Showing posts with label futuristic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label futuristic. Show all posts

Thursday, August 16, 2018

ARC REVIEW Herokiller by Paul Tassi


Herokiller: A NovelEvery now and then I give my romance brain a rest and enjoy something non-romance, this month it was Herokiller. The blurb compares it to Ready Player One, I don't know why it's not at all like it except for the fact that it's a futuristic world where an eccentric rich old guy has done something that everyone wants to join. This dystopian world I would compare this more to Running Man, Death Race 2050, and a little bit Gamer because entertainment is violence based; and then mixed with Mortal Kombat and Gladiator. The villainous eccentric rich old guy, Cameron Crayton, is a mix between Ken Castle from Gamer, the Chairman from Death Race and Commodus from Gladiator. Tie in all that with black-ops and espionage and you have this amazingly intense story.

Mark Wei is a former CIA spy, he's probably one of the only remaining spies still alive from the Second Cold War which he was instrumental in ending. But the cost of doing so lost him everything now he just drinks until he passes out and works out until he's exhausted enough to sleep. Until his former handler calls him back onto duty. Marks job now is to infiltrate Cameron Crayton's newest reality tv show The Crucible and find out who he is where he came from and if he's working with the Chinese. The Crucible is promised to be the most violent shows ever, it's an arena sport pitting person against person. Sixteen cities, one top fighter from each city. All sorts of people from everywhere fighting bare handed in whatever style they want; the top sixteen get the fortune and glory. In the end only one man is left standing because the big event between the last sixteen fighters is gladiator style, to the death. There are three parts to the story part one is intro and start of The Crucible, introduction to the top Sixteen. The second part is the top sixteen training gladiator style where there is bonding between the characters and of course spying. Part three is the intense, emotional, white-knuckling part where The Crucible starts and people you've grown to love die. Yeah it's one of those it's what to the death means people.

I loved Mark's character, there is so much to him. Intermittently throughout the book you see another part of him who he was before the Second Cold War and what happened to him during his time as a spy and what happened after to make him who he is today and you see all this through flashbacks, old recordings and him actually telling part of the story. Crayton was a perfect villain he also reminded me of Killian from Running Man heck Crayton even had dancers like Killian did in Running Man. I would love to see this as a movie or a four part miniseries (because part three is long) I can totally see Malcolm McDowell as Crayton. Overall, I think it's pretty obvious I loved this book. Paul Tassi has a great active setting, a great narrative, and he really pulls you in and emotionally ties you to the characters; and ooh, what a twist. I would definitely read more books if they had Mark Wei in them.        


Tuesday, May 31, 2016

REVIEW & EXCERPT TOUR The Fallen Prince by Amalie Howard






We hope you're ready to be transported by Amalie Howard's THE FALLEN PRINCE, a Young Adult Science Fiction novel and the sequel to THE ALMOST GIRL! Publishers Weekly calls the first in the series “a high-octane thriller.” Grab your copy of this amazing novel today!








Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository Books-A-Million | IndieBound

About THE FALLEN PRINCE:

Riven has fought for a hard-won peace in her world, and has come to shaky terms with who and what she is—a human with cyborg DNA. Now that the rightful ruler of Neospes has been reinstated, Riven is on the hunt for her father in the Otherworld to bring him to justice for his crimes against her people. But when she receives an unwelcome visit from two former allies, she knows that trouble is brewing once again in Neospes. The army has been decimated and there are precious few left to fight this mysterious new threat. To muster a first line of defense, her people need help from the one person Riven loathes most—her father. But what he wants in return is her complete surrender. And now Riven must choose: save Neospes or save herself.





Once I found out this was the sequel to The Almost Girl, which I had the privilege to read an ARC of the year before last, I jumped on this so fast. OMG so worth the wait. I loved this just as much as the first book ( Goodreads Review of The Almost Girl ). I freakin' loved the science fiction especially the all the cybernetics it gave it a cyber-punk feel to it like Universal Solider meets Blade Runner in a post apocalyptic alternate dimension. The action, just about non-stop, from the very start I was hooked. It took a bit for me to recall everything from the last book but it soon came rushing back to me and I recommend reading The Almost Girl first but believe me it is worth it. Amalie Howard has a way with words, she's like a magician with words tying me up in impossible knots only to to pull the ends out and end up with a beautifully packaged book, with maybe one loose end.  

