Ten Days by Olivia Mayfield

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Title: Ten Days

Author: Olivia Mayfield

Genre: Science Fiction, New Adult

Length: 187 pages

Published: 2013

Publisher: Independent

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Nineteen-year-old Cally isn’t like the others. In her society, the Machine caters to every whim, ensuring people don’t have to leave their pods. But Cally and her best friend Marshal find themselves drawn to how things used to be, when people lived on the surface of the earth and relied upon manpower, not technology. When physical contact wasn’t uncivilized, and love was normal, acceptable, embraced. Cally tries to swallow down her increasing dissatisfaction with the “rules,” as well as her rapidly developing feelings for Marshal, a task getting harder each day.

Then, things start going downhill, fast. Food is spoiled. Air grows musty. The population panics about the dysfunction–is it sabotage? Anarchy? But Cally and Marshal discover the truth: The Machine, the answer to all their problems for longer than anyone can remember, is breaking down. Now, these two have to risk it all to save themselves and the people they care about…before their entire world destroys itself.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

Ten Days is based off the short story "The Machine Stops" by E.M. Forster. Instead of following Kuno, the story instead follows Cally, a young woman who embarks on a journey with her friend, Marshal, to understand why they are different. We do get to meet Kuno, which is a nice touch, and the author did not change his fate. This was a delightful story, and included hints of romance as both Cally and Marshal learn how to interact as the ancients did.

I can no longer find the link on Amazon for this e-book, so I can only assume it's no longer available for purchase. Hopefully it'll be re-released some day, so others can enjoy it.

Have you read Ten Days? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster

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Title: The Machine Stops

Author: E.M. Forster 

Genre: Science Fiction, Novella

Length: 48 pages

Published: 2008 (original: 1909)

Publisher: Dodo Press

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) "The Machine Stops" is a science fiction short story (12,300 words) by E. M. Forster. After initial publication in The Oxford and Cambridge Review (November 1909), the story was republished in Forster's 'The Eternal Moment and Other Stories' in 1928. 

After being voted one of the best novellas up to 1965, it was included that same year in the populist anthology 'Modern Short Stories'. In 1973 it was also included in 'The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two'. 

The book is particularly notable for predicting new technologies such as instant messaging and the internet.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

I truly think this story will haunt me for awhile. Forster has created a world where humans live beneath the earth, never touch, and never truly live - at least not live in the way that we do. And then one day, the machine which keeps them alive begins to fail. It is the end of civilization as these futuristic people have known. 

You can purchase The Machine Stops through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Machine Stops? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

c3 by Sherrie Cronin

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Title: c3

Author: Sherrie Cronin
Series: 46. Ascending (Book #4) 

Genre: Science Fiction

Length: 340 pages

Published: 2014

Publisher: Cinnabar Press

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Teddie likes her country music and her old pick-up truck and she’s not sure how she let her best friend talk her into spending a semester abroad in Darjeeling India. Once she arrives, her innocence quickly collides with an underworld in which young women are bartered and sold. As she fights to understand a depravity that she never dreamed existed, Teddie finds that her own mind develops a unique ability for locating her friends and that an ancient group is willing to train her to save others by using her innate skills for out of body experiences. 

It will require trust in ideas she barely believes, and more courage than has ever been expected of her. When it becomes clear that the alternative may be her friends’ deaths and the unchecked growth of an evil crime lord’s empire, Teddie accepts the challenge and shows those guilty of unspeakable crimes just how powerful a young woman can be.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

This was a great addition to the 46.Ascending series. Each book deals with a different social issue that's prevalent in our society. This one deals with the sex trade, including other ways that women and children are exploited. The author ties these issues into a different ability; in x0 the ability was telepathy, in y1 the main character was able to alter his appearance, in z2 the ability was to slow down time, and in c3 Teddie is able to travel outside of her body to find her friends and try to save them. 

I love how the author ties the stories together, both in the very beginning and at the end, taking certain events and showing them again from the main character's point of view. Seeing those events from the point of view of someone new lends an interesting twist on the story. It's nice how everything is tied together while still allowing the reader to read the books in absolutely any order they choose. I love getting tiny hints of some of the other family members' stories, without getting the full detail because that means I can't wait for the next installment. I'm anxiously awaiting d4, which the author has stated will follow Ariel, Teddie's older sister. 

