Alexis DeSousa's Blog, page 4

The Earth Dwellers by David Estes Review

3 out of 5 stars



The Earth Dwellers (The Dwellers Saga Book 4) by David Estes



Earth Dwellers is the final installment in both the Dweller's Saga and the Country Saga.

In Earth Dwellers, Tristan and Adele finally meet up with the characters from the previous Country Saga novels on the surface. Neither knew the other existed, but they still find reasons to work together to fight the big baddies, the Glassies, in an attempt for them all to live in a perfect world, the way they want to live.

I have to say there was a lot of switching between perspectives in this one - Adele, Tristan, Siena, Dazz - it could make your head spin. Especially with some of the characters being a bit of the same, except maybe Siena and Dazz with their different ways of speaking/thinking.

Regardless, I think the book ended the series well. I liked seeing inside the New City and wish there had been a little more time dedicated to that aspect of the story. All in all, I’d recommend reading it because it was definitely a nice and interesting ride.

Water & Storm Country by David Estes Review

2 out of 5 stars



Water & Storm Country (The Country Saga Book 3) by David Estes

Water & Storm Country is the second book in the Country Saga. See my previous review [here] for the second book in this series.

Water & Storm Country follows both Sadie and Huck. Both Sadie and Huck are on opposite sides of a feud, both have problems with their parents, but come out on top to rise to the occasion, once again.

I still feel that not that much happened for most of the book in distinction with the others. Parents die, or are dead, our main characters harp on their deaths, become stronger and save the say. The three books seemed eerily similar, especially reading them in succession like I did. I liked Huck because his story appeared a to be slightly different than the others, but I feel like he too quickly stepped up to the plate to find success in leadership on his new ship when he was painted as quite the unprepared little boy before going there.

Also, just because it’s a young adult series doesn’t mean every character has to get paired off with their soulmate, either! I liked that Sadie was strong, but fell into the same trap in this one. Huck and Jade, I could deal with, but all the characters appeared to be paired off with someone by the end of the Saga.

The reason for the low rating is simply that I didn’t feel enough diversity between the three books in the Saga. I felt like I read the same book three times in a row with just slight variations. We find out a little more information, but I felt that I was just reading through it so I could get back to Adele and Tristan and the Moon Dweller’s Saga to see what’s going to happen with the Glassies.

Ice Country by David Estes Review

3 out of 5 stars



Ice Country (The Country Saga Book 2) by David Estes

Ice Country is the second book in the Country Saga. See my previous review [here] for the first book in this series.

Ice Country follows Dazz this time, a young boy who does what all young boys do - gets in trouble, dates girls, and gets in more trouble. Dazz lives in the part of the world covered in ice where it’s always cold. His dad died of the illness that seems to sweep all earth dwellers and sent his mom into ruin. His brother, Wes, does most of the caregiving and his sister is looked after by neighbors.

Dazz finds himself in trouble when he gambles away all of his money and then some at a local gambling establishment. He’s forced to do work for the King, an unseen and unknown man of their realm. He finds out some of the things going on that we weren’t privy to in the previous book as he is part of a trading operation with the Heaters. Things really heat up when Dazz’s sister is kidnapped and he, his brother, and our heroes from the previous novel attempt to save her.

All in all, this book read pretty quickly. I didn’t like it as much as the first book, but I applaud Estes’ decision to go from the perspective of a male main character for an entire book. I think that there was something lacking in the plot; it didn’t really seem to go anywhere. Not much really happened, except we found out there are some other bad guys in the world and that’s who the next book is based off of.

I think it was a nice insight into Dazz as he will be continuing the journey, but I found liked Siena more. Dazz and Buff kind of reminded me a little of Tristan and Roc from the Moon Dwellers Saga, whereas the other characters seem to have more distinctions between them.

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick Review

5 out of 5 stars



The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch is set in the future (2016…or alternate reality??) and humans have already colonized some moons in the universe. Palmer Eldritch disappears for 10 years to another solar system with similar humanoid aliens and returns bent on changing (or controlling?) the humans of our star system.

In this reality, humans are drafted to populate other planets, Mars for example, without much choice. Those who have been forced off planet are all homesick for Terra and take part in a dangerously addictive hallucinogenic drug called Can-D. In it, they can simulate an experience on Earth, similar to LARPing.

When Palmer Eldritch returns from his 10 year vacation, he intends on overtaking this drug market with a new, more dangerous drug called Chew-Z. Chew-Z is so much like reality that you might not even realize you are within a hallucination. This scared me the most and reminded me a bit of the Matrix.

Does Palmer Eldritch have good intentions or is he just a pawn of the Proxers (the humanoid aliens he spent 10 years with)?

I always like Philip K. Dick books because they really make you think. Humans made their own people so unhappy that they are willing to take or do anything just to gain some sort of happiness in their lives. Chew-Z and Can-D provide alternate realities for the humans to escape to. Unfortunately, with Chew-Z being much more potent, if ALL humans become addicted to this drug, it could spell disaster for the safety of the human universe.

There are some other interesting futuristic things in this book like pre-cogs who can see the future and E therapy which is a therapy to speed up human evolution in a given person. But, to me, they all really take a backseat to the true story, the one about the drugs and reality.

