Waiting on Wednesday: Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is:

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

Hanna Donnelly is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik Malikov the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion. 

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station's wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own surivival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They've totally got this. They hope.

Publication Date: October 18, 2016

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

Book Review: The Queen of the Tearling

Epic. That is the exact word to describe how I feel about this book. Epic. I have not read a book this amazing in a long time. Not only is the hardcover edition of the book physically gorgeous, with its beautiful end pages, built in red satin ribbon bookmark, and deckled pages, but it is also gorgeously written.

I typically do not enjoy reading books that are written in the third person. The book has to be exceedingly well written for me to continue reading it once I find out it's written from this perspective. I can find it very difficult to connect with characters when a book is written in third person. I did not have that problem with this book. Erika Johansen is an insanely talented writer. From the first page, I was completely drawn into the world she created, and I connected completely with Kelsea.

I love that Kelsea is such a strong female lead, right from the beginning. Through her inner monologue we know that she questions herself and her ability to be queen, but she never lets her fears or doubts show. She is quick to stand up for herself, and is always trying to find ways to win the respect of those she knows will help her on her journey.

Kelsea has been hidden away her whole life and now, at 19, she must return to her kingdom to save her people from her uncle, the Regent, and the Red Queen. She finds this task exceedingly difficult because there are so many things that have been kept secret from her. None of the people who have been charged to keep Kelsea safe will tell her what she feels she needs to know. She often asks how she is to be an effective ruler if she does not have all the facts, if she cannot make decisions based on the history of her mother's reign.

I really enjoyed the storytelling from multiple viewpoints. I felt that it really added to my understanding of all the major characters. I was able to glimpse these characters through others eyes, gaining insight into the character’s personalities that I would not have had if this book was only told through one point of view.

So many mysteries. Why did Kelsea need to be hidden away? What happened to her mother the queen? What's up with sapphires she was entrusted with? Why won't anyone tell her about anything that has happened since her mother's death? Who is her father? Who is the Red Queen and where did she come from? How will Kelsea lead her kingdom? How will she defeat the Red Queen? Will there be war over the actions Kelsea takes to fix the atrocities that have been allowed to happen in her kingdom? And so many more! Erika Johansen did an amazing job of revealing just enough at just the right time, leaving me salivating for more. At the end of the book, though many mysteries have been revealed, not all have, and new ones abound.

Though Kelsea is definitely my favorite character, I also thoroughly enjoyed several other characters. From the moment I met The Fetch, I was completely in love with him. I cannot wait to see how his story continues to unfold and how his relationship with Kelsea will play out. I also completely adored the relationship between Mace/Lazarus and Kelsea. Kelsea would not be as successful as she is if she did not have him by her side. Together the create an amazingly powerful unit. Pen is also utterly adorable.

I cannot wait for June 9th! I will be in stores as soon as they open to get my grabby hands on the sequel!

Book Review: Perfected

Slavery is alive and well in the United States of America. Humans are engineered in labs to become the pets of the elusive American 1%. These human pets are trained and groomed in kennels, until the age of 16. Once pets have reached maturity, they are sold to the highest bidders. The pets are taught from birth that their own happiness means nothing, that the only happiness that matters is the happiness of their owners. These pets are not even taught how to read or write. These pets are also only female. Words like spayed and euthanized are thrown around often in this book when speaking of ways to control pets.

Perfected was highly enjoyable, even though the plotline was pretty evident from the beginning, as well as from the synopsis of the book. This book touched on some very taboo subjects, and I liked the way the author broached the subject matter in such an imaginary and hypothetical way. It also really speaks of the way society treats females, young women in particular, and the pressures that are forced upon them.

The main character, Ella, is a pet that has been purchased by a very influential congressman. The same congressmen, in fact, that was able to get the law passed to allow the creation and purchase of pets. Ella is not the congressman's first pet. The congressman and his family are keeping a secret. Why did the first pet have to be returned? Ella knows that pets that are returned, end up behind the red door. Once a pet goes behind the red door, they never come back out.

Ella’s journey to self awareness is a subtle one. She begins by knowing her place in the world and accepting it. However, once she moves into the Congressman’s home and begins to interact with his family, Ruby and Penn in particular, she begins to have doubts about her place in the world. The thoughts that she begins to have about the world she lives in, makes her question all that she was engineered and trained for. She begins to see the wrongness of her situation, and the situation of all pets.

Ella faces several hardships on her road to self discovery, but ultimately, in the end, and I do mean the very end, she finds the inner strength needed to escape her situation.

Rebel Belle Review

For me the book was just okay. I liked the main character Harper a lot. I liked seeing her struggle with trying to fit into a perfect mold in order to make everyone around her happy.

I really disliked David. I didn't know why he treated Harper the way he did, there was just no excuse for it, and it bothered me that Harper didn't stand up for herself against him. I found David to be a weak character, he was too much of a crybaby for my liking, so it really bothered me when a love interest formed between David and Harper. I knew it was coming and, to me, it felt really forced. I felt she was so much stronger physically, mentally, and emotionally than him.  

I thought it was great that Rachel Hawkins put Harper in a typically male role and David in a typically female role, however I feel like this book was lacking a strong male protagonist. I think I would have enjoyed this book better if there was a second Paladin who maybe was helping, guiding, or training Harper. I did not like the person that was "training" her. They had no business in that role. In that case, David would have then become central to the story as a friend to Harper (which is where I felt they eventually developed), and the other Paladin as her love interest.

