Category Archives: Reviews

May 21, 2013 · 3:00 am

THE LIVES OF TAO by Wesley Chu – Review

Lives of Tao 3DThe Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu

Genre: Adult Science Fiction

Publisher: Angry Robot

Release date: April 30 2013

Source: ARC from publisher

Pages: 375

five stars

In a word:  an ingenious concept, flawed but likable characters, exciting action sequences, with an emotional payoff at the end.

This whole alien-in-his-body was starting to sound better and better. First, he got to hang out with a hot girl, and now he was going to be James Bond. He would have to go shopping for a new wardrobe to fit his new role. Roen imagined a long trench coat like Neo with cool sunglasses and a big gun hanging at his waist.

The premise of The Lives of Tao is startlingly simple: what if every artistic, brilliant and charismatic game-changer throughout history was controlled by an alien life force inhabiting their body and directing their actions and decisions? This is the impetus behind Wesley Chu’s debut, and it makes for a very interesting and lively story. Imagine an intelligent race of aliens traveling through space, who crash landed on a developing planet millions of years ago. With no way to get back to their own planet, they must figure out how to survive, and so they inhabit the bodies of living creatures—fish, dinosaurs, mammals, and eventually humans—jumping from body to body when necessary, and trying to advance human technology so that they can eventual go home. These aliens, called Quasings, have split into two groups: the Prophus, who want a peaceful existence with humans, and the Genjix, who are driven by their lust for war and conflict. This story had everything I love in a book: great pacing, characters who are conflicted and have lots of growing to do, and all sorts of layers that add unexpected emotional depth.

The story begins right in the middle of the action, as our hero Tao, a Prophus currently in the host body of a man named Edward Blair, is trying to escape from the Genjix who is after him, but has just discovered he’s been double-crossed by a fellow Prophus. Edward knows the only way to save Tao is to “release” him by killing himself, allowing Tao to find a new host and continue his work. Not a great situation to be in, but Edward’s been Tao’s host for years and knows the drill. By the end of the first chapter (which by the way, was one of the best first chapters I’ve ever read), Tao is floating around without a host, with only minutes left to find someone new to call home. Enter Roen Tan, an over-weight computer geek with low self-esteem, whose life is about to change forever. Because Tao has just chosen Roen as his new host, and boy does he have a lot of work to do! When Roen wakes up the next morning and hears Tao speaking in his head, he has no idea what he’s in for.

So begins the strange and dangerous journey of Tao and Roen, as they try to avoid capture by the Genjix.  Roen is the perfect anti-hero, which makes this situation so funny. After convincing him that he has no choice but to act as a host for an alien being, Tao must not only get him in shape, but teach him how to fight, use weapons, and eventually kill in order to stay alive. One of the funniest parts of this book was the ongoing dialog between Roen and Tao. As Tao gives Roen pep talks about how to eat right and lose weight, he also begins to tell him stories about his past lives, and some of the famous (and infamous) people he’s influenced. That’s one of the layers I was talking about. Not only is this a rip-roaring story about spies and infiltrating enemy secrets, but it’s a history lesson as well.

Soon Roen meets Sonya, a human host for a Prophus named Baji. Sonya is sent to help train Roen and get him ready to go on assignments. I expected there might be a romance between the two, but instead Roen meets a woman named Jill who knows nothing about the Quasing, and he begins to date her. Jill’s character was the only thing I didn’t like about The Lives of Tao. I just couldn’t figure out why Roen was attracted to her, because she felt so two-dimensional to me. However, by the end I could see why she might be important (as this is the first in a series), and hopefully Chu will flesh out her character and make her more likeable in the next book. A Tai Chi master named Sifu Lin was a fantastic character with a Yoda vibe to him. But for me, Roen and Tao stole the show. Not only are they great characters by themselves, but the friendship that develops between them is priceless.

About nine chapters into the book, Tao begins to tell Roen his history, in the form of short paragraphs at the beginning of each chapter. In this way, the reader starts to get an idea of just how broad an influence the Quasing have had over the human race. It was a brilliant way to convey a lot of information in a subtle way, without the dreaded “info-dump.” Tao describes the ongoing war between the Genjix and the Prophus, which escalates into unspeakable horrors as each act of vengeance spins out of control. Chu wisely gives Tao a fatal human flaw: despite having lived for thousands of years, he continues to make the same mistakes over and over again. Including some cool ideas in these history lessons, like imprisoning the enemy Quasing in the body of a turtle for hundreds of years, made me downright giddy!

And the emotional payoff I mentioned at the beginning of this review? Just as the reader starts to invest in the characters, the author puts everyone in danger, and you won’t know who makes it until the last page. Chu doesn’t leave us hanging at the end, but he does set things up for book two, The Deaths of Tao, out this October.

Full of heart, humor, danger and a couple of jaw-dropping moments of “what if,” The Lives of Tao is highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.

Find The Lives of Tao: Goodreads * Amazon * Wesley Chu’s Website

I’m happy to report I’m doing an interview with Wesley in a couple of weeks, and I’ll be giving away my (rare and precious) ARC  of The Lives of Tao to one U.S. winner! Follow this blog so you don’t miss it!

1 Comment

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as , , , ,

May 15, 2013 · 4:33 pm

PLOW THE BONES by Douglas F. Warrick – Review

Plow the Bones 3D

Plow the Bones by Douglas F. Warrick

Genre: Adult Speculative/Horror Short Stories

Publisher: Apex Book Company

Release date: May 3 2013

Source: e-ARC from publisher

Pages: 228

four and a half

In a word:  hallucinatory, disturbing & unsettling stories, carefully crafted with glimmers of humanity.

They have crafted sharp teeth for themselves from the tiny crystal bones of their dead and mounted them in their mouths. Was it painful? You’re goddamn right it was! Setting crystal spines into their soft tiny moth-gums, drawing fountains of their own blood, God, how they screamed and cried.

I’ve read some unusual short story collections this year (Vampires in the Lemon Grove, Revenge, and The Miniature Wife), but Plow the Bones is almost in a category by itself. I’ll admit I had to read this book in small doses.  Each story by itself triggered goose bumps and an odd feeling of unease, the sort of unease that’s hard to explain. And so I drank this collection in small sips, letting each story settle in my stomach before going back for more. Like a bitter taste that nonetheless grows on you, the stories in this collection as a whole make up an impressive and award-worthy assemblage of monsters, damaged people, hidden rooms, and inanimate objects come to life. Here are some of my favorites:

Her Father’s Collection

An unusual ghost story about a man afraid of losing his beloved daughter, and so he devises a way to keep her with him forever, even after death. I found this story to be very sad but also a bit menacing.

