Category: Book Review
Doomed by Tracy Deebs
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Beat the game. Save the world.
Pandora’s an average teen, glued to her cell phone and laptop, until the day her long-lost father sends her a link to a mysterious site featuring photos of her as a child. Curious, Pandora enters the site, unwittingly unleashing a global computer virus that plunges the whole world into panic: suddenly, there’s no Internet. No cell phones. No traffic lights, hospitals or law enforcement. Only Pandora’s Box, a virtual-reality game created by Pandora’s father, remains up and running. Together with her neighbors, gorgeous stepbrothers Eli and Theo, Pandora must follow the photographs from her childhood in an attempt to beat the game and track down her father—and rescue the world. Part The Matrix, part retelling of the Pandora myth, Doomed has something for gaming fans, dystopian fans, and romance fans alike.
[Full disclosure: I received this book from an unknown person that is not the author or the publisher. There was no expectation to review it as far as I know so of course this review is honest. See here for more details about the Mystery of the Randomly Appearing Books.]
Doomed is an okay book as long as you don’t think about it too much.
What I mean by that is on the surface it has an okay premise (technology being destroyed, world going into chaos) but that it’s executed in such an implausible way that you can’t help but think that there’s no way this could happen. First off, I seriously doubt that there would ever be a virus that destroyed everything electrical. Computers, cell phones, the internet, electricity, etc. But hey, it’s science fiction so I’ll buy into that. Then throw in a computer hacker genius early high school graduate who’s going to Harvard and things start to get really annoying. These things happen in movies; rarely in real life.
Pandora is an okay character I suppose. She acts like such a brat, but that’s somewhat believable considering her circumstances. The fact that she never really changes throughout the story from that bratty mold is annoying though. She keeps telling Eli and Theo how she’s not a damsel in distress yet she has panic attacks left, right and centre and rarely does anything for herself. It’s always the boys coming in to save her butt. Nevermind that the boys themselves are so one dimensional that you would expect to see them in some trashy tween flick.
Okay, so the only redeeming feature about Doomed is that although it’s over 400 pages, the writing style is really simplistic. I got through it in about 2 1/2 hours when a book that long should have taken more like 4 hours. It makes for a decent amount of suspense but as I said before that’s only as long as you don’t think too hard about the whole thing. The authorities that chased Pandora and the boys were completely incompetent caricatures that were totally incapacitated by the lack of technology despite the fact that radios still were working! Who uses radios and walkie talkies the most? The police!
If you want a fast-paced science fiction novel, go ahead and read Doomed. But if you actually think about what you read I don’t recommend this book.
I give this book 1.5/5 stars.
The Devil of Ponong Giveaway Winners
How time flies! It seems like only yesterday I was putting my giveaway up and now it’s over. So now it’s time to do my favourite part: announce the winners. Here are the winners and the prizes they’ve won:
Winner #1: Mark Lee (Paperback copies of The Devil’s Concubine and The Devil Incarnate)
Winner #2: Linda J. (Paperback copy of The Devil’s Concubine)
Winner #3: Luciana Cavallaro (An ebook copy of The Devil’s Concubine)
Someone from Wayzgoose Press should be contacting you guys shortly.
Sworn to Transfer by Terah Edun
(Cover picture courtesy of Terah Edun.)
Companion trainee Ciardis Weathervane has won the friendship of the royal heir and saved his claim to the throne. Yet her interference in the inheritance rights leaves more harm done than good. With the death of the Princess Heir, the Ameles forest – the home of the kith, is dying. The inhabitants of the forest, magic-wielding non-humans, are defiant. They have not forgotten their long struggles nor are they content to watch as the last of their lands perish. As humans begin to die in gruesome deaths, the Emperor dispatches the royal heir to the forests with the solution to the kith concerns.
With enemies closing ranks in Sandrin, Ciardis can little afford to leave the city’s nest of vipers to take on a new task. But she’s given no choice when her loyalty to the crown and courts are called into question.
To keep the Companions’ Guild happy and the favor of the Imperial Court, Ciardis will be tested in frightening new ways, especially when she’s faced with an obstacle that could risk the lives of her friends and the family she never thought she had.
This second novel continues the story of Ciardis Weathervane from Sworn To Raise.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from Terah Edun in exchange for an honest review.]
Some authors never improve, but Terah Edun is not one of them. Instead, in Sworn to Transfer she fixed pretty much everything that was wrong with the last book. The pacing was much better because everything was slowed down to a manageable but interesting speed and the villain wasn’t such a caricature as in Sworn to Raise.
What I liked the most about Sworn to Transfer is how Ciardis’ character has developed over time. You can tell that although she keeps getting in trouble with the Companions’ Guild for breaking protocol, overall she’s far more sure of herself and her powers. At the same time, things are a little more awkward between Ciardis and Sebastien. You can tell they’re starting to develop feelings for each other, but they’re still not sure just how to express them. At least they’re not falling in Insta-Love, but rather their love is growing organically.
What I really liked were the plot twists. The huge jaw-dropping twist at the end was completely unexpected but made sense. In addition to that shocker, there were several little turns of events that kept me reading late into the night. I don’t want to give anything away so let’s just say that every character has their secrets and they aren’t exactly eager to share them with Ciardis, the wild card in the Imperial Court.
