Hope Everlasting (Book 3 in the Variant Saga) by J.N. Chaney

Genre: Dystopian/Sci-Fi
Rating: 5/5

John and Mei have just found a way through the portal onto Kant and have set up a base. As they and their teams begin to explore, they find strange and dangerous wildlife but see no intelligent life at first. Meanwhile, Terry and Ludo go in search of Ysa after escaping the prison. They connect with Ludo's son and head toward the temple where Ysa has been taken.
We are introduced to the elite population of Kant in the city of Everlasting. Their city seems perfect, but it is really?
Can Terry's friends find him? Can Terry and Ludo save Ysa?
There is something about this series that fascinates me to my core. I took a bit of a break between book two and this one, but I found myself thinking about it often. It's such an interesting blend of dystopia, fantasy, and sci-fi. The author is creative, and this world is very immersive. I'm longing for a reunion of Terry and his friends, but this story just keeps expanding. It's written and edited well. I'm very eager to see what happens in the last book. :-)

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Shadow Play by Jill Ramsower

Genre: Fantasy/ Paranormal 

Rating: 4/5 stars

Rebecca is living in New York when she starts thinking seriously about a career change. When her application is accepted at a museum in Belfast, Ireland, she and her best friend and roommate, Ashley, hop on a plane. Immediately, Rebecca starts encountering strange men and even more surprisingly, strange creatures. She is soon thrown into the world of Fae, meeting people who tell her strange, wonderous, and sometimes conflicting things. Where does she fit into all of this? Can she survive among the monsters?

I picked up this book because I am in a Karen Marie Moning dry spell at the moment after finishing High Voltage. I thought I would give it a try since it's set in Belfast. I did find the beginning to be very similar to the KMM books. (Girl from America comes to Ireland and discovers the world of Fae) but the similarities do seem to lessen as the story progresses. The first third or so of the book has a paradoxical combination of a fast/choppy pace while actually being quite slow. It is understandable since it's the first book in the series. It does pick up though, and I really enjoyed how the Fae lore seemed ubiquitous throughout humanity's history -- including Arthur, Guinevere, and Merlin, Tatiana and Oberon, and other historical figures (which makes sense since Fae are immortal). There were a few new types of Fae that I had never heard of, and the sexual tension between the main character and the two hunters was done well.
That being said, the editing does need some work. This book has a lot of potential if some of the issues can be fixed. I thought that there was a bit too much that was "in-your-face" explained when it didn't have to be, but there was actually a lack of physical scene-setting descriptions. I have no real idea of what Belfast is like after reading this book, and that is something I would have loved to have gotten a feel for.

I do think I will read the next one!

Death's Primordial Kiss by Romarin Demitri

Rose and Helaine are given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out to initiate into the London Coven. They are best friends and have dreamed about getting in as the Water and Spirit witches. The only problem is, the positions open are Fire and Water. Will their friendship survive the tryouts? And if they make it into the Coven, will they be able to make it to coronation?

I've been really fascinated by witches ever since watching AHS Coven, and so I jumped at the chance to read this book. One of the most interesting things about this book to me is that it has a lot of discussions about the source of power and how it is channeled/handled. The different planes and dimensions of existence are mentioned, and the witches talk about where powers can be channeled from--and it's slightly different for each element. The way magic is handled in this book is very unique in my opinion. They do talk about "controlling it," but they also talk about elements "choosing" them. There are challenges/attainments to complete. This system of magic is very organized and incredibly rich. People can also have different abilities without being an elemental witch; there are other races such as Lusians and Spriggans that appear.

There were definitely some jaw-dropping moments in this book, and I feel like this book just got deeper and deeper. The relationships were well-written. The main characters had a wonderful friendship, and I found the POV changes to be helpful and insightful rather than annoying. The Coven members Maddi, Gregory, and Stan were all fascinating to read about, though I would have liked to know more about the two ousted Coven members (maybe in the next book?) I particularly loved the evolution of Rose and Stan's relationship. Like other reviewers, I am hoping they chuck their inhibitions and get together <3
I did like Rose better at first (I was rooting for her to get in as Water), but I can honestly say that I love both the main characters equally for their own reasons after reading the whole thing. Helaine was harder for me to relate to, but I ended up loving her storyline, and I am eager to see her succeed.

