Flowers for the Sea - Book Review

 

Flowers for the Sea

by Zin E. Rocklyn

What is it about:

We are a people who do not forget.

Survivors from a flooded kingdom struggle alone on an ark. Resources are scant, and ravenous beasts circle. Their fangs are sharp.

Among the refugees is Iraxi: ostracized, despised, and a commoner who refused a prince, she’s pregnant with a child that might be more than human. Her fate may be darker and more powerful than she can imagine.

Zin E. Rocklyn’s extraordinary debut is a lush, gothic fantasy about the prices we pay and the vengeance we seek.

What did I think of it:

To be honest: I'm not quite sure what this story was about and what exactly happened. Still I loved it. It breathed a dark atmosphere, and the writing was beautiful and held me captive. I could easily picture (and almost smell) the ship on which Iraxi and others are trapped. 

I was drawn in from the start and even while struggling to understand the deeper layers of what was going on I had to keep reading to see where the story would lead. 

This is a harsh and brutal tale, one filled with anger, regret, and bitterness. It's also a tale I will revisit, to explore those nuances that were too slippery for me on this first read. 

Why should you read it:

It's an atmospheric and intriguing read.

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Teaser Tuesdays - The Seventh Sun

 

Mayana argued that choosing a wife was a personal decision, not a political one, but her father had just laughed.

"Everything is political, Mayana. You will do well to learn that now," he had said.

(page 40, The Seventh Sun by Lani Forbes)

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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!

The Love Hypothesis - Book Review by Voodoo Bride

 

The Love Hypothesis

by Ali Hazelwood

What is it about:

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships--but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding...six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:

I pre-ordered this book and still had to wait for over a month after release before it was sent to me. At one point I feared I'd never get it. So when it finally arrived it had all of that against it: it better be really good to make up for all the trouble.

 Luckily this book was all I had hoped for. I love fake dating romances so the plot of this book was right up my alley. I was hooked from the start and finished it in a day. What a delightful read.

There are of course things you as the reader know and which should be obvious to Olive as well, but I didn't mind her being a dense idiot. I had too much fun with this romance. I loved Adam and rooted for Olive to see the light. 

The romance is fluffy and delightful. There are of course some obstacles, but those didn't frustrate me and were handled in a believable way.

All in all a wonderful read. I will most definitely get the next book by Hazelwood once it releases.

Why should you read it:

It's a delightful and very enjoyable Contemporary Romance

Terminal Uprising - Book Review

 

Terminal Uprising (Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse #2)

by Jim C. Hines

What is it about:

It’s been four months since Marion “Mops” Adamopoulos learned the truth. Four months since she and her team of hygiene and sanitation specialists stole the EMCS Pufferfish and stopped a bioterrorism attack against the Krakau homeworld. Four months since she set out to find proof of what really happened on Earth all those years ago.

Between trying to protect their secrets and fighting the xenocidal Prodryans, who’ve been escalating their war against everyone who isn’t Prodryan, the Krakau have their tentacles full.

Mops’ mission changes when she learns of a secret Krakau laboratory on Earth. A small group under command of Fleet Admiral Belle-Bonne Sage is working to create a new weapon, one that could bring victory over the Prodryans … or drown the galaxy in chaos.

To discover the truth, Mops and her rogue cleaning crew will have to do the one thing she fears most: return to Earth, a world overrun by feral apes, wild dogs, savage humans, and worse. (After all, the planet hasn’t been cleaned in a century and a half!) What Mops finds in the filthy ruins of humanity could change everything, assuming she survives long enough to share it.

Perhaps humanity isn’t as dead as the galaxy thought.

What did I think of it:

I very much enjoyed the first book in this series, so when I was in the mood for something funny and entertaining I decided to give the second one a try.

And this book is just as enjoyable as the first. I will confess I was a little disappointed that my favorite character from book 1, Grom didn't play  large role in this one, but that was about the only grumble I had.

Mops and her crew once again find themselves in hot water and have to be resourceful and quick on their feet to survive. I loved how Mops manages to get on top of situations that seem disastrous, and how she and her crew outsmart the Krakau and other enemies in surprising ways.

The ending is satisfying but there's still enough going on that I want more. I hope there will be a next book!

Why should you read it:

It's a fun and action-packed SF read.

On McPig's Wishlist - Iron Widow

 

Iron Widow (Iron Widow #1)

by Xiran Jay Zhao

The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn't matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.

When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.​

To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia​. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed. 

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Other People's Things - Book Review

 

Other People's Things

by Kerry Anne King

What is it about:

Jailbird. Klepto. Spectacular failure to launch. Nicole Wood’s sticky fingers have earned her many names, but it’s not that she’s stealing—some objects just need to be moved elsewhere, and the universe has chosen her to do it. Still, being a relocator of objects isn’t easy. With her marriage on the rocks, no real-world skills, and the threat of prison hanging over her head, Nicole is determined to change her ways.

Things seem to be looking up, thanks to a godsent job with her sister’s housecleaning business—until she encounters a seemingly harmless paperback that insists on moving from one client’s home to another’s. Nicole hopes no one will notice, but the action stirs up long-hidden secrets and triggers a series of fateful events that threatens to destroy the life she’s creating and hurt those closest to her. She’ll need to embrace her unwieldy gift and take a chance on love in order to unravel the mystery and fix what’s gone wrong.

What did I think of it:

I'm a big fan of Kerry Schafer's Urban Fantasy and Paranormal books, so when she started to write more Contemporary books as Kerry Anne King I followed her over of course. And those are beautiful as well.

This book might not be Urban Fantasy, but there's definitely a touch of magic in Other People's Things.

I was hooked from the start. I liked Nicole and was eager to find out if she could put her life back together after her marriage blew up over her tendency to move objects that don't belong to her.

Then I learned more about why she is moving things and I wanted to know everything about it. Why are certain objects calling to her? Why do they need to be moved? Will Nicole find a way to deal with this weird but intriguing compulsion?

And then there's Hawk. He is hired by Nicole's husband (who I hated more than I have hated someone in a long time, btw) to track Nicole and to see if he can recover something Nicole moved. He soon starts to doubt what Nicole's husband has told him about her and might become an ally in her quest to start a new life.

The viewpoint switches between Nicole and Hawk and I enjoyed seeing inside both their heads. Soon I was rooting for the two of them to start trusting each other and work together.

All in all a wonderful contemporary read with a touch of magical realism. I hope Kerry keeps the books coming, no matter under what pen name.

Why should you read it:

It's a beautiful and magical read!

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Teaser Tuesdays - Flowers for the Sea

 

Perhaps it is a purpose. Perhaps it is the fear. For certain, I still breathe the air of the last of us.

(page 21, Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn)

buy from amazon

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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!