You can purchase c3 through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read c3? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Exhibit 692: Love in the Time of Zombies by Margaret L. Fisher

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Title: Exhibit 692: Love in the Time of Zombies

Author: Margaret L. Fisher

Genre: Science Fiction

Length: 166 pages

Published: 2014

Publisher: Independent

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon) Exhibit No. 692 Author: Karen ? 
Archivist: Margaret L. Fisher 
Date Discovered: 07.09.2203 
Location: Old Middle West 
Date Released: 03.01.2205 
Special Notes: incomplete 

Excerpt: “What do you do if you think you might actually be the enemy, the one that everyone is REALLY afraid of? Zombies are....they're zombies. There is only so much variety to them and they all do the same thing: kill and eat living people. But living people have so many different motives, different reasons for continuing on, different reasons for LIVING. They aren't always predictable. No, they’re NEVER predictable.” 

The 692nd account of The Outbreak, beginning approximately two years after its start. This record provides insight into the survival tactics of a solitary woman in a period of great danger, both from those-that-were and fellow man. Of note are her satirical writing style and deep mistrust of humans. Footnotes are provided to help readers unfamiliar with pre-Outbreak terminology.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

I'll be the first one to say that I'm a sucker for anything zombie related. I love all things zombie. I will pick up and read or watch anything that even HINTS at zombies.

This is not your typical zombie book. This is a first hand journal by a young woman named Karen who has survived for two years by herself, as presented by a museum from a couple centuries in the future. Karen does not spend a lot of time writing about her encounters with the zombies - instead she typically states "I killed x number of zombies today"; or something along those lines. You get to watch as she is suspicious of everyone she meets and keeps longing to find her long lost boyfriend, Nick. Slowly it's a descent into a kind of madness that only another survivor, named Ron, can bring her out of. The journal ends almost abruptly, leaving the reader to wonder if she just stopped writing in it, had to leave it behind as they took off in a hurry, or died.

All in all an excellent book. I would love to read more "exhibits", and definitely will be watching for more books from this author!
You can purchase Exhibit 692: Love in the Time of Zombies through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Exhibit 692: Love in the Time of Zombies? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

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Title: The Day of the Triffids

Author: John Wyndham

Genre: Science Fiction

Length: 228 pages

Published: Original: 1951

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) In 1951 John Wyndham published his novel The Day of the Triffids to moderate acclaim. Fifty-two years later, this horrifying story is a science fiction classic, touted by The Times (London) as having “all the reality of a vividly realized nightmare.”

Bill Masen, bandages over his wounded eyes, misses the most spectacular meteorite shower England has ever seen. Removing his bandages the next morning, he finds masses of sightless people wandering the city. He soon meets Josella, another lucky person who has retained her sight, and together they leave the city, aware that the safe, familiar world they knew a mere twenty-four hours before is gone forever.

But to survive in this post-apocalyptic world, one must survive the Triffids, strange plants that years before began appearing all over the world. The Triffids can grow to over seven feet tall, pull their roots from the ground to walk, and kill a man with one quick lash of their poisonous stingers. With society in shambles, they are now poised to prey on humankind. Wyndham chillingly anticipates bio-warfare and mass destruction, fifty years before their realization, in this prescient account of Cold War paranoia.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

I grew up watching the movie version of this science fiction masterpiece, never realizing that it was a film adaptation. When I discovered that it was originally a novel, I had to seek it out. And I am SO glad I did. 

Much like Water for Elephants, I was not able to put this one down. The main character, Bill, wakes up in the hospital with bandages over his eyes. No one comes at his urgent buzzing. He knows that day is the day his bandages are to come off, but he doesn't rush to take them off himself. Instead, he spends time thinking about it. Eventually he comes to the conclusion that no one is coming and removes the bandages. Thankfully, he's able to see. At this point there's no indication of why he had the bandages over his eyes. All he knows is that he missed a spectacular comet show the night before. People were out in force to watch the comet. 

