Jess Peters's Blog, page 34

Transient (Transient Series Book 1) by K.M. Hill

If you could find out when you’ll die – would you?

This is the first book in the Transient series.

Learning her expiry date doesn’t sound like much of a birthday present to Rae, but it’s been that way for everyone since the Cryptograph was introduced. A biological algorithm which can determine with precise accuracy the lifespan of every human being on the planet.

Everyone gets tested when they come of age, but Rae wants to opt out. She hates how the system labels and categorizes society according to longevity – like Transients, whose short lifespan automatically renders them useless, Interims, the hard-working majority – or elite Constants, whose long lives guarantee opportunity and power.

But when Rae’s intentions to avoid the test are impeded and her lifespan is revealed, the future seems set in stone. Or does it…?

I enjoyed this book. It had a brilliant concept to it. The storyline was good and the plot moved at a good pace. There was plenty of action and mystery throughout.

I liked Rae. She was a good strong character and was willing to fight for what she believed in and not just follow the crowd. I liked the other characters which she mets, particularly Drew. He was quite mysterious at times.

This book was reasonably well written. I would have preferred for it to be written in first person perspective though but that is just a personal preference.

The chapters were short, which I prefer, but at times in this book, I felt the chapters ended at odd times, such as mid scene and even mid conversation. I think that could have done with a little bit more thought. This issue didn’t affect the story for me however.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It was well thought out with great characters. I would definitely recommend it.

My rating: 5/5*

The Replacement (Book 1 of The Replacement Series) by Bianca Sierra-Luebke

This book is the first in The Replacement series.

Angelica was willing to do almost anything for Merrick, until they were caught. Her punishment for breaking Lymerian law is unthinkable, but at least she will live. In fact, she might live forever.

Lymerian’s have been living in secret on Earth for centuries. Angelica is their new replacement. She must transition from human to Lymerian.

Angelica is not like other replacements. Her Architect, Clara, is the commander of the slayers, a Vegar. When she steps forward, their fates are sealed. The Laws of Liturgy are binding. As Clara and two Guards descend into the dungeons with Angelica, the entire race wonders what kind of Lymerian will return when the transition is complete.

I enjoyed this book. It was well written, had a good story and good characters.

Angelica was great. I liked seeing things from her perspective, as well as Clara’s. Compared to her starting point, she had a vast personal development. It was good to read.

I also liked Clara. She is a fierce and strong character. Her relationship with Angelica was good to see develop. It was the same with Kyle and Jordan.

I liked learning about the different Lymerian Laws and the Laws of Liturgy. They were interesting.

I think the only thing I would say about this book is that I would have liked to see a little bit more action. The beginning was a little bit slow.

Overall, I would recommend this book. It was interesting with a good storyline and strong characters.

My rating: 4/5*

Surviving The Evacuation, Book 14: Mort Vivant by Frank Tayell

This book is the 14th in the Surviving The Evacuation series.

It follows a group of survivors after a zombie outbreak.

Survivors from across the Atlantic seaboard took refuge on the Welsh island of Anglesey. Beset by dangers from within, they departed to establish a new refuge in Belfast. Not all of them arrived. Six took the last plane on its last flight, but crashed in France.

This book follows Bill, Chester, Sorcha Locke and the others on the plane after they crash land in France.

I absolutely love this series. The overall storyline is covering the characters in their respective areas and situations. After having the last book giving away absolutely nothing about what happened to Bill and Chester, it was great to have this book back with them.

I liked how the plot developed and it moved at a good pace as usual. There is a nice balance between zombie action and the actual characters and their situation. It was great to get an idea of what France is like after the outbreak.

I love the characters. Throughout the books, we have really gotten to know Bill, and this book just built in that.

I did like how this book was as much Chester’s story as it was Bills. I normally prefer these books being written in first person, but this book not being so made Chester’s part come across a lot more. He was telling his own story as much as Bill was telling his.

After everything we know about Sorcha, I wasn’t keen on her. During this book however, she started to grow on me. I want to believe she can be trusted besides what her past would have you believe.

I’m looking forward to where the story will lead next and whether the book will move to other characters again. It has been a while since we’ve heard from London so I’d quite like to know how that situation is going.

This series definitely needs to be read in order. I don’t think the storylines would make sense otherwise. I would recommend this series. It is a brilliant zombie apocalyptic series.

My rating: 5/5*

The Secret of Spellshadow Manor by Bella Forrest

This is the first book in The Secret of Spellshadow Manor series.

