Portia By Christina Bauer

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Angelbound, Angels, author,  book reviews, book, books, characters, Christina Bauer, Demons, fantasy, fiction, literature, maxon, new adult, novel, plot, Portia, Portia By Christina Bauer, read, reader, review, stories, story, write, writer, writing

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy

Pages: 250

Point of View: First Present (Portia)

Released: October 27th 2015

Series: Standalone set in Angelbound universe.

Predictability: 4 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)

Source: Netgalley

My Rating: 7/10 Stars

My Summary:

Portia’s the opposite of her family (and the other protagonists in this series) She’s not a fighter or good with weapons, but she is smart. She’s a top class sorceress.

Everyone is afraid of her though, because she was born Marked by the void. Meaning one day she’ll turn into a void demon.

My Review:

A lot of the good was in the last 20%, so I can’t tell you about it, but you’ll have to trust me. The end is great!

The Good:

Standalones in an already established world are tricky, but Bauer did a fine job of explaining things for new readers without boring those of us who already knew about things. I’m always impressed how this author can continue to build on the world she’s created. The Firmament and the Dragon scale markings were nice additions.

All of the old characters were back, if only briefly. Portia’s family was so sweet and understanding towards her, but when trouble started they completely ignored her. (Weren’t they just saying she was so smart and an expert on all this?)

Portia was a nice protagonist. She could’ve used some of her mother’s snark though. (That’s what made this series fun!) She was hilarious when she got drunk though! Best part of the book.

Tempest was a complex new character. I had a feeling when he appeared in Maxon that he’d be back and I’m glad he was! I wish we got the chance to be inside his head for a couple of chapters.

The romance was sweet, but

The Bad:

Tempest is the first guy to speak to Portia, so naturally she falls for him. It was too hard and too quick for my taste though. I can see her liking him, but thinking of him as hers after one meeting? Not so much. (That one scene was my main problem.) After that it slows down a bit, but it was still too quick for me. (I suppose she only had 250 pages to get them to fall in love.)

Being so short it’s really fast paced. Things happened a bit too fast at times. I wanted more explanation about Portia’s quest. I know Portia did too, but I hate being confused! (Even if the main character is.) Portia did seem to know more than we were told though. How did she know she had Firmament magic and how to control it all of a sudden?

Do I recommend this book? Yes, but if you’re curious about this series you should start with Angelbound or Maxon. Not because of continuity or anything, but because they’re better. (Click the titles to see my reviews.)

Best Quote:

“He’s smarter than he looks. If he hasn’t killed you by now, he’ll go after someone you care about.”

I can’t help but chuckle. “Then good luck to him. My family is a bunch of fighters who would like nothing better than to go after a Class A demon.”

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How do you feel about inaccurate covers? I hate it when what’s on the cover doesn’t match the book! This book has a lovely cover, but the dragon’s not what I pictured at all. Wrong color, and not big enough. I thought it was a winged horse at first! At least the main character isn’t wearing something skimpy, even if she’s only in a dress for one scene.

Sequel Reviews: Miss Misery and Quanta

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author, book, book reviews, books, characters, cypher, Darkest Misery, Darkest Misery By Tracey Martin, dystopian, fantasy, fiction, literature, Lola Dodge, miss misery, new adult, novel, plot, Quanta, Quanta By Lola Dodge, read, reader, review, science fiction, scifi, Shadow Ravens, stories, story, Tracey Martin, urban fantasy, write, writer, writing, young adult

I always enjoy batch review posts and neither of these were particularly long, so I thought I’d stick them together.

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Darkest Misery By Tracey Martin (Miss Misery 4)

Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy

Pages: 279

Point of View: First (Jessica)

Released: August 25th 2015

Series: Miss Misery

Predictability: 3 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)

Source: NetGalley

My Rating: 7/10 Stars

See my review of the first three books in the series here.

I needed something to cheer me up after the Croak trilogy and these books always do just that. Though the fourth book in a continuing series, I’m pretty sure you could jump right in and it would still make sense, because everything is explained well.

My Summary:

Jess convinced the various Preds, Maji, and Griffins to sit down and work together to stop the Furies from essentially ending the world. But a murder and some evil Preds from headquarters complicate matters.

Spoiler free explanation for those who haven’t read this series: Preds are supernatural races that feed on negative emotions. Both the evil Furies and the Satyrs are Preds. The magi are magical bird shifters and the Griffins are the magical human police force. Jess is a member of the Griffins, albeit an unwilling one.