If you enjoyed Sworn to Raise you’ll love Sworn to Transfer even more. The extended world-building, the character development and the evenly paced plot make it a huge improvement over the last book. And although there are some moments where the plot drags, when you finish the book you’ll be begging for the next one to come out.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
In the real world, when you vanish into thin air for a week, people tend to notice.
After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as normal as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for; his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he’s forbidden to see her again.
But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, normal simply isn’t to be. For Ethan’s nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan’s and Keirran’s fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan’s next choice may decide the fate of them all.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
The Iron Traitor is the second book in Iron Fey: The Call of the Forgotten and it releases on October 29, but I already can’t wait for the last book. It seems that Julie Kagawa’s writing is still improving because I felt much more connected to the characters, more involved with the story and I felt like I was there. The descriptions were even more vivid than before and yet they don’t veer into boring territory because they’re just the right length.
I love how Ethan is developing as a character. In The Lost Prince he was the moody, tortured stereotypical bad boy but now that he has Kenzie and knows her awful secret he’s become a much better person. He still fears getting close to other humans because of the faeries’ vengeance but he’s actually starting to warm up to the idea he can be sort of normal. That it’s okay to love someone and that it’s hard to admit you’re in love. Kenzie also has a lot more depth now that we know the reason for all her actions and stubbornness in the last book. It makes her motivations a lot more believable and her love for Ethan is undeniable.
As for the plot, I had a really hard time putting The Iron Traitor down. With Keirran missing in search of a cure for Annwyl before she fades, there’s an even greater air of urgency to the whole thing. Does Keirran have an ulterior motive here? Why did Ash and Megan keep Keirran and Ethan separate for so long? Are the Forgotten really going to return to the real world now? There are so many questions and many of them are answered by the end, but new questions pop up then as well. The ending is just plain cruel, but is part of the reason why I can’t wait for the next book! Julie Kagawa really knows how to hook her readers, that’s for sure.
So here we have a fast-paced plot, awesome characters and even more world-building. I can’t ask for anything more in the second book of a trilogy.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Silent Echo by Elisa Freilich
(Cover picture courtesy of Diversion Books.)
Haunted by silence, a mute teenage girl is mysteriously given back her voice … and it is divine.
Rendered mute at birth, Portia Griffin has been silent for 16 years. Music is her constant companion, along with Felix, her deaf best friend who couldn’t care less whether or not she can speak. If only he were as nonchalant about her newfound interest in the musically gifted Max Hunter.
But Portia’s silence is about to be broken with the abrupt discovery of her voice, unparalleled in its purity and the power it affords to control those around her. Able to persuade, seduce and destroy using only her voice, Portia embarks on a search for answers about who she really is, and what she is destined to become.
Inspired by Homer’s Odyssey, SILENT ECHO: A Siren’s Tale is an epic story filled with fantasy, romance and original music.
[Full disclosure: I signed up to review this book as part of a blog tour and was provided a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.]
After a lot of thought, I’ve decided that my feelings for Silent Echo are pretty much mixed. On one hand, Portia was a decent enough character even if she did have some ‘moments’ and on the other hand, I wasn’t very impressed with where the plot went.
So let’s talk about Portia first. She’s completely mute and has been since birth and she has a best friend named Felix who is deaf. I found their communication through sign language a refreshing change from the usually horrible dialogue in YA novels. So once Portia regains her voice because the siren part of her is manifesting, it certainly throws things for a loop. And of course her Siren part manifesting brings on the evil manipulation of the other two Sirens, who are long-dead spirits that can still influence her. I know Portia’s downward spiral into evil, manipulative witch isn’t for everyone but considering the circumstances I found it quite believable and in line with what Elisa Freilich was going for with the story.
The plot was all over the place, to be honest. I found some elements to be completely unbelievable like the fact that Sirens have power over the gods, even Zeus! Somehow I don’t think the Sirens of Greek myth had that power. As for why Portia is even a Siren there’s a pretty flimsy explanation given at the end of the book that doesn’t really ring true for me. I mean, if it was true than a lot more people would be manifesting as Sirens. As for Max’s hot and cold attitude toward Portia as he slips in and out of her spell, I found it slightly unbelievable. I mean, is there a particular reason why he was able to resist at some times? Not really.
As for the actual pacing, the plot isn’t badly paced. Sometimes the song scenes drag the plot down but overall it wasn’t like I was falling asleep while reading Silent Echo. If more elements of the plot were explained adequately, this could have been one of the best books I’ve read this year. However, I felt that the execution of my first ever Siren book was lacking.
I give this book 2.5/5 stars.
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About Elisa Freilich:Raised in rural Monsey, New York, Elisa spent her days reading whatever crossed her path and developing a keen appreciation for the ever-present music in her home – from classical to rock.
After her college years at Boston University, Elisa continued her creative pursuits, working as a junior VP of Marketing at a corporate graphic design agency and, later, as an interior decorator. Eventually, Elisa left the workforce to raise her family, in her now hometown of Englewood, NJ.
When Elisa is not writing, her creative outlets still abound. She is fierce with a set of knitting needles, a hot glue gun and any ingredients that can somehow be fashioned into a sinful and highly caloric babka.