Friday, November 25, 2016

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Book Thoughts



The Blurb

"This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes."

My Thoughts

That was an intense ride! This is a heart-breaking sci-fi/romance book. It has loss, survival, courage, heart-break, a crazy AI, space war, and a deadly virus. The way it is formatted makes it quicker to read than expected, but still very readable. It hooked me from the first page, seriously the last 2 lines on the first page had me hooked, and it kept me. It had me feeling like I was choking up and there were plenty of tears.

It's a collection of documents that sheds light on the truth of a catastrophic event that leads to terrifying tragedy. There are IM's, Journal entries, psychiatric evaluations, somebody describing a surveillance (not professional lol), diagrams and more. The diagrams make it easier to imagine what is going on. I honestly loved the formatting, and wasn't sure if I would before I got into it but I loved how it was told, readable, easy to fly through, and still very impactful, getting the message across without unnecessary stuff.

I adored the characters, especially the main character Kady. She is one awesome, bad-ass heroine! She was very relatable as well, her thoughts, actions and the way she felt. She dealt with tough circumstances in an amazing way! Tough, Loving, Honorable. Also every character did what they thought was best with the information they had at the time. Sometimes you will love them, sometimes you'll hate them, but they did the best they could. There is also a great mix of protaganists and antagonists.

I also want to point out i'm writing this review a day after having read it and i'm still putting pieces together from what I read like "Oh!" I guess they are called easter eggs? I'm not sure but I love it when a book can do this, make me think about it for quite awhile afterwards, putting together all the pieces and making an impact on me after i'm done with it. It's wonderful! I was initially worried about all the hype surrounding this book, but I definitely understand it now!

I was on the edge of my seat reading this and I can't wait to pick up the next book! I gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Sandman by William W. Johnstone Book Thoughts



The Blurb

"Paul Kelly had a very big temper for such a small boy. And when other children told on him, he made sure they were, very, very sorry. And then he discovered that when he didn't like someone, he could make it so he would never have to see them again."

My thoughts

I was given a PDF of this book for an honest review by Netgalley.

This book was published in 1988, i'm not sure why it's on netgalley as a new release, but it sounded interesting to me so I figured why not. Horror, evil child, seeing reviews mention zombies, sounds like my cup of tea!

Sadly I was disappointed, though I wouldn't call it a bad book, it just ended up "meh" to me really. Then again I also ended up trying to read it during a trying week in real life which may have affected it.

I was expecting something different having read the blurb but I wouldn't say the blurb is wrong, just really vague, which can be a good thing going into a book not knowing much. There are zombies, voodoo, a devil-child, weird sand-creatures, and stuff of that nature.

Some parts of the book rubbed me the wrong way, like the way the main bad voodoo people are described all the time, the incessant need to say "nakedness" all the time, some things that seemed to be referred to as satanistic like music and such that didn't seem necessary and more like the author's opinions on harmless things as satanic. Possibly more that I can't remember.

I didn't care that much for the characters or the story for the most part. Parts of it were interesting. Warning it can be gross, but personally I don't mind that. The writing wasn't that great either and at times was rather annoying.

All that said I did enjoy it to a degree, parts of it anyway. I didn't hate it but didn't really enjoy it either. Ultimately I gave it 2 out of 5 stars. If it sounds like your cup of tea by all means check it out and see what you think for yourself.

I talk more in depth about it in my recent reads video Here

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Future Blog Improvement

I hope to continue improving this blog. Thank you to anyone who looks at it and reads it. If you have any suggestions as to how to make it better, please don't be shy about letting me know. :)

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Away from the Dark (The Light #2) by Aleatha Romig Book Thoughts



The Blurb

"Nine months ago, Sara Adams awoke with no memory. The man holding her hand told her she’s a member of The Light, a tight-knit religious group led by the terrifying and charismatic Father Gabriel. As a woman in the community of The Light, her duty is to be unquestionably obedient and to submit to the will of her husband.

But as Sara’s memory starts to return and she remembers her past, she sees that everything she’s been told is a lie. The Light is an insidious and dangerous organization, and its corrupting influence reaches well beyond the confines of the remote campus where Sara is being held.

With everything at stake, Sara struggles to sort out her true memories from her indoctrination. The desire to escape consumes her, but who can she trust? And which other followers of The Light were forced into this life, brainwashed to believe they belonged? The more she remembers, the more it becomes clear that Jacob, the man who calls himself her husband, is keeping shattering secrets of his own.

But Sara cannot flee alone, leaving innocents behind. She must fight to extinguish The Light."

My Thoughts

Wow that was one hell of a ride! This is book #2 in The Light Duology. I got both of them from netgalley for an honest review, so much thanks to the publisher!

Sara now sees deceit everywhere she turns. Who can she trust as she tries to put reality and the pieces of her life back together?

Jacob is willing to risk everything he's worked for to keep his wife safe from harm, even when it means having to become the monster she fears most. Keeping her alive and safe is his priority, but at what cost?

There are lies, mystery, deciet, gray-areas out the wazoo, stuff isn't black and white. Trying to figure out the truth keeps bringing up more puzzle pieces...and the truth is more horrifying than the lies.

There are heightened emotions, lots of suspense, you never know what is going to happen next or what new truth will be revealed. This was a much faster paced read than the first one and it completely sucked me in.

It is told from a few different POV's which makes it easier to process the huge and complex information coming at you. I tend to get confused easily but as puzzle pieces and information fell into place I was able to follow along, even though the plot is very complex and fast-paced. The multiple POV's really helped with this.

I loved how Jacob and Sara's relationship was not immature. They managed to make choice decisions with little to no added drama. It's a messed up world they live in, where greed and power run amok.

Honestly this is seriously making me think, rather thought-provoking with real life situations and frightening in a very real way. I am struggling to not overthink it...because it is just fiction after all...right?


This duology has messed with my mind and emotions in the best possible way! It has made me question things I thought I knew but didn't and obliterated a clear sense of right and wrong with gray-areas. The characters and plot were very well developed and complex. There were many times I was talking out loud to the book as I was reading. It was an awesome reading experience and I definitely want to check out her other books!

I don't want to say too much, this is a story you have to just jump into and experience for yourself! Highly recommend this mystery/thriller duology! 5 out of 5 stars from me and a new favorite!