The ends a real doozy and I guess I should have expected it, but I had fallen into a false sense of comfort. That’s what this book will do to ya: Make you freak out about reality, then lull you back in, then strike again at your fears.

Fire Country by David Estes Review

4 out of 5 stars



Fire Country (The Country Saga Book 1) by David Estes

Fire Country is the first book in the Country Saga. This series is a companion to the Moon Dwellers Saga, the first three books which I have already read. The author recommends reading the Moon Dwellers Saga’s first three novels first, then the Country Saga and finally finishing with the last Earth Dwellers novel.

Fire Country follows Siena, a young girl in a harsh apocalyptic world. As a woman in her world, she must become a breeder when she turns 16. She must bear 3 children to a man whom she cannot choose. We follow Siena as she tries to come to grips with her duty and with the feelings she has against becoming a breeder.

There are other problems in her world other than her duty to her village, also called the Heaters. Icers live to the north and there exists a tenuous relationship between the two tribes. In addition, there are wild tribes that are mostly fed on myths to the Heaters.

These books are young adult, but I really thought that Fire Country felt a little more grown up than its companion series novels. The dialogue in this book was a lot better than previous novels and I enjoyed the new slang terms for a new world. Siena is a very relatable character, a young woman who wants to abide by the laws set forth in her community, but who doesn’t feel like those laws are fair to her or anyone else. She questions the motives of her leaders and she isn’t afraid to fight for and protect the ones she loves, despite many of her physical disadvantages.

David Estes is an indie writer, but his books are well written and edited. Fire Country was a quick read, but it really makes you think about what might happen if some celestial post-apocalyptic event ruined our world. It’s an interesting study in the behavior of human beings and our desire to survive as a race.

News

Well, I finally set up my own website again. Previously, I did some book reviews on my old blog over at wordpress. I haven’t done any reviews since then, but I thought since I’ve been reading so much that I would start doing reviews again!

Goodreads has a Reading Challenge every year where you can put in the number of books that you want to read for the year and it gives you updates on your current progress. Last year, I read about 50 books. This year, my aim is 75, but I’m far surpassing that.

So, since I am off on the reading train, doing reviews seems like a natural next step. I haven’t been doing much in the way of writing lately, but hopefully something like this will help me step back into it.

My First Post

This is my first post.

Only the first paragraph should show up on the front page.

The Softwire: Awakening on Orbis 4

The Softwire: Awakening on Orbis 4 is the last book in The Softwire series. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this series from beginning to end!

This book starts out with Ketheira’s awakening as the Scion. We find out that Ketheira must go through an extremely long process to save awaken every one on the rings, and ultimately the universe. We find out that the Scion needs a Tonat (which is basically a protector). JT is supposed to take over this role, but he is very hesitant, because it involves becoming a Space Jumper and leaving his family and friends behind. It’s a tough decision for him, because Ketheira is his sister and he wants to protect her above all else.

JT finds out a lot of interesting information about his past in this book. He meets his father and gains access to the missing files from his ship. I really liked hearing about the kids backstory and finding out why they were really on the Rings of Orbis. I would have liked to see more of the Space Jumper training.

All in all I really liked this series and read through it pretty quickly. I wish there were more!

Realm Hunter: Pursuit of the Silver Dirk

Realm Hunter: Pursuit of the Silver Dirk by Bob Greenwade

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Realm Hunter: Pursuit of the Silver Dirk is one of the most interesting books I've read in awhile. It is a blend of science fiction and fantasy, with even a little mysterious twist. The book is told from the perspective of Bear Waters, a bounty hunter in a world where Ghoul's Room and lycanthrope's are vulnerable to silver. Before long, we come to realize that Bear's world isn't the only world out there. There are others, one of them being our own, and they are all similar in different ways. The Silver Dirk is a man that is believed to come from "our" world, World One, a doctor named Eric Bennadict. He is committing various crimes on World Two, which lead Bear to finding out about the different realms that exist.

We follow Bear on his pursuit of the Silver Dirk, which takes him to various worlds and to encounters of dinosaurs and different people. All the while, he and his friends are trying to figure out just what the Silver Dirk's motives are.

I really enjoyed Bear as a character, and despite the fact that he said he often rambled in retellings, the ramblings were a bit much at the beginning. This made the book hard to get through no matter how interested I was in the story. It took me a little longer to read than I would have liked, but it was definitely worth finishing. The story really picked up at the end for me and I really can't wait to read the second one and find out what happens next!

View all my reviews

Inviolate

Inviolate – 2/5 Stars

Michael Link

I have to admit, that at first, I was a little turned off by the subject matter. But, one thing the book does it take a real look at sexual abuse, and how it truly affects the lives of others.

The biggest problem I had with this book was that there were too many characters and too much going on. There wasn't enough time spent on the characters for me to really feel a connection with them. I also think Gene Gillian, one of the sexual predators, was one of the best characters, and was under-utilized. I would have liked to see more of what happened to him once he was found out in Hawaii.

The book skips around a lot from different characters. Some, I wasn't sure what their true connection was to the story (the man from Halloween who always dressed differently each year… for instance). Because there were so many characters, the extraneous ones made it more difficult to follow the story.

In the end, I think the ideas were there, but that it wasn't really completely fleshed out. A lot of the characters seemed to come together in the end, but still, there was a bit of confusion about who was who and how they connected to the overall story.