The Itaewon Eschatology Show

Another story with an overall mood of sadness, this is also a good example of the unwieldy titles that Warrick seems to be fond of. I got a Clive Barker vibe from this story, about two men who perform as night clowns in Korea. The narrator, who is also involved with a prostitute, seems to be stuck between two different lives. I looked for a deeper meaning in this story but came up empty-handed. It made me wonder if I missed something, or if the author simply intended the bizarre quality of the story to be simply that: random events brought together for a short time on a piece of paper.

Come to My Arms, My Beamish Boy

One of my favorites, this is the story of a man with Alzheimer’s that is desperately searching for a lost memory of his wedding day. With the help of a ghostly visitor, he gets his memory back, but at a cost. A very affecting and poignant story about life, death, and memory.

Ballad of a Hot Air Balloon-Headed Girl

The title says it all: it’s the story of a girl who is certain her head is about to catch on fire, and so she crafts a hot air balloon envelope and attaches it to her shoulders, so she’ll be ready when it happens. When the narrator falls in love with her, he devises a way to reunite with her after she inevitably floats away.

And she kissed me. Our tongues touched, and I tasted smoke. Her mouth was hot like a stone beneath the sun and she tasted red and brown and old.

A strange but lovely story that gave me chills.

Stickhead (or…In the Dark, in the Wet, We are Collected)

Another head-scratch-inducing title, this story is pure horror. Not only does it contain a monster, like so many of Warrick’s stories, but it becomes terrifying because of the choices the human characters make.

I Inhale the City, The City Exhales Me

A manga artist’s drawings come to life as she draws, or are the drawings controlling her? It’s sometimes hard to tell in this story about the symbiotic relationship between an artist and her creations, but I quite enjoyed the mood and flavor of this odd tale.

Across the Dead Station Desert, Television Girl

It’s dirty in the between-world, a place made of screams, and she is always falling.

The longest story of the bunch, this was my favorite and probably the one with the most traditional narrative style. A company in a futuristic society has created the ultimate sex toy, Television Girl, a completely responsive Artificial Intelligence computer program that you can access through your TV screen. But Television Girl has found a between-world, a place that is neither her holding pen when she isn’t being used (the Shelter) or the bedroom where she is called upon to have sex. In the Dead Station Desert she discovers that she may be able to change her fate. I loved the hopefulness of this tale, and I adored Television Girl. It was a perfect ending to this unique and peculiar collection.

Some of the stories just didn’t work for me, but overall I was very impressed with the Warrick’s mind-bending vision and his skillfully written prose. If you are drawn to stories that explore the darker parts of human existence, Plow the Bones should not be missed. This first book in the Apex Voices series, created to shine a light on little-known writers of high quality genre fiction, is a promising start to the series, and I look forward to reading more.

Many thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. Quotes were taken from an uncorrected review copy and may differ from the finished version.

Purchase Plow the Bones * Add to Goodreads

Come back soon for my interview with Doug and a giveaway of Plow the Bones!

Leave a Comment

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as , , , , ,

May 9, 2013 · 3:00 am

OXFORD SHADOWS by Marion Croslydon – Blog Tour + Review + Giveaway!

Oxford Shadows Tour BannerI’m thrilled to be participating in the Blog Tour for Oxford Shadows! On my stop today, I have my review for you to read, some information about both books in the series, and a fantastic giveaway!

Oxford front copyBOOK ONE: OXFORD WHISPERS

Paperback, 324 pages

Published October 8, 2012 by Carlux Publishing

ISBN13: 9780957282407

Series: The Oxford Trilogy #1

Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Madison LeBon is dead set against the dead.

Her fresh start at Oxford University is a brand new beginning. She finally has a chance to turn the page on her psychic powers and cumbersome voodoo heritage. Snakes, dolls, ghosts, and spirits: Farewell…

Not quite.

When the tragic lovers in a painting—the subject of her first history class—begin to haunt her, she must accept her gift before life imitates art. The lovers warn her against their own nemesis, a Puritan from the English Civil War. Unfortunately, said nemesis is now going all homicidal on Madison.

College becomes more complicated when she falls hard for Rupert Vance, a troubled aristocrat and descendant of one of the characters in the painting. With the spirit of a murderer after her, Madison realizes that her own first love may also be doomed…

© Teresa Yeh Photography Proofs

BOOK TWO: OXFORD SHADOWS

Paperback, 300 pages

Expected publication: May 6, 2013

Series: The Oxford Trilogy #2

Goodreads * Amazon

When death is a new beginning and love an old curse.

Still recovering from her last tango with the afterlife, Louisiana-born Madison LeBon struggles not only with her life as an Oxford postgrad but also with her budding love for Rupert Vance, aristocrat extraordinaire. One thing is certain, though: she won’t run away from her powers anymore. From now on she’ll face the music …

… literally!

When a sixteenth-century ghost makes an appearance during a classical concert Madison attends and threatens her boyfriend’s family, she sets out to explore the dark mysteries of the Tudors, even if that means confronting their most royal and homicidal character.

Her plans take an unexpected turn when her voodoo heritage catches up with her. With horror, she understands what her fate was always meant to be.

The question now is: Can Rupert be part of it?

My Review:

four stars

In a word: A second book that is better than the first, gothically romantic, a ghostly mystery, with a creepy voodoo element.

Sometimes second books in a series fall flat or become repetitive, but Oxford Shadows was even better than Oxford Whispers, in my opinion. Maybe it’s because the characters were so well developed or because I enjoyed the ghostly storyline more this time around. But whatever the reason, Croslydon’s Oxford Trilogy is one you shouldn’t miss if you love New Adult Paranormal Romance.

The events at the end of Oxford Whispers have been resolved, and we find Madison and Rupert in a blissful state now that they are officially dating. But that bliss does not last long. Croslydon jumps right into the action on page one, as Madison sees a ghost while attending a concert at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. The ghost, who seems to be hovering over Rupert’s stepmother Camilla, tells Madison that Camilla and her unborn baby will die. This sets Madison on a course to find out who the ghost is and to prevent him from carrying through with his horrible threat.

Before long and after several more visions and ghostly encounters, Madison connects the ghost to Henry the VIII and a young girl named Liliana who supposedly knew him in his younger days before he became king. After Camilla has a couple of suspicious accidents, the rest of the story involves Madison and Rupert trying to figure out why Camilla is being targeted and what they can do to stop it.

