Queer Literary Loft
Where to start?
This is a re-read of my all-time favourite book (and series for that matter), the first in the Afterlife Inc. trilogy, in preparation for starting the author's A Memory's Muses series, which is also set in the Afterlife Inc. universe.
To be clear, in saying this is my favourite book, I really do mean F-A-V-O-U-R-I-T-E book. If I could only read one book for the rest of my life, this would be it, without a shadow of a doubt.
Whenever I start to read this series I'm incessantly excited to delve back into the amazing world that Willows' has created for her readers. And without fail, every time I reach the end of Fury's Bridge (or any of the other books in the series), I desperately hope that the Afterlife Inc. world is real, and that I simply just don't know it, yet! It's a world I can completely immerse myself into. One where Willows' expertise at her craft, produces an endless array of avenues for a reader's imagination to run wild down, time and time again.
And the protagonists who are running amok with your imagination are none other than, Alectho (Alec) Graves – an avenging, smoking hot, bad-ass mythical (Greek) fury, and Selene Perkton – philosophy professor, logical thinker and all round ordinary human being, or so she thinks...As Alec and Selene's relationship begins to blossom and grow, the weight of the truth weighs heavily on Alec's shoulders, but telling Selene the truth will change everything. Can Alec simultaneously tear apart Selene's belief system and hold onto the unexpected love she's found? Can Selene forgive Alec and come to terms with her universe being turned upside down in order to save both humanity and the gods?
Only time and a hell of a lot of soul searching will tell...
Unfortunately for both Alec and Selene, time is of the essence if the gods are to be prevented from fading away entirely. But Alec has her work cut out for her because, where there's good, there's also bad, and the dark side have thrown their weight behind atheist and philosopher celebrity, Frey Falconi, in the hopes of bringing Selene into the darkness, so that chaos can rule.
The nuts and bolts of Fury's Bridge revolve around the key concepts of religion, philosophy and mythology. Through the thoughts, feelings and experiences of Alec and Selene, readers are introduced to two opposing discourses; religion and faith, and philosophy and logical thinking. Whilst at first glance, this might appear to be a ‘heavy' book, it's actually anything but. Sure, the juxtaposition of religion and philosophy certainly lends itself to engaging questions and material for readers to ponder over, but Willows compliments this with healthy splurges of wit and humour, and did i mention the hot sex with a fury...a fury that has wings, and fangs...
Despite the core of this story being grounded in religion, the author does a fantastic job of treading the line between exploring opposite positions without leaning one way or another, nor forcing any particular viewpoint onto readers. If you're the type of reader who'd see the word ‘religion' and run a mile, let me reassure you – this isn't that type of book. Instead the book reads like an imaginative playground, where anything is possible and the fun is in submerging yourself into the Afterlife Inc. world and seeing where you end up.
In my opinion, Willows has a creativity and quality to her writing that few can match. It takes significant expertise to produce a world and characters that are truly palpable – like I could step outside of my front door and not bat an eyelid at seeing Jesus in a tank top and board shorts, marketing his new clothing line.
Because that is the real world, right?
It's no surprise then, that I've yet to find another book which has drawn me in so completely, whilst still hitting the bullseye for intriguing plot and well developed characters. For me, Fury's Bridge stands out from the crowd for a reason, the story is different and unusual, whilst still retaining all the hallmarks of a fantastic piece of writing. I mean where else would you find Zed (aka Zeus) still with his lightning bolt, but now answering prayers via email and riding around in a convertible BMW?!
If you haven't read this book, you're denying your imagination the time of its life!
This is the first Vaun book i've read and it was predominately picked because i'd heard that it coincidentally followed on well from Brey Willows Chosen.
It certainly lived up to that reputation and the two books whilst very different compliment each other well.
On the whole i enjoyed Proxima Five and i would be open to reading other books in Vaun's collection.
The only negative for me was that some areas of the book felt a little rushed for example when Keegan is left to die and/or when Keegan and Tiago fight to the death.
I think the second half of the book was stronger plot wise but this was where things felt skipped over a little, whilst the start of the book seemed to spend too much time on Keegan's and Leah's discontent with each other leaving little room for the plot to be filled out later.
