Book Review: The Fire Sermon by Francesca Haig

I saw this cover in a book store a few months ago and simply stared at it for a few moments. Any book that doesn't have a title, author, or anything on the cover is either really flipping good or an attempt at being surreal and thoughtful without really accomplishing either. Either way, the publisher and author would have to be confident in both the cover art and the content to be able to put out a book like this.

And their gamble worked. It got my attention.

The Fire Sermon by Francesca Haig is a post-apocalyptic novel where everything has basically reset. Whole nations and societies were destroyed from a nuclear blast and due to fallout exposure, the world has changed in dramatic ways. Most species have died out, leaving the most plain or common to adapt and survive. Pigeons are the only birds. Cows and horses the only real large fauna out there. And children are only born as twins, an Alpha and an Omega, boy and girl. An Alpha is strong and whole and is given all of the best opportunities in life. They are fertile and run the government and everything left in the world. Omegas are deformed and infertile. They may be missing legs or an eye or be mute and are left ostracized on the outskirts of society to be forgotten by their Alpha twin. But here's the catch. Twins are connected in a way other than birth and blood. If one twin experiences extreme pain, illness, or death, the other does as well. There's no choice in that. If one dies, the other does as well.

Cass and Zach are twins but neither one has an obvious deformity. Unlike many other twins that are separated young, they grow up together, waiting for the other to expose their Omega trait. Cass is keeping a secret though and has become very clever at hiding it. She is a Seer, a rare brand of Omega and once Zach discovers it, everything goes to hell.

Cass has to scramble to survive alone and then imprisoned. She is strong and will not be conquered by the twisted brother she grew up loving and now has reasons to fear. 

This book is definitely a rollercoaster ride. There is a lot going on and the characters are in constant movement. Time passes quickly in the first bit of the book, showing Cass and Zach growing up, and it allows for some excellent world building. The entire world is scared of machinery and electricity because it was seen as the downfall of the "Before" civilization. Everything from Before is considered taboo and people refuse to go near it. Life has been reduced to pre-industrial standards and civilizations are once again based on agriculture and trade instead of technology.

Cass was an interesting character to read. She is strong where she needed to be strong but also has her vulnerabilities. She loves her brother dearly and in many ways, cannot accept what he is doing to her. She struggles with reconciling her childhood sibling with the man that he has become and it holds her back throughout the book. It's easy to rely on impressions made as children for the rest of your life and never change them and I think that she does this too much. It's her major flaw. She cannot escape the memories of playing with her brother as a kid and those memories make her make stupid decisions.

Cass's companion, Kip, fills the role of helpless sidekick for me. He's missing his arm but plays the clever supporting character that doesn't do much on their own but helps the main character throughout the book. From the beginning, it was obvious that he was going to play the love interest but that part of the book was remarkably muted. There's very little passion which gives more time to the plot and action but it was a little disappointing to read. 

But there are some extreme noticeable flaws that are big drawbacks to this book.

One. If I had a twin and had to rely on them for survival, I would be a little bit nicer to them. I would not send them into the slums to scrape a living where they could get sick, get infections, fall off a cliff, or whatever. I would put them in a house with myself and take care of them. Because there are always those people that would resent being abandoned and take revenge on a sibling by waiting until they were successful and then finding a way to torture them, or even more extreme, kill them. It's a big plot hole. If I was ostracized by my family, you can bet that I would take it out on my perfect sibling. That's human nature and I'm surprised that wasn't considered in the book.

Two. The role of electricity isn't really fully explained. If they are trying to keep it under wraps, then having guards around swinging light bulbs seems rather short sighted. And where are the generators? How are they making the electricity?

Three. I'm convinced that if Kip hadn't been in the plot, it wouldn't have changed much at all. In fact, Cass might have been able to do more things in a more significant way by relying on herself. She leans on him a bit too much for my taste and it holds back her character growth. Throughout her life, she relied on others to support her and doesn't take full control over any of her actions. She is a passive person and it practically takes a cattle prod in order for her to make a decision on her own.

The world building is awesome but the large plot holes make it a less enjoyable read.

It's really a unique concept and I wish that it had been developed more. It's different than all other YA dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels out there and it was held back by characters that were a little bit too cliche and plot devices that didn't really work in the end. I wish that the romance had been more developed. I wish that more had been explained throughout the novel. I wish that Kip was made into a stronger person in general.

But I will read the next one when it comes out. I think it has potential and I'm looking forward to it.

