed to read book 1 STAT!

I'm so very glad I did, The Hallowed Ones is a 4 and a half stars for me, and I'm fairly glad went into it without having too much information about it, aside from the blurb.

Katie is one of the Plain Folk, the Amish, and she is eagerly awaiting the time of her "Rumspringa", when according to Amish tradition, the youth can experience the Outside world and decide if they want to remain there or come back and get baptized and be part of the community fully. Katie is excited about fully experiencing the Outside and even more doing it with Elijah, the boy that she considers her future husband.

But before the time of her Rumspringa arrives, something horrible happens to the Ouside and the Elders of her community decide that the only way to keep them safe is closing up the doors and completely isolating themselves from it. Katie has never been good at the blind obedience thing, and she finds herlself doubting things more and more. After they find an outsider and the Elders decide to leave him to die, she does her first act of rebellion and saves him, hiding him on an old barn.

This book is more postapocalyptic with a dash of horror than dystopian, and it just keeps you glued to the pages! I found myself relating and rooting for Katie, cause she keeps on trying to think for herself and doing what she thinks is right, no matter who she has to go against.

The monsters in this book are plain and simply scary... they're the stuff of nightmares, and the lack of information of what and how it happened makes you are even more defenceless, even though the Plain Folk seem to have an in-built defence in their way of life.

I loved this book, and I'm really glad the sequel is coming out this September, cause I can't wait to read more about Katie's journey!



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