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erinarkin20
Flicker and Mist was one of those books that as soon as I read the summary I found myself intrigued. This is the first book I have read by Mary G. Thompson but it won’t be the last.
This story had an interesting premise and I found myself sympathizing with Myra as she is continually faced with some very tough situations. As a mixed-race, she isn’t really welcomed by those around her because while her father is a respected Plat, her mother is a Leftie and to some of those around her, that makes her less. Add to this the fact that she and her mother are hiding that they are Flickerkin (this means they can flicker in and out …or make themselves invisible) because if the Plats around them knew that they were more than just Lefties, they would be in a lot of trouble.
I liked Myra and she clearly struggled with who she was and her identity. She grew up in a life of privilege but with her mixed background she wasn’t always treated the same as other full blood Plats. As Myra continues to try to hide these things about herself, she also finds out who she can really trust. One of the things I enjoyed in this story was the relationship Myra had with her parents. Her mom and dad played a key role in the book and that isn’t always the case in YA books.
I loved Myra’s friendship with Porti and seeing them eventually come to realize that they didn’t need to keep secrets from each other was great. Of everyone in the whole book, I think Porti’s character was the most open-minded and her ability to pull Myra out of her bubble helped make Myra more engaging and not as isolated.
In that same vein, I liked Myra’s relationship with Caster. Despite who his father is, his actions and beliefs were supportive of Myra. With that said, when he did find out Myra’s secret he did act a bit standoffish but I didn’t blame him considering she wasn’t being completely upfront about herself. In the end he did realize she was the same person as before and I’m happy about that.
The other character I will mention is Nolan. He is someone that challenges Myra and forces her to face who she really is. There are things I liked about him but also things I didn’t like. He is a Flickerkin and isn’t afraid of it. He is also the one to show Myra what she is really capable of but he also pushes when he probably shouldn’t.
As for the world building in this story, I thought Thompson did a good job. There were pieces that were confusing to me but didn’t pull me out of the rest of the book. As I learned more about the division between the Plats and the Lefties as well as how the Flicker Men impacted these groups, I was able to understand the fear the Plats had for the Flickerkin. Of course, I would say here that prejudice that some of the Plats had for anyone who wasn’t pure Plat was frustrating and unfair.
Overall I liked this book. There was quite a bit of action in the end and it seemed to be left a bit open ended so I’m not sure if that means this will be a series or if that was done purposely. I wouldn’t say that this book was groundbreaking in terms of the topic but the writing is done well and the world and characters are something a bit different than other YA fantasies out there. If that is something that interests you, consider checking this one out.
This story had an interesting premise and I found myself sympathizing with Myra as she is continually faced with some very tough situations. As a mixed-race, she isn’t really welcomed by those around her because while her father is a respected Plat, her mother is a Leftie and to some of those around her, that makes her less. Add to this the fact that she and her mother are hiding that they are Flickerkin (this means they can flicker in and out …or make themselves invisible) because if the Plats around them knew that they were more than just Lefties, they would be in a lot of trouble.
I liked Myra and she clearly struggled with who she was and her identity. She grew up in a life of privilege but with her mixed background she wasn’t always treated the same as other full blood Plats. As Myra continues to try to hide these things about herself, she also finds out who she can really trust. One of the things I enjoyed in this story was the relationship Myra had with her parents. Her mom and dad played a key role in the book and that isn’t always the case in YA books.
I loved Myra’s friendship with Porti and seeing them eventually come to realize that they didn’t need to keep secrets from each other was great. Of everyone in the whole book, I think Porti’s character was the most open-minded and her ability to pull Myra out of her bubble helped make Myra more engaging and not as isolated.
In that same vein, I liked Myra’s relationship with Caster. Despite who his father is, his actions and beliefs were supportive of Myra. With that said, when he did find out Myra’s secret he did act a bit standoffish but I didn’t blame him considering she wasn’t being completely upfront about herself. In the end he did realize she was the same person as before and I’m happy about that.
The other character I will mention is Nolan. He is someone that challenges Myra and forces her to face who she really is. There are things I liked about him but also things I didn’t like. He is a Flickerkin and isn’t afraid of it. He is also the one to show Myra what she is really capable of but he also pushes when he probably shouldn’t.
