Master of the Opera - Book Review by Voodoo Bride

Master of the Opera
by Jeffe Kennedy

What is it about:
An aria for lost souls

Fresh out of college, Christine Davis is thrilled to begin a summer internship at the prestigious Santa Fe Opera House. But on her first day, she discovers that her dream job has a dark side. Beneath the theater, ghostly music echoes through a sprawling maze of passageways. At first, Christy thinks she’s hearing things. But when a tall masked man steps out of the shadows—and into her arms—she knows he’s not a phantom of her imagination. What she can’t deny is that he is the master of her desire. But when her predecessor—a missing intern—is found dead, Christy wonders if she’s playing with fire...

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:
Even though I love Jeffe's work, I only got to reading Master of the Opera when it became available in print. I blame myself and my aversion to e-serials, because I actually had all 6 acts of this book on my ereader since the last part of it became available in March last year, and still didn't read it.

And I can't believe I didn't force myself over my aversion and just read it, because this book is amazing!

This is a retelling of The Phantom of the Opera, but with a spin on the story, and with other mythology added in as well.

I loved the setting. Both the Opera House and Santa Fe itself feel real. I could easily picture myself visiting the city and seeing the sights that are used in this story. Although I'm not sure if I would be brave enough to explore the Opera House.

The story has a dark, mysterious mood and drew me in from the start. Once strange things began to happen I was eager to find out what was going on. I would have finished this book in one sitting if my brain hadn't decided I needed sleep around 2:00 am.

I loved how Jeffe mixed native mythology in with the ghostly atmosphere of the original story. It was a perfect fit in my opinion. The mystery is compelling and I kept guessing how the story would unfold. And I can tell you I was surprised a few times.

All in all this is a really great read, and you can bet I will be rereading it. I will also set aside my aversion to e-serials next time one of my favorite authors has an e-serial out.

Why should you read it:
It's a delicious retelling of Phantom of the Opera, with a twist.


Buy it here

Prefer ebooks?
Find buy links for the first part of the e-serial here

Master of the Opera - Giveaway

Thanks to the generosity of the ever awesome Jeffe Kennedy I have a signed copy of Master of the Opera for one reader of my blog.

Read all about this book, that's now available in print as well as an e-serial, and enter the giveaway with Rafflecopter.
I will also include some swag for the lucky winner!


Master of the Opera
by Jeffe Kennedy

An aria for lost souls

Fresh out of college, Christine Davis is thrilled to begin a summer internship at the prestigious Santa Fe Opera House. But on her first day, she discovers that her dream job has a dark side. Beneath the theater, ghostly music echoes through a sprawling maze of passageways. At first, Christy thinks she’s hearing things. But when a tall masked man steps out of the shadows—and into her arms—she knows he’s not a phantom of her imagination. What she can’t deny is that he is the master of her desire. But when her predecessor—a missing intern—is found dead, Christy wonders if she’s playing with fire…

----

Buy it here

Prefer ebooks?
Find buy links for the first part of the e-serial here

----


About Jeffe Kennedy:

Jeffe Kennedy is an award-winning author whose works include non-fiction, poetry, short fiction, and novels. She has been a Ucross Foundation Fellow, received the Wyoming Arts Council Fellowship for Poetry, and was awarded a Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Award. Her essays have appeared in many publications, including Redbook.

Her most recent works include a number of fiction series: the fantasy romance novels of A Covenant of Thorns; the contemporary BDSM novellas of the Facets of Passion, and an erotic contemporary serial novel, Master of the Opera. A fourth series, the fantasy trilogy The Twelve Kingdoms, hit the shelves starting in May 2014 and book 1, The Mark of the Tala, received a starred Library Journal review and has been nominated for the RT Book of the Year while the sequel, The Tears of the Rose, has been nominated for best fantasy romance of the year. A fifth series, the highly anticipated erotic romance trilogy, Falling Under, released starting with Going Under, followed by Under His Touch and Under Contract.
She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with two Maine coon cats, plentiful free-range lizards and a very handsome Doctor of Oriental Medicine.

