Mark This Book Monday: ARC Review of Athena's Ashes by Jamie Grey!!

Hello everyone!

Once again the blog has been a bit silent this weekend but I've been rather busy with preparations and travelling and meeting people and playing guide and... really have barely had any time to blog (or sleep all that either!) So today the blog is back on track and (hopefully) it will continue for the rest of the week!

To start the week right, the first entry for Mark This Book Monday is one of those sequels that don't disappoint and not only you love them, they leave you really looking forward to the next book!

Since I got an ARC of this one from the author in exchange for an honest review, I'm counting this one for my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge!

Athena's Ashes by Jamie Grey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I've always been a big fan of science fiction so trilogy by Jamie Grey was appealing since I heard about book one (that I loved) and this one that is book 2 hasn't disappointed me either! Btw, thanks a lot for the ARC Jamie!

After the cliffhanger of book 1, not a horrible one but a cliffhanger nonetheless, I was really looking forward to read this one! It starts pretty much where Star Thief left us, with Renna in the care (and custody) of MYTH, while Finn and the Athena's crew have gone on the run.

This book has all the awesome things of science fiction like the obvious one of ships and stellar traveling and adventures and high stakes and ethical dilemmas about science and progress and humanity.

Renna continues to be a great main character, continually growing and trying to find out what she really wants to do, surprising herself when she finds herself doing things she wouldn't have done some time back and even when there's romance and a love interest, she doesn't really lose the sigh of what must be done, even when her subconscious betrays her in a biiiig way (not telling you want I mean with that, but it surprised me and I had a ball with that!).

I was rather surprised when the villain was revealed, because somehow I was not expecting it to be who it really was, and I won't be saying anymore cause I don't want to spoil it for anyone else! It was quite nice to see how a villain could be hidden in plain sight that way, that's all I'm saying!

There's a lot of action in this book, betrayal, unexpected meetings, a race against time for more than one reason and there's also romance. This is a NA book after all, so expect mature situations, so to speak! Very well done and with a great relationship starting to build up. Tension & difficulties but thankfully no love triangle at all!

There was a great build up to the final confrontation with deception, pain and rising stakes and I couldn't keep turning the pages fast enough, hoping that I was right about something very spoilery (I was!) and then we got a fantastic resolution with an ending that is a cliffhanger again of sorts but not the horrible one that leaves you mad and feeling like throwing the book away, but the kind that makes you go "Oooooooooh!!!" and "gimme more, I want to know what happens next!"

A very very well deserving 4 to 4.5 stars book, I know that whatever Jamie writes next, I want to read it!



View all my reviews

Xpresso Book Tours Book Blitz & Giveaway: Athena's Ashes by Jamie Grey!!!

Hello everyone!!

Welcome to release week's Book Blitz for Athena's Ashes by Jamie Grey, organized and hosted by Xpresso Book Tours!

I loved the first book in this trilogy, The Star Thief and also the bridge novella between these two, so I was very happy to take part of this blitz! Let me introduce you to the book and author and remember there's a book blitz wide giveaway going on!

Athena’s Ashes by Jamie Grey
(Star Thief Chronicles #2)
Publication date: August 26th 2014
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Science Fiction

Synopsis:

It’s Renna’s biggest job yet – convincing MYTH leadership that she’s put away her lock picks and is ready to save the galaxy, despite the dangerous implant in her brain. But with the Athena on the run, she’s working solo and facing her most ruthless enemy, the traitor Pallas, who’ll go to any lengths to destroy the MYTH organization. Including framing Renna for a devastating assault on MYTH HQ that leaves their defenses crippled and hundreds dead.

Now that MYTH believes she’s a dangerous double-agent, Renna escapes their firing squad before they put more holes in her than a pair of fishnet stockings. But the ticking time-bomb in her head is the one thing Pallas needs to complete his master plan and he’s not about to let her get away. Even worse, he’s discovered the only thing that will bring Renna to her knees – threatening Captain Nick Finn.

Out of time and options, Renna’s got one shot to take down the traitor before he annihilates everything she loves, even though winning this battle may cost her everything.

 Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | iTunes | Kobo

 About the author:

Jamie Grey spent most of her childhood writing stories about princesses who saved the day and pretending to be a daring explorer. It wasn’t until much later that she realized she should combine the two. Now, as a tech-obsessed gamer geek, her novels mix amazing scientific developments, future worlds, and the remarkable characters that live in them.