Book Review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Do you ever read a book and you aren't emotionally ready to talk about it for a while? The feelings, confusion, plot, characters, and twists all roll around in your head for days and you just can't figure out how to explain yourself without just going down the route of "Just go read this book. You won't regret it at all." I've been lingering over this book. Parts of it have me thoroughly confused and I am not quite sure how to attack it but I'm going to do my best.

Me during this entire book

Let's start with one part Science Fiction (since the book opens in Mars) and add a healthy dose of The Hunger Games and then blend on high, slowly adding a bit of The Way of Kings for military strategy and end with a dollop of dead puppy book and you have Red Rising.

I usually cannot stand science fiction books, especially the ones that are set in space. I never liked Star Wars or Star Trek. The only space movie I've ever liked it Spaceballs and that's because it made fun of everything. 

Ludicrous speed! GO!

So when I got into the first third of the book and they were talking about digging for Helium3 on Mars, I was skeptical and nearly DNF-ed it a few times. 

The first 35% is about rebellion. It's about sticking it to the man and pushing back. Darrow is a young man, only 16, who works as a Helldiver in the underground caves of Mars. It's the most dangerous job on the planet and you have to be quick, brave, strong, and a little bit cocky to do it. Darrow is all of these things and he makes it home every night so he can be with his equally young wife, Eo.  The Helium3 they are mining for is to restore the surface of Mars so that it is able to be inhabited by others. 

“Things are set in stone. Things are well ordered. Reds at the bottom, everyone else standing on our backs. Now you're looking at me and you're realizing that we don't bloodydamn like it down there. Red is rising, Mickey.”

Darrow is a Red, the lowest on the totem pole and is told that he is doing a great service for future generations. But there is more happening on Mars than just digging and when Darrow finds out, he is thrust into the world of Golds in the hopes of being able to usurp power and start a rebellion.

“Man cannot be freed by the same injustice that enslaved it.”

That's when things change in the book.

As I said, the first third is one book. The other two thirds are something completely different.

“We come as princes and this school is supposed to teach us to become beasts. But you came a beast."

Darrow sets out to infiltrate the commander training school of the Golds and establish himself in a position of power. This school is a huge battle simulation that is controlled by aristocrats where other kids his age are all set against each other in a fight to control the entire arena. It's huge. It's terrifying. There are dozens of other students and while it is meant to be a largely non-lethal affair, it doesn't turn out that way. There are pitched battles, back room plots, betrayals, starving students, and lessons of war.

See what I mean? If it was two separate books, I'd throw out the first bit and go with the second. It was too sharp of a turn for me to follow and I'm still confused about the differences of class and the distinctions between them. Does Darrow actually have wings and do they work? Is the biggest difference size or intellect? What happens if a Gold were to marry someone lower than them?

It's like two different worlds were constructed in this book and I understand the point of it, I just wish there was a better transition between them.

Darrow is a great character though. He clearly grows in more ways than one and fights the dark side of the Force his own demons in order to achieve his goals. Darrow takes some time to recognize his shortcomings which was an important step for his character. He was the top of the top on Mars and he was thrown into this completely different society where he is remarkably average as far as skills, size, and wits go. But Darrow has his history and that makes him stronger and he has a goal and that makes him dangerous.

“You do not follow me because I am the strongest. Pax is. You do not follow me because I am the brightest. Mustang is. You follow me because you do not know where you are going. I do.”

 The supporting characters play just as big of a role as Darrow does. Mustang and Sevro are wonderfully written and are made believable. I love that it isn't all about Darrow and the other characters show him up on a regular basis. He isn't the smartest one there and he isn't the strongest but his alliances with others give him an advantage. They aren't out for glory either and they understand the point of the game and don't let it get to their heads. I love it when a character has good friends.

Good gravy this book is hard to rate. It has awesome elements and is a great story line but it also has some flaws that hold it back. There is too big of a jump from the first third of the book to the last part and it felt like it was trying to do what The Hunger Games accomplished but simply didn't make it. The transition from oppression to fighting for your life was too rapid and it needed more development. A few more chapters in the middle would have bumped it up to a 5 star but it didn't quite reach for me.

It's about survival and tenacity. It's about knowing who your friends are. This book rewards the bold but punishes everybody. Nobody comes out of this book unscathed and that's awesome. It's terrifying and disjointed. 

Just go read it. You will either love it or hate it but it's definitely worth the experience.

Book Reivew: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

The Bone Season has so much going for it, it's amazing.

