Review Wednesday| "Keir" by Pippa Jay

I'm back to do another review! This time over "Keir" the debut sci-fi/high fantasy novel by Pippa Jay.
As usual, before I get into the review, here's the book's description courtesy of Goodreads:

Outcast. Cursed. Dying. Is Keir beyond redemption? For Keirlan de Corizi--the legendary 'Blue Demon' of Adalucien--death seems the only escape from a world where his discolored skin marks him as an oddity and condemns him to life as a pariah. But salvation comes in an unexpected guise: Tarquin Secker, a young woman who can travel the stars with a wave of her hand. But Quin has secrets of her own. She's spent eternity searching through space and time with a strange band of companions at her back. Defying her friends' counsel, Quin risks her apparent immortality to save Keir. She offers him sanctuary and a new life on her home world, Lyagnius. When Keir mistakenly unleashes his dormant alien powers and earns instant exile from Quin's home world, will she risk everything to stand by him again? 
WARNING: Contains sweet romance, some violence and plenty of adventure. 

   I found this book through my Goodreads recommendations for liking the "Beyond" series by Kit Rocha- and after reading the description, I was sold. The cover doesn't quite match the book's male lead, Keir, but considering most covers are created from stock photos, I don't hold it too much against the novel. Not to mention the fact that it displays a bare chested man doesn't stray too far from Cassandra Clare's "City of Bones" original cover. So right off the back, I wouldn't try to draw too many conclusions- positive or negative- from the cover art alone.
The storyline is interesting, I'll say that. The plot mixes elements of high fantasy with common science fiction giving it a medieval Stargate sort of feel. The portals and different planets would definitely appeal to fans of the popular television series or the film. However, some of the details tended to drag on in a way that made the passages feel like filler at times.
 I think a few more rounds of line edits could have cleaned up most of the problems I had with this book: the drier descriptions I've already mentioned, some slow and rushed story development. Certain subplots were almost unnecessary for they didn't really push the story along much- especially considering the fact that this is a stand-alone novel, so those story branches that distracted from the big picture were both unnecessary and frustratingly unfinished. I think if there would have been more conclusions to some of the subplots, that already would have made me enjoy them more- but they didn't feel complete to me so I noticed their odd place in the book even more. I almost feel as if the book would have been better with one main plot and the other sub-points made available afterwards as part of an online series which would have given the author so much room to play and develop everything that is only just hinted at in this book.
I loved the characters....to an extent. I wish they were all a little better developed and I would have liked to explore the relationships between them a little more. The dialogue seemed a little forced at time which made the sweet build up of the relationship between Quinn and Keir come across as cheesy and uncomfortable at times.
*Minor Spoilers* 
Their powers and how they used them confused me- they could read each others mind...and yet neither were able to get even the smallest inkling as to the others feelings? And once their relationship came to be, I feel it rushed too quickly into things.

Ultimately, I did enjoy the book well enough- and it definitely isn't horrible, but there are a lot of details that make this seem like a draft. I would be wary of that and not go into this expecting perfection. Try not to have any expectations, like I did, and you'll enjoy this book much more than if you have a critical eye and want it to be like something else.

This Week's Reads!

I'm back again with my to-read list for this week!
Last week, I only finished "Cloud Atlas", which I will review either here on the blog or on my Youtube channel soon.
That being said, I have two books I hope to finish by the end of this week:

• "Grave Mercy" by Robin LaFevers: I first heard about this book from Kat, or Katytastic, on Youtube a few months ago and was completely drawn in by it. I won't go into too many details, but I'm a little over a quarter of the way through it and I'm really enjoying it. The time period and the characters have some of my favorite elements- and I'm sure I'll by dying to get the second book of the trilogy as soon as I close the book!
• "The Fog of War" by Ethan Jones: I'll admit, I'm disappointed I didn't finish this book last week- it's short and seemingly action packed, but the story just hasn't drawn me in yet and I've been stuck under page 20 for a while. Hopefully this week I'll be able to dedicate more time to reading it and immersing myself in the story.

What are you guys reading this week? Let me know, and come back Wednesday to check out my next review over "Keir" by Pippa Jay!

Review Wednesday| "The Aquatic Labyrinth: A Venetian Mystery" by Alastair Fontana

I'm back with another review! This week's book, as you can tell from the post title, is "The Aquatic Labyrinth" by Alastair Fontana which I downloaded at the end of January when if was available for free download on Amazon. However, there is also a giveaway currently being held on Goodreads for a paperback copy if you missed the chance to download it.

Before I go into any details, here is the description courtesy of the book's Goodreads page:
When Jacopo came back home, he could not have ever imagined that in a few hours he would have found himself running for his life across the most mesmerizing maze ever built, Venice. He would have never believed he would be dragging himself like a wounded animal, breathless and clueless through the alleys and across the canals of the city, desperately trying to extricate a murder he did not commit, to find the key of the mysterious labyrinth of events he had entered without even noticing.

