B.R. Spangler: When the Sky Falls

In the first in a new series, B.R. Spangler show what happens when humans mess with the environment:

The machines were supposed to help, they were supposed to save the world from Climate change, reverse the damage that humans had caused to Earth. When the machines are turned on, the unthinkable happens, the Machines do the opposite of what they were supposed to do and release a toxic fog that not only burns those who touch it but it has the ability to tear apart anything that was made from organic material. Emily has one job given to her by her parents is to take her sister Sammi to the mall, where they will be safe. Her father is trying to fix the machines make the fog go away and he would meet them there. But you can never see anything Fog and something the Fog is the safer than humanity.

As the first in a new series, I think that the premise that Spangler has presented here is one that had me instantly sold. I will say I did not realize that it was a YA book, so that took me a bit by surprised and I had to readjust my expectations for the book and this did take me a bit. The majority of the book also takes place in about few days after the Fog emerges and a lot happens in that time, frame very fast paced as everything is going to shit, which i feel is very realistic, but then when get a huge time jump.

I'm on the fence with the 15-year jump in time that occurs, part of me wishes that we got to see how Emily and Peter were able to survive but at the same time, I'm happy for the time jump to see how far the colony has come. However, there are some Significant events that happened in those 15 years that are not addressed. Also the time jump occurs around the 75% mark of the book, so it was almost like a teaser for the next book especially with the cliffhanger at the end.

I liked the idea of the Fog coming from a man mad machine that was supposed to help but the opposite happens. I feel like this is the premise of many dystopia books, so not that original but I appreciate that Spangler took the route of Fog causing the earth to be uninhabitable outside and trying to find places that the Fog could not eat through.

As with any end of the world type book there are tragedies in this book, and most of them I did not see coming. Spangler did a great job of showing that no one is safe and heartbreak can happen to anyone.

I liked the characters and felt the heartbreak with them but never really knew the characters as the reader is with each of them for only a short amount of time between the two timelines. This is more of a plot driven book than i thought it would be.

There are A LOT of unanswered questions by the end of this book, from the Outsiders to the Machines, there are many things that need to be resolved or explained further. I have so many questions and I don’t really like that Spangler left so much unresolved/unexplained.

This book was okay. I think if you like plot driven books, end of days and YA book then you will enjoy this book. I am unsure if I will continue on with the series, I mean the cliffhanger is pretty big but I don’t like all the unanswered questions in this one and if Spangler continues this, I know I would not enjoy the second book.

Cheers!!!!

If You Like This,

Check These Out Too:

    

Rachel Caine: Stillhouse Lake

In the first in a series, Rachel Caine shows how far a mother will go to protect her children:

Gina Royal has an ordinary life, two kids and a husband who loves her, the white picket fence is where her life it, that is until a car accident changes everything. It reveals that her husband is a serial killer. Now Gina, now Gwen, is forced to run, not from her husband who is behind bars, but from the internet trolls and family members of the women who her husband murdered, not believing that she could not have known. Gwen finally feels that she has a found a place where her and the kids can settle down for a little while but when the first body shows up and then threatening letters from a familiar address, Gwen does everything she can to keep the truth of who her and are kids are hidden, but you can only hide from evil for so long before it finds you.

This book/series has been on my TBR for a very long time and I should not have put it off this long. I was hooked right from the beginning, I mean it is hard not to be, as it is not every day that your FMC discovered that her husband is a serial killer and just the night before there was a woman strung up in your garage who was being tortured to death. I mean if you like thriller books, that is a hard start to stop reading at. Caine did an amazing job of keeping the story flowing and fast paced that you do not want to put this book down.

I liked that there were multiple mysteries that Caine presents in the book and you wonder are they connected are they not connected, who could be involved, things like that. Although, I was able to figure out some of the twists that Caine was going to do, I did not figure out all of them. I certainly did not think that Caine was going to end the book the way she did and it left be wanting for more.

You cannot help but feel and root for Gwen who has everything stacked against her, and there are those out there that not only want to hurt her but her children as well. All she is looking for is a place and a way to keep them safe. I appreciate that she tries to balance safety and normalcy for them even though it is restrictive at times.

You better believe that after I finished this book I went right out and got the next book in the series. If you have been eyeing this book/series, don’t wait any long pick it up and start reading it, you'll probably want to get it done in one day.

Enjoy!!!!!

