Shadow Hunters Series Episodes One and Two Review

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No spoilers if you haven’t seen Shadow Hunters or read Mortal Instruments! (I’ll warn you before the spoiler-y part)

To see my review of the books click here.

Shadow Hunters has good effects for the most part. (Only one demon looked a bit hokey) The seraph blades were awesome!

So far the acting has all been good. The cast really looks like how I pictured them in the books! (Except Jace.) Jace is portrayed better in this version (even though movie Jace was way cuter) and the actor does a good job.

(See what I mean?)

They kept the characters’ personalities true to the book and included the humor! The new scenes were mostly good and nothing felt drawn out or boring. (Plus more Magnus!)

Overall: Good. 8/10 stars!

(Clary, Simon, Jace)

If you’re wondering how I’ve seen episode two already, its on the ABC family website! (I’m not sure it’s available in all countries though.)

Small spoilers if you haven’t seen the show or read the first book you might want to stop reading now!

I’m rereading the book along with the show!

Episode one is from chapter one to about chapter five.

Instead of Jace and Clary going back to her home, Simon comes to them. (Apparently the Institute isn’t protected from GPS..)

Episode two is from chapter five to chapter eleven.

(Jace, Alec, and Isabel)

Changes:

There’s a new Demon sub plot, they’re draining people’s blood.

Pandemonium is Magnus’ club. (Their way of getting Magnus in sooner.)

They changed things to make it look cooler for TV. (Clary’s in the first battle scene instead of witnessing it and there are multiple demons, not one.)

There’s more of the circle members, and we see Valentine’s side of things.

Runes can be hidden. So can Magnus’ eyes.

The Institute has a high tech look and is full of people!

Dot (the fortune teller who lived downstairs) is a Warlock and friend of Jocelyn and Clary.

Good Changes:

Luke is a cop.

Clary and company are 18 not 15.

(Marline is their age and a member of Simon’s band.)

Hodge is really fit!

Bad Changes:

Clary’s mom gave her a stele?! (No way would she do that!)

When Clary gets home from the club, her mom is there and starts to explain things.

Clary’s saved by Jace instead of killing the demon herself. (Why?!) It also wasn’t clear she’d been poisoned.

No sign of Max or Church.

Clary has a magical plot saving necklace. (Lets her know where people are.)

There’s another change, but I don’t want to spoil anything. It looks like there will be major plot changes for episode three though!

(Yes, I was so excited about this show, I made gifs!)

I plan to watch episode three! I hope they keep it good and don’t change too much!

Have you read the books? Seen the show? Want to?

Air Awakens

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Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Indie

Pages: 377

Point of View: Third Person (Vhalla)

Released: August 27th 2015 

Series: Air Awakens 1

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: Gift from the lovely Shannon

My Rating: 10/10 Stars

Errors: I only noticed one!

My Summary:

A library apprentice discovers she processes magic. The kingdom is in dire need of magical people right now, because they’re in the middle of a war.

My Review:

I could easily relate to Vhalla. It might be that she’s as obsessed with books as I am! She’s also a genuinely nice person, but a bit of a people pleaser. I enjoyed watching her evolve over the course of the book.

When Vhalla discovers she has magic she does everything she can to deny and run from it. I understand why she’d be hesitant to leave her old life. She also doesn’t know if she can trust those in the tower or know how her old friends would treat her if they learn she has magic. It was nice seeing her ordinary world in the library and the rich magical world of the tower.

The world building was your fairly standard midieval world, but she really brought it to life. I also liked that our heroine’s kingdom wasn’t the one being attacked for once. They were the conquerors! The magic system might seem like your normal elementals, but the way she learned to use her powers and what she could do with them were wholly unique.

Romance plays a large part in this book, but I loved every bit of it! She started out pretty much hating him and gradually realized she had feelings for him. I felt the same way! I thought he was a jerk at first and hoped he wouldn’t be the love interest. But he won me over! He wasn’t a necessarily good guy, but he was smart, complex, and he really did care about her. In the end he was the best part of the book! (I was afraid of a love triangle, but she didn’t feel the same way about him, so it doesn’t count.)

Warning: the end is really intense! I lost some sleep on this one, because I just had to know what happens!