I gave the book 3 of 5 stars on goodreads and rather enjoyed the storyline, however, there are a few small things to be aware of.
The writing takes a little while to get used to if you read it in ebook format. Some chapters are told from a first person perspective, while others are told from various third person points of view- the switch between them can take some time to get used to. In fact, the first roughly 10% or so of the book is written in a sort of choppy action sequence that left me a little confused- like I had missed the first bit of the story. Everything is eventually explained, but until then, it will seem as if the story is incomplete.
I also noticed that the story would slip into flashbacks without much warning and the dialogue narration tended to be formed of long passages without breaks that would bring more realism to the characters' story telling and would help keep readers from potentially forgetting a flashback was taking place.
Other than that, there were some small inconsistencies that were most likely editing slips: characters remembered events that they hadn't actually witnessed according to the timeline, the dialogue is sometimes written in a way that makes the identity of the speaker confusing to the reader, and some character details change (for example, the amount of children one of the character has changes from four to three). Also, there is italian in this book. Poems that are written in old italian that resembles more latin than the modern language (which fits the time period, but can be confusing to readers who don't know the language) and sparse words that personally kept some of the story from flowing smoothly- though that is mostly just a personal preference of mine.
Ultimately, I enjoyed the storyline and the different points of view let you see more of Venice- even the different storylines seem a little confusing. It's a quick read and I would recommend it- primarily if you love stories about or inspired by the Venetian history and culture. Keep in mind that the story at times reads like a draft, and while there are some stumbling blocks there aren't so many that they distract greatly from the storyline.

This Week's Reads!

It's Monday again, and that means it's a new week of reading! 

Last week I only finished one of the two books I was reading- "Mysteries in the Locket" by K. D. Williams.
I won't go into too many details about my thought now, but I will be doing a full review here in a few weeks. However, I had a lot of problems with the book and only gave it a rating of 2 out of 5 stars on on Goodreads.

This week I have two books I hope to finish:
1) "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell- I mentioned this book in last Monday's post, and I hope to finish it this week. It's a complicated book that is meant to be read slowly, and at times it is definitely more slow and frustrating to get through.

2) "The Fog of War" by Ethan Jones- The author sent me a digital copy of this book for review. It's the third book in a series, which I haven't read, however from what I've read, it seems like each book can be read as a sort of stand alone, so I'm hoping I won't be too confused by any already established plot points.

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day and be sure to come back Wednesday for my review of "The Aquatic Labyrinth"!

Top Five Friday| Top Five Male Love Interests!

In honor of Valentine's Day, here's my first "Top Five Friday"!
I can't promise that this will be a regular post, but I thought this would be a fun way to start! I mean...who doesn't love a good literary leading man?

NOTE: I will try to keep this as non-specific as possible, but their stories are a big part of their placement on this list, so there will be some spoilers

5) Augustus Waters from John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars": 
Oh, Gus. Even John Green admits he had a crush on Hazel's beau. His wit and heartwarming view on his reality take him from being an unattainable figment to a completely believable character that every teenage girl would crush on- and every reader feels for chapter after emotional chapter.

4) Clayton Danvers from Kelley Armstrong's "Otherworld" series:
Okay...so the polar opposite of Gus- Clay's stoic and antisocial, and he doesn't understand the empathy involved in usual social contract. Yet he's fiercely loyal to his family and protective of those he loves. His outer shell softens around Elena and the rest of the "Pack" which lets readers left and right fall in love with him.

3) Alex Fuentes from Simone Elkeles' "Perfect Chemistry": 
The eldest and arguably the most loved of the Fuentes brothers. Alex is passionate and protective as he steps into the role of care taker of his family. Granted, he makes a lot of...less than intelligent decisions in the process, but the growth of his character and his story with Brittaney keep him at the top of many girls' lists.

2) Dexter from Sarah Dessen's "This Lullaby": 
So adorably dorky, Dexter is in stark contrast to some of the other characters on this list. His endearing persistence to win Remy's heart and his faith in his music make him worthy of his place on this list.

1) Étienne St. Clair from Stephanie Perkins' "Anna and the French Kiss":
The crush of many girls at SOAP, Étienne is dorky, witty, intelligent....and he has an accent! I mean, come on! Ms. Perkins wrote into existence the epitome of a high school girl's "dream guy" and his romantic evolution makes it impossible not to feel blissfully content with the story.

Honorable mentions:
Wes from Sarah Dessen's "The Truth About Forever"
Bren and Jasper from Kit Rocha's "Beyond" series (an adult series with adult content).

That's my list! Do you guys agree? Or do you think I missed someone? Feel free to let me know in the comments! 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Book Review: "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

This week's review, as shown by the title, is over Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five or the Children's Crusade".
I posted a couple weeks ago that this was one of my "reads for the week". For those of you who don't know was this book is about, here's the description, courtesy of Goodreads:

Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden.