Oxford Shadows brings back some characters from book one and also introduces some new ones. An attractive man named Sam enters the picture and at first seems to be vying for Madison’s heart, and Madison is strangely drawn to him and his comforting and familiar Louisiana drawl. But is Sam telling Madison the truth about himself, and why he knows so much about her? It’s one of the ongoing mysteries that Croslydon has in store for the reader. I did enjoy Sam’s character, as he seems to be testing the relationship between Madison and Rupert. Rupert hates him on sight, and Sam brings out a jealous side of him that added some spice to his relationship with Madison. We also meet a not-as-likeable woman named Aurélie, one of Aunt Louise’s friends from Louisiana who is also involved in voodoo. Aurélie’s storyline doesn’t end with this story, however, and we’re sure to see more of her in the next book.

In Oxford Whispers we learned about Madison’s family roots in voodoo, and part of the story took place in her home town of Pierre Part. In book two, the voodoo storyline comes to Oxford. With the arrival of Madison’s Aunt Louise from Louisiana, Madison is thrust into a mysterious world of voodoo prayer and animal sacrifice, and Louise hints that she might be a powerful force in the world of voodoo.  I’ll have to admit this wasn’t my favorite part of the story. I felt the voodoo scenes were out-of-place and awkwardly integrated into the Oxford background, and with the ghostly Henry the VIII as the main focus, I could have done without the voodoo sections altogether.

What I did love was the way Croslydon puts in details of the past by using flashbacks. The story begins with a very creepy scene of a woman drowning, but doesn’t explain what it means. As the story progresses, the reader gets more and more clues about who this woman is and how she fits into the story of Camilla and her baby. I loved the way she used historical details about Henry and Anne Boleyn, but put her own spin on why Henry killed so many of his wives. The author also uses reincarnation to explain the connections between characters, and by the end my mouth was hanging open in astonishment at the inventive plot twists.

Another potential pitfall of second books is that the romance can fall flat. I applaud the author for keeping the relationship between Madison and Rupert fresh and interesting. Now that they are a couple, they are faced with different challenges, including introducing each other to their families, dealing with jealousy, and most difficult of all, Rupert accepting fully that Madison is not like other girls, and her ability to see ghosts is something he’s just going to have to accept if he wants to be with her.

The story has a very satisfying ending, but also sets things up for book three. Croslydon throws in a couple of surprises at the end, making us eager to read more of this well-written series. Many thanks to the author for supplying a review copy.

About the Author:

Marion CroslydonIn addition to being an author, I work as an entrepreneur, wife and mother-of-one but spend a good deal of time with books, DVDs and listening to my mp3 player; all for the sake of inspiration, of course.

My debut series, The Oxford Trilogy, has been a blast to write because I can indulge in my favorite types of music: Country and English rock.

My main goal as a writer is to make readers dream bigger and cause their hearts to beat a little faster.

Since my writing is all about sharing dreams and stories, I love connecting with fellow readers and authors.

Find Marion:

Twitter * Goodreads * Facebook * Blog

Click here to see the Tour Master Schedule List.

And now for the giveaway! First prize: signed copy of Oxford Shadows + Oxford University T-shirt! Second prize: signed copy of Oxford Shadows + $10 Amazon gift card! Plus three additional winners will receive an e-book of Oxford Shadows! Open Internationally. Simply click the Rafflecopter button below to enter:

Raffle button

Big thanks to Leisha and AToMR Tours for hosting the Oxford Shadows Blog Tour!

AToMR purple

3 Comments

Filed under Blog Tours, Giveaways, Reviews

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

May 6, 2013 · 8:49 pm

ZENN SCARLETT by Christian Schoon – Review

Zenn Scarlett 3DZenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Publisher: Strange Chemistry

Release Date: May 7 2013

Source: e-ARC from publisher

Pages: 304

four and a half

In a word:  a brilliantly imagined world, full of strange and delightful creatures, one adorable rikkaset named Katie, and an explosive but frustrating ending.

“Yotes can snap an ultratheer’s thighbone like a Solstice candy cane.”

If that quote from Zenn Scarlett doesn’t intrigue you, you have no business reading science fiction. Zenn Scarlett was (almost) everything I wanted it to be, but unlike anything I could have imagined. If you love animals, you will love this book. If you love intricate world-building, you will love this book. And if you enjoy a back story with an unsolved mystery, you will love this book. This is the first of two books in a series, and herein lies my problem with Zenn Scarlett (more on that later). I loved this book enough to overlook a couple of issues, because it has a charm and wide-eyed wonder to it that I rarely see in YA books.

Here’s a brief run-down on the story: Zenn Scarlett is a seventeen-year-old exoveterinarian-in-training, which means she’s learning how to care for alien animals. She lives in a cloister on Mars with her uncle Otha, who is training her to become a full-fledged exovet someday. Assisting them is the coleopt Hamish, a beetle-like alien creature who is slowly learning the ways of humans from his pal Zenn. Zenn’s parents are both MIA: her mother Mai (also an exovet) died nine years before in a freak accident, and her father has taken a job on another planet and hasn’t been heard from in months.

As Zenn enters into several exovet tests to determine whether or not she is ready to become an acolyte, bizarre accidents start to happen, and before she knows it, she’s thrust into the middle of a conspiracy that may affect her future, as well as everyone else who lives at the cloister. Luckily Zenn has several trusty friends to help her figure things out, including Hamish the coleopt and Liam, a boy from town who has lately become very interested in Zenn. But who exactly can she trust? For a girl who has lived her entire life cut off from normal human interaction, the lines between friends and enemies are not clearly drawn.

Sunkillers. Yotes. Indra. Whalehounds. Rikkasets. Seepdemons. Sandhogs. These are just some of the alien creatures that live in the pages of Zenn Scarlett. I really wanted an owner’s manual with drawings to better imagine what they look like. Schoon himself is an animal lover, so it’s no wonder he poured so much love and attention to detail into his fictional creations. Every  time a new creature is introduced, the author gives us a detailed description of the animal, and believe me, each one is more unusual and extraordinary than the last. Schoon’s imagination is endless, and despite the pauses in the narrative during these informational passages, I was riveted. His best invention, in my opinion, is the Indra, an immense alien animal that powers the starships that are the only transportation between planets. To over-explain the Indra and its method of travel would be to lessen the impact of the reading experience. Oh wait. I also loved the Greater Kiran sunkiller. That was my favorite creature. Damn you, Mr. Schoon…

I loved all the characters, but I have to say I was completely charmed by Hamish. He’s an alien who’s out of his element and trying to learn the ways of humans. Imagine a gigantic beetle that stands about seven or eight feet tall, has antennae, a claw for a hand, and wings that unfold from his carapace-like frame (and yes, he does use his wings, in one of the most exciting scenes in the book!) Hamish starts as a timid creature who is afraid of doing and saying the wrong thing, but he grows into a hero of sorts by the end of the story.