If You Like This,

Check These Out Too:

    

Catherine Mack: Every Time I go on Vacation Someone Dies

In Catherine Mack's debut novel, it shows how a vacation can turn from good to bad to worse:

All Eleanor wants to do is get through the latest book tour. The Pros is that it is taking place in Italy, the MAJOR Con is that her ex and blackmailer and muse for the male lead in the series, Connor is also going to be on the tour. That is why Eleanor has decided to finally Kill Connor, well not in real life, but in her series so that she can move on and start writing something different. But when someone tries to kill Connor in real life, and the only thing they know that there is only 10 days to figure out who the killer is, but as other bodies start falling, the suspect list keeps getting shorter. This is the vacation to die for, literally. 

As a debut novel I appreciate that Mack was trying to do something a bit different here with the format of the book and how all the information is laid out and I think that Mack succeeded on some points but not on others. I really enjoyed the ideas that Mack presented of an author who's first book is based upon real events of her vacation as well as that the book was only told from Eleanor's POV. However, I wasn’t a fan of the format of Eleanor talking to the readers instead of just telling the story and the never-ending footnotes. I can say that I did not read all the footnotes. Also how does this translate in other formats like audio, are the footnotes at the end of each chapters?

I did like the overall plot of this book and I think that Mack did a good job of placing people against each other, and determining that the killer was in or connected to their group in some ways. I also thought that the methods of murder were different from a lot of books that I read. I was able to figure out most of the twist before the end.

I’m not sure a ever like Eleanor as a character, she was annoying a lot of the time, and pretty selfish throughout the book, even when she realizes that she was being selfish she never changes from being so. But I did like she is an unreliable narrator as we only get her POV and there are always 2 sides of the story you know as the reader you are not getting all the information or sides to the relationship and story.

This book really took me down memory lane from a trip to Italy 10 years ago and that was probably the best part of the book, getting to relive some of my own memories.

This book was just not for me. I think that Mack tried to do a bit too much with this book and that lead it to not be for me.

Cheers!!!!!

Instead of This,

Check These Books Out:

    

Lisa Edmonds: Heart Of Malice

In the first of a series, Lisa Edmonds shows that darkness follows no matter how hard one tries to run:

The first time that Alice killed, she was six years old and she was ordered to do it by her grandfather. Alice was not always her name, but it is the one that she possessed now and she will do anything to keep from being discovered. She escaped from her grandfather's crime syndicate after being a prisoner there for 20 year and there is no looking back. Alice now tries to make her living as a private investigator that specializes in the supernatural. Hired to determine what objects are missing from a young girl's grandma's library, Alice soon discovers that the object missing is one of immense power that could slaughter the entire city.

I don’t know why I have not heard of Edmonds before but I am extremely happy that I have discovered her. Heart of Malice is what I want from the UF series that I read. It was dark, gritty, the FMC didn’t know who she could trust, has quite a horrible background, faced paced read where you don’t really know where the author was going to take everything. As well there are side stories/plots that need to be explored in future books. There is enough there to keep you wanting more after the book is finished.

Loved that it had witches with different types of Magic each for the elements but also blood Magic and of course Blood Magic is the most dangerous/powerful one and the on that Alice has along with some others. Alice is extremely powerful but she goes to great lengths to not let anyone around her know the power that she has as if she does she will be discovered.

Alice is pretty badass when it comes to magic, she also has the grit, determination and survival instinct that sometimes you don’t often see in FMC. I mean she will lay her life on the line to protect innocent people (for the most part) but at the same sense she wants to survive and live. When you get glimpses of her past you cannot question her will/need to live.

I love that Alice has a ghost side kick Malcom, he provided some of the comic relief in the book and who wouldn’t want a ghost sidekick. I also liked that Malcom had his own powers and knowledge as well that he could share with Alice.

Could have done without the instant lust, yes, as this is not always my thing, especially in series, I do like more of a slow burn but at the same time it made sense in context of the story and what having sex can help with.

Loved loved loved how Dark this book was. There is torture that occurs (mainly off screen) but enough detail is given to know what occurs. There are also deaths that occur onscreen that some may find disturbing.

I'm extremely happy that I found this series, and I cannot wait to continue on in this series, to see how some unresolved aspects within this book play out. Plus cant wait to find out more about Alice and what she is able to do. Just a fantastic start to a UF series.

Enjoy!!!!

If You Like This,

Check These Out Too:

      

Katherine Center: The Rom-Comers

Katherine Center show what is truly takes to write a good Rom-Com movie:

When Emma’s father got sick she knew she had to step up to take care of him and her younger sister. She put her dream of being a screenwriter on hold. For 10 years she has put others before herself until an old friend wants to bring her back in. A well known screenwriter needs help writing a Rom-Com and it just so happens that Charlie Yates is Emma’s favourite screen writer. When she reads the screenplay it is horrible and she cannot believe he wrote it. When Emma meets Charlie, well maybe one shouldn’t meet their hero. Worst Charlie doesn’t want to fix the screenplay and Emma knows rom com and know she can help him fix it, but it will take all of her to get it done and maybe just maybe she can find her own happy ending.