What would you do if you spotted a man following a young woman, but no-one else could see him?

Like most sane people, student Alex Webber thought he was hallucinating – perhaps he’d consumed something bad at the party he’d been attending that night, or he was severely overtired.

But when he sees the mysterious man following Natalie again the very next day, he can no longer disbelieve his eyes.

Although she denies the man’s existence, Alex sees her walking with him down a road in his neighborhood he’s never seen before – and can’t help but follow. After a bizarre, but strangely short journey, he finds himself standing before a towering iron gate wreathed in gray ivy, behind which looms a decrepit old mansion named Spellshadow Manor.

Spellshadow, with its beautiful yet sinisterly decorated hallways, ever-changing outdoor scenery and very unusual residents… Alex will quickly learn it is a place that is as wondrous as it is deadly.

Especially for a normal person like him.

I enjoyed this book. It was a great storyline which developed well. It was a little slow to start, but once it picked up, the plot began to get tense and exciting and it moved at a good pace with enough action.

I liked the characters. Alex and Natalie were great together and were both strong characters. They were both thrown into this new world and were stuck there of which they made the best of it whilst trying to figure out how to get out.

Aamir and Jari were also good character who also complimented each other well. Each character was relevant to the developing storyline.

My only issue besides the slightly slow start, was that I personally felt that it would have benefitted more by being written in first person perspective. It’s only a minor issue to my own preference. The story was still great and in general, it was written well.

I thought the overall storyline was quite complex, especially nearer the end. Elias is a very mysterious…thing, which I thought really added more depth to the plot. I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops in the next book.

I would definitely recommend this book.

My rating: 4/5*

Thin Lies (The Child Thief #3) by Bella Forrest

This is the 3rd book in The Child Thief series.

The Compliance Authority does not take kindly to dissidents. Particularly dissidents who have managed to escape their grasp, not once, but twice.

Things are about to get a lot more dangerous for Robin, Jace, and their team. Making it all the more urgent to figure out what, if anything, Nathan is hiding—as well as if their convenient allies are, in fact, allies.

I absolutely loved this book, and in fact, I’m loving the whole series so far.

The book ran at a fast pace throughout with plenty of action. There was never a dull moment.

The storyline developed well, although, this book had more action in terms of moving around and looking for safety rather than actual missions like in the previous book. It was still very good, exciting and well written.

I love the characters. Robin is such a strong character. She is determined to succeed and survive. She really comes into her own in this book and steps up with the situation they are in and takes the lead a bit more.

I also like all the other characters too. As the story continues to develop, we get to know each character more and more. I also like the mysteriousness of Nathan, Zion and Alexy. I’m looking forward to the next book, especially after that ending and there’s still so many unanswered questions.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. This series definitely needs to be read in order. It’s exciting, full of action, well written and with great characters.

My rating: 5/5*

The Restrainers (The Amplified Trilogy book 3) by Lauren M. Flauding

This is the 3rd and final book in the Amplified Trilogy.

Against all odds (and possibly her own desires), Mari Quillen is now a Restrainer. Equipped with extra abilities through her enhanced Amplification and prestigious position, she strives to protect those she loves while carrying out her own plans behind the Governor’s back. She constantly finds herself caught between her duties and her weaknesses as she attempts to hide her secrets from the Community.

I enjoyed this book. It moved fast with plenty of action. I liked how the storyline developed and then to resolve everything from the previous books.

Mari has been a great character. She just wants to do what it right, even if it means moving to the wrong side for a bit before making her move. Ultimately, she is the one to save everyone from the Governor, and from themselves. She’s strong, independent and exciting and her relationship with Miles is great to read.

These books have all been on the shorter side meaning that it’s all story and action and straight to the point. It has meant that there hasn’t been a dull moment and that they have been exciting throughout.

Overall, I have really enoyed these books and would definitely recommend this series. I would recommend reading it in order in order to get the full story.

My rating: 4/5*

The Dissenters (The Amplified Trilogy book 2) by Lauren M. Flauding

This is the second book in the Amplified Trilogy.

The Community is under attack and Mari Quillen must rely on her own abilities to navigate physical and emotional dangers in a society of unlimited skills. As she searches for Miles Paxton and the mysterious Dissenters, she’ll discover more than she ever wanted to know.

I enjoyed this book. It is well paced with plenty of action and the storyline develops well throughout.

I like Mari. Having decided to have her Amplifier removed, she has had to adapt from being able to do anything and everything to only being able to do what she can once again. She is strong and determined to do the right thing.

