Tagged: masq1
Dreams of the Queen by Jacqueline Patricks
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Dr. Cass Baros is haunted by dreams of an alien world…
…and will do anything to find it.
Relentlessly, she works her science team–along with her co-project leader and fiancé, Dr. Julian Saunders–in order to create the first lab-contained wormhole. Their boss, Dr. Janson, has a secret agenda. He adds a military contingent, which expands their six person team to twelve and increases tensions between the members. Egos will clash, agendas will cross, and their worlds will be undone as they travel through the wormhole.
The team, unable to return home and facing numerous dangers–conflicting desires, burning suns, cannibalistic monsters–is plunged into an adventure beyond their control. They struggle to unravel millennia old secrets in an alien world where nothing is what it seems. While Captain Lewis’ leadership strengthens, Cass deals with her destiny as the Brajj queen, and the Brajj, Jeamon, questions his lifelong beliefs and loyalties.
Cass and her team wrestle with her royal status to the Brajj, while being tossed between love and betrayal, genius and madness, and a jealousy frightening enough to cause the destruction of worlds.
*Rated Mature 18+* Science Fiction/Romance/Adventure/Aliens, zombies, romance, some time slipping and a wormhole all wrapped up in a mystery! (Serious sci-fi with a mature romance, violence, language, and some gore–this is not a fluffy bunny)
[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.]
Dreams of the Queen is one of those books that you intend to sit down and read a few chapters but then you realize it’s three in the morning and you’ve just finished it. It really sucks you in and doesn’t let you go. I have to say that in my nearly three years of reviewing I have never read a book as unique as this one by Jacqueline Patricks.
Sure, on the surface it seems like Patricks has cooked up a pretty conventional “follow the wormhole to an alien world” story but it’s really anything but that. The alien world is far from what it initially seems and there’s intrigue lurking around every corner. No one (and I mean no one!) is as they seem in this story and everyone is hiding something: from Cass hiding her dreams from Julian, from Julian hiding the fact that he has a much darker side and all the way up to the Brajj king and his trusted lieutenant Jeamon. When you compare it to lots of other stories, the characters aren’t the most sympathetic but in Jacqueline Patricks’ dark imagined world they are. More importantly than being sympathetic, they are all very interesting characters. You may not like all of them, but you do want to find out what happens so Dreams of the Queen ends up being a psychological thriller as much as it is an action/adventure novel.
As for the world-building, wow. I really can’t describe things too much without giving away some of the plot twists, but the alien world Cass and the others land on seems to be a pretty stereotypical medieval-esque fantasy world. When you get down to the guts of it, that’s far from true however. The alien world hides it secrets well, even from its supposed queen. One of the more fascinating features of the world was the zombie-ish creatures that attack the living out in the forest while the Brajj contingent brings Cass and the others back to the city. They act like zombies, they look and smell like zombies, but they’re not the zombies that we really know from conventional stories. They really do have a much more fascinating background; they’re not just there for the scare factor.
The characters and the world-building had a pretty high wow factor, so how was the plot? Well, it was spectacular. There’s really no other way to describe it. Just when you think you know something is going to happen, it doesn’t. You may be able to correctly predict a couple of the twists, but you won’t be able to predict the big, horrifying reveal at the end. And that’s not really me being dramatic—it is horrific. Jacqueline Patricks isn’t kidding in her blurb when she says it’s for 18+; trust me on this one. This is a very dark science fiction/psychological thriller that will leave you breathless. There’s never horror for horror’s sake, but many of the scenes in the book are nevertheless shocking. It really fits in with the darker tone the story takes as it winds on, drawing you into it until there’s no hope of getting out until you finish it.
Like I said, I can’t really tell you much about Dreams of the Queen without giving away some of the amazing twists and turns that you’ll want to discover for yourself. All I really can say is that the plot is not all that it seems, the characters are highly unique and believable and the world-building will wow you. If you get a chance, go pick up this book. It’s not for everyone, but if the blurb or my review has intrigued you I highly recommend it.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
First Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue…
With the war begun, Aniri, Third Daughter of the Queen, has to battle not only a prince with a deadly skyship, but her own sister, the First Daughter, who finally sees her chance to become Queen. With their mother gravely ill and the Second Daughter kidnapped along with Aniri’s husband-to-be, Aniri embarks on a desperate mission to save the people she loves from a war that will tear all three countries apart.