I often judge books by how they make me feel as I'm reading them, and this one was absolutely engrossing--it made me happy to read it. I got to the end and felt a surge a disappointment that the next book wasn't immediately available. This is a universe that I want to immerse myself in for sure! Great job, Ms. Demetri!

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The Obsidian Shard COVER REVEAL!

COVER REVEAL-

THE OBSIDIAN SHARD- BOOK 3 IN THE ASHEN TOUCH TRILOGY

SYNOPSIS

One month has elapsed since Pandora turned out the sun, and things in the Mortal World are shifting as though something dark is just on the horizon. Sephy has been patrolling the streets, preventing demon attacks when she can, but things at the estate fall deeper into chaos with every passing day.

Luce is beyond reach, consumed by both grief and the darkness, and while Xion feels like he owes her the help she once gave him, he’s beginning to wonder if she’ll take it. Then, with the discovery of a solution to tame Lucifer’s darkness emerging from their joint past, the cogs of fate begin sputtering into motion.

For you see, Pandora might have the throne, but she still doesn’t possess the undying loyalty of the Demon Lords, and with an unexpected visit from the Higher Plains, Pandora begins to realise she needs power of her own to truly grasp her revenge.

Will Sephy, Xion, and Luce thwart her pursuit of the destruction of all they hold dear? Or is the sacrifice they are expected to pay to maintain the balance of worlds just too great?

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Silas Morlock

Silas Morlock

Genre: Dark Fantasy/Dystopian

Rating: 4.5/5

In Terapolis, books are banned because they caused a plague long ago, and the Gestalt (an advanced form of virtual reality) is what society craves. They work for all their lives to get money to go into the nearest access point for the Gestalt. It is what they think about and live for. Reality and memories get blurred. Terapolis, a semi-organic and living city, has consumed a good portion of the globe already. At MorTek, they are working on new Gestalt technology that will bring them closer to “Completion,” but the bibliophiles of the Incunabula are working to preserve all the literature they can in the hopes of outlasting and ultimately defeating Silas Morlock. Caxton, an author in the Incunabula, is finishing a very important manuscript and has become very concerned with (much to the chagrin of his fellow Incunabulites) a young man named Adam. Caxton and Adam are being followed by hired hands Marla and Otto. The libraries are always in danger of being burned if discovered. Can the bibliophiles hold out against Morlock and help society escape the darkness?

As a bibliophile, I really enjoyed this book and the underlying messages that it presents. Books do have a drug-like quality to them, and they are dangerous to those who crave power over the masses. If you can get rid of free thinkers and stop the spread of ideas, you can control the population.

I loved the character development in this book, especially Adam’s. He struggles with being addicted to the Gestalt like everyone else, but he has also been exposed to books. He keeps getting told that books and the Gestalt do not mix, and he is attempting to break free from the Gestalt, but the Incunabulites do not fully trust him, having turned down much better candidates for their ranks. Caxton, who appears to be going mad throughout the book, is insistent though, and much is revealed about how the characters connect. Laura, a courier for the Incunabula and a former girlfriend of Adam, is a great character also. I liked her more and more as the book came to its conclusion. The author included some really fun nods to other books, TV shows, and movies (I particularly enjoyed references to Fahrenheit 451 and the one quip about Star Trek “red shirts.” Parts of Caxton’s manuscript are woven into the novel in such a way that the backstory and the ultimate plot of the story is revealed in a very natural way.

