Alysses
This here is one book you can't possibly give any details about because anything at all would be a spoiler. Needless to say this is going to be one hard review to write.
Matt has a lot going on. It's like the understatement of the year. He lives with his scary father who keeps pushing him to enlist after graduation, his older brother T.J. was blown to bits in Iraq about 6 months prior, he's crushing hard on his best friend, his grades are non-existent, and he is angry... really angry.
A series of events occur that lead Matt to want to know more about his brother while he was a soldier on duty. When T.J.'s lockers are delivered to their home, Matt does everything possible to keep a piece of his brother with him while doing right by his memory.
I was definitely impressed with the writing in the sense that you feel every bit of angst that is sent your way. It was incredibly real. It didn't matter whether it was Matt or another character speaking at the time, you just knew exactly what that person was feeling and why, no questions asked. I honestly couldn't put this book down. I had to know what was coming next. Let me tell you, this book is definitely NOT predictable. You won't see anything coming and that too was impressive. Many props to the author. She pieced everything together in such a way that it unfolded seamlessly leaving you with a jaw dropping WHAT THE HECK just happened kind of look on your face one minute and a jaw dropping WHAT NOW look a minute after.
THE ONLY problem I had with the book was the use of some language that just seemed out of character for Matt and it really felt like a slap in the face. I literally felt the slap. Weird, I know. The words were U.G.L.Y. I can understand his initial shock that led to these ugly words AND he later had a change of heart, however, he never voiced how wrong he was to use those words or how ashamed he felt using/thinking those words. I needed to feel that resentment. I needed the reader to know that it wasn't cool at all to think that way. Eh... It's only my opinion but as a mom who would like to recommend this read to her kid, I'd like a book this powerful and possibly influential to ensure that words like that are definitely not ok.
Overall, this is a great read. I didn't feel happy at the end of this book. I felt sad. The book doesn't have a true happily ever after but it didn't need to because like in real life some things are just a work in progress. Matt does walk away a stronger person with a plan to live happier and I couldn't help but feel hope and love for this kid.
A week later, I'm still trying to process all of the thoughts and emotions this great read has provoked.
ARC provided by Candlewick Press via NetGalley.
Ok, first off, I am really glad I didn't pay any attention to some of the reviews on here. Don't get me wrong I rush to Goodreads to read reviews and appreciate them. I also appreciate my Goodreads “friends” opinions, reviews and recommendations... BUT sometimes it really is better to just find out for yourself.
I am so glad I read this first book that happens to be the author's first book ever in her new series. Yes this book is two years old but I think it can be intimidating for anyone to write a book and then brace themselves for the kind of reviews this one got. I mean some of the reviews were down right nasty. I mean if it's not your cup of tea then it's not... move on no need to be nasty about it.
AT ANY RATE...
The Sentinels are made up of three unique powerful races who are sworn to protect humans against Synestryns, pure evil creatures who feed off of blood. The Theronai's are the warrior Sentinels. Long ago the Theronai women were killed off by the Synestryns to stop children from being born. Each Theronai male is pure energy. They live years and years in pain because there is no outlet for this energy and they pretty much short circuit their souls and die soon after. The only way to stop this pain and stop the short circuiting is by finding your other half, your lady. Women Theronai draw the energy away from their partner and use it to gain power and create magic. The women are more powerful warriors than the men. Although there is a pairing that has to take place more than one man can be compatible with the woman and vice versa.
At the beginning of the book there are only two Theronai female survivors but we soon find out that there might be more...
I really enjoyed this book. It is hard to read books nowadays in any genre that don't have similarities and then start to be mirror images of others. However, I found the overall theme a very unique one. You are instantly thrust into action in this book. There was no easing in. It was fast paced and I didn't find any slow parts at all. There is a budding romance between Theronai Drake and newly found Theronai Helen. Their romance and love developed within three days but the writing was so good that it made me feel comfortable with how quickly it developed and in fact was believable. Their ending was a nice and sweet one.
You are introduced to many characters and you do learn to care for them. Although it is kind of an intense situation you find many light moments when the boys are being boys.
I am definitely interested in seeing where the author goes in developing their story.
There is much to be wrapped up so I hope the author does a good job doing so in the other books. One thing I didn't like too much was that at times the author would introduce a new Sentinel word and you had to wait for a bit for the definition. The new word would be written as if the reader should know what it meant already. Other than that I am curious to find out if Lexie, Helen's friend is another Theronai...because she is definitely something... Whether Logan, a Sanguinar, “vampire” like healer to the Theronai, is a good guy or a bad guy and what the heck is he up to! Will Zach find his pair in Lexie, will Paul find someone other than Helen...Will Lady Gray back off! Hmmm...
