Blog Tour Book Review: LIFEL1K3 (Lifelike #1) + GIVEAWAY!

Release Date: May 29, 2018
Author: Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Length: 416 pages
Source: Review ARC from Publisher

On a floating junkyard beneath a radiation sky, a deadly secret lies buried in the scrap.

Eve isn’t looking for secrets—she’s too busy looking over her shoulder. The robot gladiator she’s just spent six months building has been reduced to a smoking wreck, and the only thing keeping her Grandpa from the grave was the fistful of credits she just lost to the bookies. To top it off, she’s discovered she can destroy electronics with the power of her mind, and the puritanical Brotherhood are building a coffin her size. If she’s ever had a worse day, Eve can’t remember it.

But when Eve discovers the ruins of an android boy named Ezekiel in the scrap pile she calls home, her entire world comes crashing down. With her best friend Lemon Fresh and her robotic conscience, Cricket, in tow, she and Ezekiel will trek across deserts of irradiated glass, infiltrate towering megacities and scour the graveyard of humanity’s greatest folly to save the ones Eve loves, and learn the dark secrets of her past.

Even if those secrets were better off staying buried.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Eve has spent the days since her family's death doing everything she can to keep her grandfather from succumbing to cancer that is slowly killing him. She does this by fighting in the ring of the WarDome, using her machina to take down other robots and earn money for her grandfather's medicine, but when she loses, in turn discovering a power within her, a power people will kill her over, she didn't think she could have a worse day, but coming across a lifelike in the barren wasteland of the Scrap, and coming home to many forces willing to kill her, her friends Lemon and Cricket, and her grandfather, she's set off on a journey of self-discovery, to find out who she truly is. Eve is such a complex character, who goes through a whole gambit of emotions in just this one book. As she voyages on, with Lemon, Cricket, and Ezekiel in tow, she has to face so much more than who she is. This journey forges her into someone, something stronger, and I was completely blown away by how she doesn't so much change, as she finds out who she is, in more than one sense.

Romance: So, fairly early on there were a few red flags when it came to the romance in this book, things that, if another author had written this, I might have had cause to be worried about as some of the tropes in this romance felt almost like narrative shortcuts, something to fast-track the romance, luckily that wasn't the case at all. The romance between Eve and Zeke is fairly layered and very compelling. I will say now though, that there isn't really a focus put on the romance too much, which makes sense with everything else that's going on in this book, but that doesn't mean that the romance wasn't extremely compelling, and it does impact the story in some major ways. It was interesting to see how the author transformed a couple rather tired romance tropes, things that, as I said before, felt like shortcuts and made them very poignant elements to the romance, and in some ways hindered the romance more than helped it.

World Building: If I had one bad thing to say about this book it's that the beginning is a bit hard to get into. This is one of those books that likes to throw you right into the story, into an almost completely new world, built on the near destruction of our own, filled with its own (luckily creative) slang and a history that the reader isn't privy to from the start. It took me a little while to get used to and to fully understand what's going on, but once I did I practically sunk into this world. There are a lot of post-apocalyptic elements to this world, in addition to the more sci-fi elements, and even when the author is describing a barren wasteland, everything still feels so real and so alive, because the author's words truly bring this world to life. Then there's how robots fit in this world, the three cardinal Laws of robots, and how there are some robots that don't follow those rules added so much depth to the story and a great philosophical angle overall. I loved learning about the different types of machines in this world, how some are mindless, only doing what they're programmed to do and nothing else, some are manually controlled by a human, and some have a mind of their own, minds that can be used to help or harm. Finally, there are a few retelling elements sprinkled into this story, one that may be very obvious is Pinocchio, as Cricket is described as Eve's conscience, but there's another one, a bigger one, and one that completely caught me by surprise.

Predictability: While there are one or two twists in this book that felt like they got a bit too obvious before they're suddenly revealed, most of the twists in this book caught me completely off guard. Obviously this is the trickiest section to write as it's the closest to spoilers and there isn't a whole lot I can say other than whether the twists in this book hit home, but the final twist, the biggest twist, well I'll just say that while I had a few inklings before the final revelation, they didn't come too early in the book, and the twist still laid me out flat.

