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erinarkin20
Not a Drop to Drink is one of those books that had me thinking about it even after I finished the story. This is definitely not a simple read as it focuses on surviving in a world that isn't necessarily easy to survive in. There is violence and painful stuff going on but it is real and there are also some lighter moments. It includes swoons and romance alongside death and anger…but honestly, this is the type of story that makes me love reading.
Lynn is the main character and she has been brought up by her mother with the knowledge that no matter what happens, she needs to protect the pond on their land. You see, the world’s water supply has been diminished and now those that live in the city have to pay for water but also have limits placed on them to control population. Those that are lucky enough to have a water supply (like Lynn and her mother) didn't have to move to the city but do whatever they can to safeguard their independence. It is clear that Lynn’s mother has tried to do whatever she could to prepare Lynn for the possibility that she may one day be on her own, unfortunately that time comes sooner than either one expected. Lucky for Lynn – despite what she may think – she has Stebbs. She is definitely wary of him at first, but eventually she comes to rely on and trust him.
Stebbs was a great character. While Lynn’s mom was alive he definitely kept his distance. We find out that there is history between the two as the novel progresses but no matter what, he seems to always be there in the distance…just in case. When the worst thing Lynn could imagine happens, he steps up and begins communicating with Lynn. He knows he won’t win her over right away mostly because he knew her mother. Regardless, as they start to build a friendship of sorts they begin to learn to trust one another.
As the story moves forward we start to see the changes in Lynn. She is a hard character and very straightforward. There are definitely no games with Lynn and people know where they stand with her. When she comes across Lucy and Eli, this is where things start to shift. Lynn is unexpectedly taking care of a young girl and although she tries her hardest to avoid them, begins to feel something for Lucy. She becomes very protective and does her best to make things better for her while she is staying with Lynn. Now….throw in Eli and Lynn is completely out of her element.
What to say about Eli….not only does he make Lynn see things differently, he (along with Lucy) help her realize there is more to life than just work and protecting the pond and together they soften Lynn’s hard edges.
McGinnis definitely builds this story that slowly pulls you in and then scattered throughout makes you realize things aren't always happily ever after. It ran me through a million different emotions but also made me want more at the end. There are some twists and turns in this one and I refuse to give anything away about these characters and what happens but trust me when I tell you that you should read this book. Check this one out when you can.
Lynn is the main character and she has been brought up by her mother with the knowledge that no matter what happens, she needs to protect the pond on their land. You see, the world’s water supply has been diminished and now those that live in the city have to pay for water but also have limits placed on them to control population. Those that are lucky enough to have a water supply (like Lynn and her mother) didn't have to move to the city but do whatever they can to safeguard their independence. It is clear that Lynn’s mother has tried to do whatever she could to prepare Lynn for the possibility that she may one day be on her own, unfortunately that time comes sooner than either one expected. Lucky for Lynn – despite what she may think – she has Stebbs. She is definitely wary of him at first, but eventually she comes to rely on and trust him.
Stebbs was a great character. While Lynn’s mom was alive he definitely kept his distance. We find out that there is history between the two as the novel progresses but no matter what, he seems to always be there in the distance…just in case. When the worst thing Lynn could imagine happens, he steps up and begins communicating with Lynn. He knows he won’t win her over right away mostly because he knew her mother. Regardless, as they start to build a friendship of sorts they begin to learn to trust one another.
As the story moves forward we start to see the changes in Lynn. She is a hard character and very straightforward. There are definitely no games with Lynn and people know where they stand with her. When she comes across Lucy and Eli, this is where things start to shift. Lynn is unexpectedly taking care of a young girl and although she tries her hardest to avoid them, begins to feel something for Lucy. She becomes very protective and does her best to make things better for her while she is staying with Lynn. Now….throw in Eli and Lynn is completely out of her element.
What to say about Eli….not only does he make Lynn see things differently, he (along with Lucy) help her realize there is more to life than just work and protecting the pond and together they soften Lynn’s hard edges.
Spoiler
Eventually they become more to each other than just acquaintances but they are also very real and understand that the things they have to face don’t necessarily mean everything will end up perfect for them no matter what they wish for.McGinnis definitely builds this story that slowly pulls you in and then scattered throughout makes you realize things aren't always happily ever after. It ran me through a million different emotions but also made me want more at the end. There are some twists and turns in this one and I refuse to give anything away about these characters and what happens but trust me when I tell you that you should read this book. Check this one out when you can.
The Bitter Kingdom is the third and final installment to the Fire and Thorns trilogy and if you have not yet started this one and enjoy a good fantasy series, I definitely recommend you get moving. Just a warning – I am going to do my best to review this without any spoilers but I can’t promise anything.
The novel dives right in to the action. Book two left off with Hector being taken by the Franco to get Elisa to willingly sacrifice herself to the Inviernos. If you have read any of these books you know that Carson isn't afraid to kill off main characters and because of that I spent all of Part 1 (Ok, really the whole book) worried about what was going to happen.