First Daughter is the third book in the The Dharian Affairs Trilogy (Third Daughter, Second Daughter, First Daughter). This steampunk-goes-to-Bollywood (Bollypunk!) romance that takes place in an east-Indian-flavored alternate world filled with skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue. And, of course, kissing.
[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.]
For a series that I initially thought sounded kind of dumb, by the last book I was quite emotionally invested in all of the characters, particularly Aniri. Susan Kaye Quinn has a real talent for bringing her steampunk (Bollypunk?) world to life and making us care about her characters. That’s not common in any genre.
Of course I’ll start with the characters: I loved them. Aniri really came into her own in First Daughter, what with her mother’s injury and her falling out with her own sister over their battle strategies and politics. Nahali really didn’t come off as a good character at first, but when you realize that she’s only doing what all of us try to do, our best, it’s easier to sympathize with her. She’s not perfect, but then again no one is, particularly when they’re in a leadership position and everyone feels free to criticize them but to not actually do anything about the problem. I loved how Aniri matured and eventually realized that she had to try to see things from Nahali’s point of view as well, not just immediately dismiss her older sister. Being able to compromise and understand someone is an important part of growing up and Aniri does a lot of that in this book. It was really satisfying to see her huge transition, especially when you consider how she was in the first book. She was never stupidly immature, but she lacked confidence in herself and in Ash, who also underwent some pretty awesome changes throughout the story.
The world-building in The Dharian Affairs Trilogy really is just amazing. Susan Kaye Quinn did such a good job creating a society in the middle of an industrial revolution while still retaining much of its dependence on the old ways. That’s why Dharia is so rich and is the most important of the three kingdoms: they’re not the most advanced, but they’re the breadbasket of the area. Their farming allows them to grow rich, even though they don’t produce the amazing industrial advances that they do in Samir. It was really interesting to see how that tension between the agrarian but rich Dharia and the industrial but relatively poor Samir play out. The author really knows her politics because the tension plays out in a believable way and even though the book ends, you still get the feeling that maybe not all of the world’s problems were solved by out protagonist. Shocking, I know!
This tension also contributed quite a bit to the plot, particularly the parts about the Samir rebellion. Dharia is richer than Samir, but they don’t have the airship fleet of their smaller neighbour. Can Aniri avert a deadly war, launched either by Samir’s second son or her own sister? That’s pretty much the whole conflict of the book, but there are some interesting subplots that tie up loose ends we were introduced to in Third Daughter and Second Daughter. And of course we get a little bit of romance between Aniri and Ash, although that’s far from the main focus of the story when they’re both trying to avert a potentially catastrophic war. The plot also has so much political intrigue that it never really slows down and you’re left guessing what will happen next. That was one of the really strong points of the book: you have to actually pay attention to the details because if you don’t, you’re going to miss out on so many good things.
Essentially, First Daughter was a good conclusion to the Dharian Affairs trilogy. It tied up most of the loose ends without it seeming forced and therefore it left me feeling satisfied, which is something rare in a trilogy ending. The characters were great, undergoing amazing changes; the plot was fast-paced and complex and the world-building was as good as ever. You really can’t ask for more in a final book.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Captive by Aimeé Carter
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
For the past two months, Kitty Doe’s life has been a lie. Forced to impersonate the Prime Minister’s niece, her frustration grows as her trust in her fake fiancé cracks, her real boyfriend is forbidden and the Blackcoats keep her in the dark more than ever.
But in the midst of discovering that her role in the Hart family may not be as coincidental as she thought, she’s accused of treason and is forced to face her greatest fear: Elsewhere. A prison where no one can escape.
As one shocking revelation leads to the next, Kitty learns the hard way that she can trust no one, not even the people she thought were on her side. With her back against the wall, Kitty wants to believe she’ll do whatever it takes to support the rebellion she believes in—but is she prepared to pay the ultimate price?
[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
I just have one question after reading this entire book: Did Kitty lose her brain in between books one and two?!