Miles Paxton is a quite mysterious character at times. He holds back from Mari a fair bit with information she is after as well about himself and his true feelings.

I liked the small secrets which she gradually found out. It added depth to the story.

Ultimately, the books are on the shorter side and so get to the point far quicker than some. It’s straight down to the storyline which works well for this story.

Overall, I would recommend this book and this story. I would also definitely suggest starting from book 1.

My rating: 4/5*

Contributor (Contributor Trilogy, book 1) by Nicole Ciacchella

This is the first book in the Contributor Trilogy.

Creators each run their own separate domes  in which people live in after the Great Famine brought the world to the brink of an apocalypse, threatening mankind’s existence. Everything works insides them  from Logistics to Engineering, and everyone is expected to contribute.

Dara Marrow is 17 years old and has been offered an apprenticeship to become Head of Engineering Anderson’s assistant. Her competition is tough and ruthless. They will stop at nothing to win.

After an accident renders her mother severely injured, she soon finds out that being a contributor isn’t all which it seems to be and realises the price of being one: once you’ve outlived your usefulness, you’re discarded.

I enjoyed this book. It flowed well and the storyline was good. I liked how the plot developed. I liked the idea of everyone living in different domes. I think it was well thought out.

The pace was a little slow at times, but the storyline was good enough to keep going and it was written well.

I liked Dara. She was a little bit naive at times but she tried to stay true to what she believes in. That was also half the problem with her. She knew her competition was tough and that they were ruthless, yet she still tried seeing the best of them and trying to make friends. Letizia kept trying to tell her so and eventually, she did come to realise this.

Her naivety does make me wonder how she will cope in the next book which I am looking forward to reading.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. It had a good storyline and good characters.

My rating: 4/5*

Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven by Bella Forrest

This book is the first of the series.

It follows 19 year old Harley Merlin. She is an Empath who can sense other peoples emotions. She can also make objects move. She has grown up in the foster care system with no knowledge of her parents or where these strange powers have come from, until a crazy event has her meeting a monster and Wade Crawley who steps in to help with the situation.

After finding out that she is a witch and joining a Coven with him, she is shown this amazing new world of magic.

Whether she likes it or not, this new world is where she belongs. But after a disturbing twist of events, Harley quickly realizes that her past is darker than she could ever have imagined. And that someone in the coven is out for her blood.

This book was simply brilliant. The storyline was great and the plot developed well. It moved at a nice fast pace with plenty of action and excitement.

Harley is a brilliant character. She is confident, strong, smart and despite not knowing about this new world, is willing to dive into it and learn. Wade was also a great character. He was a typical boy, but also very smart, if not coming across slightly arrogant at times. The way he slowly started caring and respecting Harley was enjoyable to read.

I like the choice of villian in this book. It wasn’t completely obvious, bit still, wasn’t completly unexpected or shocking either. The reveal and ending was written and played out really well.

I absolutely love the world of the Coven. The descriptions are brilliant, that I could picture and almost get the same sense of wonder that Harley had when it was first shown.

I completely fell in love with this book and would probably go as far to say that it is one of the best that I have read in a while. I would definitely recommend it.

I cannot wait until the next one in the series and I am really looking forward to seeing Harley develop further and seeing where the storyline will head next.

My rating: 5/5*

The Amplified (The Amplified Trilogy book 1) by Lauren M. Flauding

This book is the first one of The Amplified Trilogy.

15-year-old Mari Quillen is about to become invincible. Just like everyone else.

She has been waiting to receive her Amplifier for years. It’s a small device which makes the wearer be able to do almost anything. Limitless capabilities through verbal commands, but once she finally becomes Amplified and begins mandatory Training with the rest of her peers, she begins to see that her natural ability to resist and act for herself brings dangerous consequences, as well as unwanted scrutiny from Governor Plenaris, the Community’s most revered official.

I enjoyed this book. It had a good concept behind the story with the idea of the Amplifer.

It moved at a good fast pace and the plot developed well throughout and I liked the characters.

Mari was an interesting character. She is the voice of reason surrounded by people who just do as they’re told. At times, I did feel like she needed a good shake. She knew she was being watched, at yet, still kept trying to win everything and effectively, be better than everyone else which was the one thing she was told she can’t do.

I did like her will power and her ability to just do what she felt was right.

I liked the overall storyline, but was surprised by her decision at the end. I was expecting the outcome to happen, but not the way in which it did. I’m definitely interested in seeing what happens in the next book.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book based on it’s good storyline, interesting concept and good characters.

My rating: 5/5*