When he finally leaves his room, he finds that the hospital is apparently abandoned by all but the patients - and every single one of them is blind. Through flashbacks, Bill tells the reader about the triffids - the odd new plant that the world has begun to farm for its oils which happened to sting him, causing his temporary blindness. 

As he heads out into London, he comes across and rescues a woman who can see. Several of the blind have already begun to entrap the seeing in order to survive and she fell victim to one. Together they set out to find survivors - and just plain to survive. They are two of the only survivors who seem to worry about the triffids and what these carnivorous plants will do now that most of mankind is blind.

The author shows several groups of survivors as Bill makes his way through England and the different viewpoints they hold in trying to maintain a civilized society while protecting themselves from raiders and the ever-present triffids. 

Definitely a must read for any fan of science fiction, this is a classic post-apocalyptic tale.

You can purchase The Day of the Triffids through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Day of the Triffids? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Writers of the Future Volume 30 by Miscellaneous Authors

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Title: Writers of the Future Volume 30

Author: Miscellaneous

Genre: Science Fiction, Short Stories

Length: 400 pages

Published: 2014

Publisher: Galaxy Press

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Embark on Voyages of Imagination and Wonder. Discover the new visionaries of imagination. Experience the thrills, laughs, heartbreak and tears that can all be found in this fabulous new anthology. We’ve scoured the globe to find the most powerful new writers, and then paired them with the most gifted new illustrators to bring you L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume XXX.

My Review:

I give this book a 4 out of 5. 

This was a great collection of short stories by several promising writers. I enjoyed all of the stories, though a few of them were a little tougher for me to get into at first. Each story took me into another world with new rules and new characters to fall in love with. 

I love the fact that they include some short stories from established authors, as well as the winners of the contest. The artwork that goes along with each story is excellent and fits in very well with the story the picture is attached to. Definitely a must read for any lovers of the science fiction and fantasy genres.

You can purchase Writers of the Future Volume 30 through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Writers of the Future Volume 30? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Burn by Julianna Baggott

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Title: Burn

Author: Julianna Baggott
Series: Pure Trilogy (Book #3)

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

Length: 418 pages

Published: 2014

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Inside the Dome, Patridge has taken his father's place as leader of the Pures. His struggle has led him here, intent upon bringing down the Dome from the inside, with the help of a secret resistance force. But things are not as simple from his new position of power and he finds himself tempted by his father's words: perhaps if the world is to survive it needs the Dome - and Partridge - to rule it...

As Partridge's resolve weakens, Pressia and Bradwell continue piecing together the clues left to them from the time before the Detonations. It is their hope that they will be able to heal the Wretches, and free them from their monstrous fusings and the Dome's oppression once and for all. But everything depends, too, on Partridge. Separated by distance and history, can they still trust their friend and ally? Or is the world doomed to an eternity of war and hardship?

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

Nothing is as it seems as Partridge takes over the Dome. He's supposed to be in charge but he quickly learns he has no control over anything. Only his guard, Beckley, might help him. 

Pressia wakes up inside the dome in Ireland and eventually is allowed to return home with Bradwell, El Capitan, and Helmud with the vial and the formula, as long as they take the means to destroy the Dome once and for all along with them.

As I was reading this book I couldn't comprehend how everything could come to a close - much less any kind of happy ending. I don't expect a full on happy ending where everyone in the world is suddenly best friends forever and there are rainbows and puppies everywhere. Just an ending where someone at least manages to be happy. Something where the bad guys don't completely win. But who are the bad guys in this trilogy? That's a question the author really did a good job of leaving the reader with. Is it really the people in the Dome? Is it the wretches? Is it Partridge's father? The author did an amazing job showing that nobody is wholly good and nobody is wholly evil. Reality is never cut and dried. It's never simple. 

This entire trilogy was excellent and I did get the mostly happy ending that I was hoping for. Definitely worth the read!