That being said, i would like to see a sequel/prequel to this, there's plenty of areas left to explore - Yates story, the rise of the Tenth House, Keegans back story, the other colonies and their experience colonizing a new planet. The list is endless, so i would definitely look to read any future works involving Proxima Five from Vaun.
I liked the perspective this book started from, something which i didn't expect and which set the tone for the whole book really, because if you like the beginning you'll love the end!
Even though this is the final book of the trilogy, i really enjoyed that the reader was still introduced to new characters - namely Brooke - and that we are able to explore her thoughts and feelings as an outsider becoming part of the Pulsus' world. It provided a differing but complimentary viewpoint of a new comer compared to Landry and Delaney's view as experienced extractor/operative. I'm secretly hoping that Nyx has left the door open for a potential spin off/future storyline featuring Pulsus with Brooke and Makenzie.
Having read all three books, i love the way Nyx writes - there's alot going off but it flows well and not once do you feel lost in the different and numerous relationships or timelines. As a reader this is as an achievement because there's nothing worse than reading a book where you have to flick back a few chapters to re orientate yourself to whichever character you've now moved onto, this doesn't happen with Nyx's writing.
Additionally, this is one of the first books/series' i've read in a long time where i haven't had any inkling of the ending. Maybe on a second read through of all three i might think differently - but i never saw the ending coming - neither could i tell you what i was expecting to happen, because i've been intrigued all the way through as to which way Nyx was going to take the story.
The fact that Simson ends up dead...well lets face it she deserved it and better her than any of the other characters ;)
Ultimately, the whole series is fun, thrilling, futuristic and intriguing but i think what i like the most is the subtle journey over all three books. The series aside from the time travel is such an exploration of love, relationships, friendships, trust and a whole host of other things - it's been a pleasure to share Landry and Delaney's rollercoaster journey and to see them battle with emotions, morals and life in the face of trying to make the world a better place.
Afterall isn't that what we're all trying in our own ways to do everyday?
But my parting recommendation if you're thinking of reading this book - is buy them all. It's a journey you won't forget, an ending you probably won't see coming and an underlying message that is to die in time for!
I struggled to finish this book but not due to it's content. These stories need telling in their whole entirety and the book in my view only half achieves this by getting these peoples voices heard in the first place. To be an enjoyable read it needed better editing. The style of writing made each story melt into the next one, it felt very much like a question and answer session without the questions being printed.
Whilst i can see what was trying to be achieved with this book i didn't enjoy it as much as was anticipated, it made for very difficult reading style wise.
The second book in the Extractor Series had a change in tempo for me. Whilst the book still had the same level of sexiness and tension, i didn't find it quite as exciting and fast paced as the first book BUT and it's a big BUT i still really enjoyed it. So much so i may read read the first and second books again before moving onto book three!
That all sounds rather contradictory but all credit to Robyn for being able to write and plot so well.
Book 2 is like most books/films that aren't standalone....it's the ‘middle' book and usually a majority of people loose interest in the middle of a series, because it doesn't hold the same thrill level as the beginning and the end.
However Robyn transitions beautifully from the excitement of meeting new characters and a new world in Book 1 to a more in-depth discovery of these characters and they way they think, feel and connect.
Landry and Delaney's friendship gets pushed to the limit in Book 2 and this theme of friendship and boundaries is well explored. Similarly there's the question of how far will Landry go for love and will she actually allow herself to fall in love?
The inner workings and development of the key characters is so much greater in this book, that whilst the action may have slowed slightly, the book still moves forward and the reader still feels like the story is building to it's end. There is so much explored in book 2 character wise that i'm sure re reading book 1 would reveal things missed the first time around in the haste to finish it.
Robyn certainly shows her writing talents off in this book and the ability to keep the attention of her readers. Without a doubt this book whilst different from the 1st is far from the ‘middle fluff filler' book one can sometimes expect. Buy it, read it, reread it, you won't regret it.
*Another author that sneaks onto the back/future read list!
A new year and a new (to me) author, one that speaks deliciously to my dark and twisty side with Ignis.