Center is the author that reintroduced me to Contemporary Romance, and is still a go to author for me when I need a change of Pace. I find that she has the ability to suck me in to her characters and stories right from the start and I need to know how this relationship is going to play out. The Rom-Commers is no different. When we meet Emma I already feel like I know her and the hardship she has gone through with giving up ehr dream so her younger sister can achieve her's. 

When I saw that this book gave me all the emotions and feelings, I am not lying. It made me laugh, cry, feel dispare and hoepful, and sometimes all of these at the same time. I will say that I felt that this was a bit lighter in topic than some of the other books that I have read by Centre but I was okay with it and it was what I needed at the time I was reading it. The concept is really cute and I was here for it

Emma is a pretty loveable character, she is very happy and very much no self-centred at all. She wants to do what is best for everyone around her even if it is detrimental to herself. There are times when i wanted to slap her for not thinking of herself first, but that is just who Emma is and she does go on a bit of the journey in the book to discover that it is okay to put herself first every once in awhile

Charlie (I am not writing his last name) on the other hand is basically an ass for most of the book. He puts Emma down (A LOT) and critisces her even more. I think Charlie has a hard time being around someone like Emma and he lashes out even more. When you first start reading Charlie he does not really have any redeeming qualities even though Emma searches for them. He has his moments and did I like Charlie by the end, Yes?

Grumpy Sunshine trope which was played perfectly, and honestly one of my favourite troupes when it comes to romance novels. I will say the third act I was not a fan of and it seemed a bit rushed towards the end, but this did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. One thing that did was the use of the MMC's full name every single time that Emma talks about him she uses his full name. We know by the tenth time who is it. I mean it's cute to begin with but then it was just annoying.

This is going to be one of my favourite by Centreprobably in my top two now (my favourite is still Things You Save in a Fire) but this is a close second. You'll want to pick this one up if you are looking for a lighter read and if you are a fab of the grumpy Sunshine Trope.

Enjoy!!!

If You Like This,

Check These Out Too:

Marcus Kliewer: We Used to Live Here

In his debut novel Marcus Kliewer shows why you should never have strangers in your home:

Charlie and Eve cannot believe the killer deal they got on an old house on a great piece of land, its like a piece of country in the city. Only problem is one road in one road out. Eve is working on the house alone when a stranger knocks on her door. It turns out not just one person but a whole family with a father who used to live there and wants to show them where he grew up. Eve is apprehensive but ends up letting them in. As soon as they are inside unexplained things start happening, starting with the youngest child going missing in the basement. New sounds, creaks and moans start to enter the house and the family cannot take the hint to leave and Eve now knows, she never should have let them in.

I love reading debut novels, I like discovering up and coming authors and when I saw this book was Kliewer's debut plus it was a horror book i was really excited to read it. I will say that Kliewer crafted a story that kept me guessing as what was occurring and I think that he was on point with the creepy atmosphere that he created in this book. You can tell there is something wrong with the house and family pretty quickly. The family just gives off those vibes of trying to appear normal, but they are not. I suggest reading this one in the dark if you are looking for a scare, or maybe a house/cabin far away from other people just to heighten it a bit.

But OMG, what the actual F happened here? Like I honestly have so many questions after finishing this book that I don’t know if that was Kliewer's intention or not. But i am so confused and I feel dissatisfied with that ending, I wanted a little more, maybe a little less of a cliff hanger as I do not know if this is going to have a sequel or not.

There are a few aspect in this book that caused me to struggle as I was reading it. I found that many of the chapters were overly long and I wish that Kliewer could have found a way to break them up a bit. Also, while reading it I felt like there were too many extra documents that were not part of the story. As to why they are there makes sense at the end but while reading them I felt it took away from the story quite a bit and made me feel less invested at times.

I will say that the book is much more of a slow burn book and it really picks up in many aspects around the 75% area. I was okay with the slow burn in the actual chapters of the story but man those extra documents really hindered it.

I don’t know whether to recommend this book or not. I mean when I was in it I was in it, but that ending, I just don’t know. I guess read this one if you are okay with something that feels incomplete and will have questions in the end. Best parallel example i can come up with is the ending to inception with the quarter at the end.

Enjoy!!!! (I think, I honestly dont know)

If You Like This,

Check These Out Too: