Month: January 2018

Book Review : Unearthed

Title: Unearthed

Unearthed

Authors: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Pub. Date: January 9, 2018

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying’s advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered.

For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study… as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don’t loot everything first. Mia and Jules’ different reasons for smuggling themselves onto Gaia put them immediately at odds, but after escaping a dangerous confrontation with other scavvers, they form a fragile alliance.

In order to penetrate the Undying temple and reach the tech and information hidden within, the two must decode the ancient race’s secrets and survive their traps. But the more they learn about the Undying, the more their presence in the temple seems to be part of a grand design that could spell the end of the human race.

Since this is a newer book, only having just been released, this first part of this review will be spoiler free, and will just be my reaction to the novel.

Where do I even begin with this book? IT WAS SO GOOD!

I was – still am – such a huge fan of Amie and Meagan’s Starbound Trilogy, so when I heard that they were writing a new sci-fi book I was estatic. Unearthed did not disappoint.

This book had everything, action, adventure, romance and intrigue. I loved the characters and the locations and just the overall feel of the book. They didn’t lie when they said that Unearthed would be a cross between Lara Croft and Indian Jones. Once I got into the novel, I couldn’t put it down!

Definitely check it out! You don’t want to miss out on Jules and Mia’s adventure!

Now onto the more spoiler-y part of the review – Look away now!

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Last Chance!

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I felt it was a little slow just in the beginning, but it picked right up and I was hooked! Once the story started rolling, I legitimately could not put it down.

I loved the fact that Jules and Mia didn’t get along right at the start, that there was this unease between them, but also the recognition that they needed each other’s help. It isn’t until a little later in the story where they start feeling comfortable around each other. I thought that they complimented each other very well.

I also like how they judged each other, as we all do (not on purpose), before they even knew each other, because it gave us the chance to see their perceptions change, grow and evolve. I got to see them grow as characters even though it was in such a short time span. They went from using each other to reach their end goals, to actually looking out for one another, and fearing for the other’s safety. I loved it when Jules became impressed by Mia’s skills and abilities, and I loved when Mia took their safety and survival into her own hands, wanting to protect both of them. Do I wish she had had the chance to explain it all to Jules – oh my god yes – because seeing him all hurt and betrayed hurt my heart.

I thought the puzzles that they had to solve where so interesting and intricate, and when they all led to the end of the novel, I was basically screaming. THAT ENDING THOUGH.

To be honest, I had no idea going into this novel that the story was going to span more than one book. So when I got to the end I was flailing, and in desperate need for the second book, because oh my god the ending left me so excited and confused and bewildered and thrilled, and just thinking about it makes me want to scream, because THAT ENDING. I cannot wait to see where this story goes next, and how the ship is going to play into everything, same with the spiral, and have I mentioned that I cannot wait for book 2!

Overall, I loved this book. I loved everything about this book. I loved Jules and Mia and the world that Amie and Meagan created. I am so excited to see where they take us next on Jules and Mia’s journey, and I can only assume that it’s going to be just as crazy and as good as Unearthed is!

This book should definitely be on your lists of books to read if it isn’t already!

Writing Journey: Present

I’m skipping a couple stops in my writing Journey as I write this post, but I figured a quick update would be a good thing.

To start off, I thought I had a finished working draft of my Sci-Fi Destiny, but after some of my friends read it, it’s clear to me that it needs a little more work. Finger’s crossed that one more round of edits will be enough to polish up the story so I feel good about querying it.

The book is currently sitting at around 140K, and as much as I would LOVE to keep it that long, during those edits, I’m going to be looking at deleting roughly 40K – brb while I cry. Hopefully that will help make the story tighter and a little faster.

Those who have read it, have liked the story, – insert happy face here – so that’s a good thing!

On other writing news,  my most recent NaNoWriMo story has really inspired me, so I’ve been plotting and drafting a high fantasy. Plotting and outlining are so new to me, but I have a finished outline/plot for this high fantasy that spans *potentially* three books – I had a blast of productivity and inspiration and managed to outline the story in it’s entirety. So I’ve been slowly working on expanding the world, figuring out all it’s secrets.

On top of working on Destiny and the shiny new fantasy WIP – I started working on Destiny Book 2, and it’s been fun to work with the characters again.

Writing wise I’ve been busy, which has been a great feeling. While I’m enjoying working on all these projects my main focus is getting Destiny polished and ready for the real world.

Review: Reign of Shadows / Rise of Fire

Title: Reign of Shadows / Rise of Fire

Author: Sophie Jordan

Pub. Date: February 9, 2016 / February 7, 2017

Rating: ♥♥♥♥ – 3.85 / ♥♥ – 1.5

Reign of Shadows:

reign of shadowsSeventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok’s lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna’s survival depends

 on the world believing she is dead.

But that doesn’t stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized.

With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

Rise of Fire

Rise of Fire:

Luna and Fowler have escaped the kingdom of Relhok, but they haven’t escaped the darkness. When a battle against the dark dwellers mortally injures Fowler, Luna is

 faced with a choice: put their fate in the hands of mysterious strangers or risk losing Fowler forever.

Desperate to keep the one bright part of her life alive, Luna accepts the help of soldiers from a nearby kingdom. Lagonia’s castle offers reprieve from the dangerous outside world—until the King discovers both Fowler and Luna’s true ties to Relhok and their influence over the throne.

Now pawns in each kingdom’s political game, Luna and Fowler are more determined than ever to escape and build the life they’ve been dreaming of. But their own pasts have a tight hold on their hearts and their destinies. Luna must embrace the darkness and fire within her before she loses not only Fowler but the power she was destined to inherit.

*I’ve decided to combine my reviews for this duology since the books are so short, and since I read them right after on another, all my thoughts are jumbled on the story as a whole.

Somewhere I saw this book being marketed as a Rapunzel retelling/adaptation – which led me to have certain expectations. Sadly those expectations weren’t met.

I really enjoyed the first book Reign of Shadows. It felt fresh and new and the heroine seemed to break the mold of the typical YA heroines that are in the majority of the books. Right from the start Luna is the one saving people – *cough* Fowler *cough* – and she seems sure of herself, not intimidated or scared. She is fully capable of handling herself and taking care of herself in a world that is unforgiving to the vast majority of it’s inhabitants. If you aren’t walled up in fortified cities, then you most likely won’t make it very long in the world.

While I liked Luna’s character, I liked Fowler’s so much more. It was easy for me to see that he wasn’t this selfish guy that he made himself out to be. He put on a front. As much as he complained about helping others, and as much as he contemplated leaving them behind, he never did. He was selfless.

While I enjoyed book one, book two, Rise of Fire fell so, so, so, so short for me. I was not impressed at all with this book. Both books are short, quick reads, which is nice, but book two felt like a shadow of what book one was. It was so fast, and things just kept happening without rhyme or reason.

This time around the biggest difference was that I didn’t like Luna at all. I felt like her blindness was a weakness in this book, whereas in book one it was one of her biggest strengths. I felt like so much was missing from this book. The relationship between Luna and Fowler was robotic and strange, and suddenly they are willing to basically die for each other. And then there was the weird love triangle mess with them stuck in the middle of it. It just didn’t feel as original as the first book did.

Now, the ending, easily the worst part of this whole book. It was random in the sense that it was WAY too easy. It felt rushed, and hurried, and to be honest, a little bit like a rip off. It’s not even explained! Nothing in this world is really explained, other than ‘this (the eclipse) as happened before, and ended before, so we just have to wait it out’. I hate to say it, but it kind of felt like the author didn’t know how to end it, or lost the story so she just made it convenient, and voila! the book is over.

In summary, I really enjoyed the first book, but was left so utterly disappointed with the second.

Are they a bad duology? No, they aren’t, they just weren’t for me.