My Review:

All of the old characters came back. My favorite, Steph (Jess’ terrific transgender best friend) wasn’t in the book much. Tom, Jess’ supervisor at the Griffins, is growing on me though. I actually like him now, go figure.

I was worried when I read the official summary that Jess pushes her boyfriend away, but doesn’t really, she just goes to France without him. (But that isn’t until halfway through the book.)

The love triangle is still present, and I still don’t care. I love both these guys! And not because they’re perfect, because they aren’t. I know, this doesn’t sound like me at all! I promise I haven’t been body snatched! I just really like the way she does the romance in these books. Though there wasn’t as much banter as the last book there was a sappy moment. (Which shockingly I enjoyed too!)

The romance doesn’t take over the plot though. It’s still about solving mysteries, kicking butt, and saving the world.

The Bad:

Jess still lets her temper get the better of her. Who thought it would be a good idea to make her a mediator anyway?

I hated the head Satyr who showed up! I know I was supposed to, but I seriously want that guy dead! He attacked Jess and that scene really bothered me, because I was afraid he was going to rape her, but he didn’t.

Though it wasn’t to be continued, more storylines were left dangling than in previous books.

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Quanta By Lola Dodge

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Modified DNA, Seeing the future

Pages: 248

Series: Shadow Ravens

Point of View: First (Quanta & Altair)

Released: October 13th 2015

Predictability: 4 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)

Source: Netgalley

My Rating: 6/10 Stars

Age Rating:  Swearing, implication of rape and torture. (We know it happened even though it happens off screen and only implied.)

Even though this is the second book, it features a new story and all new characters. Does it stand alone? Mostly. Quanta didn’t do as good a job explaining the world and since I remembered little from Cypher (My review) I was rather confused by all of the terms.

The Stuff I forgot:

In a world where people have scientifically altered DNA the color or your Helix tattoo reveals what you can do. White Helix, also known as the Seligo are the elite. They don’t get sick and they don’t age. Black Helix are warriors with superior strength and stamina, greens have super smarts, blues are mysterious, but have some sort of mind control abilities. Then there’s the red helix, which are said to have unstable DNA. They have out of control powers and are to be captured or killed on sight. The Shadow Ravens are working against the government to free the red helix and protect them.

My Summary:

Quanta is a red helix who can see the future, so she’s spent most of her life in a cell.

Altair lives in a different sort of prison. He’s a green helix, a scientist, pretending to be the perfect son for his senator parents, but he’s only doing it to get information for the resistance.

When Quanta meets Altair she knows they are going to fall in love and she knows it will end badly. (Like both dying badly) So she fights her growing attraction to Altair. It’s not like she trusts people easily anyway. She doesn’t have a choice but to work with him though, because someone came up with a list of red helix’s and they have to discover how.

My Review:

The Good:

I liked how Quanta saw the future and the past. I’ve never read anything like it! She sees time ghosts, people in the space she’s in or connected to an object or person. Sometimes it was jarring having her visions in present tense and the rest in past, but that might have been the point. A lot of thought went into her powers.

We get to see how the elite live through Altair. They were as vain as expected. But some of their kids aren’t as stuck up. Altair’s crazy gamer sister was a great character! Not that the other characters weren’t good, but there wasn’t much opportunity for levity.

The Bad:

Like Cypher, the main characters in Quanta were ‘magically’ linked. Paired. Destined. Whatever. She requires him to have control of her powers. I didn’t like it in the first book and I don’t like it here. This one is a little better, but I still wish it was just a coincidence that he has this effect on her, or their feelings allowed this connection. And I don’t like that Lady Eva scientifically paired them together. Talk about controlling. Plus it spoils the romance!

Although stuff happens, the plot was rather slow for me. They spend the whole book not escaping from the lab. I also didn’t like the way Quanta’s powers grew. (Plot wise I mean.) It’s been done before and this book had the potential for more. (Sorry spoiler avoiding)

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Do you like multiple review posts? Because I still can’t find the words to describe the awesomeness that was One Good Dragon Deserves Another, so I might wind up sticking it with another book.

Revive By Tracey Martin

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author,  book reviews, book, books, characters, fiction, literature, new adult, novel, plot, read, reader, review, revive, revive Tracy martin, science fiction, scifi, stories, story, thriller, Tracey Martin, write, writer, writing

Genre: New Adult, Science Fiction Thriller

Pages: 282

Point of View: Third (Sophia)

Released: May 15th 2015

Series: Redzone 1

Predictability: 5 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)

Source: Netgalley

My Rating: 6/10 Stars

My Summary:

Sophia wakes up in a train station with no memory. Her ID says Sophia, but she knows that’s not true. A boy named Kyle seems to know her, but then people show up who she knows are bad. Her instincts scream at her to run. She might have no memory but she has spy like training.