I adored Zenn’s pet rikkaset Katie, a cat-like animal that has the ability to blend into her surroundings and can communicate with Zenn using sign language. I’ll admit I’m a sucker for animal side-kicks, and Katie is one of my all-time favorites. Zenn herself is an interesting girl, but very naïve for her age. She lives by a set of self-imposed rules that prevent her from getting too close to people. But despite this she is resourceful and smart, and I expect her character to only get better in the next book.

Which leads me to the reason I was slightly disappointed in Zenn Scarlett: just as the story gets really good, it ends in a dreaded cliffhanger, forcing the suddenly angry reader (me) to curse the author for making us wait to find out what will happen to Zenn and her friends. The first 75% of the book is lots of set-up as Schoon describes his amazing world, so the pace meanders along until the end, where most of the nail-biting action takes place. It’s not that I haven’t been here before. YA fiction these days is rife with trilogies that do exactly the same thing, but I’ve decided I don’t like this trend. Publishers take note: I’d rather read a 500 or 600-page book and get the complete story, than be forced to throw a 300-page book against the wall in frustration.

So yes, I highly recommend Zenn Scarlett! But be prepared to have questions when you reach the final page: What is the real story behind Mai’s accident? What really happened to Zenn’s father? And what the heck is the nexus anyway?  You won’t get all the answers this time around, but don’t let that stop you from reading this book. Zenn Scarlett is unique and special, and I invite you to enter Christian Schoon’s world.

Many thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. You can purchase Zenn Scarlett here (available May 7th) and visit the author’s website here.

2 Comments

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as , , , ,

May 2, 2013 · 3:00 am

NISSA by Bethany Lopez – Blog Tour, Review + Giveaway!

Nissa Tour BannerWelcome to my stop on the Nissa Blog Tour! I was lucky enough to meet Bethany Lopez at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books recently, which makes me extra happy to be participating in her blog tour:) Keep reading for my review of the book, plus a cool giveaway at the end.

Nissa

Title: Nissa, A Contemporary Fairy Tale

Author: Bethany Lopez

Release date: April 23 2013

Age Group: Young Adult

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17392482-nissa

Book Description:

At 900 years old, Nissa is finally ready to follow her mother’s path and become the best Fairy Godmother she can. She’s not thrilled when her first assignment turns out to be a teenage human girl with self-esteem issues, but she knows she has to start somewhere. Her assignment has dealt with bullies since her freshman year and they haven’t let up. If Nissa can’t help her regain her self-confidence her future is bleak.

To complicate matters Nissa experiences all the signs that she’s met the being fated for her. This impossibility distracts her from her purpose. After all, fairies and humans aren’t meant for each other. How can her heart believe otherwise? Can Nissa successfully complete her first assignment as a Fairy Godmother? Will the fates allow Nissa and Levi to be together? And even if they do, will Levi believe Nissa once she reveals the truth?

Purchase your copy of Nissa:  Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Smashwords

My Review:

four stars

In a word: charming, romantic, full of fairy lore, with some gentle messages about human nature.

A few weeks ago I attended the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, and I just happened to run into Bethany Lopez. I introduced myself to her and told her I was going to be part of her blog tour, and purchased a copy of her book. She is such a nice person, and after speaking to her briefly and reading Nissa, I see some similarities between Bethany and her main character, Nissa the fairy. Nissa is a short but lovely tale about leaving home to do your duty, meeting the love of your life, helping those in need, coming home again, and having to make some tough choices about your future.

Nissa is a 900-year-old fairy, but in human years she’s only eighteen. She has just been given her first assignment as a Fairy Godmother, helping a teen girl get back the self-esteem she seems to have lost. After leaving fairy headquarters and being changed into human form, she meets her human liaisons the Cartwrights, a couple that will help her adjust to human life and assist with her mission. She soon meets Vicky, the girl she has been sent to help, and observes her being bullied at school by boys and girls alike. Vicky is miserable and doesn’t trust Nissa at first, but little by little, the girls become friends. One day Nissa goes to Vicky’s house and meets her brother Levi, and before you know it, Nissa is experiencing all the physical traits that fairies feel when they’ve met their soul mate: tingling in her right hand, a racing heartbeat, and eyes that briefly turn pink!

There’s only one problem: Nissa is a fairy and Levi’s human, and according to fairy law, the two can never be together. Nissa has her hands full in her human disguise and not only has to help Vicky, but figure out how to deal with her growing feelings for Levi.

I loved the author’s vision of fairy life. I’m not sure how much of it is made up and how much is based on folklore, but in my opinion, the fairies in Nissa have it pretty good. They spend their (very long) lives romping through the forest, they have wings and can fly whenever they want to, and if need be, they can transform into humans in order to accomplish certain tasks. Lopez’s fairies are kind, courteous and practical. They are also innocent and trusting, which could be seen as flaws in the human world. Nissa herself is all these things, but she has wisdom, probably because of her advanced age!

Nissa and Levi are a good romantic match. I enjoyed their budding relationship, and many of the moments they spent together were sweet and innocent. I also really liked Vicky’s character. She begins as an oppressed and unhappy teenager, but gradually gains the self-esteem she sorely lacks in the beginning of the story. I loved her growth into a happier and more confident girl.

The author also mentions several Los Angeles landmarks, which I enjoyed since I’ve been to some of them myself. But the land where the fairies live is quite unique, and I loved the descriptions of the forest trees where they make their home,  and the strong family bonds between fairy folk. I wanted to spend more time there, and for that reason I wish the book had been longer. Its brevity made for a quick read, but I did want more detail in certain spots. I also wanted a bit more tension during the story. Sometimes it felt as if Nissa reached her goals too easily, and I wanted her and the other characters to work harder.

But those are just small complaints. I enjoyed the clear and simple writing style, and I thought it had just the right touch for a fairy tale. A surprise revelation at the end about two of the characters made the story all the more charming.

A quick read, yes, but one full of delightful characters, some thoughtful morals, and just a touch of magic.

Many thanks to the author for supplying a review copy.