Jeffe can be found online at her website: JeffeKennedy.com, every Sunday at the popular Word Whores blog, on Facebook, and pretty much constantly on Twitter @jeffekennedy. She is represented by Connor Goldsmith of Fuse Literary.

http://jeffekennedy.com

https://www.facebook.com/Author.Jeffe.Kennedy

https://twitter.com/jeffekennedy

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1014374.Jeffe_Kennedy


a Rafflecopter giveaway

On McPig's Wishlist - Earth

I loved Granger's World of Ash trilogy, so I might have to try this series sometime.


Earth (Elemental #1)
by Shauna Granger

Shayna and her two best friends have the abilities to manipulate and control the four elements, earth, air, water and fire. While learning to hone their growing powers, they discover a new and malicious presence in their sleepy beach town. Someone is performing blood magic and threatens to expose their small magical community. So far only small animals have been slaughtered, but then the nightmares start.

Shayna suffers nightmares of being chased and sacrificed only to wake up bloodied and bruised. She thinks her magical blood is the ultimate target for the final blood rite. When an innocent girl, Tracy, is kidnapped Shayna knows it's only a ploy to draw her out; she can't let someone die because of her.

Last Flight - Book Review

Last Flight (Dragon Age #5)
by Liane Merciel

What is it about:
Return to Thedas, the setting of BioWare's award-winning Dragon Age dark fantasy rpg, and discover what dark, forgotten secrets lurk in the history of the legendary Grey Wardens.

The Grey Wardens are heroes across Thedas once again: the Archdemon has been defeated with relative ease and the scattered darkspawn are being driven back underground. The Blight is over. Or so it seems.

Valya, a young elven mage recently recruited into the Wardens, has been tasked with studying the historical record of previous Blights in order to gain insight into newly reported, and disturbing, darkspawn phenomena. Her research into the Fourth Blight leads her to an encoded reference scrawled in the margins of an ancient map, and to the hidden diary of Isseya, one of the last of the fabled griffon riders. As the dark secrets buried in Isseya's story unfold, Valya begins to question everything she thought she knew about the heroic Grey Wardens...

What did I think of it:
After reading and enjoying The Calling, a prequel novel to the Dragon Age games, I was hungry for more Dragon Age novels. Of the ones written Last Flight sounded the most intriguing. Yes: I'm a Grey Warden Fanpiggy! I wanted to find out more about them.

And this book is so good!

Isseya starts out being idealistic. She's barely out of her training when she is given a griffon and told to join the war against the darkspawn. The war is difficult however, and as years pass Issenya changes and learns that at times you have to make very, very difficult decisions.

Argh! Isseya's story tore my heart out! It's desperate, intense, and dark.

When playing Dragon Age I usually make the 'good' choices. Trying to save everyone, doing what is right. This story makes it so easy to understand why someone would chose otherwise, why someone might do things during a war that in peace time would be unthinkable.

Isseya's journey into darkness made me root for her, and it made me cry. It showed me a side of the Grey Wardens I hadn't seen yet, but that fits with the things mentioned throughout the game. And the griffons! I have wondered why the griffons disappeared into legend. This story tells you about them, makes you love them, and makes you even more sad about the fact they're extinct.

The ending is bittersweet. The Fourth Blight isn't made for happy endings, still the link to Valya's story makes that you can hold a little hope. And if there's going to be a fourth Dragon Age game: this books hints at what that game might bring.

You can bet this book is keeper and will be reread. I will also investigate what other books Merciel has written.

Why should you read it:
It's a beautiful and intense Fantasy read.

Teaser Tuesdays - Fragments

So far I'm really enjoying this book. I'm almost halfway through.


"Glad to see you two getting along so well," said Heron. "Anything you want to tell me before you stab Samm in the face?"

(page 268, Fragments by Dan Wells)




===

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Liar's Island - Book Review

Liar's Island (Pathfinder Tales)
by Tim Pratt

What is it about:
Having unseated Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder RPG is the world's bestselling tabletop roleplaying game -- now available in a series of novels

In the the tradition of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser (if one were a talking magical sword) Rodrick and his blade Hrym are accomplished con artists and occasional adventurers—as long as it means easy money. When they get called to the court of an exotic southern island, they become pawns in a dangerous game of political intrigue. The only way to survive is to locate and "liberate" a legendary artifact.

What did I think of it:
This book is part of a series of novels based on the roleplaying game Pathfinder.

I haven't played Pathfinder, but played a lot of Dungeons & Dragons, and read my fair share of novels based on roleplaying games, so I was sure any knowledge of the setting wasn't necessary.

And indeed: This story is easy to follow without any knowledge of the world (or roleplaying in general), and even without having read Liar's Blade, an earlier Pathfinder novel that also features Rodrick and Hrym.

The story begins in the middle of action and soon you get a feel of Rodrick and Hrym. I must say there were no surprises there: Charming rogue with a snarky talking sword. Been there, done that. Anyone who has read some Fantasy novels, or has played a Fantasy RPG will be familiar with this trope.

But I can't say I minded: Rodrick and Hrym are a fun pair of unlikely heroes to read about. After an action packed introduction, the story slows down a bit to set up the main plot, but it never gets dull. And once Rodrick and Hrym manage to get themselves in trouble, the action starts up again and they have to be resourceful to stay alive.

As with many Fantasy settings, the Pathfinder world borrows heavily from mythology, in this case both from Eastern and Norse mythology that I noticed, and I might have missed some references. Again: this is not a bad thing. It makes for interesting world building, and certain elements of the story being familiar, makes that you can easily picture the setting and the people and creatures Rodrick and Hrym encounter.

Overall this is fun and very enjoyable read. I can advice this book to anyone who likes an entertaining Fantasy romp. I might give Liar's Blade a try if I come across it. I will also investigate what other books Pratt has written.

Why should you read it:
It's an entertaining Fantasy read.

Dark Secrets - A First Look at one of the Stories

I have exciting news:
On September 29 Dark Secrets will be released.

Dark Secrets is an anthology with stories by six amazing authors. Today I'll tell you about one of the stories, and it might not be a surprise to those who know me that it's the one by Jeffe Kennedy!

But don't fear: you can be sure I'll share more about this anthology next month, and that I'll post a review.


Dark Secrets - Anthology

Six award-winning authors bring you this spellbinding collection of stories about dark desires, mysterious worlds, and danger that lurks in the shadows of the night. Where nothing is black and white; where things might not be as they seem; where magic and mayhem rule.

With stories by:
Rachel Caine
Cynthia Eden
Megan Hart
Suzanne Johnson
Jeffe Kennedy
Mina Khan

-------

Heart’s Blood by Jeffe Kennedy
(A Twelve Kingdoms Novella)

A dark fairytale retelling of a princess robbed of rank, husband and even her name.

Nix is nothing. The Princess Natilde—her former waiting woman—attacked her on the journey to wed Prince Cavan, stripping her of everything and taking her place. With no serving skills, Nix becomes a goose girl. Perhaps if Nix keeps her promise never to reveal who she really is, Natilde won’t carry out her vile threats. Prince Cavan entered his arranged marriage with firm resolve to make a congenial, if not loving relationship with his future queen—for the sake of both their kingdoms. But, his wife repels him more each day and he finds himself absurdly drawn to the lovely Nix.

With broken vows, anguish and dark secrets between them, Cavan and Nix struggle to find the magic to restore what’s gone terribly wrong... if it ever can be.

-------



You'll be able to preorder this anthology soon.
Keep an eye out for it at Jeffe Kennedy's author pages:

Amazon
BN
iBooks
Kobo

-------


About Jeffe Kennedy:

Jeffe Kennedy is an award-winning author whose works include non-fiction, poetry, short fiction, and novels. She has been a Ucross Foundation Fellow, received the Wyoming Arts Council Fellowship for Poetry, and was awarded a Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Award. Her essays have appeared in many publications, including Redbook.

Her most recent works include a number of fiction series: the fantasy romance novels of A Covenant of Thorns; the contemporary BDSM novellas of the Facets of Passion, and an erotic contemporary serial novel, Master of the Opera. A fourth series, the fantasy trilogy The Twelve Kingdoms, hit the shelves starting in May 2014 and book 1, The Mark of the Tala, received a starred Library Journal review and has been nominated for the RT Book of the Year while the sequel, The Tears of the Rose, has been nominated for best fantasy romance of the year. A fifth series, the highly anticipated erotic romance trilogy, Falling Under, released starting with Going Under, followed by Under His Touch and Under Contract.
She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with two Maine coon cats, plentiful free-range lizards and a very handsome Doctor of Oriental Medicine.

Jeffe can be found online at her website: JeffeKennedy.com, every Sunday at the popular Word Whores blog, on Facebook, and pretty much constantly on Twitter @jeffekennedy. She is represented by Connor Goldsmith of Fuse Literary.

http://jeffekennedy.com

https://www.facebook.com/Author.Jeffe.Kennedy

https://twitter.com/jeffekennedy

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1014374.Jeffe_Kennedy

On McPig's Wishlist - Deceptions

I love this series, so I'm going to order this book the next time I have some money to spare.


Deceptions (Cainsville #3)
by Kelley Armstrong

TRUST NO ONE

Olivia Jones is desperate for the truth. The daughter of convicted serial killers, she has begun to suspect that her parents are innocent of their crimes. But who can she trust, in a world where betrayal and deception hide in every shadow?

RISK EVERYTHING

Liv does have one secret weapon: a mysterious sixth sense that helps her to anticipate danger. The trouble is, this rare power comes with its own risks. There are dark forces that want to exploit Liv's talents - and will stop at nothing to win her to their side.

FACE THE TRUTH

Now Liv must decide, before it's too late. Who does she love? Who is really on her side? And can she save herself without burning down everything that matters most?

Terminated - Book Review

Terminated (Revivalist #3)
by Rachel Caine

What is it about:
Already addicted to the pharmaceutical drug that keeps her body from decomposing, Bryn has to stop a secretive group of rich and powerful investors from eliminating the existing Returné addicts altogether. To ensure their plan to launch a new, military-grade strain of nanotech, the investors’ undead assassin—who just happens to be the ex-wife of Bryn’s lover Patrick—is on the hunt for anyone that stands in their way.

And while Bryn’s allies aren’t about to go down without a fight, the secret she’s been keeping threatens to put those closest to her in even more danger. Poised to become a monster that her own side—and her own lover—will have to trap and kill, Bryn needs to find the cure to have any hope of preserving the lives of her friends, and her own dwindling humanity...

What did I think of it:
This is a great conclusion to a cool series.

As you know, I'm usually not fond of thinking zombies, but Caine makes them believable and really cool.

I love how Caine shows how constantly getting seriously injured, if not killed, is hard on Bryn, even though her condition makes her recover time and time again. It makes this story even more believable and gritty. I cheered Bryn on, and feared for what she might become.

The story is intense and full of action. Escaping their enemies, and finding a cure seems like a hopeless undertaking, especially when it becomes clear that even Bryn's allies might be untrustworthy.

The one thing that I had my grumbles about, is the romance, but I haven't been a fan of Bryn's love interest from the start, so that was to be expected. Luckily it's only a small part of the story, and there were enough other characters that I could root for besides Bryn and Patrick.

All in all this is a great read, and this series will be reread for sure. I'll also continue to read books by Caine, starting with her newest book Ink and Bone.

Why should you read it:
It's a cool and intense Urban Fantasy read.

Teaser Tuesdays - Last Flight

This is a really gripping read. Intriguing and full of action.


Isseya closed her ears to their hissing cries. Darkspawn sounded the same in victory or death. It was all a cacophony of tortured growls and gurgles, malevolent to the end.

(page 110, Last Flight by Liane Merciel)




===

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Flight Of The Outcast - Book Review

Flight Of The Outcast (The Academy: Year 1)
by Brad Strickland

What is it about:
Asteria Locke's Fight has just begun...

Asteria Locke has never left her father's farm on the remote planet of Theron. But in one terrible moment, a surprise attack by space raiders destroys everything she's ever known. Orphaned and alone, Asteria vows to avenge her father's death by joining the Royal Spacefleet Academy. . . even if she has to lie to get in.

Branded an outcast at the Academy from the start, Asteria must work twice as hard as the other students to prove herself. But in time, she suspects that the Aristocrats who torment her have more sinister motives than shaming a commoner. They'll stop at nothing to hide a secret from her father's past-a secret that could shift the balance of power throughout the entire universe.

What did I think of it:
As some of you may know, I have a weakness for stories set at boarding schools. So I was happy to give this book a try when I came across it.