My main complaint with this book is that there were many sections and aspects that I was not clear about. This book is both very dark and very metaphysical/spiritual. There were a lot of concepts that I didn’t understand fully. The Gestalt really isn’t artificial or virtual reality--it is some sort of spiritual or energy thing. People often are transported to other places or realms outside the Gestalt as well, but these episodes are neither dreams nor visions. Many people hear voices. The people who have just come out of a Gestalt access point (G-spot) walk around glassy-eyed and in a daze. Some sections of the narration were very smooth and easy to understand, and I felt like I finally had a grasp on things. Then there would come a section that was very confusing, with lots of terms I didn’t understand. I trudged through it though, and I am glad I did. In general, everything is just very vague and blurry – part of that I am sure is intentional (the citizens of Terapolis come across as confused themselves) but part of it is that I had a really hard time visualizing the city itself. It is some sort of chitinous organic material, but I wasn’t clear on exactly what that meant. Terapolis has multiple layers and levels, tunnels and sections. It gives the impression that the city is one big organism that is, in fact, feeding off the people. It’s like a nightmare that the people are stuck in.  

I also do wonder how books could ever be truly banned. I can understand that people might slowly lose the ability or the desire to read, but as it was stated in the book at least once, you have to have writing on signs and manuals. It really does seem necessary that some sort of written communication exists. I was not clear on whether or not there actually was a plague that was spread by the books. It seems that this was just a convenient lie to get rid of them, but no one ever says that explicitly, so I am not sure.

Overall, reading this book was a very pleasant experience. The editing was good, and it kept my interest throughout. The characters were believable, and the content is very imaginative. Although I wish some of the concepts were a little clearer, I can appreciate the book for what it is. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves books and believes in the power they hold to keep society FREE.

High Voltage by Karen Marie Moning

Each and every one of KMM's books has that way of drawing me in and totally consuming me, and this one was no exception. I thought the story wrapped up rather nicely in Feversong, but of course there is always room for more adventures. I have been thinking about Dani's evolution a lot, and it makes me even more impressed with the writing the more I think about it.
Iced was my favorite book in this universe because we got to get inside Dani's head, and it was a RIDE. I will confess that I was somewhat bummed out with the Jada transition, and I found her to be a lot less likeable than Dani. In this book, we get a very unique blend of the two. The old fun-loving Dani is really just gone, but she isn't as icy as Jada. We get a better, deeper glimpse into her past. The first 1/3 of the book or more is very slow and sad (I was starting to get a little disappointed actually). She is doing her thing along in Dublin in the absence of almost everyone she loves. When the other "return," things pick up rather quickly, and the book becomes mind-blowingly awesome. Things with Ryodan FINALLY get hotter. Without any spoilers, this book definitely went in a direction that I didn't expect but should have seen coming.
I love the timeless feeling of all these characters, and I would read 100 more books in this universe! <3

The Opal Blade - Kristy Nicolle

Genre: Fantasy/Mythology
Rating: 4.5/5
Sephy Sinclair is a spoiled heiress who just wants to relax and have fun after getting her degree. Her life becomes complicated when she finds an opal blade and gains strange powers. After defeating a terrifying wolf-creature, she is taken to the underworld, where she meets her father. She is in danger though, and attempts are constantly being made on her life. Will she ever be safe? Will she ever find herself?
I am not well-versed with mythology, so the universe of this book was a little overwhelming at times. There are so many characters to know! So many concepts and realms! Some of the names were vaguely familiar, and some of them were much different than expected (for example, Lucifer is female). The world building in this book is very well done. It's clearly a very rich universe, and I know I will enjoy becoming more familiar with the characters (even if I don't completely understand everything now.)
The characters make this book shine. Sephy starts out as a fairly unlikable character (she lives to drink, party, and hook up with random guys, and she avoids all responsibility as the heir to the Sinclair fortune) but she shows tremendous character growth throughout the story. Her personality makes more sense once we meet Hades, who is a truly entertaining character. I also enjoyed seeing how his character evolved after meeting Sephy. Both Xion and Jules are solid as a rock and very dependable. Lucifer was one of my favorites because she cares so much. I'll be interested to learn more about her and Thane.
This is an exciting story with some nice twists! Mythology readers will enjoy this take on the gods, demi-gods, and titans!

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