Let's start with a warning though and maybe a bit of constructive criticism for the author. There is a lot of information in this book and it is a big amount to process. You will be confused at times. You will feel like you're not getting all of the information but I assure you, all the terms aren't especially important and you'll be fine. At the beginning of the book, there are a couple of pages that help as far as terms and hierarchy goes and a map. Unfortunately, these are very small and hard to read. It would be awesome if there was a printout available for these so I don't have to keep flipping around in my kindle!

I tried to find a hi-res image of the information pages but was unable to. I am a big fan of maps and spreadsheets and it will not harm the success of the book if one is put out. Hell, it could probably be a marketing tool. It would even encourage a more in depth reading if the abilities of each individual person is more easily understood.

I'm not much into post-apocalyptic/dystopian books most of the time. I've gotten burned out on the plot lines where a single girl/guy with special abilities is able to save the whole human race and is regarded as a hero. These characters are rarely humble and largely obnoxious to me. I understand that it wouldn't be interesting to read the story of a normal character just struggling to survive but I wanted a little something different in this book. And it was achieved. 

There is true desperation in these characters and Paige, while she doesn't exactly live a terrible life, knows fear and knows that there are consequences. The people are oppressed in a tangible way and many times, that's missing from these books and I don't know why. It's easy to write about bad things happening to people (at least in my opinion) and I wish more authors would do it.

“Then there was that awful slogan: no safer place. More like no safe place. Not for us.”

Paige is a strong young woman living in what used to be London. Now it's controlled by Scion and she makes a living in the criminal underworld, working form Jaxon Hall (also known as Jax) and gathering information. This information keeps her and her friends safe from enemies and the controlling government that determined to wipe her kind out.

She isn't a mind reader but she can break into peoples' dreams and steal their thoughts. She isn't supposed to exist and keeps her life a secret from her family. But she is captured and taken to Oxford, a place that isn't supposed to exist anymore, and held captive by a race of super beings. Her new Master is a Rephaite called Warden who she is beholden to obey while he trains her to be a good servant. She is desperate to escape but she knows that in order to do so, she has to learn more about her abilities and the only way to do that is to be patient and suffer for a little while.

Paige is an incredibly relatable character. She thinks that she is all that and a bag of chips at the beginning.


Jax has been blowing hot air up her skirt for years. Sure, he pushes her to do more but she sees herself as a special snowflake that deserves to be protected. Paige has weaknesses, like needing life support in order to use her abilities, but is inherently valuable. But when she gets captured, she realizes that just because you're special doesn't mean you are going to have a better life than everybody else. She is going to have to work for something and more importantly, she is going to be treated like trash by people who should fear her. It's hard going from senior to freshman and she experiences that in a way that is easy to relate to. We've all thought that we were the best at something and then someone comes along and takes that all away from us.

Paige is humbled and that makes this special snowflake (usually a kiss of death) more palatable.

“They'd branded me like some kind of animal.
Lower than an animal.
A number.”

I feel like a lot of Paige's experience could be inspired, at least partially, by the Jews during WWII. She is taken from her home where she was successful and respected and placed in a camp where she is expected to serve her masters and is entirely disposable. She is given a number and a job and expected to do it. There aren't feelings involved. She is a tool and that is all. I feel like this book may have more depth than most YA because of situations like this. It's happened before and it can happen again in history.

The other main character is Warden. Usually, when I read about Wardens, I imagine something between the Warden from Holesand the one in O Brother, Where Art Thou?



I want a sadistic overlord whose word is law. But that isn't this Warden. While he has duties to fulfill and does them with relatively little emotional input, he is not just a one dimensional character and that was wonderful. He puts on a front and while he sees humans as tools, he is also aware of their suffering and does his best to mitigate it in some way.

The fact that he is the ultimate forbidden fruit is nothing to be ignored either.



Warden and Paige aren't allowed to touch skin to skin. Talk about frustration. If I was told I couldn't do something, even if I wasn't inclined to do it in the first place, it would make me want to do it anyways. It's a "Don't touch the button" type thing.

Their relationship isn't insta-love and it takes trust and understanding to build. Paige initially hates him and it isn't just a "I really don't like the popular guy at school because he's a jock and I'm the intellectual one among the sheep here." He has enslaved her. He controls everything about her existence. She isn't supposed to be attracted to this man and it rings a little bit of Stockholm Syndrome. I've seen some reviews say that their relationship wasn't believable but I found myself rooting for them the entire book.

Paige has gone from a somewhat autonomous and respected life among peers to a slave to a man who will not have any contact with her. Imagine going from a normal relationship with others, where casual touching is accepted and friendships are encouraged to a situation where you aren't even allowed to touch skin to skin. It would be a big change and one that would be difficult to get used to.

“No, Paige. I am trying to help you."
"Go to hell."
"I already exist on a level of hell."
"Exist on one that isn't near mine.”

She is fully within her rights to never trust him but Paige realizes that she is not all powerful and has to learn to rely on others, despite really not wanting to.

The Bone Season isn't your typical dystopian love story. It has fantasy elements to it and it isn't just about a girl finding her own strength. It can be compared to The Hunger Games and Divergent easily. But I think Paige is more vulnerable than both Katniss and Tris. She isn't all hard edges and abilities. Paige fails regularly. She has her walls built up but she isn't all hard edges and come backs. She tries to help others and doesn't only do it for selfish reasons. Deaths hit her hard and she feels responsibility.

This book is an overall solid read and I'm looking forward to the next one. It would be a full 5 stars if it weren't for the obnoxious flipping around for information (there's also a glossary in the back) and the dead puppy element of it.

Book Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

This book is so effing hard to review.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard is a wonderful example of a well created fantasy world in which there is conflict, love, battles, plot twists, and castes.

Think of this as a crazy mix up between Divergent, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Graceling. Power is decided by birth and your lot in life is based on the color of your blood. If you are not successful as a Red, you are sent into a decades long battle that you have no investment in.

Ok, let's start with something simple. The cover is stark and perfect for this book. There are only two colors and that reflects the whole theme of what is going on.  Even though the red part of it has a certain disgusting syrupy look to it, the message is effective.

Mare steals to survive and when she is caught by the wrong person, her life gets flipped upside down in an unprecedented way.  She was originally slotted to become part of the military, like her brothers. She was going to live and die by what the Silvers wanted for her. Mare had no purpose to them. She was a pawn. She was part of their game. Until...

“In the fairy tales, the poor girl smiles when she becomes a princess. Right now, I don't know if I'll ever smile again."

This book is effing magical. It has everything that a book lover would want. I adored the way that the characters are written and there is no doubt in my mind that some of the characters are truly evil.  Mare is a character with depth and when she is suddenly thrust into the world of court intrigue, what could have once been a romantic story transforms into a story of betrayal, inner strength and looking over your shoulder.

Cal and Mason are foils to each other and they play it well.  Cal is overconfident with his powers but has a heart of gold. He believes in what he does and knows that someday, he has to take control of the entire kingdom. Talk about pressure. Mason has the typical younger brother complex where he feels ignored by not only his parents, but also the kingdom. Who cares about the second in line to the throne when the first is perfectly healthy?

Only exception to the rule

I have one major bone to pick with Red Queen and it may get resolved in later books but it bothers me right now.  It did not feel like a dystopian book until they bring out the motorcycle. It's hard to imagine the world that Mare exists in having motorcycles.  Also, if they have motorized vehicles available, you would think that would be a bigger deal. But no. It isn't. There are no trucks, tanks, or rage machines. Just motorcycles and electric plants. That makes absolutely no sense to me. It seems like a major part of this war that they are in could be fought in a different way instead of just sending Reds out to be slaughtered like the army men we all set on fire when we were kids.

But you know what is the best thing about this book?  There is not one character that is perfect. There isn't somebody that is immune to the struggles and intrigue. Everybody plays a role whether they want to or not.

"Anyone can betray anyone."

"The gods rule us still. They have come down from the stars. And they are no longer kind."

"The truth is what I make it. I could set this world on fire and call it rain."

I remember when I was starting Game of Thrones, a friend laughed and said "Don't get attached to anyone."  The same goes for this book.  Everybody will break your heart.

But that doesn't mean don't read it. Go get it. Now. Right now. It will make your day.

Sorry this isn't a more in depth review but this is all I can say about it right now.

Book Review: Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me #1.5)

I am often drawn to books with broken characters in them.  For me, it emphasizes the idea that we, as humans, have good and bad in us and the distinction comes from how we treat others.  Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi is a novella in the Shatter Me series, in between book 1 and 2.  It focuses on the character of Warner who is the antagonist in the first book.

Another beautiful cover from this author.  The head text fits perfectly.  There is no debate in Warner's mind that he is the one that Juliette will choose in the end and this shows it perfectly.  The eye is closed, showing that he is reflecting internally and not considering the rational suggestions of those around him.  He goes above and beyond what would be normal for an escaped prisoner for Juliette because he feels like they have a connection which is rare, to say the least, for Warner.

This cover reminds me of a friend from college.  She had been out drinking and engaging in other self destructive habits and had basically hit rock bottom.  She came to me with her mascara running down her face, just like how this cover looks, asking for help.  That event looks eerily similar to this image on the cover.

Why it is such a wonderful novella...

This novella delves perfectly into the mind of someone that has been beaten down to the bottom and dragged himself up. Warner is so damaged.  His father has shown up after he was shot by Juliette in her escape. His father is really the root of all of his problems to begin with.  I love that the bad guy in this book is not Warner as we were led to previously believe.

Have you ever seen a tempered glass window shatter?  All of the glass is still there and the window is still standing up in its frame but the cracks in the glass make it impossible to see through.  It is still functional to keep the elements out but it is obviously broken.

That's Warner to me. He reached out to Juliette because he related to her.  He is obsessive, demanding and has a deep need to be in control.  He is a truly pathetic character but he is one that I want to fix and tell him everything will be okay.

I'm on Team Warner now.  I'll go ahead and fangirl about this one because it is so rare for me to sympathize so earnestly with the bad guy.

4.5/4 stars

Book Review: Redemption by Donna Augustine (The Alchemy Series #4)

The grand finale...

One of the reasons that I have mentioned for really liking this series is because it ends.  Sometimes, you read this dystopian stuff and it ends up being a crap ending because nobody knows what to do with the heroes when it is all over.  Should you kill them? Should you have them walk into the sunset?  Redemption is a conclusion and a beginning.  The characters have a lot of work to do in their future but you aren't worried about them anymore.

Let's talk about that cover.

This is the only cover from this series that I didn't like. That's not to say that it isn't a pretty cover but it feels like a cop out. If I were the publisher or writer, I would have had that same blonde model on it but just in a different capacity.  

That tree has a lot to do with the plot of the last book, probably being Burrom's tree. (Even though that was a maple and this one looks distinctly oakey) But that girl has been on all of the others and she could have fit on this one too.  This cover gives no real hints about the 4th book, but rather shows the grayness that I imagine when the post-apocalyptic world is described. It's a good cover. It just doesn't match at all.

Moving on.

I got so angry with Cormac at the beginning of this book.  I mean, he leaves Jo in the middle of this angry impossible world.  But it is true to who he is as a character.  He is willing to sacrifice (and on occasion, force others to sacrifice) for their own good and for the greater good of others.  I believe that he never gave Jo anything she couldn't handle and it forced her to grow up which she desperately needed to do.

Jo was a selfish girl and only really looked out for herself.  She throws grand pity parties and is horribly flawed. She drinks too much. She acts out and has an attitude.  But you know what? Cormac loves her anyways and that is beautiful.

The way I feel about you doesn't come with a set of restrictions. There are no rules that say if you do this or you don't do that, I won't care anymore. This is just an aspect of who you are and I love you for the entirety of you, not for the different pieces I can pull out.

That quote practically makes the book for me.  That's how love is! It isn't instant most of the time and it isn't easy.  You have to take the good and the bad of the person and accept them for who they are. Cormac does that perfectly and it takes Jo a while to wise up.

Cormac is protective and domineering but that's what Jo needs in so many ways.  He is the rock that she doesn't want to lean on. He is strong for her when she is tired of pretending to be Super Woman.

This book isn't, of course, just about their romance.  The Senator has finally mobilized and battle to end things is near.  Jo comes to the realization that something has to give.  A change has to come in order for things to balance out.  She recognizes that she has to be their champion and the one that fights for all of the people that are left.  She takes so much responsibility for what has happened and she is the one that fixes it.

The ending of this book is wonderful as already stated.  It is not a happy ending.  It is not a nice redeemed world wrapped up in a pretty pink bow.  There is still a lot of work to do to repair all of the damage that has been wrought.  But there is peace.  There is a sense of everything being ok.  You get the sense that this is what these characters were created to do.  They weren't created for drama or angst.  They were made to save the world.

So despite the problems that the series has, I still rate it all as 5/5 stars overall.  I'm sad to part with Jo, Cormac and Burrom but I still believe that if the world was to end as we know it, this is how I would want it to go.

Book Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me #1)

I love pretty books with lots of metaphors.  I love having to work through a book and struggling a bit to read it.  That's what makes some books so polarizing and can make people hate them but hey, I like to have to work to understand sometimes.  This book combines elements of Divergent with a Stephen King novel.  It's creepy in some ways and you never really know what the full extent of Juliette's powers are.  You want to root for her but I know I hesitated, just because she holds back as a narrator and I never trusted her.  Another reason to love the book.  It keeps you on your toes.

This cover is wonderful.  It picks up on so many elements of the book.  

The crossing out of words or phrases like at the top happens constantly but somehow, I ended up loving it.  It shows the inside workings of someone who is fighting her natural inclinations in order to stay alive and stay sane.  

The eye, I think, is Adam's and Juliette fixates his eyes a lot.  It is how she recognizes him and one of the ways that she connects to him.  The eyes are the window to the soul, you know.

The branches/veins/ice coming off of the eye also reflects a lot of the style of this author.  She is symbolic.  She is poetic.  There are lots of metaphors and allusions.  It is like reading the better version of high school creative writing where everybody is trying to be profound and just ends up sounding like a jackass.

"I spent my life folded between the pages of books.
In the absence of human relationships I formed bonds with paper characters. I lived love and loss through stories threaded in history; I experienced adolescence by association. My world is one interwoven web of words, stringing limb to limb, bone to sinew, thoughts and images all together. I am a being comprised of letters, a character created by sentences, a figment of imagination formed through fiction."

I find that beautiful.  You don't see authors these days really working to make stuff sound pretty.  I feel like an audiobook of this would be absolutely wonderful to listen to, especially with the right narrator.  I think the words would just roll off the tongue.

This is the story of a broken world.  Old things are idealized and glorified, like birds flying or normal sunsets.  The world that exists in Shatter Me is a wasteland.  It is controlled by a sort of Big Brother type government that puts the "useless" people in society in asylums and basically enslaves the rest.  It is supposedly to protect the world but Juliette has her doubts.  She is unerringly positive throughout the book that maybe there is something else out there and maybe the sky isn't falling like the government claims it is.

Onto the characters.

Juliette

This girl is damaged and it is obvious.  She isn't the most reliable of all narrators but she seems like she is just barely maintaining her sanity at times, especially towards the front of the book.  Juliette is stronger than her surroundings though (in more ways than one) and she does what she has to in order to stay well adjusted.  I like her.  I admire her strength and how she can protect herself if necessary.  She is also extremely moral and weighs the consequences of her actions.

Adam

Adam is honestly the only character I didn't connect with in this book.  He is just too flipping nice.  Now, I hate being that girl that only loves the "bad boys" but in this case, I am being her.   Adam is too gentle and doesn't really show any edge.  He is strong. He is loyal. He is the Prince Charming of this book and never does a damn thing wrong and never gets truly angry.  I want some edge. I want action and tension.  He didn't do that for me.

Warner

My poor broken antagonist.  He really is the pathetic character of the book and I adore him for that. I just want to help him.  It's obvious that he isn't really a cruel person, just a lonely one.  He is just as damaged as Juliette and when he finally finds someone that he thinks he can connect with and love, she pushes him away.  I want someone to reach out to him!  He is the bad boy that doesn't want to be bad.  He is the big pit bull chained to a tree that barks when people get close but cuddles in their laps when they hold him.  At least, that is the impression I get.

I'm looking forward to the next book and my goal is to not burn through them quickly.  These are books to be savored I think.

4/5 stars.  I took off a star just because Adam is too nice and I want him to not be.

Book Review: Shattered by Donna Augustine (The Alchemy Series #3)

Shattered by Donna Augustine is the third installment of the completed Alchemy series.

Chaos, doom and gloom

Jo really loses herself in this book and in many ways, I think she is well within her rights to do so.  She has caused an apocalypse.  Life as we know it is over.  Millions are dead because of her.  I would drink too.

This book shows a slow collapse of a character.  She has to go through a "break me down to build me up" process where she realizes that she cares about other people in her life enough to despair when she ruins everything.  Many other reviews have called her whiny and self serving in this book but I think that she has an appropriate response to what has happened.

People are whiny and horrible.  They play stupid games to get pity and self destruct.  The human reactions in this series is what really makes it for me, despite the occasional sub par writing.  You just want to reach out and shake the characters and knock some sense into them.

Otras personas

More characters are introduced or developed in this book as well.  Burrom is wonderful and hilarious.  He is one of the few that doesn't look at Jo like she is broken, merely like she is going through something necessary.  He asks her for help and shows confidence in her.