It's been a year since Riven left Caden behind in their world to rule as is his birth right. One year Riven has been hunting down her Father for the atrocities he committed not only against the throne and their world but particularly because what he did to her, her sister and their mother. Just when Riven is getting ready for the kill The Guardians find her. The Guardians are the protectors of the worlds bound to keep them separate and  safe from each other. The Guardians have their reasons Caden is back and he needs her help. Neospes is in danger it's being attacked by reptiles, mutated animals. But these attacks are strange and oddly strategic. Caden needs Riven to help escort him to a recently discovered city to the south, where an alliance as been arranged and if all goes well Caden must marry their Princess; as much as it hurts Riven as much as she loves Caden she knows he must in order to save Neospes. Worst of all Riven has to work along side her father to help the people of Neospes and reactivate the Vectors and become the Legion General once again. But all is not what it seems, enemies hide in plain sight as well as in the dark recesses of the barren wasteland.    

Overall, I'm sad that it's over but it was such a fantastic journey. 




Cale and I used to dare each other to go outside the dome as kids, knowing we’d get into trouble if we were ever caught. Leaving the safety zone had been illicit and thrilling. It had been our secret spot, a tunnel in the bedrock carved by a long-dried underground stream when Neospes had fresh running water. I stare at the old access hole, now filled with titanium, as the memories rush back. 
It was the first time I’d seen a Reptile. Cale had just turned eleven. Thinking himself braver than ever, he’d dared me to accompany him on an early morning adventure beyond the dome. As much as I hadn’t wanted to go, he was my responsibility. 
“Come on, Cale. This is far enough. We need to get back.” We’d turned around only to see a horse standing between our secret exit and us. Only, it wasn’t a horse. 
“What is that?” Cale had whispered. 
“Cale, get behind me.” 
“No way.” He’d stamped his foot. “I want to see.” 
Steam had blown from the creature’s distended nostrils, and then it had charged. I remember the rotting smell and the chunks of flesh hanging off its wired frame. It was also the first Reptile I’d ever killed. 
Cale became obsessed with Reptiles after that. He would lure and catch smaller ones, keeping them in cages. He studied the creatures, torturing them—ripping them apart and piecing them back together. I’d always thought his morbid fascination was odd, but, in hindsight, it was understandable. After all, he was a clone with a failing body, searching for a way to reconstruct himself. 
But Cale is dead. He’d died months ago in the Outers.



Praise for THE FALLEN PRINCE:


"[P]acked with action . . . Imagery is the highlight of this book."—VOYA

“A parallel-dimension–jumping cyborg soldier must make questionable alliances to save her country from an existential threat in this sequel to The Almost Girl. [O]ffers a solid conclusion.” —Kirkus Reviews


“This sequel to The Almost Girl was everything I wanted: non-stop action, smart science, new and intriguing characters, and a satisfying romance. I couldn’t put it down!” —Page Morgan, author of The Beautiful and the Cursed

“[T]he next step in a dark, clever and thrilling scorched-earth, world-hopping adventure.” —Jet Black Ink


And don’t miss the first book in The Riven Chronicles Series!


THE ALMOST GIRL















About Amalie Howard:

AMALIE HOWARD grew up on a small Caribbean island where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or being a tomboy running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure. 25 countries, surfing with sharks and several tattoos later, she has traded in bungee jumping in China for writing the adventures she imagines instead. She isn't entirely convinced which takes more guts.

She is the award-winning author of several young adult novels critically acclaimed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, and Booklist, including Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Spring 2014 Kid's INDIE NEXT title. Her debut novel, Bloodspell, was a #1 Amazon bestseller, and the sequel, Bloodcraft, was a national silver IPPY medalist. She is also the co-author of the adult historical romance series, THE LORDS OF ESSEX. As an author of color and a proud supporter of diversity in fiction, her articles on multicultural fiction have appeared in The Portland Book Review and on the popular Diversity in YA blog. She currently resides in Colorado with her husband and three children.




Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Instagram

Amalie Howard Goodreads ** THE FALLEN PRINCE Goodreads







Amalie Howard’s THE FALLEN PRINCE – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:
May 30th
My YA NA Book Obsession – Review & Excerpt
The LitBuzz – Review
WTF Are You Reading? – Review & Excerpt
Rambling Reads – Excerpt
AC Book Blog – Excerpt
Cynthia Bloggs – Excerpt
May 31st
Dazzled by Books – Excerpt
Comic Book Love – Review
Pandora's Books – Excerpt
Have Words Will Scribble – Review & Excerpt
Vagabonda Reads – Excerpt
Hannah's Words – Review & Excerpt
The Romance Reviews – Excerpt
June 1st
Escape Inside the Pages – Review & Excerpt
June 2nd
Book it – Review & Excerpt
Books Need TLC – Review & Excerpt
BookCrushin – Excerpt
Roxy's Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Romance Book Nerd – Excerpt
Mes Livres – Review & Excerpt
The Rest Is Still Unwritten – Review & Excerpt
June 3rd
The book slayer – Review & Excerpt
Fishing for Books – Excerpt
The Recipe Fairy – Review & Excerpt
YA Book Divas – Excerpt
Book Lovers Life – Excerpt
Only One More Page – Excerpt
Teen Readers' Diary – Excerpt
June 4th
Mama Reads Hazel Sleeps – Review & Excerpt
The Cover Contessa – Review & Excerpt
Evermore Books – Excerpt
The A P Book Club – Review & Excerpt
City of Books – Review & Excerpt
RhiReading – Excerpt
Danielle’s Domain – Excerpt