Goodreads says: The guilt that Defender Dakota Kacey feels about her brother's death is all-consuming, making her determined to find and kill the demon who murdered him. But the leader of the Defenders is worried about what Dakota is capable of, and calls in Liam Lann to keep an eye on her. Dakota knows what kind of power a Theronai like Liam possesses, and agrees to bind herself to him if he'll help her exact vengeance. But a bond to a Theronai is not a decision to make lightly, and as the search for the killer intensifies, Dakota will have to learn to trust Liam completely, or risk losing everything.
In this short story we meet Defender Dakota and Sentinel Liam. This story pretty much had the same formula that Shannon K. Butcher has applied to all of the Sentinel books. Theronai warrior is dying and happens to stumble upon his Theronai savior disguised as some human woman that doesn't realize that she isn't human at all but a Theronai. Theronai warrior hooks up with said woman, convinces her to wear his Luceria necklace, they discover her special power, she's called something like Sapphire Lady or Jade Lady or White Lady (based on the color of her solidified Luceria), they fight some baddies, fall in love, and Theronai warrior is no longer dying...All in a few days time.
I'm not knocking it because it happens to be working for me. :-)
I think the only thing that is starting to nag me at this point is that all of the Theronai women being found are pretty messed up. Somewhere along the way they have had to endure abuse of some sort or they have had lives without their parents. Something has jacked them up. I'd like to see a strong jacked-free heroine in one of these books.
At any rate, I liked this story. It flowed nicely, the relationship developed in a way that their love in the end was believable and OMG! there was one INTENSE scene that was...INTENSE!
I can't wait to read the next installment in the Sentinel Wars which recently came out. I have to say that the author kind of got me thinking for a bit that Dakota was really human with traces of Theronai ancestry and could still save the warrior. It would have been nice if she could have found some way to work that angle. We'll see what the future holds.
I really enjoyed the world Livia Dare created in this book. The love scenes were definitely hot but became too redundant in details as well as a bit much... I mean they were horn dogs in this book! It only bothered me because there was so much more going on in this book and it would have been nice to lessen the sex a bit and explored the rest of the story a bit more. I also felt that the way Sapphire aka Katie and Wulfric fell in love was retold way too often in the book. Trust me the reader will remember when they met and how they fell in love...
I think that a few love scenes could have been left out and more care could have been given to details of the worlds/cities that were being visited. This is a sci-fi erotica/romance and so I want to be transported to a world that is not like Earth. I want to see what makes this world so unique and so different than what I am used to.
All in all this book could have been a one book story but I can see how it can be turned into a series. Hopefully we won't have to wait too much longer to get the rest of this story. :-)
I'm left in this quiet, foggy kind of surreal place after reading this book. This is a great beginning to a very intriguing story. It is definitely a short story being 15 pages but it carried so much weight. It is beautifully written, compelling, placing me in a trance and wanting much more when it ended.
Some thoughts:
I didn't care for the authors description of Sebastian who is the mysterious friend in the synopsis. She describes his lips being too full to ever be considered sexy and nose too wide to be considered beautiful although she thought him handsome. I know it was meant to be Rose's opinion but please be careful. Those features ARE beautiful.
Voodoo or Vodun is mentioned and I'm excited to see this included in the book and hope the author does the religion justice by being as accurate as possible.
Finally, Rose is an eight year old but the voice carried in the book is of an adult. I actually thought this was an adult book until I read the About the Author blurb and realized the author writes YA. So this had me a bit confused throughout the book but only a bit.
All in all, overall, it was good enough to rate, comment and want more of this trilogy.
I'm still trying to figure out if I like this series. It's not bad but I'm not being pushed to binge the series.
The synopsis given is pretty much on point. We have alternating pov's going back and forth between June and Day and LOTS of action. If you like action you definitely won't be disappointed.
I liked all the characters well enough. I thought both Day and June were especially strong. The author took care to develop this world well. I did feel that the plot was kind of predictable though. Midway through the book I had figured out most of the O.M.G. scenes to come. Again, what didn't disappoint were all the action scenes included in this book that were written so well. The very last action scene in the book was ridiculous and I often found myself panting with excitement checking my own watch knowing I was running out of time right along with the heroes of the book.
I say try it. I think you'll enjoy all of the government conspiracies, the jail breaks, the futuristic Robin Hood “thang” Day has going on and the very mature way these 15 year olds approach everything! Upon finishing this read I felt satisfied. It didn't necessarily invoke strong feelings for a 5 star rating but I walked away wanting to read the next book right away. Obviously I can't since it won't come out for another 6 months BUT I did want to continue the adventure.
On to the next!
What happens when someone is willing to give it all up to love the person who doesn't think they are worthy of love?
This was sad but I appreciated the message.