I just have no words. I actually liked Kitty in the first book because although she was naive and kind of innocent, at least she generally knew when to keep her mouth shut and keep up the charade of being Lila Hart. In all honesty I can’t say I was her biggest fan ever in the first book, but she really grew on me and at least most of her actions were justified by logic.
But in Captive, that all goes out the window. Kitty seems to have lost her brain, particularly in the first half of the novel. She spouts off her mouth at the people who have power over her, she doesn’t know when to shut up and let Knox do his rebellion thing and even though there’s no reason for it other than to advance the plot, she reveals one of the secrets she could have used as leverage later on. So where does she wind up? Elsewhere, of course! No one, not even Lila Hart’s replacement is irreplaceable. And when she’s in Elsewhere, she promptly makes an enemy of every single person around her because she just won’t shut up. Ever. I spent most of the book wanting to slap her for being so incredibly stupid.
As for the plot, unlike in the first book it didn’t really feel like there was anything really all that new. Aimeé Carter has always used some tried and true clichés but in Captive she just lets it all hang out. There were no surprises because the whole plot of this book was like a soap opera, with mysterious lost family members and lovers betrayed—the whole nine yards. Captive suffers from a severe case of Book Two Syndrome in that practically nothing happens until a little bit at the end of the book to make you go buy the third book. After the plot twists and turns of Pawn, it was just supremely disappointing.
The world-building was really the only thing I didn’t actively dislike. I like that we saw the other side of Elsewhere, not just the ‘shoot people for sport’ side. It’s run like a prisoner of war camp (which it sort of is) and life within is pretty much just as brutal as you’d expect from a dictatorial regime. Nothing really surprising, but nothing so stereotypical that I wanted to throw my Kindle at the wall. The only thing that I was happy about was that we got to see another side of the rebels as well as see how ordinary people can end up in Elsewhere. Sure, you have your criminals and political dissidents, but you also have some pretty harmless teenagers and kids whose only crime was being born—or more accurately, not being born rich.
As someone who enjoyed Pawn, Captive really was a huge disappointment. I liked that we got to see more of Kitty’s world but I just hated that it was in such a forced way. It seemed like Carter wanted to showcase the rest of the world so she dumbed down Kitty in an attempt to force that showcase. Will I still read the last book, Queen? Yes, I think I will because despite this huge disappointment, I did enjoy the first book and I’m enjoying the overall plot arc. But really Aimeé Carter, you can do better than this.
I give this book 1.5/5 stars.
The Messenger by Pamela DuMond
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Do you remember the first time you fell in love?
Read The Messenger (Mortal Beloved, Book One) and feel that beautiful—again.
Sixteen-year-old Madeline’s meant to fall in love with Samuel in every lifetime. But she meets him for the first time when she accidentally time travels into the past—hundreds years before she’s even born!
Their relationship is forbidden—Samuel’s half Native, Madeline’s white. Every rendezvous they share must be secret. Each moment they spend together tempts the odds that they’ll be discovered and brutally punished. But their love is fated—they musk risk all.
Danger intensifies when Madeline learns she’s in the past not only to fall in love, but also to claim her birth right as a Messenger—a soul who can slip through time’s fabric at will.
Deadly Hunters, dark-souled time travelers, crave Madeline’s powers and seek to seduce or kill her. Can Madeline find her way back to the future in time to save herself and Samuel?
[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
If I had to describe The Messenger in one word it would be ‘disappointing.’
The prologue started off promisingly enough, with a girl (obviously the main character) running through the woods in a panic. Okay, that sounds cool; let’s get on with the main event! My excitement dampened throughout the first few chapters because of the pretty stereotypical “main character who has lost her parent in a horrific accident years ago” but I soldiered on. When I got to when Madeline time-travelled I got pretty excited because I like time travel stories, which is why I requested this book in the first place. Then that point in the story is where the true disappointment set in.
It’s hard to enjoy a book when you absolutely cannot stand the main character and I couldn’t stand Madeline. I just wanted to reach in and slap her across her loud mouth. Constantly. Okay, she’s a little disoriented when she travels back in time, I’ll grant her that. But once she gets on her feet and realizes “I better play along with these people or they’ll call me a witch and hang me” she then proceeds to act like a modern stereotypical American teenager. She blurts out things at inappropriate times, uses modern slang (!) and generally acts like she wants people to start lynching her. I get it, not all teenagers are smart and would instantly adapt to the 1600s. Calling such a transition a culture shock would be quite an understatement. But really? Using the word ‘whatevs’ is definitely not going to ease people’s suspicions about you. Ugh.