Ignis is the starting point for Felicity and Tal's relationship and centers itself on Felicity's origin story, which is told as flashbacks in so called ‘Before' chapters from the perspective of ‘The Girl'. This is one aspect of Ignis that i thoroughly enjoyed, at times i forgot i was reading fiction and not someone's actual life story. The reader is drawn into this Before period, when most would struggle to comprehend it, and yet under the author's deft words it's as if the reader is right there beside The Girl.
The author, KJ, has a poetic way of using words to help the reader visualise what it would be like to live the type of life that The Girl does.
Throughout every inch of the story there is a level of scrutiny and explanation of human behaviour that gives you goosebumps. The author has a unique talent to add layer upon layer of emotion and meaning to even the simplest look or gesture – mundane interactions are taken to a depth that i didn't even know were possible. And that's before you even consider the way KJ builds sexual tension between Felicity and Tal – who knew intellectual conversation and pure silence could ramp up the heat level so much! In amongst the lessons on human behaviour and how to smoulder, is a story of a past lived in a religious cult, that collides with a well ordered and successful, but loveless present day.
Whilst i enjoyed the majority of Ignis, i did struggle with Felicity's inability to see the seemingly more and more obvious clues. As a character whose personal history is portrayed to the reader in a very palpable manner, it was a struggle to believe in Felicity's denial of what was happening and why. This feeling deepened when Felicity finally made the connection, but subsequently couldn't come up with a potential culprit, despite the Before chapters doing a resounding job of making the reader feel the leer of said culprit. Whilst i suspect some of this could be put down to Felicity's internal denial of her past catching up to her present, there wasn't enough to justify Felicity's lengthy delay in putting the puzzle pieces together.
That being said, I adored that KJ gives us a non-binary character in Tal and that the inclusion of their gender identity isn't just covered at the surface level, the story includes discussions on Tal's pronouns and an instance of being misgendered. It is always a pleasure to read stories from authors that continue to strive to provide readers with both high quality writing, whilst incorporating more diverse characters and inclusive storylines.
First point?? I'm glad i started reading this trilogy after all the books were released. Why? Because waiting for book 2 to be written and published would have killed me - great cliff hanger Robyn!!
There's a fair amount of graphic violence in this book but all within context. It adds to the story building and quite probably doesn't even ripple the surface of the true horrors in the German death camps. It's a brutal but much needed reminder that some elements of this book did indeed happen in our own reality.
Aside from the time travel aspect, the book explores the friendship between Landry and Delaney and the unrequited love that clearly sits between them. This is challenged further by the introducation of Jade and Landry's infatuation with her.
This book is clearly the beginning of a fast, thrilling, somewhat violent and in places hot under the collar, time travelling whilst saving the world story.
It's certainly not one to be missed off your to read list!
It's been an age since I read The Red Files, and longer still that the follow up novel, Under Your Skin, has sat on my tbr list; but what an awesome sequel Lee Winter has produced.
This series features one of my favourite ice queens - Catherine Ayers; whose witty barbs, razor sharp tongue, and layered vulnerabilities are the perfect mix of icy exterior and hidden melting core.
Under Your Skin picks up a short while after the end of The Red Files and the overarching plot focuses on Catherine and Lauren's upcoming nuptials in Lauren's homestate of Iowa. A state which Catherine never thought she'd be caught dead or alive in.
Planning a wedding is never easy and with Catherine having promised to play nice with her future in-laws (not to mention their first meeting), things are set to become interesting awfully quickly. If family shenanigns weren't enough to contend with, the disapperance of a state of the art food delivery robot, a racist app named ‘My Evil Twin', and Iowa's state senator are, as Catherine and Lauren soon figure out, mysteriously linked to one another.
With separate and yet intermingled stories to chase down and an established romantic couple as the star attraction, Lee Winter has crafted a riveting read that really pulls you in to its pages.
Aside from the mystery aspect what I also loved about this story, is that Winter really digs into the depths of Catherine and Lauren's characters. Particularly with Catherine we learn alot about her family, the past betrayal that nearly cost her her career - not to mention seriously denting her capacity to trust. These insights really develop the character of Catherine and paint a picture of who she was then, who she is now, and most importantly why and how she became the Caustic Queen.
Under Your Skin is a great story and I'd love at some point for Winter to re-visit Catherine and Lauren further down the line or even to write them as side chracters into other stories.