The story wrapped up satisfactorily and I can’t wait to find out what happens next! (But I’m being a good girl and reading books I already own.)

No bad for this one!

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What books did you ask for for Christmas?

I asked for Magnus Chase, Six of Crows, and Winter!

Six of Crows By Leigh Bardugo

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Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Thief

Pages: 465

Point of View: Third Person (Inej, Kaz, Jasper, Nina, Mathias, and two one chapter narrators)

Released: September 29th 2015

Series: Six of Crows 1

Predictability: 2 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)

Source: Library

My Rating: 10/10 Stars

My Summary:

A new drug, Jurda Parem, appeared in Ketterdam, which allows a Grisha to have insane powers. The Fjerdan witch hunters have the maker of this drug and Kaz and his crew have been hired to break him out before someone else gets their hands on him.

The Crew:

Kaz is the mastermind. A ruthless gang lieutenant who walks with a cane, always wears gloves, and has a dark reputation.

Inej used to be a tightrope walker and now acts as Kaz’s spy. She believes in her gods and can climb anything.

Nina’s a curvy Grisha who does everything over the top.

Jasper’s a hyperactive sharpshooter with a gambling problem, but he always sees the best in people.

Mathias is an ex Witch Hunter convict who is torn and confused by his feelings for Nina.

My Review:

Although Six of Crows takes place in the same world as the original Grisha trilogy, it stands on its own. You don’t have to read Shadow and Bone to understand this book! Usually it’s still better to read the books in order for the little details, but there were only a couple of mentions of the characters from the first series. (I almost missed the one!)

The Good:

All of the characters were flawed and very real! They all had their vices, weaknesses, and shady pasts. I loved them all, but Kaz was my favorite! He might be more villain than hero, but I liked how clever he was, always a step ahead.

Most of our crew are a part of the Dregs, a gang from the barrel, the worst part of the city of Ketterdam. My favorite part was their traditions! Like saying No mourners, no funerals before a job.

As much as I liked the original Grisha trilogy, Six of Crows is miles better! Bardugo has obviously matured a lot as a writer since then. Her writing is tight and beautiful. She sets up the novel and the intricate world quickly and without any info dumping.

I had a lot of questions about the characters’ pasts and they were all answered as our characters head the capital of the Witch Hunters. The short flashbacks were interspersed as they travel and break in, and kept things interesting.

Once the job starts the action doesn’t let up! I tried to savor this book, but I gobbled if up once they reached the city. Six of Crows has the perfect combination of telling us part of the plan, but keeping plenty of surprises. Of things going to plan and going to hell. It all made for an incredible ride!

Bardugo did an excellent job of expanding her world! From the grittiness of Ketterdam to the shiny white city of the Witch Hunters, I enjoyed it all. The magic system wasn’t expanded much, but Nina’s heartrending was cool.

The Bad:

It ends to be continued! Not a little to be continued, but like I NEED the next book NOW to be continued! (I was fooled by the Grisha sample chapter! It ends at 86%!!)

What was the best book you read this year? Mine was either Six of Crows or Uprooted!

Winter By Marissa Meyer (Spoiler Free Review)

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Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fairytale Retelling

Pages: 827

Point of View: Third Person (Winter, Jacin, Cinder, Kai, Cress, Thorn, Scarlet, Wolf, Lavana, Iko, and one more)

Released: November 10th 2015

Series: Cinder 4

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: Library

My Rating: 7/10 Stars

My Summary:

Winter is the beautiful princess of Luna. Since she refuses to use her Lunar powers of deception, she’s slowly losing her mind.

Cinder and her friends are on their way to Luna to stop the evil Queen Levana once and for all.

Spoiler free review! (Even if you haven’t read Cinder) You will be warned before the tiniest of spoilers! 

Click here to find out who dies in Winter! (This obviously has spoilers!)

My Review:

I am the oddball. Again. Everyone loved this book. Except me. I LOVED this series! It’s one of my favorites! I had such high expectations for this book! I was disappointed.

The Good:

It was nice to finally see Luna. The moon and the domed cites were cool! And the crazy Lunar fashions which incorporated their Illusion abilities.

I wasn’t sure if I’d like Winter based on her part in Cress. I was worried about the crazy thing, but I found myself wanting to get back to her parts! I especially enjoyed her banter with Jacin!