You can always visit me at my blog
3.5-4.0 stars
9/11 happened and Eli wanted to help at ground zero but Eli's dad said no. Feeling that he had to do something to help he enlisted in the army instead. About a year or so after he dies in Iraq while on duty. Eli's death has left Danny alone, his dad even less sociable and mom has checked out. While coping with the death of his brother, Danny begins the “Book of the Dead” a book where he records famous people and the cause of their deaths.
I think the most interesting part of this book was the “Book of the Dead” and how the author used it to tie it back to certain events in Danny's life and/or to show his thought process on the topic of death. This definitely made After Eli a very unique story.
I liked the story well enough. I thought it was written well. I liked the characters especially the twins who were a hoot! I especially liked that you could noticeably see the growth within these characters. The flow of the story was right on point and the ending was just right. Yet something didn't sit well with me.
I've read a few contemporaries as of late and they were heart wrenching and I guess I was expecting this book to be that way. It's not. There are some moments and I did cry during those moments but it was hard for me to connect in that way the entire time.
Another thing, I felt like I was reading the wrong era. The book reads like the TV show the Wonder Years. This is not a negative, people. I loved Wonder Years. My thing was that this is supposed to be the present, you know 2012. Although there were parts that felt like 2012, there were other parts that felt like the 1960's.
I don't know. It could just be the emotional overload I've felt reading other types of books in the last few months. Also, it could just be a figment of my imagination about the era switch up I felt often in this book...figment or lack of sleep. Or it could just be that this book is just a different type of grief and it doesn't always have to be over the top and the town is rural and could possibly still feel like the 1960's even if it is 2012.
Bottom line: I still recommend this read to everyone because it was an overall enjoyable read. After reading it let me know your thoughts on it.
ARC was provided by Candlewick via NetGalley.
Review posted at the Arroz Con Leche Blog.
Two reviews in One. A Tale of Two Daddies and A Tale of Two Mommies.
These two books were truly a fun read. The reality is that our world is constantly changing and with more and more same sex couples raising children of their own, it's important for all children to be taught that different is ok but that “different” is not that different at all. These books do just that.
In each of the books we have a little girl being raised by daddies and a little boy being raised by mommies. Each has curious friends who are asking which parent does what in their household.
I personally enjoyed reading A Tale of Two Daddies more than A Tale of Two Mommies. I found the rhyming and the flow to be executed a bit better with the daddies and the illustrations were great for both books. Overall, I think these books serve their purpose, although, I do think that it would be best for smaller children. I think older kids would pose tougher questions but for smaller kids, these books are the right fit.
Copies of each book were provided by Vanita Books via NetGalley.
Bare with me on this one... It's finals week and thoughts are all over the place...
This is book two in the Sentinel Wars series where Theronai Paul finds his lady/lifeline, Andra. Andra doesn't know she is a Theronai and in fact we find out more about that bloodline. Andra has been fighting the Synestryns and rescuing the children they have been kidnapping. Much like the first book we find that Andra has only three days to come to terms with her new found heritage and choose to be with Paul for the rest of their lives before the Luceria solidifies into a solid color.
In book one we find out that the Theronai along with the other races are dying but the Theronai a lot faster than the others. Theronai women are rare as they were all killed but two. Theronai men are walking energy balls with no outlet resulting in their having to live in constant pain and their souls to burn out. Theronai women find their life partner and in turn absorb/release their man's energy/power. Together they fight the Synestryn, evil creatures who feed on everything and love destruction. In Burning Alive (book 1), we met Paul at Helen's welcoming ceremony. Paul was compatible with Helen and he lashed out at Drake for not telling Helen the truth about the fact that she could have picked any man who was compatible with her. Paul felt like Drake was being selfish and didn't give Helen a chance to save someone else.
In this book, Finding the Lost, Paul finds his life partner Andra. The irony is that Paul nearly forces his will on Andra in order to make her his... kind of a raping of the will if you will. Andra didn't think she could have forever with someone. Her priorities were other ones besides a relationship. She also felt like a failure because of some of the battles she had fought and lost with the Synestryn. Because of this she keeps rejecting Paul. I get that Theronai men are all a bit desperate at this point but it was hard to see this huge shift in Paul's thoughts and how he handled the situation especially after he brought on the big to do with Drake.
I found it harder to buy into Paul and Andra's love. Heck I found it hard to buy into Andra. I kept picturing her as one butchy heroine and I just couldn't get comfortable with her at all...
She definitely took this whole new world in stride and that was cool. She also told Gilda off a bit which was even better because Gilda needs to be checked sometimes.