Aside from a narrator that really is Too Stupid To Live, the book’s premise isn’t all that bad. Sure, it’s not the most original but the whole Messenger angle was sort of interesting. Special people go back in time to right wrongs and/or meet their destiny. Hunters try to prevent this. Unfortunately, Pamela DuMond never really gets into fleshing the whole story of the Messengers out because Madeline’s stupidity gets her mentor accused of witchcraft. Even the little knowledge Samuel has isn’t really enough to satisfy my curiosity. I know this is the first book in a series but even that doesn’t really excuse the fact that we get more questions than answers. So I give Pamela DuMond marks for potentially awesome world-building, but I can’t honestly say much about it because we didn’t learn all that much about it.
The plot is okay, but it’s also nothing to brag about. It’s not fast, but not too slow and it was interesting enough to keep me reading even though I began to really loathe Madeline. My only real complaint about the plot was that while some things were focused on too much, other things were neglected, like the growing attraction between Madeline and Samuel. Yes, they spend some time together but in those interactions I really wasn’t feeling the sparks fly. It just kind of felt contrived by the author because of course all YA novels have to have some romance.
Overall, the book would not be a bad book if not for the fact Madeline is just a really horrible main character. Sadly for us, though, we’re pretty much stuck in her head the whole time so there is no escaping the fact that The Messenger fell flat on its face. It had so much potential and did not live up to it.
I give this book 1/5 stars.
Novella: The Donor by Nikki Rae
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Casey Williams and her family are poor. Her parents work non-stop and so does she, just so they can keep the trailer roof from leaking.
They’re getting by fine enough when the headaches start. Then there’s the nosebleeds. And the inevitable doctor’s bills.
Fortunately for Casey, there’s MyTrueMatch.com: an exclusive, quick, and almost easy way to pay it all back before her parents even have to know.
All she has to do is give a man she’s never met whatever he wants from her body.
Inside or out.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
I’ll admit it: I thought this book was about sex when I requested it on NetGalley. Considering the blurb, I don’t think that was an unreasonable assumption because a lot of erotic novel blurbs are. I was honestly looking for a little guilty pleasure.
What I got was a poignant, touching story that left me an emotional wreck for a full day afterward.
So obviously, this book is not about sex. No, it’s the story of Casey and her journey to confront not only her medical reality but her long-ignored emotions. It’s a story of forgiveness and dealing with your past, especially the things that hurt you before. And although I can’t really say much without giving away the whole story but it is also a tale of love; not necessarily romantic love but the kind of platonic love you feel for your family. The Donor is a story that can mean many things to many different people and these are just some of the things I pulled out of it; Nikki Rae’s story is so deep that you will probably take away different lessons and themes.
Casey was just an amazing character and I don’t I’ll ever be able to forget her. She’s young, just about to start her life away from her family, but poverty and those medical bills that were mentioned in the blurb are conspiring against her. So she turns to a sketchy and exclusive website where she meets Jonah Black, a mysterious but kind man who decides to make her his donor. Casey’s character arc as she confronts her problems and finally, finally forgives herself is just amazing and although I’m not an emotional person I’m tearing up just writing this review. Both Jonah and Casey were so real, so vivid, that you can’t help but become attached to them as characters.
The real reason The Donor is such an amazing novella (aside from the characters) is Nikki Rae’s writing. She just has an absolutely amazing writing style. It’s simple but poignant, conveying emotion without being too sappy, using symbolism but not being in your face about it. I know that it’s very hard for authors to find a balance between emotional and overly melodramatic, but Nikki Rae found such an amazing balance that if you aren’t left feeling a little something by the end of the book you clearly don’t possess a human heart.
So what can I say? Not everyone will like the ending but it stays true to the characters and the overall tone of the novella. It will leave you an emotional wreck but it will also make you confront your own fears and live your life just a little more richly because of it. There really are no words for how awesome this book is.
Seriously, just go buy it.
I give this book 5/5 stars.