You can purchase Burn through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Burn? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Fuse by Julianna Baggott

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Title: Fuse

Author: Julianna Baggott
Series: Pure Trilogy (Book #2)

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

Length: 463 pages

Published: 2013

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) We want our son returned. This girl is proof that we can save you all. If you ignore our plea, we will kill our hostages one at a time. 

To be a Pure is to be perfect, untouched by Detonations that scarred the earth and sheltered inside the paradise that is the Dome. But Partridge escaped to the outside world, where Wretches struggle to survive amid smoke and ash. Now, at the command of Partridge’s father, the Dome is unleashing nightmare after nightmare upon the Wretches in an effort to get him back.

At Partridge’s side is a small band of those united against the Dome: Lyda, the warrior; Bradwell, the revolutionary; El Capitan, the guard; and Pressia, the young woman whose mysterious past ties her to Partridge in way she never could have imagined. Long ago a plan was hatched that could mean the earth’s ultimate doom. Now only Partridge and Pressia can set things right.

To save millions of innocent lives, Partridge must risk his own by returning to the Dome and facing his most terrifying challenge. And Pressia, armed only with a mysterious Black Box, containing a set of cryptic clues, must travel to the very ends of the earth, to a place where no map can guide her. If they succeed, the world will be saved. But should they fail, humankind will pay a terrible price...

My Review:

I give this book a 4 out of 5. 

This one was just as fast-paced as the first book in the trilogy, but in some ways it just didn't feel as exciting. It was still a good follow up, but I spent the whole book thinking how much our six heroes (Bradwell, El Capitan, Helmud, Lyda, Partridge, and Pressia) do not know and how much they are fumbling through everything. I can't hold that against the trilogy or the author, as most YA dystopian storylines are really a series of events where the protagonists stumble on the facts, or what is presented to them as fact by the antagonists. I read these books for fun, so I try not to nitpick over things like this.

I did enjoy seeing that other people have survived in other places (Ireland, for example). Either the Irish had a much better plan in place before the Detonations or they were just plain less crippled by the Detonations. As Pressia and the others hadn't managed to leave Ireland before the end of the book, I'm hoping to see more of the Irish in the final book and learn some more things about what happened there. Maybe they'll gain some additional allies in their quest to take down the Dome and destroy Partridge's father. 

I'm anxiously awaiting a copy of Burn from the library so as soon as I have it, I'll be starting in on it. I can't wait!

You can purchase Fuse through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Fuse? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Pure by Julianna Baggott

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Title: Pure

Author: Julianna Baggott
Series: Pure Trilogy (Book #1)

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

Length: 431 pages

Published: 2012

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . . Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . . 

There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her. 

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

The Young Adult genre is one of those genres where you know you can pick up a book and have it done within a day or two, because they're generally fast reads - even at 400+ pages. I especially enjoy the dystopian future sub-genre because it touches on things that could seriously go wrong with our own society. This is one of those type of trilogies. 

Ten years ago, a series of bombs went off - what survivors call the Detonations. Most of the world's population died and those that did not became twisted creatures, fusing with objects that were near them at the time of the Detonations. In Pressia's case, her hand fused with her beloved doll. Her grandfather's throat became fused with a handheld fan. Others were fused with glass, pavement, metal, animals. Yes, animals. Some fused with the earth itself or rock. These are called Dusts and they have lost most semblance of humanity. Some are called Beasts as they have lost all humanity and have been taken over by the animals side of them. 

However, some people survived in what is known as the Dome. They are called Pures. Everything about their lives is controlled: what they eat (pills formulated for optimum nutrition), what they learn in school, etc. Some day they will leave the Dome (when the world outside is safe again) and they will have the entire world at their disposal. They will rebuild. The boys who live in the Dome are sent for coding to improve their skills - speed, strength, etc. Some are picked out for Special Forces and not seen again. The girls are not coded, as they must be able to reproduce eventually and coding is not safe for them.

But what will happen to the "wretches" - those who were managing to survive in the outside? 

This first book in the trilogy doesn't completely answer that question, but, then again, that's why it's the first book in a trilogy. There are hints at what is believed to be the motive of those in the Dome. Pressia and Partridge (a Pure, who is the son of the most influential leader of the Dome) are placed in the middle between the Dome and those who oppose the Dome. Along with Bradwell, El Capitan and his brother Helmud (who are fused together), and a female Pure named Lyda, they must figure out how to stop Partridge's father and to keep themselves alive in the process. 