Dodd and Buzz grow as well.  They both started off as henchmen and have now developed into real people.  Dodd goes from vain playboy to someone that is willing to sacrifice for those he loves.  Buzz becomes a rock for Jo and Cormac and is always there when he is needed.  He is the perfect employee and friend, in this.

So after everything, I still love this book and will still give it 5/5 stars.  I know it is a short review but hey, what can you do.

Book Review: Keepers & Killers by Donna Augustine (The Alchemy Series #2)

Keepers & Killers is the second book in the Alchemy Series by Donna Augustine.  It picks up a few months after the first book ends and this is where the shit really hits fan.

It starts with another pretty cover, showing Jo again, this time in what I call her "poker outfit".  She has been working at the casino for a few months now and has picked up the habit of gambling with the high rollers.  She makes money by operating a wormhole into the other worlds in the basement of The Lacard which she is now pretty good at, despite her rough start.

The Bad Guy

The character of Senator Core was introduced in the last book but he becomes the real villain in this one.  He is not what he seems on the outside, a classy suave politician and is something much worse.  Nobody knows what though.  I like how the author gives the reader someone to hate.  In the last book, it wasn't exactly as cut and dry since Jo was still learning so much about the world she had been dragged into. Senator Core is the perfect evil man.

He causes a lot of heartache and pain in Jo's life, something that she never thought she would feel again.  She had cut herself off from everyone and pushed Cormac away emphatically but Core manages to cut her deep.  He goes after her past and her old friends and foster families.  Since he can't hurt her physically, he attacks her emotionally.

Moving on

Things escalate quickly, especially after a prophecy from the last book becomes startlingly relevant.  Even then though, Jo and Cormac have time to bicker and ignore the sexual tension between them.

"Are you calling me slow?" "More like idiot savant"

I honestly love the immaturity of it all.  Cormac is above that and is hundreds of years old but he still loves pushing Jo's buttons and she is just as bad.  She insults him, pushes him away, yells at him, insults him some more and yet still finds him incredibly sexy.  He is obviously attracted to her but there is no force behind his affections.  He is controlled and doesn't push her beyond what she can handle and he lets her make her own decisions.

"Between the shooting and now the hitting, I'm starting to harbor some suspicions about what era you people really come from.  Chemists, my ass."

 I mean, he steals her trailer.  He basically imprisons her just to piss her off (and really to watch out for her. He is after all, a good guy.)  Cormac shows that he has a little bit of the gentleman in him and a little bit of the caveman too.  He always seems to be constrained by having to act like he is normal but as Jo points out, he has a somewhat uncivilized manner to him and that is what makes him so strong and intimidating.

Jo grows a lot in this book and I appreciate that this is sort of like a coming of age story inside of a science fiction novel.  She realizes that she is the only person that can really fix what is going on with the wormholes malfunctioning and the weird prophecy about her.  Jo has to come out of the her bunker against other people and accept that she is part of something bigger than herself.  She has a moral responsibility to help.  This growth is necessary because she has to overcome her inclination to avoid feelings and move forward with her relationships, not only with Cormac but also his henchmen, Buzz and Dodd, who become close friends and her old friend, Lacey, who Cormac is using as a weapon against her.  Jo feels her walls crumbling and finally sees that she has to let them fall.

Action and Adventure

Keepers & Killers does not fall to the second book syndrome and takes a massive step forward with the plot.  It almost turns into a horror story by the end when everything starts falling apart.  The characters do not remain in Las Vegas and the readers can see whole scale destruction in a new way.  I frankly haven't read anything like this as far as apocalypses go.  It's a good one.  But this is only the second in the series and the worst is yet to come.  The character building that happens in this book is necessary to support all of the chaos that is to come, foreshadowed by the ending here.

"Welcome to our new universe."

5/5 stars.

Book Review: The Keepers by Donna Augustine (The Alchemy Series #1)

It's time for rereads!

I know I'm probably a little crazy.  I accept this as part of my life and move on.  I'm obsessed with rereading books.

It probably started when I would be stuck in the car for hours, going on soccer trips or up to the lake.  It got reinforced during college when I was in and out of physical therapy and orthopedic centers.  It was cemented in after college when I wanted a bit of nostalgia and reached back into my old bookshelves at home to old comforting books and my high school anthologies.

So here I am, rereading a wonderful series by Donna Augustine.