An anti-war book with sci-fi tendencies that isn't exactly narrated in chronological order- easily one of the zaniest and most fun reads I've found. So here's what I thought:

It's a short book, easily finished in a sitting if you have the time- however, I don't recommend that. By reading it all at once, you'll miss the ethical and heavier insights that are scattered throughout the entire story.
If you want to read just for the plotline, then by all means- fly through and enjoy it for what it is: A crass, vulgar story that manages to take that and turn it into an endearing book with a main character so similar to the protagonists or "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and others. The time travel makes the entire book on edge and doesn't give the reader a chance to get bored- and including so many elements from war to aliens to growing older, the book easily fits in with a number of genres. The author's choice of narration brings an amusing framework to the book that draws the reader in from very early on.

However, if you want to get absolutely everything out of this book, then I would advise reading it slowly. Make sure everything sinks in- even do research if you want, because the philosophic details will otherwise be lost. The book discusses fate and the reality of free will. Morality and mortality. The horrors of war and the infinities that make up each moment.  Those are the aspects that need critical thinking. The things that make this book such a fascinating read if you want it to be.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

This Week's Reads

Last week I not only finished both the books I set out to- I also finished Barry Lyga's "I Hunt Killers" the first book in the Jasper Dent series. 
Reviews are to come over all the books, either here or on my Youtube within the next few weeks.
Anyway, I'm back again with the books I plan to read this week!

1)"Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell.
 I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish this book this week due to how it's written. Similarly to "House of Leaves", "Dot All Your Eyes", and "Infinite Jest", it's not a book to be read quickly.

2)"Mysteries in the Locket" the first book in the Rise of Oliria series by K.D. Williams.
The author sent me a copy of this book in PDF format and I'm hoping to get around to reading it this week. 

I hope everyone has a happy Valentine's Day this Friday and a wonderful week of reading. Be sure to come back this Wednesday to check out my review over Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five".

Book Review: eARC of "Marked" by Kit Rocha, Vivian Arend, and Lauren Dane

With the "Marked" release date just a few days away, I thought I would post my review over the eARC I was provided by the lovely ladies that make up the Kit Rocha writing pair.
Warning: the anthology contains adult content and so is obviously not suited for a young audience.

 

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Lauren Dane takes you into a brand new world in ALL THAT REMAINS. Summer Killian falls fast and hard when Charlie arrives in Paradise Village. But the heat turns all the way up when she learns Charlie is also with Hatch - the man she loved three years before. While she's not sure she's cut out for a triad, neither man is going to give her up.

Take a ROCKY RIDE with New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Vivian Arend as she leads you back to the Six Pack Ranch. Anna Coleman might be the law around Rocky Mountain House, but bad boy Mitch Thompson knows that under the stiff RCMP uniform is a woman with a passion for speed and pleasure that matches his own, and he’s not giving up until she’s his.

Kit Rocha returns to Sector Four in BEYOND TEMPTATION. A promise to a dying friend backfires when Noah Lennox finds that the girl he was supposed to rescue is all grown up--and wearing O'Kane ink. He wants to protect her from the secrets of their past, but she wants him. And an   O'Kane woman always gets what she wants.
(Description from Goodreads.)


I received an e-arc of this book from the lovely ladies behind Kit Rocha, and admittedly
I wanted to read the book for the novella "Beyond Temptation".
So here are my thoughts:
Beyond Temptation was great. A nice little way to get a Sector Four fix while I wait for Beyond Jealousy to come out. Yeah, I wish the story had been a little longer, but it was a novella. Things are supposed to be open ended and suspenseful, especially in a case like this- where the characters are so connected to the main group and the story arc that carries the whole series.
I loved Emma and Noah and the way their romance was sweet while still firmly rooted in the classic O'Kane grittiness that fans of the series have grown to love.

I wasn't nearly as invested in the other two stories, sadly, and a big part of that is probably due to the fact that I haven't ready anything else by Dane and Arend. I enjoyed the stories, sure...but I felt myself losing concentration and getting distracted much more easily. There is some silver lining to all that, though: while I didn't love the stories, I don't feel like it was the authors' fault, and so I do plan on coming back to re-read the other two novellas eventually to see if my opinion changes.

Ultimately, I think if you're a fan of all three authors, then this will be great for you...but if not, each story will be available for individual download shortly after the anthology is officially released- which ultimately might be a better option.

Monday Reads

Like last week, I'm back with my reading goals for the week. 
I'm proud to say, I finished both books I set out to complete in my last post (Slaughterhouse-Five and the Marked anthology-reviews over both coming soon!), and I had planned to post a January wrap-up for those of you who didn't get the chance to see my video wrap-up. That didn't go how I wanted it to- if you've seen the video, you know I strained my wrist between all the writing and typing I do. I'm no longer keeping it wrapped all day, so barring any possible set-backs in my "healing" I should be able to type regularly again. 
Yay!
Anyway, here are my short-term reading goals for this week:
-Finish "Keir" by Pippa Jay. I only have about 30 pages left, so that won't be a problem.
-Finish "The Aquatic Labyrinth" by Alastair Fontana. I downloaded the ebook from amazon January 30th when a promotion was held making it available for free. I'm about 25% through, and it's a pretty quick read, but being in ebook format- there are fewer opportunities for me to read it compared to my physical books.

Those are my short-term goals for the week- along with perhaps working on the layout here on the blog and posting those reviews!
I hope you all had a great weekend, and happy reading!