I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to start in on Fuse, which is book two of the trilogy.

You can purchase Pure through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Pure? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

z2 by Sherrie Cronin

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Title: z2

Author: Sherrie Cronin
Series: 46. Ascending (Book #3) 

Genre: Science Fiction

Length: 350 pages

Published: 2013

Publisher: Cinnabar Press

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Alex once walked away from a rare ability to warp time, thinking it was only a young man’s trick to play basketball better. Now, as a father and teacher, he needs to relearn the skill quickly before the past begins to destroy his own future. To protect his daughter and his most promising student, he must stop the school at which he teaches from turning the clock backwards to an era of white supremacy. He wants desperately to use his unique gifts to help an old high school friend solve an ancient Maya mystery that offers a rare chance to bridge the past and the future. Both are possible, but only if Alex can learn to control his temporal talents before he runs out of time.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

In 1993 a precious Mayan artifact is stolen the night that Stan Drexler uncovered it. In present day, the box is mysteriously returned to him. Enlisting the help of Alex Zeitman, among others (namely his previous students who were there at the time of the discovery), they work to uncover the mystery of this oddly shaped box and try to find the missing two pieces of the puzzle. Alex, meanwhile, also has problems of his own as he watches his school become part of a racist regime. 

Using facts about immigration law and history, the author brings together a story about how one woman in the late 1600s sent her two sons away from her to protect a secret that could change the world and how that secret comes to light in the present day. I really enjoyed how she wove bits and pieces from the past into the story to really bring everything together. Each chapter ends with a little more of the ancient story, following Nimah and her two sons. 

I really loved this book and showed how things work realistically in a world where racism and hatred run rampant. Definitely recommend this!

You can purchase z2 through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read z2? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

y1 by Sherrie Cronin

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Title: y1

Author: Sherrie Cronin
Series: 46. Ascending (Book #2)

Genre: Science Fiction

Length: 339 pages

Published: 2012

Publisher: Cinnabar Press

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Zane swore as a child to protect all the odd people of the world, studying chameleons and muscle groups to teach himself to alter his own appearance. No longer a young boy too smart and too different to fit in, Zane starts his first job at a pharmaceutical company where he uncovers layers of corporate secrets that hide surprisingly vile plans. Once he is sent on a sales trip to the South Pacific, it becomes clear that there are those who would kill to protect the mysteries that the company has worked so hard to keep hidden. 

Charged with murder and hunted by an unsavory boot camp manager, he finds himself sailing to remote islands with a shadowy group known as y1. Fantasy, reality and a bit of speculative science come together as Zane uses all his unique abilities to resist turning from a murder suspect into a murder victim. He still wants to find a way to keep his childhood promise, if he can only live long enough to do so.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

Once again, Sherrie Cronin shows off her amazing research skills! Like the first novel in the series, x0, she weaves real facts and controversial, sensitive topics in with the fictional Zeitman family. This time we follow Lola's son, Zane, as he learns at a young age that he can adjust his appearance to better blend in, much like a chameleon. 

When he gets older, he ends up working for a pharmaceutical company called Penthes. While interning in the lab, he keeps his head down as he realizes what a toxic environment the lab is. Eventually he spends time interning in marketing and finds himself adjusting his appearance to better fit in up there. There he catches the eye of the CEO himself, who is looking for a proper replacement. Forced to keep a huge secret, Zane begins to do research in the way the company is running, among other darker things, for the CEO. His job as spy gets more and more dangerous as he begins looking into not only the disappearance of the CEO's son, but also the death of his boss while in Samoa. 

Other key players are Afi, Joy and Toby, who Zane befriends while verifying the route a huge conference his company is hosting will take in the Pacific from Samoa to a school for troubled youth and finally to Fiji. Toby has a mysterious past and prefers to be a loner, but ends up helping first Afi and then Joy. Afi has run away from a school for troubled youth where horrific abuse is occurring, and Joy is running from her overbearing and controlling father. 

Throughout the story, Ms. Cronin weaves her research, using real facts and real stories of corruption to strengthen the novel. Unlike x0, where I had a hard time getting into the actual story because the factual information was so in-your-face, once I started y1 I could not stop. The factual information was present, but it was not overwhelming and blended extremely well into the story. I've already started Book 3 (z2), and can't wait to finish that one out as well!

You can purchase y1 through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read y1? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Sun Gate by T.M. Williams

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Title: Sun Gate

Author: T.M. Williams
Series: Bohemian Grove Trilogy (#2)

Genre: Science Fiction / Fantasy

Length: 358 pages

Published: October 2013

Publisher: Half-Light Publishing

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) No one can be trusted in T.M. Williams’s heart-pounding new novel, Sun Gate. The second book in the popular Bohemian Grove trilogy finds Carter doubting everything she thought she knew while knee deep in the Peruvian jungle.

Carter, a descendent of the alien race Anunnaki, is in the fight of her life. The only one with the potential to communicate with the Anunnaki on their home planet of Nibiru, Carter’s survival hangs in the balance. She is being targeted by the Vaticates, also known as the “protectors of the faith,” whose existence relies on the suppression of the Anunnaki. Discovery of the Anunnaki would ultimately lead to the end of religion and faith, and the Vaticates will stop at nothing until the only link between this world and the Anunnaki is killed.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

I had been anxiously awaiting the release of the second book in the Bohemian Grove Trilogy, and boy, it did not disappoint. Much like the first book (Bohemian Grove), I could not put this down. It's been quite some time since I read the first book, but I was able to easily pick up the sequel and start reading without wondering "wait, what happened in the first book again?!". Usually I re-read all the books in a series when a new book comes out, but I figured this one was still pretty fresh in my mind and I'd be OK. I was right about that.

I loved watching Carter try to decide between Jack and William. I'm Team Jack, so it broke my heart every time he'd catch Carter and William "having a moment". The love triangle isn't the main focus of the book though. Throughout there were a lot of little clues and just enough danger to keep you yearning to read and learn more. I felt that it was easy to identify with Carter, and that makes the story much more compelling. I can not wait for the conclusion of the trilogy, especially after the shocking end to Sun Gate.

You can purchase Sun Gate through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Sun Gate? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Zone One by Colson Whitehead

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Title: Zone One

Author: Colson Whitehead

Genre: Horror

Length: 259 pages

Published: 2011

Publisher: Doubleday

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) In this wry take on the post-apocalyptic horror novel, a pandemic has devastated the planet. The plague has sorted humanity into two types: the uninfected and the infected, the living and the living dead.

Now the plague is receding, and Americans are busy rebuild­ing civilization under orders from the provisional govern­ment based in Buffalo. Their top mission: the resettlement of Manhattan. Armed forces have successfully reclaimed the island south of Canal Street—aka Zone One—but pockets of plague-ridden squatters remain. While the army has eliminated the most dangerous of the infected, teams of civilian volunteers are tasked with clearing out a more innocuous variety—the “malfunctioning” stragglers, who exist in a catatonic state, transfixed by their former lives.

Mark Spitz is a member of one of the civilian teams work­ing in lower Manhattan. Alternating between flashbacks of Spitz’s desperate fight for survival during the worst of the outbreak and his present narrative, the novel unfolds over three surreal days, as it depicts the mundane mission of straggler removal, the rigors of Post-Apocalyptic Stress Disorder, and the impossible job of coming to grips with the fallen world.

And then things start to go wrong.

Both spine chilling and playfully cerebral, Zone One bril­liantly subverts the genre’s conventions and deconstructs the zombie myth for the twenty-first century.

My Review:

I give this book a 4 out of 5. 

I very nearly gave this a 3. But when the action picked up and I was caught up in it, I decided I needed to bump it to a 4. 

Zone One takes place over three days, and so the book is set up in three parts: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Friday made me want to fall asleep. When I pick up a book or watch a movie about zombies (which are by far some of my favorite books/movies), I expect action. Lots and lots of action. The first part was dull. There was only one zombie encounter (referred to in the novel as "skels") and it wasn't even terribly exciting. 