Don't you freaking love the cover?

The cover shows the main character, Jo, against a moon with her sunglasses on (hey, it is Vegas) and shit-kicker boots.  It doesn't give much away about the book but I love how the model is looking over her shoulder, like Jo does for the majority of the first book.  It is dark, mysterious and the model matches the character well.

Jo

Jo is a kick ass heroine who is trying to work her way through college.  She takes her friend up on a job at a new casino in Vegas, hoping that it will give her a little more free time and better tips than at the dingy diner that was her previous place of employment.  Jo lives by herself, in a trailer park.  She distances herself intentionally so people won't know what a freak she is.  If it wasn't such a cheesy reference, I would say that song "Independent Woman Part 1" by Destiny's Child would fit her.  Jo has been alone so long that she doesn't know any other way, except to take care of herself and mind her own business.

“Only honest people take you at your word. Liars and thieves expect the same in return. Unfortunately for him, I didn’t have a problem lying when it came to saving my own ass."

Jo never anticipates that this casino job is about to become a lot more than that.  The distressingly attractive owner of The Lacard is part of the problem.  The other problem is that her secret may not be as unusual as she thinks and covering it up is becoming more and more difficult.

Cormac...

I have to put this character together in my mind.  I imagine the strength and size of someone like Chris Hemsworth, the voice and power of Richard Armitage and the personality of Rick from Casablanca, wonderfully portrayed by Humphrey Bogart.  He is the kind of man you can picture in a battle with a sword just as well as you can see him prowling the tables of a casino like an overlord. Which I guess is part of the point

"He smelled too good, he looked too good and it was just completely unfair.  Villains were supposed to be ugly.  Just another was I was getting screwed in this deal  My villain didn't even look like he was supposed to."

This character works.  Cormac is awesome and I understand his motivations.  He is a strong man who has been in control for a long time and knows what he is doing.  He knows his purpose in life.  He has a job.  He has a direction.  He is successful and he has fun when he has time for it.

But he is just as isolated as Jo in all of this.  Yes, he has staff and acquaintances but he doesn't have a partner or a confidant.  He has to be overlord all of the time but has no time for friends which can be a lonely existence for him. Sure, he can distract himself with the other women at the casino but Jo seems like too good of an opportunity to pass up.

What's happening

Jo, as I said, is an independent girl.  She was passed around through the foster care program as a child, never really having a place to belong.  Her foster parents figure out that she has powers and she gets shuffled off.  For the first part of the book, her powers aren't exactly specific.  Telekinesis?  Things tend to start floating around her and she seems to have some sort of electroshock thing going on but it is never really explained and that adds to the mystery.

A girl named Lacey is her lab partner and as close to a friend as she has.  She gets Jo a job as a waitress at a casino to bring in more money over a shorter amount of time.  Jo is resistant at first, she hates accepting favors, but eventually caves.  She quickly meets the owner of the casino and realizes why everybody is so intimidated by him.  He is the epitome of hot alpha male. Cormac is too sexy for his own good and knows it.  Furthermore, he likes to watch Jo and seems to be the overlord of his own little kingdom of The Lacard.

When Jo sees something that she shouldn't, things go downhill very quickly.  That sexy alpha man of a boss? Yeah, he orders her to be shot.  

That's really the beginning of her story to figure out who she is and what she is doing with her life.  The Lacard is hiding a huge secret that includes aliens, wormholes, Fae and werewolves.  Cormac needs Jo's abilities to help keep things moving along and keep the peace between all of the societies but there are more problems than just her not knowing what she can do.

The Fae are after her. The werewolves are after her. All she wanted was to be able to drift into the crowd and now she is expected to help keep the Earth in one piece,  Talk about pressure.

Why I Love It

There really isn't anything that I don't like about this book, or this series in general.  There is no insta-love.  There is attraction and jealousy and petty rivalries.  Jo is vindictive and Cormac can be just as bad.  It's sort of refreshing to see people fighting and duking it out, just like real people do.  They don't pull their punches and are horrendously rude to each other.  I've gotten so sick of these books that is all serious drama where people aren't just being stubborn and they don't just accept things.  Jo stands up for herself and I think that Cormac respects that and finds it hilarious at the same time.

It's also laugh out loud funny.  Jo is so sarcastic and grating.  I'd probably hate dealing with her as a person but Cormac is just as bad.  She uses it as a defense mechanism but she can always be counted on to say something unexpected.

So 5/5 stars.  All good.