And it's a fun read.

There's students competing, a resourceful heroine who stands her ground against bullies, spaceships, and even a strange alien artifact. Enough to make for a very entertaining story.

The greater secret of the past of Asteria's father gets a bit lost in all the student drama, but there are enough clues and events that hint at what happened to make you eager to know all of it.

So it's a shame that when I finished this book and tried to look up information about the next book, it looked like there's no next book (yet). This book being published in 2010, that means it looks grim for this series, but who knows.

Why should you read it:
It's a very entertaining SF read for younger teens.

Matched - Book Review

Matched (Matched #1)
by Ally Condie

What is it about:
Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

What did I think of it:
I will confess I didn't think much of this book when I first heard about it a couple of years ago. It sounded like it would be too love-triangly for me to like it.

Even when I did finally get hold of it and started reading it, I expected it to be an ok read, with lots of teen romance drama. The cover quotes even refer to how romantic this book is.

Imagine my surprise when I started reading and was drawn into the story and soon was hooked.

This is not a teen romance! Don't let anyone fool you into thinking it is. There might be a romance between Cassia and Ky, but I don't think it's what the story is about. It's just part of it.

This book is about questioning what you're told. Questioning the status quo. It's about standing up for what you believe in. Fighting for your freedom to chose.

The Society as it's described in this book is a scary one. It decides everything for everyone. What to eat, what to wear, what books to read, who to marry, when to die. At first Cassia doesn't think anything is wrong with that, but seeing Ky on the Matching screen opens her eyes to other possibilities, and she starts to think for herself.

I rooted for Cassia to find a way to free herself from the control of the Society, to find her own voice, and to be able to stand for what she believed in.

The ending was beautiful I think. It would have worked if this was a standalone novel, but it also makes you eager for more. And the fact that I immediately got hold of the next two books will probably give you an indication how much I loved this book.

Why should you read it:
It's a beautiful YA read about fighting for what you believe in.

On McPig's Wishlist - House of the Rising Sun

I'm wondering if I should give this series a try, or if I should first start with the House of Comarré series.


House of the Rising Sun (Crescent City #1)
by Kristen Painter

Augustine lives the perfect life in the Haven city of New Orleans. He rarely works a real job, spends most of his nights with a different human woman, and resides in a spectacular Garden District mansion paid for by retired movie star Olivia Goodwin, who has come to think of him as an adopted son, providing him room and board and whatever else he needs.

But when Augustine returns home to find Olivia's been attacked by vampires, he knows his idyllic life has comes to an end. It's time for revenge—and to take up the mantle of the city's Guardian.

Halfway to the Grave - Book Review

Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress #1)
by Jeaniene Frost

What is it about:
Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father - the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.

In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner - are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

What did I think of it:
I will confess I almost put this book down after the first 2 chapters, but people assured me it would get better, so I stuck to it until the end.

And I can't say I was impressed, or that it got better for me.

If I'm honest: I think Cat and Bones are foulmouthed jerks! I couldn't stand them! And don't get me started on Cat killing all vampires she encounters because one of them hurt her mother. I wonder what she'd have done if her father had been human. Kill all men?

The story was decent enough, and fast paced, making this a quick read. But with no connection to either Cat or Bones I never felt involved. I had hoped the characters would grow on me, or grow up, but at the end of the book I still didn't like them.

So I'm afraid this series isn't for me. I won't be picking up the next book, that's for sure.

Why should you read it:
I'm in the minority: most readers of this series love Bones.

Teaser Tuesdays - Liar's Island

This starts out really fun and intriguing. I'm really enjoying it so far.


The sound of cracking wood somewhere below their feet suddenly interrupted his sense of wonder.
Rodrick and the priest stared at one another, wide-eyed. "Was that... the hull?" she asked.

(page 61, Liar's Island by Tim Pratt)




===

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Master of the Opera - Now Available in Print!

Jeffe Kennedy's e-serial Master of the Opera is now available in print!