The other thing that bothered me the most about the book as a whole was that the author put a lot of flashbacks into the story. A LOT of flashbacks. And they weren't always easily determined to be such until a couple paragraphs into that section. Which made it confusing. These insertions got easier to identify later on in the book and I got used to them. But in the first 100 or so pages (which is how long "Friday" is), I found them distracting. 

I also did not care about the main character, Mark Spitz, until much later in the novel. There was just nothing that made me even remotely interested in him. 

"Saturday", the second part, was much more action packed, and the final part was even MORE packed with action. Those second two parts made my decision change from a 3 star to a 4 star rating. They redeemed the book in my eyes. The first part feels like it was designed to lull the reader into a sense of safety and then BAM! here come the skels. 

All in all the concept of the novel is great, though. The plague has taken out most of humanity. The humans left are now under orders to go through and clear out a section of Manhattan labeled "Zone One". The marines have already come through and cleared most of the hordes, and now the civilian sweepers are coming through to take out the stragglers (skels who don't move) and other random skels that have been missed. Even the sweepers and the military have been lulled into a false sense of security much like the reader. So all in all, I think it ended up being a pretty brilliant way to write a post-apocalyptic zombie novel. Definitely worth the read as a zombie or post-apocalyptic aficionado if you can manage to make it through the first frustratingly slow 100 pages.

You can purchase Zone One through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Zone One? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Monsters of Men (#3) by Patrick Ness

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Title: Monsters of Men

Author: Patrick Ness
Series: Chaos Walking (Book #3)

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

Length: 603 pages

Published: 2010

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) "War," says the Mayor. "At last." Three armies march on New Prentisstown, each one intent on destroying the others. Todd and Viola are caught in the middle, with no chance of escape. As the battles commence, how can they hope to stop the fighting? How can there ever be peace when they're so hopelessly outnumbered? And if war makes monsters of men, what terrible choices await? But then a third voice breaks into the battle, one bent on revenge - the electrifying finale to the award-winning "Chaos Walking" trilogy, Monsters of Men is a heart-stopping novel about power, survival, and the devastating realities of war.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

This was an amazing conclusion to the trilogy. You really get to see the way the Mayor has evolved throughout the story, as this super-villain that's supposedly turning good. Viola is, of course, completely unconvinced, but Todd thinks he's really making a change in the Mayor. And he has. 

Whether it's for the better or not, you will have to see for yourself in this harrowing conclusion.

You can purchase Monsters of Men through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Monsters of Men? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Ask and the Answer (#2) by Patrick Ness

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Title: The Ask and the Answer

Author: Patrick Ness
Series: Chaos Walking (Book #2)

Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Length: 519 pages

Published: 2009

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Reaching the end of their tense and desperate flight in THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO, Todd and Viola did not find healing and hope in Haven. They found instead their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss, waiting to welcome them to New Prentisstown. There they are forced into separate lives: Todd to prison, and Viola to a house of healing where her wounds are treated. Soon Viola is swept into the ruthless activities of the Answer, aimed at overthrowing the tyrannical government. Todd, meanwhile, faces impossible choices when forced to join the mayor’s oppressive new regime. In alternating narratives — Todd’s gritty and volatile; Viola’s calmer but equally stubborn — the two struggle to reconcile their own dubious actions with their deepest beliefs. Torn by confusion and compromise, suspicion and betrayal, can their trust in each other possibly survive?

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

This was a great follow up to The Knife of Never Letting Go. Todd and Viola are separated and held in different locations. The Mayor spends his days using them to get what he wants. We get to read the story in both Todd's and Viola's voices. The plot thickens, lies are told, lies are revealed, and both Todd and Viola do things they don't wish to do - all in the name of trying to get back to each other. 

Everything comes to a head after they are reunited. Todd learns things about himself that he never knew were possible. If you read the first book in this trilogy, definitely keep going. The action seriously does not stop.

You can purchase The Ask and the Answer through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Ask and the Answer? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.