Saturday, January 17, 2015

REVIEW Golden Son by Pierce Brown

Ohhh, where do I begin aside from the fact that this book is outstanding!! The first installment, incase you missed it, is Red Rising. It's about a Mars miner, a young man by the name of Darrow, who knew nothing of the world outside the mine and the color segregated world. That all changed when his wife, Eo, was used as an example and publicly executed by the Gold. Eo was Darrow's whole world and he broke the rules and got executed himself only to be revived by the terrorist group known as Sons of Ares and Darrow's whole world changed. After going through numerous surgeries and genetic alterations the scrawny red turned into a statuesque Gold, the plan to infiltrate the Golds ranks from the inside and tear it down. Darrow trained hard to work for the goal he knew Eo would want him to do. In a Hunger Games/Game of Thrones type experience the first book is just the taste when compared to this new installment.

 Golden Son starts two years after the events of the first book. He is already a legend in the making. Now a student at the Academy Darrow is battling his blood feud and on the verge of victory. It does not go as planned and instead of winning a permanent place in the family of his enemy he loses it all. It is unbelievable how much happens in this book I couldn't even properly summarize it without going on and on. There are lows and highs, heartbreak and betrayals; secrets revealed that make you drop the book and say "What the F*cking Hell" and an ending that left me with the longest book hangover I have ever had. Darrow feels lost at points and does what his heart and Eo would want him to do and that is basically starting a civil war between the Golds. When it is revealed he is on the right path and not alone he feels assured, confident and relieved he is no longer alone with his secret. He recruits more help and creates a plan of attack and and when he feels like he has failed he rises again.

Let me explain why is so impressive why I like this series, I typically stay away from political back stabbing, because yes this book has that; the double dealings and lies and stuff just kinda piss me off. I stay away from overly dramatic hard core emotional, because yes this book will put you through the wringer; because I really get into books and I tend to absorb the emotion and if it's really depressing I will get depressed. I think the reason these books are different is the fact that it is in first person you see things from the eyes of Darrow and you see the hope and reluctance in him about his friends. I loved Darrows narration I even sometimes forgot it was in first person and the fact that you can't see what's coming makes it all more heart breaking in the end.

Darrow, Mustang and Servo survived hell together in the first book and their friendship is tested to the max in this one. Darrow gets beaten down only to get back up again and again. Mustang has her idealistic goals but when faced with the truth her love for Darrow is put in question. Servo is the steadfast friend and always loyal and crazy as f*ck. Make sure you read the first book!  I know everyone says, oh this so in so book should be a movie. In the case of The Red Rising Trilogy it needs to be a series it is so complex and has so much in it a movie would cut too much out but a series would be able to work it all in.        

Thursday, November 27, 2014

REVIEW The Seek by Ros Baxter

If there was a sci-fi series to suck me in and make me salivate for the next book it would be this one. 

It’s a post world annihilation setting where the remaining survivors have spent the last seventeen years looking for a new home; stuck on different space stations the people were basically divided in to caste such as civilians, scientist, explorers, breeders, and warriors and intermingling is against the rules. Ros Baxter weaves a dystopian type futuristic setting where everyone hopes to find a new world to live in and the Avengers break the rules to live life to the fullest. The truth lies deep beneath the surface and the Council that leads the survivors has secrets hidden away and the people they have labeled traitors aren't what they seem. 

In this second book of the New Earth series we follow Kyntura the first and only female Avenger a class of warrior whose job it is to defend. The Avengers has a high mortality rate, and Kyn has survived as long as she has to become a teacher. She pushes her students to breaking points so that they survive. To her, her job is everything and the Council’s word is law that can be bent a little now and then but she believes in them and that they want the best for everyone. But everything changes when Kyn is told her latest batch of students is off to yet another possible match for New Earth and she asks to go with them. She runs across some old friends she had to leave behind long ago when she became an Avenger and they fight an alien race hell bent on scaring and killing every human off the planet.


Kyn remembers when the Earth was destroyed, and like many of the Avengers she suffers from a sort of PTSD and she frequently has flashbacks that give insight into why she is the way she is and why she took that path. It is an action packed and emotional story that left with an open ending for the next book. With the feel of Starship Troopers and Battlestar Galactica The Seek is a enjoyable and exciting journey. I can tell this is just the tip of the iceberg in the series and I can't wait to discover the rest of the story.