Then we back up twelve weeks to when Sophia started at RTC college. We learn she’s undercover to find a certain student. Student X as she calls them is a mutant and if Sophia doesn’t identify him or her, they will. They = mysterious enemies.

My review:

Though rated new adult this first book is really more a young adult set in college.

I requested this book because I enjoyed Martin’s other series, Miss Misery (and the blurb promised that Sophia wasn’t human.) Sophia’s voice sounds totally different from Martin’s other main character. It always impresses me when an author can do that.

The good:

This was the kind of book that kept me reading looking for answers. It was also done right too. I got enough information not to feel strung along, but I was kept curious enough to keep turning pages.

The pacing alternates between exciting thriller and everyday college life and the time line bounces around as Sophia gets her memory back. (Sounds confusing, but it really wasn’t.) It’s set in the near future. Mostly our world, but there were few cool new inventions.

I liked Sophia in her flashbacks, but current her seemed ordinary and overly moral. (Okay so I might have skewed priorities, but there’s a time for morals and a time to kick bad guy butt without feeling bad about it!)

The best part was the friends she grew up with! Not only were they colorful characters, but they had a great relationship! Sadly, they were barely in the book. I’m hoping they become main characters in the next one!

The Bad:

There’s a love triangle of course. Between the guy she met at college (who she doesn’t know if she can trust) and a guy she grew up with. (Who she’s forbidden to be with.) I didn’t like either one. I know Martin can do banter, so where was it?

The plot kept me guessing, but only because I kept over thinking things. I was promised lots of twists and turns, so I couldn’t believe it would be so predictable! It was. Guess I read/watch too much SciFi.

My expectations were just too high. Do you ever do that? I hate it when I do, because even when the book is good, (Like this one) I wind up disappointed.

Maxon By Christina Bauer

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Angelbound, Angels, author,  book reviews, book, books, characters, Christina Bauer, Demons, fantasy, fiction, literature, maxon, new adult, novel, plot, read, reader, review, stories, story, write, writer, writing

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy

Pages: 400

Point of View: First Present (Maxon, Lianna)

Released: May 12th 2015

Series: Angelbound 4

Predictability: 4 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)

Source: Netgalley

My Rating: 7/10 Stars

My Summary:

Lianna is one on the apprentices training to become the next ruler of the water elementals, but she’s only a Thrax (half angel) so the odds of her being chosen are slim. Zephyr the leader of the air elementals has been killing off water’s apprentices. He attacks Lianna, but she manages to escape and stumbles into Maxon and his friends demon hunting.

Maxon is the prince of the Thrax. He’s spent his whole life fighting demons, and living in the spotlight of the Thrax world, since his mother is also the one responsible for sending souls to heaven or hell. He can’t become her heir until he falls in love, but no one can see that happening any time soon.

My Review:

Rated new adult due to swearing, sex, and torture.

Though it’s the Fourth book of the series, Maxon can be read alone.

Note: Both main characters have some PTSD. (Personal pet peeve.)

The good:

We get to find out what happened to all of the characters from the first trilogy. Though they weren’t in it much, it was fun to see them again.

I love how Bauer manages to add some awesome new world building to each of her books. The world of the elementals was fascinating and I loved Lianna’s powers!

This is a fast paced book with plenty of action. It’s hard to pull off magical battles, but these were well done.

I was afraid it would be attraction at first sight, but both Lianna and Maxon had reasons to want to stay apart and this let their relationship progress more slowly. It turned out rather sweet, even if it was quite fast.

I liked Lianna right away! Maxon inherited his mother’s sass, (the main character of the original trilogy) but it took me a while to warm up to him.

The Bad:

At the beginning, Maxon came off like a moody womanizer and he seemed way too overpowered. Luckily, he grew on me after he met Lianna.

Lianna did something really stupid towards the end. (The kind of stupid they use a lot in TV, but that didn’t stop me from yelling at her.)

What are your feelings on New Adult? I’ve had some bad experiences and I’d almost written off the genre, but I liked this series so I wanted to see where it went. There was only one sex scene and it didn’t just feel thrown in. (Though some of the swearing did.) I’m glad I gave it a second chance since I enjoyed this book.