Ending: Holy crap, the ending of this book is so freaking intense. I mean, the final climax alone knocked my socks off, but there was still a great deal after that. The final climax is full of tension as our heroes make their stand, there's a great deal of action and emotion all packed into a couple chapters, if that much, then we have a twist, that as I said before completely laid me out flat and that I'm still reeling from, all leading to a game-changing cliffhanger that left me wildly speculating about where the next book will even lead, though I do have a few ideas.

Rating:

Gah! I wanted to give this book 5 stars so bad, but the thing is, as much as this book completely blew me away and will undoubtedly leave me with a major book hangover, the beginning of this story is a bit tricky to get immersed into, but when you do, you're in for one hell of a ride!

About the Author:

Jay Kristoff is a #1 international, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of science fiction and fantasy. He grew up in the second most isolated capital city on earth and fled at his earliest convenience, although he’s been known to trek back for weddings of the particularly nice and funerals of the particularly wealthy. Being the holder of an Arts degree, he has no education to speak of.

His LOTUS WAR trilogy was critically acclaimed in Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, nominated for the David Gemmell Morningstar and Legend awards and won the 2014 Aurealis Award. Jay’s new series, the SciFi thriller THE ILLUMINAE FILES, was co-authored with Amie Kaufman. Book 1, ILLUMINAE, became a New York Times and international bestseller, was named among the Kirkus, Amazon and YALSA Best Books of 2015, became a finalist for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award and won the 2016 Aurealis Award and an ABIA Book of the Year award. ILLUMINAE is currently slated to be published in thirty five countries, and film rights have been acquired by Brad Pitt and Plan B Entertainment.

Jay’s new fantasy series, THE NEVERNIGHT CHRONICLE, commenced in 2016. The novel was an international bestseller, won the Aurealis award and earned Kristoff his second Gemmell nomination. Part 2, GODSGRAVE, was published in 2017, and won the series its second Aurealis award. A new YA series, LIFEL1K3 has also been acquired by Knopf/Random House Kids, and commences publication in early 2018. A new series with Amie Kaufman, THE ANDROMEDA CYCLE, begins in 2019 with Knopf/Random House Kids. Jay is as surprised about all this as you are. He is represented by Josh Adams at Adams Literary.

Jay is 6’7 and has approximately 12,000 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife, and the world’s laziest Jack Russell.

He does not believe in happy endings.

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Book Review: Defiance (The Courier's Daughter #1)

Release Date: August 28, 2012
Author: C. J. Redwine
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Length: 403 pages
Source: Purchased Book

Defiance by C. J. Redwine is rich postapocalyptic YA fantasy perfect for fans of Graceling and Tamora Pierce.

While the other girls in the walled city-state of Baalboden learn to sew and dance, Rachel Adams learns to track and hunt. While they bend like reeds to the will of their male Protectors, she uses hers for sparring practice.

When Rachel's father fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the city's brutal Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector: her father's apprentice, Logan—the boy she declared her love to and who turned her down two years before. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

    

Review:

Protagonists: Rachel and Logan are, at their core, fairly by the book protagonists for this genre. Rachel is a fierce and impulsive girl who knows how to hold her own in a fight, while Logan is her foil, he's more of a planner, who takes time to run through variables before charging in guns blazing. At first, I wasn't all that impressed with these characters, that is until I saw how these characters reacted to certain events that transpire in this book. How they react, and how their choices affect them in this story and bring about real consequences, was really interesting to see. As the story goes on these characters' flaws come out and we see them grow into well fleshed out characters with real issues and having to deal with that on top of this post-apocalyptic mess.

Romance: So, I wasn't too taken with this romance. Maybe it's that Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill has a very similar romantic premise, even though that story came out after this one, but there wasn't anything about that romance that hooked me. I mean, there is chemistry between the two characters, but their emotional connection doesn't feel developed past, they'll die for the other, and I really wish there were flashbacks, things to really drive home the connection between these two characters, also it was a tad annoying to have the male romantic lead not have feelings for our female lead, only to develop them when the plot called for it. Overall, I felt it was underdeveloped as a who and could have been fleshed out more.

World Building: Going into this book I was expecting more of a fantasy than a post-apocalyptic world. There are a couple of fantasy elements to the story, but that doesn't quite come through. It's not that there's anything wrong with post-apocalyptic books, in fact, if I read this around the time it came out I probably would have loved the story and this world but I wasn't a huge fan of the post-apocalyptic setting, that mixed with the extremely sexist city-state our characters lived in, which for the record is meant to be terrible, it just wasn't something I was prepared for, I almost threw the book because of the horrific villain in this book. On the whole, I really enjoyed the premise, but at this point, it's not exactly my cup of tea.

Predictability: Looking over this story, I don't really know if there was anything I was able to predict. I mean, I was able to see where the story was going to go more or less, though there were a few twists I didn't see coming, I had a vague idea how the plot would progress, it just sort of progressed rather slowly, so there wasn't all that much that ultimately happens in this story, I mean I feel like we didn't get to the main meat of story until over halfway through the book. As things got to the end, well there were quite a few things I did not see coming.

Ending: The final climax of this book is intense, although, I was listening to this book on audio from my local library, and I would recommend just actually reading the book because I didn't really feel the urgency in the final climax, but I know I would have if I just read the ending. Anyway, the final climax is really interesting because it's very game-changing and again I was happy to see real consequences for characters' actions, whether that's a protagonist or antagonist I'm talking about you'll just have to read and see. THe cooldown period as the dust settles seems to just wrap up this installment's story and begin setting things up for the sequel.

Rating:

I would say this is a pretty middle of the road book, I didn't hate it, but it just wasn't my cup of tea at the moment. I'm sure I'll continue with this series and maybe by then, I'll be in a more post-apocalyptic mood. Regardless, this is an interesting adventure and if you're looking for a post-apocalyptic tale with a touch of fantasy, give this book a try.

Omnibus Review: The Dark (Through Glass #1-3)

Release Date: December 12, 2013
Author: Rebecca Ethington
Publisher: Imdalind Press
Length: 322 pages
Source: Purchased e-Book

Everyone remembered the day the sky went black. The day the sun was wiped from the sky. They remember the wind as it brought in the darkness; the way the earth shook and everything changed.

Everyone remembered the screams as the darkness ate those who were out in the open, those who had surrounded themselves by light, and those who made noise.

Everyone remembered the voice from the sky and the way food disappeared.

At least, that’s what I hoped. I hoped that there was an ‘everyone’ that would remember because I am not sure how many are left, how many survived. Or if anyone did.
I hoped that I wasn’t alone.
I remembered that day.
I remembered because it was the day I became alone.
It was the day that everything was perfect until the monsters took it away. Then the house went silent and the birds stopped singing. It was the day when everyone disappeared, everyone except the boy, the only person I have seen in two years.

The boy I talk to through the glass.

    

Review:

Protagonist: At the start of this book, our main character, Alexis, is going through a lot of typical things a graduating high school senior would, whether or not to blow off that assignment, what to take to college, and wondering why her best friend, who she's been in love with nearly all her life, is looking at her different. If only these were her main struggles in this novel, but unfortunately all hell breaks loose and now her main goal is surviving the monsters that appeared as if from nowhere and blotted out the skies, the monsters who rule with an iron fist, who will kill you if you break their rules. After two years in the hell wrought by these monsters, Lex just wants life to go back to normal, she wants to have real conversations, not just signing back and forth through panes of glass to Cohen, the only human she knows left alive. She grows sick and tired of the monotonous daily life she has, but with no way to fight back all seems hopeless. Okay, so I'm really trying not to spoil anything, as I usually use the synopsis to gauge what would be too much of a spoiler, but what I can say is that I really like Lex as a character. She's a survivor in more ways than one and when push comes to shove she'll do whatever it takes not only save herself but those she cares about as well.

Romance: There actually isn't as much romance in this as I expected there to be. A few years ago I did read the first novella in this series, which takes up the first "Part" of this novel, and there's a good amount of romance in it. In fact, I remember thinking how it felt a lot like an insta-love, however since we got a good sense of the characters' history and their chemistry was written very well, the pacing of the romance never bothered me, and honestly that still held true when I read it again. However, the first part is really where the majority of the romance is. I guess after the world goes to shit it's not exactly the best time to be all lovey-dovey and romantic. I really do like the romance between Lex and Cohen, it's so sweet and innocent at first, while Lex has known her feelings for Cohen so long, Cohen is just discovering his and then throw this whole apocalypse thing into the mix and things get really intense really fast.