As for the world building in this story, I thought Thompson did a good job. There were pieces that were confusing to me but didn’t pull me out of the rest of the book. As I learned more about the division between the Plats and the Lefties as well as how the Flicker Men impacted these groups, I was able to understand the fear the Plats had for the Flickerkin. Of course, I would say here that prejudice that some of the Plats had for anyone who wasn’t pure Plat was frustrating and unfair.
Overall I liked this book. There was quite a bit of action in the end and it seemed to be left a bit open ended so I’m not sure if that means this will be a series or if that was done purposely. I wouldn’t say that this book was groundbreaking in terms of the topic but the writing is done well and the world and characters are something a bit different than other YA fantasies out there. If that is something that interests you, consider checking this one out.
Dirty Money is the first book in the Roughneck Billionaires series by Jessica Clare. I have been on an adult romance kick lately so when I saw this one, I was interested. I mean, these guys are definitely on the rough side and grew up dirt poor and now that they have money, they don’t really take crap from anyone and they know what they want/like.
Boone is the oldest of the Price brothers and this is his story. I’m a bit on the fence with him as a character. As I mentioned, he grew up poor and now that he has money, he is sharing the wealth with his brothers. I liked this about him and thought it was great that the brothers were still so close.
I do admit, there were times that Boone was frustrating. I get being willing to do whatever he can to get Ivy’s attention but there were times where I felt like he didn’t really come off as someone who valued the life he had now that he had money to have the things he wanted. His approach in some situations came off as heavy handed and I wasn’t really on board with some of his actions. With all of that said, once Boone sees Ivy’s picture he decides she is the classy lady he needs in order to change what people think of him.
Ivy was an interesting character. I loved her drive to care for her sister and give her all of the things she never had when she was younger. When Boone Price barrels into her life, she finds someone who pushes her to see that she could be the person she wants to be. Little does Boone know that she is actually struggling to keep her car running and that the persona she puts out there for the realty company is wishful thinking…at least at this point in her life.
Overall this was an ok read for me. It didn’t totally win me over but I may check out the next book just to see what happens next for these guys.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
Boone is the oldest of the Price brothers and this is his story. I’m a bit on the fence with him as a character. As I mentioned, he grew up poor and now that he has money, he is sharing the wealth with his brothers. I liked this about him and thought it was great that the brothers were still so close.
I do admit, there were times that Boone was frustrating. I get being willing to do whatever he can to get Ivy’s attention but there were times where I felt like he didn’t really come off as someone who valued the life he had now that he had money to have the things he wanted. His approach in some situations came off as heavy handed and I wasn’t really on board with some of his actions. With all of that said, once Boone sees Ivy’s picture he decides she is the classy lady he needs in order to change what people think of him.
Ivy was an interesting character. I loved her drive to care for her sister and give her all of the things she never had when she was younger. When Boone Price barrels into her life, she finds someone who pushes her to see that she could be the person she wants to be. Little does Boone know that she is actually struggling to keep her car running and that the persona she puts out there for the realty company is wishful thinking…at least at this point in her life.
Overall this was an ok read for me. It didn’t totally win me over but I may check out the next book just to see what happens next for these guys.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
That's seriously where it ends?
I loved the description on Glitter and as soon as I jumped into the story I was interested to see where Pike was going to go with it. There are definitely a lot of questionable characters in this book - as a matter of fact, I'm not sure I liked any of them. Pike creates this world that revolves around 18th century France but with all the modern pieces we have in our world today. Danica is in a situation where she can't win no matter what and in the end, she finds out just how much things can go wrong for her. Cliffhangers are so frustrating and I wish things had ended in a different place.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
I loved the description on Glitter and as soon as I jumped into the story I was interested to see where Pike was going to go with it. There are definitely a lot of questionable characters in this book - as a matter of fact, I'm not sure I liked any of them. Pike creates this world that revolves around 18th century France but with all the modern pieces we have in our world today. Danica is in a situation where she can't win no matter what and in the end, she finds out just how much things can go wrong for her. Cliffhangers are so frustrating and I wish things had ended in a different place.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
3.5 stars
Tabula Rasa is one of those stories that takes you on a non-stop action filled ride. I dove into this book and I enjoyed it quite a bit and I think what grabbed me was the description “The Bourne Identity meets Divergent” I mean… I love both of those.
