Alison James: The Lying Kind

This book is also known or now known as Lola Is Missing or The Missing Child (I'm not sure why it has three different titles, maybe it depends on where you live). Alison James takes readers to a parent's worst fear when their child disappears in the middle on the night without a trace:

Lola is Missing; she is six years old who is taken from her bedroom. Her mother is distraught and also very convinced that her ex-husband is responsible for abducting Lola away. It does not help that they are not able to find him. Leading the case is Det. Rachel Prince but it is going to make more than her expertise to untangle the web of truths and lies that this family has. Everyone knows that the longer a child is missing the less likely they are to be found alive and as more and more time flies by and more and more lies are told, Rachel is not sure they are going to find Lola in time especially when another little girl is taken.

This was a gripping read that did not rely on a body count in order to make it so as this book is about a missing child. James relayed on the twist, turns and lying that goes on within family dynamics especially that of this broken marriage. Things become very interesting and devious along the way as Jones shows the lengths people will go to in order to protect their secrets as well as trying to find their daughter.

I really liked Det. Rachel Prince, she is smart, tenacious and follows her gut when investigating her cases. She also doesn't pander to politics which is always dangerous and interesting at the same time. I mean people do not always have to like her in order for her to get her job done. She also seems to have her life and career together and is not running from some hidden demon that is going to rear its ugly head at a bad time. Sure she has made some poor choices with men (who hasn't, lol) but they do not affect her work or work ethic. She is not pining away for some guys that she throws the whole case away.

James also does a great job of showing what I believe actual police work is like, not all action but having to hit the paperwork in order to solve the crime. There is quite a bit of this in this book, going back over evidence and information that Rachel or her team has found. There are also a few stake out scenes that show that it is not that glamorous.

Alright this a nick picking thing but it makes me question if James is willing to do research for her books. ACL tears do not repair themselves, you can attempt to strengthen the muscles around the knee to provide stabilization but the ACL will not regenerate. As an individual who has had to have ACL surgery I wish they had the ability to repair themselves. Really this is minor in the scheme of things of your book but just do a quick google search and you’d know this information. Also she wouldn’t be able to walk in high heels after just tearing it without falling on her face every time she took a step especially if it was a full tear there would be nothing preventing the lower part of the leg from flying forward with each step🙄.... Sorry rant over

Alright looking past my rant, lol, this book was interesting and great start to a series, especially with the main character who I thought was really well done. I look forward to continuing on with this series to see what Jones comes up with next.

Enjoy!!!!

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Javan Bonds: Zombie Lake - Still Alive

Javan Bonds takes readers to a pirate ship and zombies, what could go wrong?

The world has gone to Hell and Mo Collins is facing the end of the world on a replica pirate ship. Each night hordes of naked blue zombies flood the city streets Mo and his shipmates Crow just fish and try to survive. When another survive stumble across Mo and Crow's ship Mo has found a new lease on life. As Mom's reality starts to mimic fiction they need a new cast of characters to fill the each role; The Expert, The Tech, The Oracle, The Sacrifice and The Old Friend. Sometimes life bites but right now it's all about the zombies.

Unfortunately this book was a DNF for me, I found I was unable to become interested in the characters or plot and to be honest I read approximately 50% of this book and it was just boring. Nothing really happened, I understand the need to set up the world and characters this is supposed to be zombie and there were very few zombies to be had. It was more about getting the merry band of characters together. I think I would have liked the idea of Bond's zombies if there would have been more interaction with them, as they only come out at night, seem to go blue and are naked, lol.

I also had issue with the amount of slang of one of the characters that it was very hard to understand what he was saying even though the words were written right there and I just became annoyed each time he spoke. Maybe this makes me a prude or something when it comes to the English language, I don't know but I just wish that not every word that came out of this character's mouth was a swear or some type of slang or abbreviation of words.