About the Author:

Bethany LopezBethany Lopez was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Michigan and San Antonio, Texas. She went to High School at Dearborn High, in Dearborn, Michigan, which is where she has set her Young Adult series. She is married and has a blended family with five children. She is currently serving in the United States Air Force as a Recruiter in Los Angeles, California. She has always loved to read and write and has seen her dream realized by independently publishing her novels through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Find Bethany: IAN * Pinterest *  Bethany Lopez * Facebook * Twitter

Fairy NecklaceAnd now for the giveaway! One winner will receive this gorgeous fairy necklace, as well as a paperback copy of Nissa and some swag! Simple click on the button below to go to the Rafflecopter:

Raffle button

Please click here to see all the stops on the Nissa Blog Tour!

Many thanks to AToMR Tours for hosting this blog tour!

AToMR purple

2 Comments

Filed under Blog Tours, Giveaways, Reviews

Tagged as , , , ,

May 1, 2013 · 5:00 am

DEAD LIGHT by Mike Pace – Review

Dead Light 3DDead Light by Mike Pace

Genre: Adult Horror

Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing

Release date: April 4 2013

Source: e-book from publisher

Pages: 387

four stars

In a word: finely paced plotting, graphically descriptive, engaging characters and a terrifying and deadly light…

Why is it that stories rooted in Biblical legend can scare the bejesus out of me, but I can read books about vampires and werewolves all day long with nary a goose bump? There’s something unsettling about the devil, probably because of his religious affiliations. Debut novelist Mike Pace cuts to the heart of this fear with this top-notch horror story about what happens when the devil decides to visit a small town.

Here’s a quick run-down on the plot: In the small (and very conservative) town of Cumberton, Maryland, Reverend Jimmy Starr has convinced the town officials to relocate a 350-year-old cemetery so that he can build a dormitory for his fundamentalist Christian college, Starr College. Unfortunately, an old and very dangerous box is unearthed during the construction, and once it is opened, bad things start happening to the townspeople of Cumberton. And I do mean bad.

After a seemingly stable co-ed named Jill inexplicably drowns herself in Chesapeake Bay, Sheriff Estin Booker and visiting homicide detective Anna Tucci begin to investigate Jill’s death. But Jill is just the beginning. Soon people begin dropping like flies, and all the deaths appear to be suicides. But to Estin and Tucci, the clues add up to something else entirely. With the help of an English Lit professor named Harvey, O’Hara the old town eccentric, and even Reverend Starr himself, they begin to piece together a frightening picture of what’s really happening. Can Estin and Tucci fight the devil, and win? You’ll just have to read the book to find out!

I got so many Stephen King vibes while reading Dead Light, from the small town setting to the eccentric and quirky characters to the stomach-churning visceral horror. Pace doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to describing each gruesome death, and what makes it all the more horrific is that the deaths themselves aren’t supernatural in nature at all. The author has a talent for building a sense of dread. Before each person dies, they all experience the same things: the smell of burnt cookies, a stinging scratch on the back of their neck, and a pulsing light, followed by a frightening vision of someone from their past. So when Tony suddenly smells burnt cookies, you know what’s coming.

I loved all the characters, but I have to say my favorite was Tucci, the brash and tough-speaking detective from Baltimore, who unwittingly ends up helping with the investigation. Estin Booker can’t stand her at first, as she criticizes and makes fun of the small-town characters of Cumberton. But she proves to be a smart cop, and as they get nearer to the truth about why so many people are committing suicide, she and Estin get closer as well. Tucci’s got her own tragic past, mostly told through flashbacks, and it makes her more likeable. I was pleased to see a female character that doesn’t fit the usual norms in fiction.

The author alternates his present-day story with flashback chapters that take place in the 1660s and partially explain the mystery behind the wooden box and how it came to be buried in the cemetery. I thought he did a great job with these chapters, and even though I felt they were a bit too spread out, they were important to the reader’s understanding of Lucifer’s Light, the blinding flash of light that has escaped from the box. He also uses flashbacks with some of the key characters to explain their feelings of guilt that lead them to commit suicide.

A couple of things didn’t quite work for me, like the mysterious ice cream cones that keep appearing at the crime scenes, a reference to Tucci’s past that probably seemed like a good idea at the time, but ended up feeling forced; and a couple of misleads about the case suggesting mass drug use and subliminal messages that were just confusing. But these are small things in an otherwise tightly crafted story.

Pace makes a tongue-in-cheek moral statement about sex and death, since several of the characters meet their demise after having forbidden (to the fundamentalist church) sex. He also gives Tucci and Estin a firm disbelief in the supernatural, so it takes them a while before they start to believe that the deaths are connected to the light that’s escaped from the box. The final showdown between good and evil takes up the last quarter of the book, but by that time you’ll be turning the pages as quickly as possible to find out what happens.

Dead Light is a novel of Biblical proportions, literally! If it’s the dark you’re afraid of, you ain’t seen nothing’ yet. As the Dead Light’s victims say right before they die, “Beware the Light.”

Many thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.

Coming up next, don’t miss my interview with Mike and your chance to win an e-book of Dead Light!

2 Comments

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as , , ,

April 25, 2013 · 3:00 am

RESIDUE by Laury Falter – Blog Tour, Review + Giveaway!

Residue Blog tour bannerI’m very happy to be participating in the blog tour for Residue today! I found Laury’s book to be a tantalizing blend of romance, witchcraft and suspense. Look for my review below! And keep reading all the way to the end for your chance to win copies of Residue!

Residue

Book Info from Goodreads:
Kindle Edition, 300 pages
Published April 13th 2012
ISBN13: 9780985511067
Edition language: English
Original title: Residue
Series: Residue Series #1

Synopsis from Goodreads:

When Jocelyn Weatherford is whisked away from a preparatory academy in upstate New York to live with her extended family in New Orleans, she is unprepared to encounter the dangers awaiting her. Yet even as she is thrust into an unfamiliar world of witches and voodoo magic, the greatest threat of all may be the boy she has fallen for.

While handsome and charming, he is also a Caldwell… a member of the family the Weatherford’s have been feuding with for centuries. As their forbidden love grows it becomes the volatile spark that forever changes their world and everyone in it.

Find & Purchase Residue:

Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes &  Noble

My Review:

four stars

In a word: a romantic and charming tale of witchcraft, secrets, star-crossed lovers and family rivalries.

I could tell from the gorgeous and sultry cover of Residue that this story about witchcraft in New Orleans was going to be good, and it was. Falter has brought together an unusual mixture of storytelling elements that somehow work well together. Residue is the first in the series, and although there is some sense of closure at the end of the book, readers are going to want to get the next book as soon as possible, since the author leaves us hanging at the end.  This is one quick read that will keep you flipping pages, not only because of the suspense, but because of the slow brewing romance between the two main characters.

Sixteen-year-old Jocelyn Weatherford is attending school one day when an unexplainable scar appears on her arm out of nowhere. An astute school nurse brusquely informs her that she has fifteen minutes to go home, pack and get on a plain to New Orleans. Jocelyn is strangely accepting of this order and soon finds herself living a new life, in a quaint old New Orleans home with her Aunt Lizzie and her five cousins. Before long, she finds out that she is descended from a long line of witches, and she herself has latent powers that suddenly seem to be awakening. The scar on her arm was a warning that an old enemy is getting ready to attack, and Jocelyn must now attend “casting” classes with other witches and learn to harness her powers.

One day while shopping for school supplies, she meets an attractive boy named Jameson, who is also a witch. Their immediate attraction literally brings down the walls, but later they discover that they belong to two powerful witch families, the Weatherfords and the Caldwells, who have been at war with each other for hundreds of years, and they are forbidden to speak to each other, let alone start a relationship. But love has its own ideas, and when the two families find out some shocking truths about the magical judicial branch of witchcraft called The Sevens, they must decide whether to remain enemies or come together in order to protect themselves.

I loved the characters of Jocelyn and Jameson. Jocelyn is a rule-breaker who has perfected the art of sneaking out at night without getting caught. Jameson is determined to love Jocelyn even when his brothers and sisters are telling him to stay away from her. Their romance is sweet and innocent and perfect for YA readers. I liked the fact that this novel has an overall old fashioned feel to it. Falter’s writing is formal, and although the story is set in the present day (I’m assuming), there isn’t any of your typical teen slang or references to pop culture, which worked well with the subject matter. When the two discover that together they have a special ability to heal the sick, they go out of their way to visit hospitals and even brave the swamps to use this gift for good.

The tension in the story lies in a magical artifact that is given to Jocelyn, a rope of braided hair, that turns out to be extremely dangerous. There is also tension between the teen Weatherfords and Caldwells, and a great deal of the story describes the nasty and sometimes harmful spells they cast on each other as they embrace their family feud. Several family secrets are revealed that are painful for Jocelyn, and she must figure out a way to overcome the emotions these secrets evoke in her. Throughout it all is the mystical connection she feels with Jameson, and their Romeo and Juliet-like romance has its own tension. Will they be able to stay together, or will family history pull them apart?

A few awkward sentences here and there were a little distracting, but overall the writing was nicely done. And I did run across a couple of Twilight references, but I’m not sure if they were deliberately included, or simply a coincidence (a couple of scenes at school screamed Bella and Edward, and all of the Weatherford and Caldwell teens each have their own luxury sports car to zip around town in, just like the Cullens). But the author used some creative magical touches that I loved. For example, each family has their own specific gemstone that they carry with them or wear for protection. And Jocelyn’s ability to absorb residue was very cool, although I don’t want to tell you what it means and spoil the story!

This is a great start to an entertaining series, and luckily for us, the next three books are already available. Recommended for fans of YA paranormal romance that is light on violence but full of tension and that flippy feeling you get in your stomach when you’ve met the love of your life.

About the author:

Laury FalterLaury Falter is the author of the bestselling Guardian Trilogy. She writes young adult paranormal romances and urban fantasy when she’s not taking her stray dogs for a walk or enjoying a date night with her husband.

Laury has released two series, the Guardian Trilogy and the Residue Series (a spinoff of the Guardian Trilogy books), and is currently releasing her third series, the Apocalypse Chronicles.

To learn more about Laury and her novels, visit her at:

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

Tour Schedule Link: http://atomrbookblogtours.com/2013/02/15/tour-residue-by-laury-falter/

Now for the giveaway! Laury is giving away (3) signed copies of Residue (U.S. only) and (8) e-books (International)! Simply click the Rafflecopter buttons below to enter the giveaway of your choice:

Raffle button

Click this button if you live in the US to win one of THREE signed copies of Residue!

damask

Raffle button

Click this button to win one of EIGHT e-book copies of Residue! Open Internationally!

This blog tour has been brought to you by:

AToMR 2

3 Comments

Filed under Blog Tours, Giveaways, Reviews

Tagged as , , , , ,

April 23, 2013 · 3:57 pm

ARCLIGHT by Josin L. McQuein – Review

Arclight 3DArclight by Josin L. McQuein

Genre: YA Science Fiction/Thriller

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Release date: April 23 2013

Source: e-ARC from publisher via Edelweiss

Pages: 416

four and a half

In a word: terrifying, amazingly inventive, heartbreaking and a world like nothing you’ve ever seen.

Like many readers, I was initially drawn to this book because of the amazing cover. I am a sucker for a colorful book cover design, and this is still one of my favorites so far this year. I was hoping for an equally amazing reading experience, and I was not disappointed. Arclight has got to be one of the most unusual and surprising books I’ve read in quite some time. It was nothing like I thought it would be, and it was much more than I expected. And because of my reading experience, I am doing something in this review that I’ve never done before: including images! I’ve always felt that reading is a personal experience, and that each reader should use their own imaginations when they read, but for Arclight, I feel compelled to add some visual aids. Although McQuein is an amazing writer and uses gorgeous imagery, I was left confused by the actual setting of the Arclight, a problem other bloggers have talked about in their reviews. I’m using these images to enhance my review and help others understand how I interpret this amazingly constructed world.

Here’s the setup of the story: a teen named Marina lives in a protected compound with a group of survivors who do everything in their power to keep their enemy out, creatures called the Fade who want to infect and take over the bodies of humans. They live behind a wall of lights called the Arclight, lights that blaze all night long and scare away the Fade.  But Marina is different from the others in the compound. She has no memories of where she came from, who her family is, or what she was doing outside in the Grey when she was found and brought back to the compound. All Marina knows is that everyone seems to hate her, and blames her for several deaths that happened during her rescue.

A boy named Tobin, whose father was lost to the Dark that day, is drawn to Marina and befriends her. One night, Marina and Tobin discover that a Fade is in the room with them, and during a struggle he is caught and taken to a place called the White Room, a hidden laboratory with a cell built to hold a Fade.  When Marina realizes she can communicate with this Fade and that he might have answers to her questions about her forgotten past, Marina sets out on a journey that will change everyone’s lives forever.