Jamie lives in Michigan with her boyfriend and their pets, who luckily tolerate her overspending on tea, books, and video games. You can learn more about her at www.jamiegreybooks.com, or follow her on twitter via @jamie_grey.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Pinterest

Blitz Wide Giveaway!

Paperback of Star Thief Chronicles book 1 & 2 + ebook of the novella

25$ Amazon Gift Card

Athena's Ashes postcards and tote bag

Open INTERNATIONALLY; ends Sept 9th

a Rafflecopter giveaway

First Chapter, First Paragraph #6: Athena's Ashes by Jamie Grey!!

First Chapter, First Paragraph is one of the two memes that I will be alternating on Thursdays in place of my Ink & Batter posts during the summer, when I won't be baking due to the heat!

I discovered this meme via the ladies of My Shelf Confessions, and it is hosted on Tuesdays by Bibliophile by the Sea. But since I already have my blog tours posts and Tell Me Tuesdays, I thought that it'd work best on Thursdays for me!

The idea of this meme/feature is quite self-explanatory from its name, we share the first paragraph of the first chapter of our current read! Quite a good teaser for others to read and see if they'd be intrigued!

This week I'm sharing a bit of an ARC I got last week, that is on my list of ARC August! Thank you Jamie for it to sending me! I'm quite excited to see what all is coming for Renna!

Athena's Ashes by Jamie Grey

"For someone who was supposed to be the best thief in the galaxy, Renna had been spending entirely too much time locked up lately.

Not that a high security hospital room in a secret MYTH base was much of a prison for her, but the IV line snaking from her arm might as well have been a pair of Saltani iron handcuffs. She swung her feet over the edge of the lumpy bed and watched the holoscreen on the far wall. Stats scrolled past, red text on the black background. Her vitals were stable, blood pressure was fine. Looking at her chart, she was the picture of health."






What do you think? Would you want to know more?
What are you reading right now?

Waiting On Wednesday #51!!

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!

So, what book am I-biting-my-nails-waiting-for-release-day this week? Athena's Ashes by Jamie Grey!!

Goodreads Summary:

"It’s Renna’s biggest job yet – convincing MYTH leadership that she’s put away her lock picks and is ready to save the galaxy, despite the dangerous implant in her brain. But with the Athena on the run, she’s working solo and facing her most ruthless enemy, the traitor Pallas, who’ll go to any lengths to destroy the MYTH organization. Including framing Renna for a devastating assault on MYTH HQ that leaves their defenses crippled and hundreds dead.

Now that MYTH believes she’s a dangerous double-agent, Renna escapes their firing squad before they put more holes in her than a pair of fishnet stockings. But the ticking time-bomb in her head is the one thing Pallas needs to complete his master plan and he’s not about to let her get away. Even worse, he’s discovered the only thing that will bring Renna to her knees – threatening Captain Nick Finn.

Out of time and options, Renna’s got one shot to take down the traitor before he annihilates everything she loves, even though winning this battle may cost her everything."


Why am I eagerly awaiting Athena's Ashes? Well, Jamie Grey is one of my beloved indie authors and I've loved everything she's written so far, and this is the second installment of her Star Thief Chronicles trilogy and I looooved book 1! Cannot wait to see what happens next! Science fiction, thieves, heroics, it's just my kind of book!

What are you all (im)patiently awaiting this week?

Blog Tour: The Star Thief by Jamie Grey!!

Hello everyone! Today I'm super happy to take part on the blog tour for The Star Thief by Jamie Grey! Even more because today IS release day for The Star Thief!

I'm gonna be sharing my review and a tour wide giveaway, as well as having Jamie Grey over for an interview, but first things first, let me introduce you to the book and the author!

The Star Thief by Jamie Grey
(The Star Thief Chronicles #1)
Publication Date: February 4th, 2014
Genres: New Adult, Science Fiction

Synopsis:
She might only be twenty-three, but Renna Carrizal is the most notorious thief in the galaxy. There’s just one problem – all she wants is to get the frak out of the business.

But when Renna rescues an injured boy from the warehouse she’s casing, she finds herself on the run from the mob instead of enjoying retirement on a garden world. Turns out, the kid was a plant to lead her to MYTH, a top-secret galactic protection agency.

MYTH needs Renna’s special skills, and they make her an offer she can’t refuse – unless she'd like to spend the rest of her life on a prison ship. To make sure she does her job they shackle her with a MYTH watchdog, the handsome but arrogant Captain Finn.

A former mercenary-turned-galactic-hero, Finn happens to have his own dirty secrets. Secrets that Renna wouldn’t mind uncovering for herself. Together, they discover an experiment to develop illegal cybernetics that will create an unstoppable army. The intended target? The human star fleet.

Now Renna must use her skills as the Star Thief to pull off the biggest job of her career – saving the galaxy. And herself.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

 About the author:

Jamie Grey spent most of her childhood writing stories about princesses who saved the day and pretending to be a daring explorer. It wasn’t until much later that she realized she should combine the two. Now, as a tech-obsessed gamer geek, her novels mix amazing scientific developments, future worlds, and the remarkable characters that live in them.

Jamie lives in Michigan with her significant other and their pets, who luckily tolerate her overspending on tea, books, and video games.


Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Interview with Jamie Grey

Today I'm so very honoured to have Jamie to answer a few questions about herself and The Star Thief!


When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
Always? I remember writing down stories as a kid, making little books for my parents and illustrating them. Then about five years ago I stumbled on a critique site, joined and started getting feedback on my writing. I realized that maybe I could actually write things that people wanted to read. I’ve been hooked ever since!


What drew you to the sci-fi genre?
It’s funny, I actually started out writing fantasy. I loved those kinds of books as a kid - getting lost in different worlds, meeting new people. But then I started watching a few sci-fi TV shows a couple of years ago and realized the two genres were actually similar, just with different settings. Somehow when I started writing sci-fi everything just clicked, I felt comfortable and at home. It was surprising, but I’m just going with it for now I have to say, I’m kind of a genre chameleon so I’m sure I’ll be trying out something new soon!


What made you decide to publish as an indie-author?
I’ll be honest, it was a tough decision. I’d always thought that I’d be traditionally published, but with all the changes going on in the industry, and after some great feedback from agents, I decided the best thing for my career right now was to go indie. Everything is in so much flux that I wanted to see what happened before taking that leap. And honestly, I haven’t regretted it once! I’m actually mad at myself for not self publishing sooner. It’s so much fun to see a book from start to finish, to pick the cover and design the interior and make sure everything is just the way I want it. It’s perfect for my control-freak self! And the instant gratification is fantastic!


How did you decide to take the newly growing New Adult genre and go the science fiction route with it in this trilogy?
I actually started writing STAR THIEF several years ago. I’d originally planned for it to be adult, but when YA Sci-fi took off, I decided I’d rewrite it for that market. And then I promptly hated the book and gave up.

So last year when I saw that New Adult was starting to be a thing, I realized that’s what I’d been writing all along. As soon as I started rewriting the book, everything clicked. STAR THIEF had finally found it’s place! I loved the freedom that I had to make Renna who she really was - vulgar language and sex-obsessed and all. Something you can’t really do with YA. And the opportunity to explore the issues new adults face was so much fun. Even better, using a sci-fi genre allowed me to play with a lot of different things that hadn't really been done in the NA realm. I really loved creating this world and these characters!


How would you describe the plot for The Star Thief plot using science fiction shows/movies?
That’s tough. I think maybe you could call it Battlestar Gallactica meets Farscape, with a tiny bit of Alias and Firefly thrown in?


What other science fiction heroes or heroines from science fiction tv shows or movies would you use to describe Renna?
Oh fun. Love this question! Well, she’s very good at looking out for herself and loves to be girly, so she’s a bit like Inara from Firefly in that regard. She’s kick ass and tough like Kara Thrace/Starbuck in Battlestar Gallactica. And a total anti-hero with a heart of gold like Han Solo from Star Wars.

Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Pili!!! This has been so much fun!

Thank you so much for being here, Jamie! I knew that Renna felt a bit like Han Solo to me when I was reading!

My Review

When I heard that the next book by Jamie Grey, the author of one of my fave debuts this year Ultraviolet Catastrophe, was going to publish a Science Fiction New Adult trilogy I knew I needed to read it. And so when Jamie sent me an ARC for the first book, The Star Thief, I was thrilled! I am not a big fan of the current overload of New Adult books out there, but I guess it also has to do with the fact that most are romance & contemporary and those are not my fave genres.