I really liked when Harper refused her role as a Paladin. I loved that Harper was finally putting herself first, and was not willing to die for someone else. Especially someone she has disliked her entire life. I liked that I saw the evolution of Harper and how she defended herself more and stood up for herself more as the book progressed. I liked that I could see her strength more and more as I progressed through the book. However that just made me see the weakness of David more and more.

There was a love triangle in the book that I did like the dynamic of, however, after a while it really started to bother me. I was over it. I was ready for Harper to make her decision and move on. I understand that Harper still wanted to keep some semblance of a normal life even though it was getting completely out of control, but she just needed to decide.

I loved Rachel Hawkins writing style and the way she tells a story, it felt very smooth and effortless. A very quick and easy read.

Fire & Flood

5 out of 5 stars. I could not put this book down and I cannot wait for the next installment.

Tella has been yanked out of the world she knew and thrust into solitude. Her parents and dying brother her only company. She learns she has a chance, albeit a dangerous one, to save her brother's life. She enters the Brimstone Bleed, a three month race across four landscapes, pitted against hundreds of competitors, young and old.

At the beginning of the book, Tella's inner monologue, and the silly things she does to have fun seem very realistic to me of a girl who has no one in her life other than her parents and a dying brother.

Once Tella begins the Brimstone Bleed, the decisions she makes, and her actions are so spot on for her character. I like that throughout the book you can see her growth from this young naive girl who just follows others, to someone who is more independent and able to take care of herself. I think that as the series progresses we will see Tella get stronger and stronger. Meanwhile, her inner monologue is still hilarious.

One of my favorite parts in the whole book is the decision that Tella makes right after she gets her Pandora, in the car. I don't want to say what she does, because I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say it is the first real glimpse we get of Tella's inner strength and determination.

Pandoras. Had no clue what they were. When I found out what they were I was confused. Then later when you finally discover exactly what they are, oh dear! Completely unexpected.

I really loved that when Tella got thrust into the Brimstone Bleed, that she was not automatically this "warrior princess" able to master all of her surrounds and challenges. I liked that she had no clue what was going on or even how to survive. That she is learning as she goes.

I'm going to mention a name. Titus. This character...

First swoon: Chapter 26

There is this wicked creepy scene in Chapter 31! Oh, oh, oh!

Favorite quote: "My God. I am in the epicenter of hell, and I'm trying to psychoanalyze some guy."   

13 Little Blue Envelopes

 

I loved the premise of this book, but I felt that it fell WAY short and suffered from a severe lack of plot and character development. This was a book about a girl who runs around Europe following instructions left by her aunt with no real point to anything.

This book is about a girl named Ginger who's aunt has passed away leaving her money for travel and 13 Little Blue Envelopes, each containing a set of instructions/tasks to be completed before the next can be opened. These envelopes take Ginger all across Europe.

Ginger is a shy introvert who doesn't get out much, and with these envelopes, her aunt (I assume) hopes to help her become more extroverted, to help her enjoy herself more.

Ginger really irritated me throughout the entire book. Here she has been given an opportunity of a lifetime, to backpack through Europe, and she squanders it. Yes she completes, the tasks contained in each letter, but she walks around doing these things like a zombie. She just goes from one task to the next with no real thoughts of her own. She does not deviate from the tasks at all.

She was in London and didn't see Big Ben, The London Bridge, The Tower of London, Stonehenge! In Scotland, no Princess Street Gardens. In Paris not Eiffel Tower. Amsterdam and Denmark, more of the same. Are you kidding me!

Then, at the end of the book, Ginger looks at a poster of her aunt's favorite painting, A Bar at the Folies-Bergere by Manet.

Ginger says "Aunt Peg had explained it, but she'd never gotten it. Now the girl's flat expression in the midst of all the activity, all the color...it made a lot more sense. It was a lot more tragic. All of that activity in front of her and the girl wasn't seeing it, wasn't enjoying it."

Well no shit!

Angelfall

5 out of 5 stars. This book was utterly amazing. I cannot believe that a major publishing house did not pick this up to publish and that it was self published! Just amazing.

Wonderfully written and edited!

An intense, dark, apocalyptic tale filled with fantastic characters and more than enough creepy and scary to give you nightmares.

This book takes angels to a whole new level. Gone are the fluffy angles that serve as guardians and protectors, in are the beautifully scary, wrath of God angels bent on destroying mankind.

Susan Ee did a phenomenal job at building the apocalyptical world in which Penryn lives and does all that she can to care for and protect her sister and mother. Even if that means making a deal with Raffe, one of the deadliest of warrior angels, who was sent to destroy the world.

This book takes us on Penryn's quest to save her kidnapped sister. The journey is fraught with danger and peril, but with Penryn's background (which we seamlessly learn about along the way) and Raffe's help, the impossible doesn't seem so impossible.

As you read more of the book and get deeper into the world, the creep and scary factor grow exponentially . Bring on the nephilim and low demons and cannibals and science experiments gone so horribly wrong.

What helps this book from becoming too dark is the back and forth between Penryn and Raffe, which is so darn good, hilarious and laugh out loud at times. The chemistry between these two characters is palpable.

There are so many twists and turns in this book that you never see what's coming next. It keeps you excited to read.

The ending was so unexpected. I had so many WTF moments and literally had to take a few breaks and deep breaths before I could continue. The last few chapters of the book were some of the best in the book.

I will leave you with my favorite quote in the book, don't worry it won't spoil anything, and tell you to GO READ THIS BOOK NOW.

"I never thought about it before, but I'm proud to be human. We're ever so flawed. We're frail, confused violent, and we struggle with so many issues. But all in all, I'm proud to be a Daughter of Man.