Let’s start with the world-building. I loved this world so much, but at times I was confused about how all these elements came together in space, if you know what I mean. After reading the book, and re-reading a few passages, here’s what I came up with:

arclgiht world

Now, this is a very rough sketch. This drawing by no means includes everything in the world of Arclight. I’m just not that talented, LOL! But I believe this gives you a pretty good idea of what human existence was like. Humans are confined to a group of buildings that are surrounded by bright lights, and crossing over the lights is not allowed. It’s dangerous. The Fade will get you! The Grey is the area between the Arclight and the Dark, and this is where Marina was found. The Dark is a seemingly impenetrable wall of twisted tree branches and vines, beyond which dwell the Fade. The Fade sometimes cross over at night and try to breach the Arc, in order to try to take back Marina. (Or so the humans believe). McQuein’s gorgeous gothic-style writing describes Marina’s reaction when she first sees the Dark:

The amorphous swath of no-man’s-land called the Dark is literally the stuff of nightmares. When the Arclght’s citizens put heads to pillows at dawn and close their eyes, it’s the Dark that lies behind them. Phantoms and ghosts of fears that have compounded on top of each other for generations churn in a new primordial soup that gives birth to the end of the world. It creeps like the misty fog beyond our boundaries, and it’s into that void I’ve now traveled.

By far my favorite part of Arclight were the Fade, a truly amazing creation that, once again, is hard to describe. So I’ve found a visual of what the Fade look like to me:

blendy person2

Artist Liu Bolin makes himself almost invisible with paint. Via The Daily Mail.

The Fade are able to blend into their surroundings and hide in plain sight. They have long, sharp claws that allow them to climb walls and hover near ceilings. They seem to be shrouded in a black cloak, and their eyes glow silver. They communicate with images and single words rather than familiar speech patterns. But they are so much more than this, and I don’t want to spoil the story by telling you more than that.

The story was surprisingly emotional, because each character is driven by a desire to search for something they’ve lost. Marina is looking for her true home and family; Rue (the Fade that is captured) is looking for his lost love, a Fade named Cherish; and Tobin is convinced that his father is still alive somewhere out in the Dark, and he will do anything to find him. These three characters form a love triangle of sorts, which I can’t explain without giving away a very cool plot twist. Each character broke my heart when they finally found what they were looking for, especially Rue. His love for Cherish was told in simple but heartbreaking prose.

Arclight has many horror elements in addition to the science fiction ones, reminding me of both Alien and the TV series Torchwood at different times while I was reading. McQuein adds some stomach-turning scenes that had me gasping. The Fade spread by attacking the human body, and the only way to stop them from taking over is to burn them out. I’ll leave the rest up to your imagination (or better yet, just read the book for yourself!)

The romantic element in the story is very subtle, and I applaud the author for keeping it that way. Arclight has so much depth that a heavy romantic storyline just wasn’t needed. The budding romance between Marina and Tobin is not much more than a few quick kisses, although you can tell that their emotional involvement runs deep. What interested me more was the love between Rue and Cherish. So few words are said, since the Fade have such a different way of communicating, but the agony of lost love shines through nonetheless.

It’s hard to stop writing about Arclight, but alas, this review is already too long! If you are looking for an original and emotional tale that goes beyond the borders of genre and cuts to the heart of the human condition, Arclight is a book that should not be missed.

**Stop back next week when I’ll be giving away a finished copy of Arclight during the Spring Fling Giveaway Hop!

Many thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. You can purchase Arclight here and visit Josin L. McQuein’s blog here.

Please note: the quote above was taken from an uncorrected proof and may be different in the finished book.

2 Comments

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as , , , ,

April 21, 2013 · 8:19 am

VIOLET DAWN by Lynn Rush – Review

Violet DawnViolet Dawn by Lynn Rush

Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Crescent Moon Press

Release date: April 1 2013

Source: e-ARC from publisher

Pages: 280

three and a half

In a word:  more kick-ass Emma, fantastic pacing, interesting vampire lore, but ultimately disappointing character development

I wanted to love this book more than I did, especially since book one, Violet Midnight, was such a blast to read. Now don’t get me wrong: I did have fun reading the second installment of the Violet Night Trilogy, but a couple of choices the author made didn’t work for me, which I’ll get to. I’m puzzled by all the four- and five-star reviews Violet Dawn has received on Goodreads, and I almost feel like I read a different version of the story than everyone else. I was so disappointed in the reactions and choices of the characters, that I had a hard time getting past them and enjoying the story. Rush has so many creative ideas, and her vampire mythology really is one of my favorites, so it is reluctantly that I give this book only three and a half stars.

As book two opens, college students Emma and Jake, vampire Hunters who have special tattoos on their wrists and arms that glow whenever Vamps are near, are cozily settling into life as a couple. For the past four months, since the nail-biting ending of Violet Midnight, things have been quiet, and they’ve had time to get to know each other without their dangerous jobs interrupting them. But of course, this respite does not last long. Just as Jake is getting ready to take Emma to meet his parents for the first time, their tattoos begin glowing: Vamps are nearby and must be stopped. When they find the Vamps and manage to chase them off, they run into a guy named Max, who tells them he is also a college student. Emma and Jake do their best to shrug off the attack, telling Max the Vamps were probably muggers, and try to get him to go back to his dorm. But Max seems oddly fascinated with Emma and won’t take the hint.

Later when a gang of Vamps attack and badly injure Emma, Max just happens to be there to save her, and Jake and Emma realize that the events from Violet Midnight (which I won’t spoil for you in case you haven’t read it) are going to have consequences: a dangerous Vamp has come back for revenge, and he’s got some secret powers that might make him unstoppable. In the midst of trying to figure out what’s really up with Max as well as survive the new nest of Vamps, Jake and Emma have some relationship issues that need to be dealt with. Rush’s pace never slows until everything’s resolved and the many secrets that various characters are hiding are finally revealed.

Rush once again immerses the reader in her fantastically creative world. Emma and Jake, who are both vampire Hunters, have some cool abilities to help them in the fight against evil. Their Hunter tattoos glow whenever Vamps are near, which comes in very handy. They have some interesting physical traits as well: they never eat, never sleep, and their body temperature is always 74.7 degrees. But best of all, they have a magical ability to “call” their weapons to them whenever they’re needed, and then send them back home when they’re finished.

But this time around, the world-building wasn’t enough to sustain the story. My main issue with Violet Dawn was the character of Emma, whom I adored in the last book. She was strong, feisty and smart, but in this book she seems to have misplaced both her intelligence and her strength. She spends most of the book being attacked, bitten, punched and stabbed, and I didn’t feel the author gave us a believable explanation as to why she’s become such a victim.