I think one of the things I likes most about this book was that we get introduced to Nikka, Andra's sister. Nikka was attacked by Synestryn and her blood was tasted by them. Nikka lives a very tortured life because she has a symbiotic relationship with these vile creatures. Nikka is in an asylum but is probably the most informed and sane person of all these people now. She can see and feel the Synestryn, knowing their every move and she is a bit psychic as well.
Right from the start this book didn't disappoint in that from the first page you found action. REALLY do love this about this author. She doesn't build up, she throws you in head first. I like how more and more unfolds but I have to say that something is definitely irking me... The author leaves huge cliffhangers and doesn't wrap them up. This is only the second book so I will take this all back if she proves me wrong BUT she left big cliffhangers in book one and now in this book too and I'm left with too many questions and way confused.
For example... there is this woman/child Theronai named Sibyl. She has been alive for centuries now but is forever 8 yrs old. She is the resident psychic. She speaks in riddles all the time. I MEAN ALL THE TIME. Can never decipher what the heck she is saying nor does the author clarify things for you at any part of the book. Logan says things too and leaving the reader screaming tell me more... explain please... wth! So we know that Helen is the secret weapon to killing the Synestryn... OK... HOW?! We are in book two and Helen says all of six words. We know that Madoc has some kind of connection with Nikka but is he the one her spirit crawls into bed with? Is Nikka dead or just leaving her body for a while? Why did the Synestryn tick Andra into their lair? Why didn't Sibyl at least tell everyone why they wanted Andra?
I don't know... I just think way to many questions were left unanswered in this book and with the third book focusing on Zach and Lexie, which I know will open a whole bunch of other cans of worms, I just don't see how the author will wrap up all these other loose ends.
Alas, I will go on to the next one because if nothing else...I'm hooked and definitely want to see where this all leads.
3.2024 I purchased the printed format and naturally had to do a re-read. I hate the translation in these. It makes Mr. Ajuicy seem more of an asshole than a grump. He's always been a grump but not an asshole. Am I going to keep collecting the printed books? Yes. Am I going to hate the translations and keep crapping on it? Also, Yes.
1.2023
Yeeeeeaaaah, I like this one a lot. Age gap romance. Both are cuuuute. One is openly gay. One is testing this new found attraction and enjoying it a lot (in his own serious way). The artwork is stunning. Character growth is happening and not at a snail's pace. No flip flopping. There is some grown folk things happening here. I lufff it!
Season 3 read 1.2023
Content Warning: Explicit Sex, Violence, Loved One in a Coma, Age-Gap, Mafia/Gang Culture
Art ★★★★★ GORGEOUS!!
There's a Plot!!!: ★★★★★
World Building ★★★★ (It lost a little steam towards the end)
Character Development ★★★★★
Writing Style: ★★★★★
Trope: University Guy (naive)/Grumpy Grump (gooey on the inside)
Ok. Time for a more in depth review. This Manhwa deserves it.
Dangerous Convenience Store was absolutely everything I was looking for. If you know BL's, you know that it's trendy to showcase the most toxic relationships and for whatever reason folks think that it's the sexiest/romantic ish out there since chocolate.
These two were not that. Most of everything that went down between the two made sense. I say most of everything because even in fiction, characters are human and what makes sense to them is simply nonsensical. Within that, the mangaka was able to make the reader feel every ounce of emotion, excitement, insecurity, conflict, regret, love, and peace. Decisions were made but not once were they ever abusive. Decisions were just simply that, decisions. Decisions were made and quickly were determined to be the wrong ones but in the end they had to be seen all the way through.
This is a complicated world in that one of the characters are part of a gang/mafia. They are trying to make it so that things are on the up and up but it's never an easy path.
If the mangaka decides to create printed copies... I will auto buy. This is just such a great manhwa. It will be a re-read. I'm so sad it's over.
Read for Mafia Readathon 5.2022.
Audiobook 10000% recommend. This was a great production!!
There's nothing sexier than consent asked in the sexiest of ways.
I had so much to say about this book. Alas... I don't have it in me anymore. Not after having a discussion with a friend.
This book puts its main character through hell and back. This book puts the reader through hell and back.
I was not a fan of the ending. For ME it did not ring true to what I've come to know as the most likely outcome of a settlement. I as a reader who had just swam through the fires of hell upon finishing the book, needed that settlement. I needed more for all of the people in this book.
I just want us to stop settling for crumbs. I had to sit in book club discussion as all the clear folks agreed that this was the most realistic outcome. It's just me. If you don't agree...No worries... Argue with your Grandma, your momma and auntie too.
BTW... this was based on a real story. At least THEY got a hefty settlement. Found this tidbit out while the clear folks were trying to gaslight me into believing I was reaching for a dream. Money doesn't fix everything but it sure does feel a little like reparation.
Calling each other outside of your name is not my love language... Other than that, it was cute. I liked the art and the storytelling.