Sarah is sixteen and it is clear she isn’t the same person she was before she came to the facility she’s at. See, she has been undergoing a cutting edge procedure that will allow her to be a blank slate (or Tabula Rasa). Unfortunately for Sarah, she isn’t really sure why she is at the facility because she can’t remember anything. As she is prepped for her most recent surgical procedure, the power mysteriously flashes on and off and creates another delay. It is also the beginning of the rest of the story.
As things change quickly for Sarah, she realizes that the facility is under attack by mercenaries who just happen to be looking for her. Unfortunately for her, Sarah can’t even remember why someone would be searching for her let alone the fact that once they do find her, why they would want to kill her. As the story progresses, we find out more about that but I can’t really reveal much without giving anything away.
Sarah is an interesting character. It is clear that she still has remnants of her previous life inside of her and there are flashes of it throughout her stay at the facility despite the efforts of the medical staff. She hasn’t had an easy life but this is something you learn as the story moves forward. I liked Sarah and I especially liked her when she was interacting with Thomas.
Thomas was probably my favorite part of the story. I loved the dialogue and banter he and Sarah had throughout the story and although I’m not sure how believable it was that he seemed to be the smartest seventeen year old ever, I still loved him. Thomas is the son of a hacker who happens to be at the facility to do a job and he immediately jumps in to help Sarah. As they work together to survive the attack, they also have to figure out what is going on with Sarah’s brain and how she can get her memories back.
Overall I thought this story was well done and I have to say, as soon as I started it, I didn’t really want to put it down as I wanted to understand what really happened to Sarah to get her to where she was but also, how she was going to get out of it. While there were some things that had me shaking my head a bit, I didn’t think they took me out of the story. If you enjoy a story with non-stop action as well as a bit of a mystery, definitely check this one out.
Thank you to Netgalley and Egmont USA for the review copy.
Tabula Rasa is one of those stories that takes you on a non-stop action filled ride. I dove into this book and I enjoyed it quite a bit and I think what grabbed me was the description “The Bourne Identity meets Divergent” I mean… I love both of those.
Sarah is sixteen and it is clear she isn’t the same person she was before she came to the facility she’s at. See, she has been undergoing a cutting edge procedure that will allow her to be a blank slate (or Tabula Rasa). Unfortunately for Sarah, she isn’t really sure why she is at the facility because she can’t remember anything. As she is prepped for her most recent surgical procedure, the power mysteriously flashes on and off and creates another delay. It is also the beginning of the rest of the story.
As things change quickly for Sarah, she realizes that the facility is under attack by mercenaries who just happen to be looking for her. Unfortunately for her, Sarah can’t even remember why someone would be searching for her let alone the fact that once they do find her, why they would want to kill her. As the story progresses, we find out more about that but I can’t really reveal much without giving anything away.
Sarah is an interesting character. It is clear that she still has remnants of her previous life inside of her and there are flashes of it throughout her stay at the facility despite the efforts of the medical staff. She hasn’t had an easy life but this is something you learn as the story moves forward. I liked Sarah and I especially liked her when she was interacting with Thomas.
Thomas was probably my favorite part of the story. I loved the dialogue and banter he and Sarah had throughout the story and although I’m not sure how believable it was that he seemed to be the smartest seventeen year old ever, I still loved him. Thomas is the son of a hacker who happens to be at the facility to do a job and he immediately jumps in to help Sarah. As they work together to survive the attack, they also have to figure out what is going on with Sarah’s brain and how she can get her memories back.
Overall I thought this story was well done and I have to say, as soon as I started it, I didn’t really want to put it down as I wanted to understand what really happened to Sarah to get her to where she was but also, how she was going to get out of it. While there were some things that had me shaking my head a bit, I didn’t think they took me out of the story. If you enjoy a story with non-stop action as well as a bit of a mystery, definitely check this one out.
Thank you to Netgalley and Egmont USA for the review copy.