Master of the Opera
by Jeffe Kennedy

An aria for lost souls

Fresh out of college, Christine Davis is thrilled to begin a summer internship at the prestigious Santa Fe Opera House. But on her first day, she discovers that her dream job has a dark side. Beneath the theater, ghostly music echoes through a sprawling maze of passageways. At first, Christy thinks she’s hearing things. But when a tall masked man steps out of the shadows—and into her arms—she knows he’s not a phantom of her imagination. What she can’t deny is that he is the master of her desire. But when her predecessor—a missing intern—is found dead, Christy wonders if she’s playing with fire…

----

Buy it here

Prefer ebooks?
Find buy links for the first part of the e-serial here

----


About Jeffe Kennedy:

Jeffe Kennedy is an award-winning author whose works include non-fiction, poetry, short fiction, and novels. She has been a Ucross Foundation Fellow, received the Wyoming Arts Council Fellowship for Poetry, and was awarded a Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Award. Her essays have appeared in many publications, including Redbook.

Her most recent works include a number of fiction series: the fantasy romance novels of A Covenant of Thorns; the contemporary BDSM novellas of the Facets of Passion, and an erotic contemporary serial novel, Master of the Opera. A fourth series, the fantasy trilogy The Twelve Kingdoms, hit the shelves starting in May 2014 and book 1, The Mark of the Tala, received a starred Library Journal review and has been nominated for the RT Book of the Year while the sequel, The Tears of the Rose, has been nominated for best fantasy romance of the year. A fifth series, the highly anticipated erotic romance trilogy, Falling Under, released starting with Going Under, followed by Under His Touch and Under Contract.
She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with two Maine coon cats, plentiful free-range lizards and a very handsome Doctor of Oriental Medicine.

Jeffe can be found online at her website: JeffeKennedy.com, every Sunday at the popular Word Whores blog, on Facebook, and pretty much constantly on Twitter @jeffekennedy. She is represented by Connor Goldsmith of Fuse Literary.

http://jeffekennedy.com

https://www.facebook.com/Author.Jeffe.Kennedy

https://twitter.com/jeffekennedy

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1014374.Jeffe_Kennedy

On McPig's Wishlist - Above

This sounds like it might be a beautiful read.


Above
by Leah Bobet

IRIDESCENCE.
I read that word in one of Atticus's thick old books once. When I went to Jack to ask what it meant,he held his hands out and they glowed so gentle I thought they might kiss the air, and since that day I wanted a place that was iridescent, that lit without burning. Being in love is sort of like that, when it's real. When it's true.

Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her blond hair shining and her bee’s wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above--as does Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers.

But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above. Forced to survive in the most dangerous place he can imagine, Matthew strives to unravel the mystery of the shadows' powers and Safe's own secret history. For he knows he must find a way to remake Safe--not just for himself and his friends, but for Ariel, who's again faced with a life she fled, and who needs him more than ever before.

Savage Drift - Book Review

Savage Drift (Monument 14 #3)
by Emmy Laybourne

What is it about:
The stunningly fierce conclusion to Emmy Laybourne's Monument 14 trilogy.

The survivors of the Monument 14 have finally made it to the safety of a Canadian refugee camp. Dean and Alex are cautiously starting to hope that a happy ending might be possible.

But for Josie, separated from the group and trapped in a brutal prison camp for exposed Type Os, things have gone from bad to worse. Traumatized by her experiences, she has given up all hope of rescue or safety.

Meanwhile, scared by the government's unusual interest in her pregnancy, Astrid (with her two protectors, Dean and Jake in tow) joins Niko on his desperate quest to be reunited with his lost love Josie.

What did I think of it:
I really liked the first two books in this trilogy, but somehow it took me a while to pick up the last book.

The viewpoint switches between Dean and Josie.

I must say that Josie's story was the most intense, and I was invested in it from the start. The camp where Josie is imprisoned is brutal, and I was scared for what might happen to Josie and her friends.

Dean's story got on my nerves at times. The whole Dean/Astrid/Jake drama, and Astrid's pregnancy didn't really interest me. The one character in that storyline that I could understand was Niko.

So I confess I at times skimmed Dean's dramatics to get back to Josie's perils.

Still I very much enjoyed this book, and I think Laybourne did a great job in bringing this trilogy to a relatively believable close. (Yup, there was one very convenient cop out imo)

All in all this is a cool trilogy that I will certainly put on my keeper shelves.

Why should you read it:
It's a mostly realistic YA Disaster read.