That was confirmed when I started reading The Star Thief, from page one it is science fiction with a kick ass heroine that is on the wrong side of the law.

Renna has been a thief since she was a young girl taken in by a gang and now she's 23 and she's the best thief of the galaxy and she wants to retire. She takes one final job before her retirement but when she can't help but rescue a lil boy during her mission everything goes wrong. The whole job happened to be a set up to get her to rescue the boy and then be captured by MYTH, an intergalatic agency, that offer her her freedom in exchange for joining them for a very dangerous mission to save the galaxy.

The team Renna will join are quite distrustful of her, since they're the elite part of the law, and she's a very famour thief. And to add insult to injury, the captain of the team is someone she held dear and thought dead for a while and now that he is back between the living seems to hate her with a passion. Not the best way to embark yourself in a difficult mission.

Captain Finn/Hunter & Renna have a bad start to their relationship since he treats her essentially like trash and Renna doesn't take it lying down and there's a lot of resentment and misscomunication in there to wade through. They have to work together and at first none of them is pleased about that, though they end up respecting each other's abilities. And from then on the relationship builds up and they finally find themselves into high adrenaline situations that make them throw caution to the wind. I might have been a bit unsure of how good idea them hooking up on certain situations was, but what I liked even in that situation is that Renna was never passive about anything, she knew what she wanted and went for it, even if she had to be cornered to admit her feelings. Quite a welcome change having the female character being the one that has compromise & trust issues!

I loved Renna as a character, she was strong, resourceful, wouldn't back down or take shit from anyone and although she had spent all of her adult life putting herself first and not trusting anyone, she has a big kind streak hidden in her. One that she ends up listening to more than once and that makes her one hell of a hero to root for.

Despite all his issues with Renna at first, Finn never considered her less for being female or thought she'd need protecting and saving, and they end up making a fantastic team and that's a dynamic that I'd love to see more often!

The plot, well the plot was a gigantic ball of twists and turns that we get to untangle little by little, where there are lies and traitors that you wouldn't expect and there is much more at stake that you'd expect at first. I really wasn't expecting what the big secret facility would be about and some of the revelations at the end of the book were really unexpected. And despite some resolution at the end of the book we also find out that there's so much to uncover if Renna, Finn & their crew want to really complete their mission.

One thing I really loved about the way this book ended was that despite it being a cliffhanger, it's the kind of tolerable cliffhanger. The one where characters are the ones making the choices and knowing what they'll be facing instead of having things thrown at them unexpectedly! It still leaves you wanting to see how things will go and what will happen, but you are not left emotionally crippled and twitching!

The Star Thief is a book with a complex plot, a strong female character and a swoony love interest, where you get more than just sparks between them and that will leave you wanting more. Well deserved 4.5 stars!

The Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/8a23bc1/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting On Wednesday #24!!

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!


What book am I very eagerly awaiting this week? The Star Thief by Jamie Grey!

Goodreads summary:

"She might only be twenty-three, but Renna Carrizal is the most notorious thief in the galaxy. There’s just one problem – all she wants is to get the frak out of the business.

But when Renna rescues an injured boy from the warehouse she’s casing, she finds herself on the run from the mob instead of enjoying retirement on a garden world. Turns out, the kid was a plant to lead her to MYTH, a top-secret galactic protection agency.

MYTH needs Renna’s special skills, and they make her an offer she can’t refuse – unless she'd like to spend the rest of her life on a prison ship. To make sure she does her job they shackle her with a MYTH watchdog, the handsome but arrogant Captain Finn.

A former mercenary-turned-galactic-hero, Finn happens to have his own dirty secrets. Secrets that Renna wouldn’t mind uncovering for herself. Together, they discover an experiment to develop illegal cybernetics that will create an unstoppable army. The intended target? The human star fleet.

Now Renna must use her skills as the Star Thief to pull off the biggest job of her career – saving the galaxy. And herself."

Why am I eagerly awaiting The Star Thief by Jamie Grey? Well, it is science fiction and I am a huge science fiction lover! It's also NA and I think it'll be a great idea to read this one to read more NA. And frankly, after reading Jamie's debut (Ultraviolet Catastrophe) I'm quite excited to read anything by her!


What are you all (im)patiently awaiting this week?