Iko got to narrate!!! It was great!! I need more! How about a whole Iko book, okay?

The Bad:

I know Snow White is the Fairest of them all, but it got annoying how often we were told. Winter is so so pretty. Her scars only make her prettier.

I read this 800 page book quickly, but it did feel a touch long. Some sections could’ve been tightened up a bit. (Like Kai’s parts. They were just boring.)

This series has been predictable, but it’s just been the major plot points. In this one almost everything was predictable! It felt like the author was just going through the motions to me.

The writing just wasn’t as good and the plot got repetitive.

If you want to go into this book blind, skip to the conclusion! (Small Spoilers!)

Which couple is going to be separated next, so they can be reunited and have a moment?

There were quite a few romantic moments. Maybe it’s because I just read a Rowell book, but none of them were that amazing. Big romantic scene and I’m all ‘meh, okay.’

Some previously smart characters acted idiotically! Example:

Your friend is fighting someone with mind control powers, you’re easily controlled, so what do you do? Go to ‘help’ of course! *facepalm*

It wasn’t only stupid good guys:

Levana left her top secret research center unlocked and virtually unguarded. Seriously?!

I am mostly mad about what she did to one of the characters! I was so angry with the book I set it aside for the day. I couldn’t believe she would do that! I could rant all day about how that ruined this book, but I won’t. (Click here to find out what I mean. Spoilers!)

Conclusion:
I’m glad I read Winter and it was a quick enough read, but it wasn’t great or amazing like I hoped. Iko’s first POV chapter was terrific! And there were a few good moments, (especially between Winter and Jacin) But it wasn’t half as good as the other books! They were just so fantastic! With some really great lines! This one? Not so much. It just fell flat for me.

What books are you wishing for for Christmas?

I asked for Winter, Magnus Chase, and the Copper Gauntlet. I obviously couldn’t wait to read Winter. (Oops!)

Hunter By Mercedes Lackey

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Genre: Fantasy, Scifi, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Magic

Pages: 384

Point of View: First (Joy)

Released: September
1st 2015

Series: Hunter 1

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: 8/10 Stars

My Summary:

After the world ended, magic appeared and with it otherworlders, who think of humans only as prey. Luckily some rare humans with magic have a bond with magical creatures, known as Hounds. These Hunters keep people safe and are required to go in the main city of Apex.

Joy is a young Hunter, who has lived in a monetary on a mountain for most of her life. Her only family is her uncle, who is an important man in the city. When he requests that Joy join him, she has no choice, or she’ll risk the government learning about the other Hunters in the monastery.

She realizes things are more complex in the city than she thought. Her uncle is surrounded by enemies and Hunting is done very differently.

My Review:

I am proud to say I am yet again an oddball… I really liked this book!

I’ve never read a book before that started so BAD but ended so GOOD!

The Bad (the first 20%) :

Okay, so the first 20% I’d only rate a 6/10 and that’s being generous. The whole beginning is Joy riding the train to the city. It would’ve been so much better if it started in the mountains. Then we could’ve seen what it was like instead of being told about it.

It starts with TONS of info dumping! This girl has concentration issues. If she really spent this long staring into space people would think there was something wrong with her.

Seriously lots of telling! Do we really need to know how they make bread? The telling doesn’t even track! First she’s thinking about bread then it’s the armed services. She also talks to the reader a couple of times. (Which annoys me.)

I understand Joy’s never left home before and she’s homesick. But I wasn’t sure if I even liked her at the beginning! She came off conceited, constantly thinking how much better her mountain was and how silly the Cits are. (Cits = city people)

Speaking of which, I like made up magical words. But then she added in the dystopian slang too, and it was a bit much. Although I liked the names, did we really need things like coffee to be renamed?

Then she got to the Capital, sorry Apex, and Hunters are Vid stars. (It seemed very Hunger Games esque.)

The Good:

After Joy got to the city, she really grew on me! She really is a genuinely nice person. She also stopped constantly thinking of home and quoting her masters. (Which was beginning to grate on me.)

Once she she gets to Hunter HQ and starts going on hunts, the book improves drastically! The hunts were exciting and well done and I enjoyed the relationships between the Hunters. Though she not only makes friends, but also some enemies. Namely, Ace, the top ranked Hunter. He was a decent antagonist, I certainly disliked him.

There’s also a romance. The dates didn’t do much for me, because they couldn’t speak freely. (Since every minute Joy is being recorded.) There could’ve been more joking and banter, more getting to know him for me. Even though I liked him, I was never sure he was trustworthy and I think that’s why the author left him as a bit of a mystery, so there would be doubt.

The world was complex and there was so much to it; magic and psi energy, hounds and otherworlders. I love how the different mythologies come together. It’s so unique and such a good idea!

My favorite part of the book was the hounds! Joy and her hounds were more like siblings than pets. They had such a great relationship! The way they joked and helped one another. And everyone’s Hounds were so different; from winged lions to Joy’s large colorful shape changing Hounds.

The magic system was obscure, but had plenty of rules to ground it. I liked how it worked and the glyphs and the feelings she invoked. That last battle was pure perfection! Now this shows what a great writer Lackey is!

Do I recommend this book? Yes! But have patience with the beginning. It gets better, I promise!

Another reviewer complained that Joy was too special, but I didn’t think so. Sure, she was good with magic, but she didn’t start out with anything that was rare. (On the mountain at least.)

How do you feel about special protagonists? I don’t mind characters that are special. Talk about a character with a rare talent or a special magic and I’m there!

I am annoyed when they are perfect. Pretty and talented and with a perfect personality, it’s all a bit much. (And boring!)

Sequel Reviews: Miss Misery and Quanta

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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.

The Croak Trilogy By Gina Damico

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Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Grim Reapers

Pages: 311

Point of View: Third person. (Lex mostly. Omniscient POV at times)

Released:  20th 2012

Series: Croak

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

Mood: Funny, Dark at times

Source: Borrowed

My Rating: 7/10 Stars

Warnings: Child abuse (most of the Juniors suffered some sort of abuse in their pasts and they have the scars to show for it)

My Summary:

Lex is a juvenile delinquent. Her parents fed up with her antics send her to her uncle Mort’s farm for the summer.

But it turns out Uncle Mort isn’t a farmer, he’s a Grim Reaper and so is Lex.

My Review:

I liked the book, but disliked the main character. She’s mean! I think it would help if you pretend she’s a villain. In real life she’d have been kicked out of school a long time ago. She hit, stabed, bit, and caused harm to basically everyone around her! I know she was supposed to be a delinquent, but it was a bit much.

All of the characters (other than Lex) were fine. The only one I really liked was her crazy inventing Uncle Mort. Now he was a character!

The romance didn’t really do anything for me, but it wasn’t bad if you excuse Lex’s personality and briefly his. (Sorry a guy shouldn’t hit a girl even if she hit him first. Not that she should hit him either.)

I wanted to see more of the relationship between the sisters, but Cordy wasn’t in the book much. (They’re named after civil war battles Lexinton and Concord.)

The author has a tallent for names. I particuarly like that the Grimms helpers were called Excetras and the death puns in town of Croak.

Lex craned her neck and spotted a handful of oddly named stores: a flower shop called PUSHING DAISIES, a mattress place labeled THE BIG SLEEP, and a grocery store with a giant sign reading BOUGHT THE FARM.

The world building is what made the book for me. The author was very creative and added enough cute touches to make it seem plausible. The mystery of missing laundry being a result of Grimms cutting in and stealing it, and the way death works. I particularly liked the black widow spiders being involved. (With their hourglass markings.)

The Okay:

The mystery was predictable, but still interesting enough. I didn’t really laugh at the comedy, but this would’ve been a dark book without it.

The bad:

The only bad besides the main character was the occasional omniscient POV, the way it tried to act like a kid. That just makes it obvious the writer is really an adult and not someone who is really still a kid.

And a quote in case I’m not making very much sense:

As all kids know, it’s difficult enough to trust any adult, much less a deranged, life-endangering importer-exporter.

The main storyline was left unfinished so I had to read the next book! Tricky authors!

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Book 2: Scorch

My rating: 6/10

The Bad:

What was a good sympathetic, intelligent villain in the first book has turned into just a mad killer.

There are numerous deaths and I didn’t feel anything from any of them.

The good:

The relationship! So often when a couple get together they get boring or sappy, but not here. They’re still their joking fighting selves. Although they do spend way too much time making out if you ask me.

I also liked the new characters. The plot did meander a bit though and I’m not a fan of falsely accused. So overall, okay but not great.

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Book 3: Rogue

My rating: 5/10

The awful:

The plot in this book makes no sense! First they can’t crash (think teleport) because it’s too dangerous, so they go through all kinds of security to break into Grimm headquarters, (and a good chunk of the book) then they get out and there’s no choice but to crash?! (Seriously?!)

The rest of the plot was just as bad and I could rant forever about that ending! (But I won’t, because spoilers.)

Also they’re running for there lives and Lex and Driggs stop to have a moment not once but TWICE.

The good:

The ONLY thing that saved this book was watching Uncle Mort banter. That was brilliant!

So am I glad I read it? Not really.

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How do you feel about happily ever after? I read books to make me happy, so I don’t usually read sad books and I NEED my happily ever after!

Chains of Water and Stone by Katherine Hurley

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author,  book reviews, book, books, Chains of Water and stone, characters, fantasy, fiction, Griever's Mark, Katherine Hurley, literature, magic, novel, plot, read, reader, review, stories, story, write, writer, writing, young adult

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Pages: 287

Point of View: First Present (Astarti, Logan)

Released: April 28th 2015

Series: Griever’s Mark 2

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: Author Request

My Rating: 7/10 Stars

My Summary:

For as long as Logan can remember it has been whispered that his father wasn’t the Arcon. He never wanted to know the truth, but after discovering he can do things no pure Earthmaker could do, he decides he needs to know.

Logan and Astarti race to discover the truth, while running from the evil Belos.

My Review:

This is a sequel, but any spoilers for the first book are clearly marked. See my review of Griever’s Mark.

Note: the characters never dress like they do on the cover. It’s not that kind of book honest.

It took me a moment to remember the events of the past book, but it came back. (Definitely not a stand alone sequel.) Astarti annoyed me at first. I understand she’s angry, but she’s so bitter and mean! Either she improved or I got used to her though, because she only bothered me at the beginning.

In many ways this felt like a second book. It was necessary and things happen, but it felt like all the good stuff was being saved for the ending. (Know what I mean?)

The mystery of Logan’s origins was well done and I never would’ve guessed it. I enjoyed how it was woven into the world.

The world building was one of the many things I loved about the first book. It continued to be well done and oh so cool! (Whispers “mermaid”) Some things which weren’t explained now make perfect sense! I love the intricacy of the world!

I didn’t like Logan’s POV in this one. (Spoilers this paragraph!) He’s been captured and tortured, though we only witness the psychological not the physical torture, it’s still pretty bad. Then he understandably has PTSD, which is handled well, (which is rare, and I appreciate) but I just don’t like PTSD in books.

We do meet a couple of good new characters. Mostly Horik, the king’s champion. He’s big and tough and such a sweetie!

There’s still a little romance, but it isn’t nearly as fun as book one. (I keep saying that, don’t I?) It was dark and serious instead of fun and teasing. There are a couple lighter moments, but then they’re sucked back down.

That was my main problem with Chains of Water and Stone, it was so dark! But, I’m still glad I read it and I plan to read the finale! Where is it?! (Looks around)

How is your summer going?

I’ve been working hard and binge reading silly super hero books. I finally broke down and tried out Kindle Unlimited. (So far I’m up to $14 of read free books!)

The Edge of Forever By Melissa E. Hurst

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author,  book reviews, book, books, characters, fiction, literature, Melissa E. Hurst, novel, plot, read, reader, review, science fiction, scifi, stories, story, the edge of tomorrow, the edge of tomorrow by Melissa E. Hurst, time travel, write, writer, writing, young adult

Genre: Science Fiction, Time Travel

Pages: 256

Point of View: First (Alora, Bridger)

Released: June 2nd 2015

Series: Yes! (Untitled 1)

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: Edelweiss

My Rating: 8/10 Stars

My Summary:

In the year 2146, Bridger goes to an academy for Time Benders. A month ago his father died, but he was also a Time Bender, so the government won’t tell him anything. His father sends him a message “Save Alora.”

In 2013 Alora is an average teenage girl living with her aunt. Her parents dropped her off as a child with no explanation and she hasn’t seen them sense. She wants to know about them, but her aunt is very secretive.

My Review:

Time travel and super powers, how could I resist! To say I’m picky about time travel stories is an understatement. And I approve of how Edge of Forever did it! As for powers time bending is obviously used the most, but there’s also space bending (teleporting) and mind reading.

Somehow I didn’t realize that the main character’s father had just died when I requested this book. (A month before the story starts.) I’m glad I can’t bring myself to quit review books, because I really enjoyed it! (And I really didn’t want to read it at first!)

There are times at the beginning where Bridger’s actions may seem irrational, but considering what he’s gone through it’s understandable. I wouldn’t be able to resist trying to save my dad if I had the powers to travel through time and I think that’s ultimately what Bridger wants, to understand why his father died along with why he has to save Alora.

As you can tell there are several mysteries going on. Some were really obvious, but others I didn’t guess.

Everything starts horribly for both of our main characters. The POV shift worked, balancing the intensity of Bridger’s life with Alora’s ordinary life going to school.

There isn’t a ton of world building since Bridger already knows how the world wound up this way, so we mostly get hints. The technology all seemed realistic, though I kept wondering what stuff looked like. So the data thingy goes on your wrist? How big is it? How can it send an image?

There’s also a bit of romance, but no love triangles!

The Bad:

Alora’s picked on a lot in school. I usually avoid books with bullies, but it’s not a main part of the plot here.

Time Travel:

I like time travel where you can change the past, but not large events or create a paradox (like in Doctor Who) or where anything you do in the past has already effected your present. (Like in Pern and Harry Potter) Which do you prefer? Or do you not like time travel stories? I don’t care, as long as it makes sense. Once you get into the whole paradox thing (like accidentally killing your grandparent) I get confused.

The Shadow Revolution By Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith

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author,  book reviews, book, books, characters, clay Griffith, clay Griffith and Susan Griffith, fantasy, fiction, literature, novel, plot, read, reader, review, stories, story, Susan Griffith, the shadow revolution, the shadow revolution by clay Griffith and Susan Griffith, urban fantasy, write, writer, writing, young adult

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Steampunk

Pages: 320

Point of View: Third (Simon, Kate, Gretta, Malcolm)

Released: June 2nd 2015

Series: Crown & Key 1

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

My Summary:

A werewolf is loose in London and Simon, a magician and playboy, is after it for personal reasons.

Kate, the daughter of a rich adventurer, intends to discover what’s been done to her sister.

My Review:

This book took me longer than I expected since I couldn’t read it at night. (Nightmares) It’s rather violent, gruesome, and has scary monsters. (Although I am a wuss.)

At the beginning some of the lines were so over the top I couldn’t tell if the authors were serious, (Grins that blazed in the darkness, and striking cavalier poses) but the writing quickly improved.

Simon’s a party boy, and a womanizer, and at first I couldn’t stand him, but over the course of the book he grew on me.

Malcolm said it best:

“Once I thought little of you, but I was wrong. You are an honorable man, and while there are times I would as soon throw you through that window, I’d stand with you if you need me.”

Kate’s fiery and strong, and exactly my kind of heroine. I wasn’t sure about her judgment, being attracted to Simon and all, but she proves herself to be a smart woman. My favorite character was Simon’s best friend Nick. He’s a slob who would rather use magic to change his appearance than dress up and he always calls Simon on his failings. I wish he had a point of view too! He’s a much needed bit of comic relief. Malcolm the solemn werewolf hunter and Penny the spunky mechanic were also nice additions.

Simon’s potentially the last scribe, and uses runes to invoke magic. Nick’s a jack of all trades when it comes to magic and is Simon’s teacher. Kate practices alchemy, but despite her father’s vast travels, she’s never encountered magic before. If you ask me, magic needs limits. Those limits were unique here, as Simon acts drunk when he’s used too much magic!

There wasn’t much mystery, but I didn’t have a clue what the villains were up to. (And still mostly don’t) I prefer a little more story with my action, but the action well done so I can’t complain.

All three books of this trilogy come out in the month of June!

I probably should’ve rated this higher, but the gruesomeness was a bit much for me. I always feel guilty rating a good book lower for personal reasons. Do you rate based on your personal opinion?