This book was not for me but I'm definitely in the minority on this one based upon the reviews on Goodreads. Lots of people have enjoyed this book and found it extremely funny (maybe I have a different type of humour, once again I don't know, lol).

Cheers!!!!

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Angela Marsons: Dying Truth

This is the 8th book in the series (wow I cannot believe that there are already that many), especially with this book you will need to read the previous 7 in order to understand the characters and their relationship dynamics. The previous 7 (Silent Scream, Evil Games, Lost Girls, Play Dead, Blood Lines, Dead Souls and Broken Bones) are all extremely well done and will keep you on the edge of your seat and don't blame me if you don't get anything done as you strive to finish Marsons' books:

Angela Marsons is back with another DI Kim Stone novel, where Kim is taken to an elite school where secret societies rule the school:

When teenager Sadie Winter supposedly jumps from the roof of an elite private school, DI Kim Stone is assigned to the case and nothing feels right to her right from the beginning. When another body of a boy turns up dead at the school, Kim is not about to step back and call it a coincidence like the school would like her to. Kim and her team discover what the school is hiding, a dark web with an even darker society where punishments are handed out if you go against your card. With more childrens' lives at risk Kim must consider the unthinkable that one of the kids peers is going on a murder streak all to protect that what the cards hold dear. Once a suit of cards, always a suit of cards.

This is the 8th book in a series and I think that I am reading and reviewing this book says a lot about Marsons as an author. There are so many choices and new authors and series to choose from these days that often people (myself included) start a series but never really stick with it, they can be forgettable. Obviously this is not true of Marsons' DI Kim Stone series, each book has had a unquie story line and while Marsons does have a bit of a formula by now, it is fluid enough that each book is very different, this is especially true in this book Dying Truth.

Is it weird for me to say Marsons got her groove back with this book? I found the previous 2 books not as compelling and interesting as the ones before them and focused a bit too much away from Kim, who is the main reason I read these books. Do not get me wrong they are still good reads just not as amazing or interesting as the ones before them. However, this book was something else, and had me reading well past when I should be. There was one really big change in this book than the previous one and that was that the team were focused on just one case this time, normally there are a few cases going on at once that the team is being forced to handle so it was a change to only see one case in this story line. So maybe Marsons is changing it up a bit.

We all know the characters well enough by now that there is not that much character growth that is occurring there are some opportunities within this book for that to happened, especially with the ending but I appreciate that each character knows who the are and what their role on the team is. There also is more of a team aspect with the group and how they work with each other, which I enjoy reading almost like the fifth member, lol.

I'm always a sucker for small town reads and well why not a school with a secret society. I love all the secrets and how once a member of a card always a member of a card and how this can influence life well after school is over. I also appreciated that Marsons acknowledged that sometimes Kids are bad people too and they are not to be over looked and underestimated by adults, which many of us still do, even with everything that goes on today. The one kid related aspect that I think that Marsons missed in this book is their use of social media. I'm not sure why is aspect was absent from the novel but I think it would have added an additional dynamic to the story and premise.

I think that Marsons took a real chance with this book, and you won't really understand that aspect until you read this book. I have been a big fan of Marsons since she started this series, and I continue to be one now. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

Enjoy!!!!!!

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Nicholas Sansbury Smith: Hell Divers III - Deliverance

If you have not read the first two book (Hell Divers & Hell Divers: Ghosts) in the series, stop right now and go order them. They are both fantastic reads that you will not want to put down. This review will contain SPOILERS for both of those books and you really don’t want to do that to yourself, so just stop reading this now and start at the beginning of the series. Trust me you won’t regret it.

Nicholas Sansbury Smith is back with his killer Hell divers series and this time the divers are spending more time on Earth than ever before:

Team Raptor has been left behind on Earth by the Hive but they were able to find a new ship Deliverance to help take them to the last coordinates that Xavier “X” Rodriguez had given and hope that he is still alive after all these years. They are on a rescue mission that has zero chance of being a success but they have to hope for something and to prove to X that he was not left behind by everyone. While on the Hive Captain Jordan is losing control over the ship. The people are angry, supplies are running out and Hell Divers are in short supply. Jordan will do everything in his power to keep the ship in the air even if it means, lying, cheating and murdering to keep it that way. Team Raptor may be in danger from the nightmare creatures that now plague the Earth, but they also need to keep their eyes on the sky for danger comes from familiar places.

Honestly, this is hands down my favourite sci-fi series, granted I do not read a lot of sci-fi but any time I pick up a book in this series I know I am in for a roller coaster ride and I will not want to put the book down. Deliverance deliveries on all the things that I want in this series; Interesting world/characters, fast pace story, action scenes, you never know who is going to make it out alive and just overall awesomeness. 

As stated above, there tends to be some character turn over, also known as Sanasbury has a knack for killing people off, yes that also includes some of the characters you like, so it is always nice to have some fresh blood to the books. I enjoyed that this time we get to meet some new Hell Divers in training and each of their reasons for being their and the choices they have to make. It was also interesting have more of a perspective from Captain Jordan and the choices he makes. Honestly, even though he is made out to be the bad guy, some of the reason he has about not wanting to return to Earth make sense. However, many of his actions are based upon just having the power to do things and jealousy.

I really appreciated that we got some time to see what X had been up to and the progress he made while traveling as this was the bomb shell of the previous book that X was still alive and had survived somehow. X is on his way traveling to the coast but and due to Sansbury writing style  (and the fact that X's part are set in the past) you never know if X is still going to be there  but just the thought of finding out keeps you reading. 

Sansbury Smith really out did himself with the introduction of new creatures that have developed on Earth and how these creature differ from those inland. Makes you wonder what will be out there if one decided to venture further in to the seas, where the water is no longer water but sometime of sludge

Fantastic book and addition to this series and I cannot wait for the forth book, going to be some interesting times and challenges ahead for the Hell Divers and I cannot wait to go along for the ride with them. On to Wolves I go...

Enjoy!!!

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Jack Heath: Hangman

Jack Heath introduces readers to a very disturbing anti-hero who works for the FBI when they need the best and his payment is taken in Flesh:

When a 14 year old boy is kidnapped and there is a ransom call with a deadline the FBI have called in expert consultant Timothy Blake aka Hangman. Blake is not only a genius known for solving the impossible cases but he is also a sociopath. But Blake may have met his match on this case. The kidnapper is cunning and foils Blake at every turn. Along with his newly assigned partner (Blake doesn't work well with other), he has to be on his toes not only to find the kidnapper but to keep his dark secrets. You see every time Blake saves a life be gets to take one in return, and Blake needs his pounds of flesh in order to survive. Clock is ticking and who knows who will come out of this alive
 
Unfortunately with book has been moved to my DNF shelf and I am extremely bummed about it. I always hate when I cannot finish a book, I think every reader and reviewer hates the feeling where a book sounded promising but just couldn’t grab a hold of you. This is the problem I had with Hangman. I’m not sure where this book went wrong for me. It has an interesting and down right disturbing anti-hero, has a cat and mouse type “game”, a different type of premise and yet there I was having read 50% of the book and it felt like work to pick up the book to read it. And trust me I have so little time to read these days, I don’t want to have something I love feel like work, when I need it to be enjoyable.

I’m sure many people will love this book and I’m truly shocked I could not get in to this book or characters. Maybe I’ll revisit it later but right now not for me. Those  of you who would like to check it out, be warned it is not for the faint of heart. As mentioned above the main character is an anti-hero and let’s just say he has some Hannibal Lector qualities about him (and by that I mean the eating kind) as well as some Dexter qualities and truest me Heath is not sparse on the details for this and other aspects in this book. Timothy Blake is really like a marriage between Lector and Dexter but with even more socially awkward qualities and none of either of their charisma. See what I mean I should have loved this book....

Oh well you cannot win them all I suppose. On to my next read, I'm truly disappointed that I was unable to finish this book.

Cheers!!!!

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Mira Grant: Into the Drowning Deep

In the first in a new series Mira Grant takes the readers to the Mariana Trench where humans are on the menu:

Seven years ago the Atargatis is set off for the Mariana Trench to create a mockumentury about the existence of Mermaids. The voyage ended in tragedy with not a soul on the ship surviving. The footage that was shot on The ship has been locked away and those who have seen it cannot believe that it is real. Now the production company is sending another ship to that area to investigate what had happened and to prove once and forall if Mermaids do exhist. Everyone on the boat is going to get way more than they bargined for.

I have not read a Mira Grant series in a long long time, but it was Grant who intorduced me to reading zombie books, so it is really only fitting that she introduce me to Mermaids books as well. This book was amazing, it had aspects of mystery, horror and urban fantasy all rolled in to one. You really did not what was going to happen next and who was going to survive. I mean who does not love the idea of the deadly mermaids instead of the Disney style ones. Due to the fact that Grant has mixed a few genres within this book you might think that it is oversaturated with ideas but Grant he does not shy away from any of the genres and took the best aspectsnofneach to create this story. Some of the scenes are quite brutal in their description but these are countered with the scientific discovery aspects so there is a nice balance and Grant does not hit you with death after death. There is also a nice suspense aspect as there are so many points of view throughout the book that you are not 100% sure which views are going to be there in the end.

The imagination and research that Grant put in to this book was exceptional. She tried to cover all different types of angles when it came to mermaids from where they live to additional organizism that may be down in the mariana trench as well. You can also tell that Grant put in a lot of thought as to how the mermaids would be able to interact with human on both their territory as well as above the surface. The intelligence that they have is awesome and are basically killing machines that can work in groups or solo. I’m glad that Grant did not make them mindless killing machines, they have the ability to adapt and plan their attacks which makes them that much more interesting.

There are quite a few points of views in the book so you get a fairly rounded story as to why many of the individuals are on the mission to find mermaids, however, the most frequent point of view that we encounter is Victoria's. Victoria is on the ship for several reason, most importantly she wants to prove that mermaids exist as her older sister was on the maiden voyage of this research ship and no one from that vessel made it home. She is also a brilliant scientist who wants to use her knowledge of ocean sounds as a guiding tool for the discovery. In many ways Victoria is the scientist and is very calculating in everything she does. This does make her portrayed as naive at times And this is most seen in her relationships with people (I’ll say slightly typical for the scientist type to be portrays this way however, Victoria does gain more and more confidence the farther in to the book you get).

I love that this book is about mermaids and Grant’s idea of the mermaid is not the little mermaid that we all grew up with. These are deadly killers who have human meat on their menu and according to the mermaids it’s a tasty feast. I look forward to the next book in the series to see where Grant takes it.

Enjoy!!!

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Spencer Kope: Collecting the dead

 In the first in a new series Spencer Kope introduces readers to an FBI tracker that  is known as the Human Bloodhound:

When regular trackers are unable to find someone or a clue then the FBI calls in Steps and Jimmy. They are the elite trackers and are able to find anyone, even in remote locations, even when others have failed. Steps has a special vitality he calls shine that shows him where people have traveled to, what they have touched etc. He uses this ability to hopefully bring those who are lost, missing or kidnapped home safely. However, more often than not this does not happen. In their latest case Steps and Jimmy are called to a crime scene where Steps recognizes the Shine from a previous case. Based upon what Steps found they have eleven missing women who fit the same pattern and they are in a race against time to find them before its too late.

I have read other tracker based books before but those involved search and rescue dogs as part of the main story not just a person, so I did find this concept interesting. Kope does a good job of showing how Steps hides his ability while on a track but at the same time you have to think in real like these trackers do some amazing things, that maybe there is an aspect of realism to this idea; the ability to see what others cannot. Kope also does not shy away from the fact that not everyone makes it out alive when they are missing as well as having fairly detailed crime scene information as Steps details what happened.

Steps has the ability to see what he terms Shine. He has has it ever since a near death/he did die when he was a young child. Shine is the essence of an individual. It follows you where ever you go, each person has a different color/colors and this color changes based upon the living status of that person. This is how Steps is able to find people and clues that no one else is able to see. All of this makes Steps an interesting character with his gift / curse as he struggles with those times when he is not able to find the victim in time and Steps can tell mid-track if the person he is tracking is still alive or dead. This plays on his sanity and he struggles with whether he should continue on or not.

I will say that the secondary characters are not fleshed out as much asI would like them to be, even Steps’ partner Jimmy. This book is very much Steps’ story and that is where Kope decided to focus on with not only the plot but character development as well. For secondary characters you basically just get to know them/see them through their relationship with Steps.

This was a really good read with an interesting twist on the tracking idea. I like the idea of the elusive serial killer that Steps has been tracking for years but has been unable to find, this added an additional dynamic to the story as it does test Steps' focus. I'm looking forward to reading the second book in this series.

Enjoy!!!!

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Elise Kova: The Alchemists of Loom

In the first in a new series, Elise Kova takes the reader to with world of the Loom, ruled from above by the Dragon King:

Ari lost everything; friends, her lover, her way of life, when the five guilds resistance fell to the Dragon King. Now she uses the skills she learned in the resistance, her ability as an engineer and magical talents to be the White Wrath enemy to every dragon and known for contributing to a thriving underground Dragon organ market. That is until she meets Cvareh, a Dragon who claims to be on the side of those in Loom and he is willing to bargain something very precious, a wish,  if Ari is able to get him to the alchemists so that the resistance can start again. Ari knows she cannot trust Cvareh, and that the task may be near impossible as assassin after assassin is sent after Cvareh by the Dragon King, but a wish from a Dragon can give Ari the one thing that she desires most and hopefully the freedom for Loom.

I do not read many fantasy genre novles, but I was drawn to this book first for by the cover, second by the description of the book and third I haven't read a fantasy book in quite some time so I was excited to try something different. Kova uses a tried and true premise to frame the world and story around; one society/culture/people oppressing and abusing the other and those that try to take the power back. This is done in a completely fantasy world that had some very interesting and disturbing elements (think Frankenstein/plastic surgery to the extreme) and the thirst for power that goes along with it. Loom is divided into 5 different Guilds (Raven, Rivet, Alchemist, Revolver and Harvesters) and where you are born is what specialty you will grow up perfecting, if you show any sign of weakness or do not live up to the Dragon's standards you are killed (this mainly happens to children). Loom supports The Dragon's world above with the introduction of machinery and some magic, it were these aspects that the Dragons became aware of Loom and wanting to possess and control it. With all the machinery and magic this novel does have a very steampunk feel to it, especially with Ari and her engineer abilities.

I really like Ari as a main character, she is strong, confident, smart, often thinks the worst about people, has a past that we don't know too much about but she has a caring side especially when it comes to Florence. Florence is an awesome sidekick to Ari, she just needs to gain confidence in herself. She is probably the character that grows the most in this book, as she is forced in to circumstances that she has never been in before and many of them are a true test for her character both physically and morally. Cvareh is a good counter point to Ari with his obsession with things that are pretty and complaining about his clothes getting dirty or having to wear clothes out of fashion. He truly shows the differences between Loom and Nova. It is also interesting to watch Cvareh grow as a character as he tries to survive not only the threats on his life from other Dragons and Ari but also trying to navigate a new world in Loom.

I find that Dragons does not seem to be an apt description of the characters just based on the cover art of the books in this series, but also how they are described in the book. To me they seem that they would be more of Elfin or Fae or some other magic creature that Kova could have created. Based upon descriptors and the fact that they do not have wings or the ability to fly or shape shift in to what I would call traditional Dragon form. You say Dragon to someone we will probably all come up with some sort of similar image, and what is presented in this book is not that image. Maybe the reason they are called dragon is explained in the next books in this series but I think that is a slightly misrepresentation of these individuals.

I also could have done without the romance aspect that is hinted at. I mean why does there have to be a romance element? Ari and Cvareh they dislike each other in every way, yet drawn to the other individual as well. Why cant they just not like each other but are forced to work together for a common goal, why does that have to lead to attraction????

I still have a lot of Why questions after reading this book, which is not a bad thing as I know this is a series, however, quite a few of those questions are world based, so there are a few things that are not so clearly set out. I found the characters in this book to be very interesting and why I kept turning the pages to see what they would do next. I look forward to reading the second book in the series and hoping some of my questions are answered. 

Enjoy!!!

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Hollie Overton: The Walls

In her second novel Hollie Overton takes the reader inside a destructive relationship:

Kristy Tucker is the press agent for the Texas Department of Corrftiown. This means that she gets face to face with some of the worst criminals in the state as most of the men she deals with are on death row and she feels she can tell who the worst people are. When Kristy meets Lance, her sons’s martial arts instructor she is leery at first but soon Lance wears her down and Kristy believes she has found the one. She could not be more wrong; Lance is a monster, full of physical and verbal abuse. Lance is also a master manipulator and has everyone convinced even Kristy’s family that he is a saint. Kristy does not know how much more she can take, but she has to be willing to take things in to her own hands; Can she get away with murder?

This is the second book that I have read by Overton and I appreciated that it was a completely different story than the first. This book did not go in the direction that I thought it would, especially based on the title and cover of th book but I think the title has more to do with the walls that one creates around the self in order to survive and not the walls of the prison where Kristy works. Overtone does not spend that much time having Kristy at work especially in the latter half of the novel. So if you are expecting a prison type novel this is not what you are going to get here. It also takes a bit for the overall story line to get going and I had to go back an read the premise of the book to see what was supposed to happen in this book. As you r was farther in to the book you understand why Overton took the time to develop the relationship between Kristy and Lance as well as how Lance is going to fit in with Kristy’s family.

I personally do not think that I could do Kristy’s job, not only dealing with inmates on death row but also the families that those men have affected. This would take a toll on any person and that Kristy does this job very professionally speaks to her strength as a character. She is also a fantastic mom and daughter as she puts their needs way above her own and her want/need to portray that everything is perfect. It is these two strengths that start he to take action and start to make plans to make sure she never gets hurt again.

This book is not going to be for everyone and it definitely will have some trigger moments for individuals as Overton does not shy away from the domestic abuse that Kristy suffers, both verbally and physically. It also highlights what an individual is willing to go through in order for those that she loves can retain a normal life and so she chose to suffer in silence. This book really shines a light on domestic violence and the secretive nature that it can take on as even those close to you do not know what is going on.

This was a good read that was a bit slow to start. You will like Kristy as a character and her struggle to find love and then stuck with a man that is abusive towards her. I look forward to seeing what Overton comes up with next.

Enjoy!!!

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S.J. Kincaid: The Empress

This is the second book in a series so in order to understand this world, where the main players stand politically and who Nemesis is and where she cam from,  you will need to read the first book in this series The Diabolic (which is also a great read).

Tyrus has won the long game that he has played his entire life, so far, however his choice for Queen is being met with a lot if resistance as well as Tryus' view of the future. But having the power means nothing if you are not able to keep it and changes are not always welcome especially those who are tied to the old ways. There are several plots afoot to not only keep Tyrus in power but also to remove him from it. Nemesis will protect Tyrus at all cost but what if that jeopardizes their future as well as Tyrus' hold on the throne. The Question for everyone in the books becomes, what are willing to do to achieve the ultimate power and what are you willing to do to keep it?

Wow this book is absolutely crazy, you don’t know who Nemesis can trust and what an ending I did not see it coming at all. Kincaid really shines in this book as she keeps you guessing till the very end and throws in so many twist, turns and red herrings that you just hold on and enjoy the ride. This book is full of political intrigue and espionage with a lot less fighting and action scenes when compared to the first book. This book really highlights what people are willing to do in order to obtain power but also be the ones to control it as well. It shows that people will go to ant lengths for these two things and this includes Nemesis and Tyrus. If you did not enjoy all the politics of the first one then you will not like this one as it takes it up ten fold. I personally liked all the political games of the first book so I really enjoyed this one.

It was interesting see Nemesis develop more “human” emotions and not really sure whether to trust then or not, as many of them go against her programing but really Nemesis is in a position that no one even considered that a Diabolic would be in. Nemesis also has to learn to be more subvert in her actions and not just a mindless killing machine, so it was very interesting being inside her thoughts as she decided to kill or not to kill an individual who may threaten Tyrus' rule. It was interesting to see Nemesis and Tyrus relantionship develop not only as Tyrus attempts to seal his spot on the throne but also how the changes that Nemesis is experiencing shapes the decisions that she decides to make throughout the book; many of them are very again the Diabolic way and not something she would have even considered at the beginning of the first book. There are times when her new found humanness really gets in her way.

I really enjoyed where Kincaid took this book and where she is going with this series. I like that this book and series seems to be going more of the political route as who should rule and what kind of ruler they should be is in questions. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

Enjoy!!!

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Haylen Beck: Here and Gone

In her debut novel, Haylen Beck takes the reader on a parent's worst fears.

Audra Kinney is fleeing an abusive marriage with her two children and she thought that they would be safe, she just needs to get to California. On a pit stop she spots a police officer and Audra is wary as her husband has quite a bit of influence, and she had a right to be wary. Sheriff Whiteside sees an opportunity in Audra and her children and when he pulls her over and finds a bog of marijuana in her vehicle he arrests her for possession. Audra know it is not hers, she does not know where it came from but when she asks about her children and the response is "What Children?" her worst nightmare has just begun. Across the county a man watches the news about Audra's case and it all sounds way too familiar to him and he see an opportunity to find out what really happened to his family, but the answers they find are even more than anyone can imagine.
 
This book is very very unsettling and extremely terrifying and traumatizing as a parent. From the very first scene Back is able to grab hold of the reader and keep that hold until the end. This book is really well paced and I liked that Beck took the time to have several points of view as this was needed as we know who the bad guys are so there is no mystery there, it was more about what will happen to Audra and her children. I find that this created a more well rounded story and plot as a whole. There are also shifts in time in this book as we learn where Audra came from and why she was running away from her husband.

I think one of the most interesting characters within the book was Sheriff Whiteside, and how he ended up on the other side of the law. He is probably one of the most evil men that I have read about in a long time and he is basically the perfect antagonist in this book and the lengths he is willing to go to protect himself were great. Also as the Sheriff this gave him additional powers that he has no qualms about using. However, while Sheriff Whiteside is an interesting character, the rest of the cast was not so interesting, they acted fairly predictable in my opinion and I think that Beck missed an opportunity with Danny Lee

I wish Beck would have had more with Danny Lee at the end of the book as his part and what occurs seems to end suddenly so this does make me wonder if maybe there will be a second book featuring him with his own personal quest. I also felt that Danny Lee was not developed as much of a character as he could have been.  

This was a good debut novel and the farther you read in to this book the more invested you become in Audra and her children. I look forward to seeing what Beck comes up with next, a new author to keep an eye on for sure.

Enjoy!!!

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A. J. Eversley: Watcher

In the first in a series and debut novel by A.J. Eversley, she takes the reader to dystopia Earth, where machines that look like human rule and the humans that are left are slowly losing the battle save humanity:


Sawyer is the younger Watcher in her resistance that is sworn to protect humanity. It is her job to watch over the city and protect the few humans that are left. The Bots and Carbons that come out each day to try and find the last humans so they can be taken away to who knows what fate have been changing and evolving. They have now decided to target the Watcher's themselves. On a rescue mission Sawyer is faced to make a choice who lives and who dies. But something about this mission does not add up, someone has betrayed them.
Sawyer made a promise to protect humanity, but that comes at a cost as she tries to figure out who is friend and who is foe and who ultimately needs to die.

This was a really interesting debut novel and I really enjoyed getting to know the world and main characters that Eversley created. The world is very interesting, you can tell that Eversley used some tried and true ideas from other popular media forms, but I think that overall she was able to make them her own on most fronts by blending them together. I did not sit there reading thinking to myself oh here we go again with any of the ideas presented in this book. Additionally, I think that Eversley understood the flow that this book needed, and while it was fast paced moving from action scene to action scene, Eversley also took the time to let the reader get to know the two main characters better.


I enjoy reading within the dystopia genre and some of them have been geared towards YA readers and what I really appreciate with what Eversley did within this book is to not make the book about Sawyer's romance or the need to have a guy help/save her (and also a plus in my books is that there does not seem to be a love triangle coming...finally). So this leads me to not only enjoying this book more but also liking Sawyer as a character. Though at times I found her slightly immature in her thinking process or her actions outside of a battle, but that was something more that would come in time and maturity which I do not expect Sawyer to have yet even though she has had to grow up in a war zone. Like I said above I was extremely happy that she was not boy obsessed and when push comes to shove she will do what needs to be done, even if that means killing someone. With this being said you can probably guess that there are some darker undertones within this book that I was not expecting as well.


This book was like part Matrix part Terminator, so if either of those descriptors piqued your interest you should check this book out. This was great debut novel and I am looking forward to continuing on with the serires. I am really looking forward to where Eversley takes the readers next.

Enjoy!!!

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Ali Land: Good Me Bad Me

In her debut novel Ali Land explores how much our parents have the ability to shape us:

Milly's mother was a Serial Killer but Milly still loves her, but she knew the only way to stop her and save other children was to turn her in to the police. This allows Milly to have a fresh start, with a new identity, try to rewrite her past as well as a new foster family. But anyone can see that Milly has secrets and she has to fight to keep them. As Milly's mother's trial comes closer and closer Milly does not know if she will be able to testify against her mother, but more than anything she wants to keep the foster family that she was placed with. Milly begins to wonder how much of an influence her mother has had over her, how much of it has shaped her and whether she is really destined to just become her mother one day. As things become more and more intense in Milly's life she is going to show exactly the type of person she is; Good or Bad.

Wow, this book is insane and intense. Dark, twisted and disturbing on so many levels, but I enjoyed it all. What made this even more impressive is this is Land's debut novel. Honestly I do not know how she will be able to top this novel. This had so many positives in the execution and the way of psychology and the whole idea of nature vs nurture aspect played out that I think it will be hard to top this book. I think Land will have to go in to a completely different direction with another book as anything similar would not hit the mark.

This book did have some writing flaws but I think that because it was told by Milly there were times when the dialogue was sloppy on purpose as Milly tries to adapt not only to her new posh surroundings and the people she comes in contact with, but it also expressed how different Milly was from all of these other people. Milly is such an intriguing character on her own I understand why Land chose not to have other points of view in this book; Milly was more than enough.

I'm not really sure I'm completely happy with the ending, more so when it ended not how it ended. I wanted more, to know what was going to happen next with everyone (I don't want to give  too much away of what I wanted more of as that would give some major things away in the book). Nonetheless, I was able to figure out one of the major plot lines or twist near the end but I think that Land makes it easy to find or realize on purpose, as you as the reader secretly hope that you are wrong. That said it is great that you are right as Land is okay with showing the dark side of human nature.

This was a great debut novel by Land that has you questioning how much your upbringing can shape you and really explores some of the darker sides of human nature. I look forward to seeing what Land comes up with next.

Enjoy!!!

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