World Building: One of the things that have always fascinated me about this series is how it doesn't just pick up post-apocalypse, instead there's a good chunk of the book that reads more like a contemporary. Everything is light and fluffy, the most our main character has to worry about is if the boy she likes, likes her back. Then all hell breaks loose and we get to see it happen, we learn about it from someone who survived it, instead of picking up with someone long after the apocalypse has happened. The word I would use to describe this world is "Dark" in every sense of the word. The pain and struggles that Lex and Cohen go through on a daily basis are laid out for the reader to see and experience. I really wish I could talk more, I mean, there are definitely things I want to say that I don't think would be too spoilery, but I don't want to risk it, instead I'll say that the terror you see in the beginning of this catastrophe is just that, the beginning.

Predictability: One of the great things about Rebecca Ethington is that she doesn't follow a set of tropes when she writes her stories, while there are definitely some tropes in this story, for the most part, things happen in an unexpected manner. Even with the many, many stories I've read by her, I still get blown away when she throws a curveball into this story, and let me tell you there's an intense curveball thrown into this story. Obviously, I won't tell you what it is, but even though there was a bit of foreshadowing I still never saw it coming, and I'm extremely interested to see how it plays out in later installments. Overall, this story has a great balance of moments that, given the amount of foreshadowing, you can see coming, and moments that will drop your jaw and slap you silly.

Ending: Gah! There are so many things I felt during this finale. I mean, it's obvious that this is just the beginning. There's a great final climax that raises just as many, if not more questions than it answers, and then, during that moment where normally you'd have a cooldown period, and since this is a first book you'd probably plateau it so that the wait for the next book isn't as agonizing, yeah that's gone. Instead, we get a cliffhanger followed by an epilogue of sorts that just raises more questions and makes the wait, if there was one, P.S. there's not, all the more excruciating.

Rating:

Holy crap, did I love this book. I mean the characters are incredible, the action is amazing, and the world building is out of this world. There are definitely parts of the book, small, if not minuscule, where the narrative drags, but once a certain point is hit, things speed up and don't slow down. I can't wait to dive into the next installment.

Book Review: Crewel (Crewel World #1)

Release Date: October 16, 2012
Author: Gennifer Albin
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Length: 367 pages
Source: NetGalley Review Copy

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.
That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: She wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen to work the looms is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to manipulate the very fabric of reality. But if controlling what people eat, where they live, and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and used her hidden talent for a moment. Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her dad’s jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because tonight, they’ll come for her.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Adelice has spent nearly her entire life trying to pretend that she doesn't see the weave holding Arras together. Her parents made her practice to be bumbling and awkward so that no one would get suspicious and then when it was finally time to be tested she slips, and now she'll be taken away to train as a Spinster one of the women that hold Arras together and make it run smoothly. Overall I really enjoyed Adelice, she takes responsibility for what she does and her growth over the book is remarkably well done. This is a very tough independent main character who will make mistakes but will always have the best interests of everyone at heart.

Romance: If I had to say there was one downfall to this book it would be the romance. Seriously it was all over the place and there were too many stacking tropes, like the forbidden romance trope, since as a Spinster Adelice cannot have romantic relationships, the love triangle (maybe square) trope, the "one guy that likes me is probably evil trope," and there's a couple more that I won't get into because of spoilers, but it wasn't that there wasn't great romance writing in here it's just that with so many things all over the place, it was too complicated to really invest in.

World Building: I do have to say that this has one of the most interesting dystopian world buildings I've ever read. In this world, everything is held together by a tapestry or weave that is spun by women with a talent for seeing and working the weave. When I first got into this book it reminded me so wonderfully of the Fates in Greek mythology who spin, weave and cut your thread of life, only on a grander scale. In addition to this possible inspiration, there's a wonderfully corrupt government hell bent on controlling and manipulating everything in Arras. As Adelice delves deeper into the lives of Spinsters and the government of Arras the more we learn about what's really going on, and it's good too!

Predictability: I have been trying to write this section for a while now, and cannot think of how to properly articulate my feelings for this specific aspect of this book. While this story does have parts that aren't the most shocking this story does have some of the best twists I've read, or at least in terms of their shock value. While some twists were as enjoyable as they were shocking there were some twists that while they did surprise me I kind of wish the big revelation wasn't true, more for what it would mean to the story than whether or not it helped our main heroine.

Ending: Talk about your big endings. I thought for sure, especially with the title of the next book, that I thought I knew how this book was going to end. I mean everything leading up to it practically screamed where it was going, but then, at the height of the final climax something changed, the entire story changed and instead of going to the predictable place I thought, it goes somewhere even bolder and more unpredictable. I have to say, while I may not get to book two soon, it's not because this book didn't leave me wanting so much more!

Rating:

So I really enjoyed this story, it was exciting, compelling, and other than a romance that I couldn't really find a way to throw myself into, I kept wanting to come back for more. P.S. Please forgive the subpar review, it's my first one in two weeks and I may even be a bit sleep deprived right now.

Book Review: The Forever Song (Blood of Eden #3)

Release Date: April 15, 2014
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Length: 393 pages
Source: eGalley via NetGalley

Vengeance will be hers.

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster? With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

Monster.

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions - her creator Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost - the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, her triumph will be short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

THE FINAL HUNT IS ON.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Allie believes she's just lost the love of her life to a crazy sadistic vampire hell bent on unleashing an incurable virus upon the world. In her grief she struggles with the monster inside her, the demon that wants to feed and see the world burn. While I love Allie and was really interested to see how she would handle Zeke's death and to see her struggle with her darker side. The thing is, while there was some struggle it doesn't last all that long. While the struggle will always be there, I felt like things were resolved rather quickly and without too much of a struggle. That being said though Allie still has some great character development in this book. There are still a lot of things both internally and externally that Allie needs to sort through before taking on Sarren and hopefully saving the world.

Romance: So... it's not a spoiler that Zeke's alive right? It's been a while since I read the Eternity cure but I don't remember believing for a second that he was dead, especially with how the book ended, and the recap I read seemed to coincide with what I remember, but the synopsis is playing it off like he's dead, so if I did spoil you I'm sorry. Anyway, Zeke and Allie encounter a few problems in their romance over the course of this book. Things have changed, Zeke's been tortured and he's come out the other side a bit different than he used to be. He's guarded and quiet, not sure what to make of his new reality and that puts a strain on his relationship with Allie. Even though it's been quite a while since I read the previous installments in this series, I still root for Zeke and Allie. While a lot of their struggles aren't realistic, vampires being fictional and all, there are still a lot of themes that are relateable to those like myself who have been in long term relationships.

World-Building: Surprisingly while our heroes have been through a lot, there is still so much more to go through before their journey can come to a close. What I love about this world is that while it does contain vampires and that sort of lore is explored, it comes second to the post-apocalyptic and dystopian theme to this story. There's a big vampiric storyline that I don't want to get into because of spoilers but it really sets the tone for the story as our heroes work towards getting to Eden to stop Sarren. The biggest thing though is that finally after nearly three books we finally get to see Eden, and well, don't get your hopes up. I won't say much more than that, but we do learn a bit more about how it works and about what the scientists inside have been working on in terms of a cure to Rabidism. There's so much that I want to say here so many great things we see that expand this world even more, but it's hard because there's a lot that goes on that's tied up in spoilers and I want to keep this review as spoiler free as possible.

Predictability: As I've said before it's been a while since I last perused this world, but a few things stuck with me a few things that I'd predicted way back then during The Eternity Cure, and I have to say I was not disappointed. There's a rather huge twist that I'd rather not spoil but I'm just going to say that I called it. Other than that rather large twist there were a few other things that I was able to predict before they happened. I couldn't always predict the exact circumstances, and under what conditions things happened, but it wasn't too hard to figure some of the big stuff out. However, there was a twist or two that really stumped me, certain things with just enough foreshadowing not to tip me off beforehand, but that upon reflection really make sense.

Ending: Recently I've been doing a lot of reflection on endings, specifically those that are meant to tie up a story whether it's in a standalone or the last chapter of a series, what I've found I hate most of all is an ending that it's completely idealistic. To come to the end of a series or story with no consequences and everyone getting off scot-free is just boring and unrealistic. Thankfully that's not the case here. That's not to say that these characters defintiely didn't get a HEA, but more to say that it wasn't without a shred of pain on the side of the good guys. I'm sad to see this series go, but I love how the author ended things, and I truly feel that there really isn't anything more that needs to be tied up in this world.

Rating:

So sure, there were a few things I would have liked to see happen differently with a bit more struggle between the light and dark sides of Allie being chief among them. However I really loved how this book went, how it finished off this series, and how this series in general has touched my heart. *queue sappy violin music*

Book Review: Day 21 (The 100 #2)

Release Date: September 16, 2014
Author: Kass Morgan
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Length: 320 pages
Source: eGalley via NetGalley

No one has set foot on Earth in centuries -- until now.

It's been 21 days since the hundred landed on Earth. They're the only humans to set foot on the planet in centuries...or so they thought. Facing an unknown enemy, Wells attempts to keep the group together. Clarke strikes out for Mount Weather, in search of other Colonists, while Bellamy is determined to rescue his sister, no matter the cost. And back on the ship, Glass faces an unthinkable choice between the love of her life and life itself.

In this pulse-pounding sequel to Kass Morgan's The 100, secrets are revealed, beliefs are challenged, and relationships are tested. And the hundred will struggle to survive the only way they can -- together.

    

Review:

Characters: Much like the first installment in this series, this book is told from the points of view of four characters, Bellamy, Clark, Wells, and Glass. While Clarke and Bellamy race to find Octavia, Wells is trying to keep everyone calm in the camp after they learn that they aren't the only ones on earth. Back at the Colony Glass has a tough decision to make as she can either stay in Walden with Luke as quite possibly die, or head back to Phoenix and have a chance at life. In the previous book in this series I wasn't a huge fan of all the characters, mainly Wells as I felt he crossed too many lines and put too many lives at risk. However, as this book progressed I really began to like all of the characters equally. It's really hard to get a book right with so many points of view, but I think that Morgan did an incredible job at weaving these various storylines into the narrative.

Romance: While there's a lot of romance going on in this book, I was happy to see that it doesn't overshadow the plot of the book. There was a love triangle established in the previous book that sort of just felt unnecessary, or really that I couldn't take seriously. However the love triangle does get, for the most part, resolved in this book with very interesting end, There are other romances in this book, besides the love triangle, including Glass and Luke and their dramatic mess, and a new romance involving one of Clarke's suitors. The only problem I had with the romance was when there was drama and friction with the couples, it sort of resolved itself without the requisite character development needed to feel as though that forgiveness was earned.

World Building: In the first book of this series, there wasn't all that much that went on. I mean, there was enough for a story, but it was all internal political stuff in the 100 campground and Colony drama, and we didn't see all that much of the world outside. This book does a much better job of getting these characters out of their bottle and showing them how vast and intense this new world is. There's some friction with the Earthborns, though not nearly as much as there is in the TV show, though here I don't mind not having tons of action and fast paced storytelling. Once again we have flashbacks that add much more to the story and provide some much needed exposition on these characters. There's a lot still left to discover and I'm actually really looking forward to it.

Predictability: So it's actually been a couple of days since I finished this book, and looking back, I know that there were some moments when I had no idea what was coming, some things that totally blew my mind and opened up so many cans of worms. However, on the whole this book sort of just smoothly went along, nothing super predictable, and only a few things that really knocked me on my ass with their shock value, one of which I should have seen coming but misremembered a vital piece of information.

Ending: This ending was very intense. There wasn't really a confrontation that went on, and in actuality things got more resolved than complicated, but there was a little bit of action that went down as this book came to a close. The end of the book reveals some pretty crazy stuff, and sets up the story for the next arc, and leaves readers wondering what will happen next.

Rating:

I actually loved this book much more than the previous installment. I think I still had a lot of the television show on my mind when I read the first book, but here it was a lot easier to separate the books from the show as two separate but related things.

Book Review: Midnight City (Conquered Earth #1)

Release Date: October 30, 2012
Author: J. Barton Mitchell
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Length: 374 pages
Source: eGalley via NetGalley

Earth has been conquered by an alien race known as the Assembly. The human adult population is gone, having succumbed to the Tone---a powerful, telepathic super-signal broadcast across the planet that reduces them to a state of complete subservience. But the Tone has one critical flaw. It only affects the population once they reach their early twenties, which means that there is one group left to resist: Children.

Holt Hawkins is a bounty hunter, and his current target is Mira Toombs, an infamous treasure seeker with a price on her head. It’s not long before Holt bags his prey, but their instant connection isn’t something he bargained for. Neither is the Assembly ship that crash-lands near them shortly after. Venturing inside, Holt finds a young girl who remembers nothing except her name: Zoey.

As the three make their way to the cavernous metropolis of Midnight City, they encounter young freedom fighters, mutants, otherworldly artifacts, pirates, feuding alien armies, and the amazing powers that Zoey is beginning to exhibit. Powers that suggest she, as impossible as it seems, may just be the key to stopping the Assembly once and for all.

    

Review:

Protagonists: This book focuses one three characters, the first one we meet and the one whom this book focuses on the most is named Holt. Holt is a closely guarded person, he does everything on his own because the only person he can count on is himself. Then there's Mira, a smart and cunning girl who is faced with an impossible task, one which just got harder since being taken by bounty hunter Holt. Finally there's Zoey, a sweet young girl who doesn't remember who she is, just her name. She's strange and seems to always know things, where to go, who to trust, and what to do. As this book goes forward these characters grow closer and grow as individuals. I really enjoyed these characters, while they aren't as compelling as some of the characters I've read, I still enjoyed watching them grow and develop over the course of this book.

Romance: There is actually very little romance in this book. I almost feel bad for even adding this part in here, but since the romance was still very much present in the story I felt compelled to. The romance in this book is between Holt and Mira, it's fairly obvious right off the bat that they're going to have at least some sort of romance, however I really enjoyed that it wasn't grand or overshadowing. Instead there's just talk of feelings at first, innermost thoughts that we see through third person narration, but there's also chemistry and romantic tension there as well. There is a hint at a possible love triangle down the line so I'll be interested to see how that all turns out.

World-Building: In this post apocalyptic world where an alien invasion has invaded Earth, nothing is as it seems. We get a fairly vague overview of what's going on in this world, the fact that there is a weird Tone that forces most adults into a zombie-like state leaving only the children to survive with their free will. I kind of wish we got a better idea of what's going on in this world, though I expect that there is still a lot left to learn in future installments and I understand that giving away too much now will ruin things for the future. Overall, I enjoyed the world-building, there were a few things that don't really make all that much sense, but they're easily forgiven, and I can't wait to learn more about the mysteries of this world.

Predictability: Looking back over this book I'm trying to remember all of the twists that occurred and which ones I saw coming, and apart from a few obvious big picture ones there isn't all that much that I was able to see. There are quite a few twists in this book, some have very subtle foreshadowing and some have none at all. I was really surprised with how many things caught me off guard. Normally I'm very intuitive when it comes to twists, but since the author didn't want to give up too much information too early there weren't all that many times when I saw something coming.

Ending: Gah! The ending of this book is great, although it's highly reminiscent of the ending to the first season of a cult classic cartoon. I won't say which one, but I'm sure when the time comes you'll figure it out if you're familiar with that TV show. There are a lot of choices made in the final climax of this book, things that will indeed have insane repercussions to these characters. The final battle, and it is a battle, was intense action packed and everything I needed in this book. The cooldown period hinted at some possible plot points for the next book and led into the traditional first book plateaued ending where if you need to wait to read the second installment it won't be too tortuous.

Rating:

So, I thought about this rating a lot, I was on the fence between this and four stars and at the end of the day, while I really enjoyed this world and these characters, and like I said I can't wait to continue this trilogy, it just didn't grip me in a way that I felt merited more than three and a half stars.