Worse than that, though, Emma has become gullible and trusting, which doesn’t make sense since her life is all about killing vampires. As a Hunter she’s developed a keen instinct that keeps her alive in dangerous situations, but that instinct is on vacation in Violet Dawn. From the moment Max is introduced, I, as a reader, knew he was up to no good. He had the word “slimy” written in huge letters on his forehead. Even Jake sensed that Max was hiding something from the first moment they interacted, yet Emma blithely ignores the warning signs. She continues to defend his dubious behavior throughout most of the story, and when she finally admits that Max isn’t who he claims to be, both Jake and Emma decide that maybe their duty is to help Max choose to be good instead of evil. Maybe the author’s point of the story was to test Jake and Emma by making Max such a confusing character, but none of it worked for me.

I also didn’t care for the overt religious overtones in Violet Dawn. Rush used some of these elements in Violet Midnight, but they were more subtly done (if I’m remembering correctly). The characters talk quite a bit about “choosing Love” (and yes, that is “Love” with a capital L) in order to vanquish evil. Jake and Emma go to “the Church” (again, a capital C) where they meet Gabriel, an angel from book one. Gabriel helps Max choose the correct path, and all his horrible deeds earlier in the story are suddenly forgiven. Redemption might work this way in the real world, but in fiction, at least the fiction I enjoy, forgiveness needs to be earned. Rush never convinced me that Max was ever worthy of forgiveness, and I continued to hate his character all the way to the bitter end.

The story ends with a teaser of what’s to come in the next book, but also wraps things up nicely between Emma and Jake. I fervently hope that the Emma I fell in love with in Violet Midnight returns in book three. Rush has a great thing going on with her Violet Night series, she just needs to remember who her characters really are.

Many thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. You can purchase Violet Dawn here and visit Lynn’s website here.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as , , , ,

April 17, 2013 · 3:48 pm

STUNG by Bethany Wiggins – Review

Stung-small

Stung by Bethany Wiggins

Genre: YA Dystopian/Science Fiction

Publisher: Walker Childrens

Release date: April 2 2013

Source: e-ARC from publisher (NetGalley)

Pages: 304

four stars

In a word: non-stop action, a deeply buried mystery, a dangerous world, gorgeously written.

The storyline of Stung feels somewhat familiar: in a future dystopian society, a teen (in this case a girl) is on the run from a group of deranged outsiders that are trying to kill her, meets a love interest who helps her survive, as they try to battle their way back to the good guys who live behind a wall of some sort that keeps the bad guys out. Even though you may think this is a rehash of other dystopians, it’s not. Stung has a gritty danger to it that kept my heart racing, and not a moment went by that I wasn’t worrying about the safety of the characters. A very interesting concept kept this story fresh for me, and it was an entirely plausible—and chilling—idea  that could possible happen in the future.

Fiona (who is also referred to as “Fo,” strangely enough) wakes up in her bed one day, but something isn’t right. The room is trashed and looks like it hasn’t been lived in for years; her parents and siblings are gone; and worst of all, when she looks in the mirror, she no longer sees the thirteen-year-old she was when she fell asleep. She also has an odd, spider-like tattoo on one wrist. But she doesn’t have long to ponder her puzzling situation, because someone else is in the house, and he’s coming to get her…

The life Fiona thought she had is over, and this new life is full of confusion and danger. As she stumbles from her house into the terrifying world outside, running from a crazed creature that she knows is her brother, Fiona must adapt quickly or die. The mystery of how she ended up in this place is slowly revealed, as she starts to remember what happened to her in flashbacks. The pace of Stung is non-stop, with barely any breaks to catch your breath. Fiona is hurtled from one deadly situation to the next as she tries to understand what’s happening, and the reader is right there with her, since we don’t know either.

Wiggins’ writing is beautifully evocative, and she made this harsh futuristic world come alive for me. In a place where most of the plants and animals have died off, the author gives us glimpses of beauty to offset the ugliness:

Above my stomach hovers a tiny bird, inspecting the crimson stain on my shirt. Its wings drone like a motor and I am filled with awe. This fragile hummingbird is the first living, wild animal I have seen since waking up in this dead world. Its bright green chest and red-capped head are startlingly out-of-place.

“Where’d it come from?” I whisper, unable to take my eyes from it.

“The wall. There are hundreds of hummingbirds living inside of it. Every once in a while one gets out. It thinks your blood is a flower. It’s probably on the verge of starving to death.”

Soon after Fiona hits the streets outside her house, she meets a boy named Bowen who turns out to be a childhood friend from the neighborhood. But Bowen is older now (and apparently hot!) and she barely recognizes him. He’s also the person who has been charged with escorting her back to the lab inside the wall, an ominous place that she will most likely not survive. Bowen is terrified of Fiona because of her tattoo, which indicates she is a Level 10 and is about to transform into a deadly beast. But after only a short time, he changes his mind about her, and before you can say “insta-love,” the two are exchanging kisses and willing to die for each other. But despite his quick-change opinion of Fiona, I did like Bowen’s character,  because he is conflicted in the best way: he’s attracted to Fiona and feels compelled to help her, but at the same time he believes she will become a beast and attack him. Even after he’s (very quickly) fallen in love with her, you can see that he’s still not completely sure she won’t snap.

Wiggins gives us plenty of characters to hate (in a good way!) as well. One despicable child named Arrin saves Fiona from an angry mob, but turns out to be a conniving and untrustworthy ally. And there are plenty of evil factions roaming the streets, and all of them seem to be after Fiona. There are the militia, who patrol the wall and capture “Fecs” to take back to the lab; the Fecs, who live in the sewers and try to survive outside the wall; the raiders, who are slavers and rapists and keep beasts as pets, and the black market, dubious types who buy Fecs and beasts to fight in the pit, a gladiator-like fighting arena. I really wanted to know more about the raiders, for some reason. The fact that they capture beasts and drink their blood was such a great idea, but we only get brief scenes with them.

A couple of things didn’t work for me, but overall they are small complaints. The scientific explanation of what’s happened (which involves bees, by the way), while fascinating, is finally explained about half way through the book, but it’s a rather complicated explanation that brings the action to a screeching halt. There is also a horrifying scene where Fiona accidentally shoots Bowen in the stomach, but it didn’t seem to be necessary and I felt like it was only thrown in for shock value.

But the beautiful moments Wiggins adds to her narrative outshine the negative elements: the vivid image of Bowen showing Fiona how to pollinate the flowers with a paint brush; the longing Fiona feels when she finds an abandoned grand piano; and several poignant reunions near the end that bring the story full circle. A brief epilogue at the end could suggest a sequel, and I’m hoping this is true. As dangerous as the world of Stung is, I’d happily revisit it to read more from this talented writer.

Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy. You can purchase Stung here.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as , , , ,