Carson does a great job of weaving in chapters from Hector’s point of view. They don’t rotate but there is enough there to see what he is going through while Elisa, Storm, Belen, and Mara are closely behind. One of the things that I loved was that even while separated from her, Hector was doing everything he could to protect Elisa from Franco and the Inviernos.
Throughout the series Elisa has clearly grown into a strong woman and leader. She has made mistakes and experienced quite a bit over the span of a year and a half (marriage, kidnapping, war, etc) but it has made her stronger and allowed her to realize she is more than what others expect of her. I loved that she came to realize this and recognized that she isn't perfect but she has a support system that will help her get through anything.
The characters definitely shine in this one. Storm came through here and I will be honest, there were times where I wasn't so sure what he was up to but I was glad to see things end up the way they did for him. Belen and Mara were great and definitely integral to the story to help move some things along. The introduction of Mula/Red was also a great addition as she turned out to add another layer to the story. Hector was perfect in my opinion. He truly loves Elisa and still takes his role with the royal guards and protector very seriously. In the end, he is the one that Elisa truly trusts seeing every part of who she is.
Just to include one of my favorite highlights….
Hector bends and presses a kiss to my temple. He wastes precious moments holding his lips there, and then says, “For just in case.”
Overall I thought this series was very well done. It had a lot of action, some wonderful characters that developed throughout the entire series, and it was a great story. I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes any and all of those things along with a little magic and fantasy.
This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare.
The novel dives right in to the action. Book two left off with Hector being taken by the Franco to get Elisa to willingly sacrifice herself to the Inviernos. If you have read any of these books you know that Carson isn't afraid to kill off main characters and because of that I spent all of Part 1 (Ok, really the whole book) worried about what was going to happen.
Carson does a great job of weaving in chapters from Hector’s point of view. They don’t rotate but there is enough there to see what he is going through while Elisa, Storm, Belen, and Mara are closely behind. One of the things that I loved was that even while separated from her, Hector was doing everything he could to protect Elisa from Franco and the Inviernos.
Throughout the series Elisa has clearly grown into a strong woman and leader. She has made mistakes and experienced quite a bit over the span of a year and a half (marriage, kidnapping, war, etc) but it has made her stronger and allowed her to realize she is more than what others expect of her. I loved that she came to realize this and recognized that she isn't perfect but she has a support system that will help her get through anything.
The characters definitely shine in this one. Storm came through here and I will be honest, there were times where I wasn't so sure what he was up to but I was glad to see things end up the way they did for him. Belen and Mara were great and definitely integral to the story to help move some things along. The introduction of Mula/Red was also a great addition as she turned out to add another layer to the story. Hector was perfect in my opinion. He truly loves Elisa and still takes his role with the royal guards and protector very seriously. In the end, he is the one that Elisa truly trusts seeing every part of who she is.
Just to include one of my favorite highlights….
Hector bends and presses a kiss to my temple. He wastes precious moments holding his lips there, and then says, “For just in case.”
Overall I thought this series was very well done. It had a lot of action, some wonderful characters that developed throughout the entire series, and it was a great story. I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes any and all of those things along with a little magic and fantasy.
This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare.
3.75 stars.
Ultraviolet Catastrophe is one of those books that intrigued me just from reading the summary. Then I read the first sentence of the book and I was hooked. I mean, when something starts “You know your life is never going to be the same when your mom pulls a gun at the shopping mall” it is bound to be good.
First, I will say that I am in no way knowledgeable enough to even know whether the science in this book made sense but….it kind of did. It definitely plays an important role in this book but if you are at all like me and science challenged, don’t be intimidated.
Lexie is the main character and sixteen years old. She has recently found out that her parents have been drugging her under the premise that she has ADHD when really they have been giving her something that will suppress her IQ. When she finds out, of course her world gets flipped upside down. Lexie also finds out at the same time that for the last 10 years, her parents have pretended to hate each other for her protection and now that she is in danger, they make the decision that she will move in with her father who has been pretty absent for the last 10 years. Lexie is immediately enrolled at Quantum Technologies (QT) where the students are scary smart and her father works as a scientist.
Lexie’s character is believable which makes the story believable. She is starting a new school where the kids aren’t very welcoming and she struggles with fitting in. At the same time she is trying to do what she can to make sure people don’t question why she is at QT. It is clear some people at QT are threatened by Lexie but there are also those that are immediately drawn to her.
This leads me to Asher…who I loved. He is the resident genius and it doesn’t hurt that he is nice to look at. The first description alone won me over…
“dark hair, tousled like he’d run his hands through it a few times.” And his eyes…”were a startling shade of blue that made me think of the sky at dawn.”
Add to this the fact that he is charming, nice and wears funny t-shirts like this…
I love nerdy characters and the fact that he is swoony on top of that, only improves my opinion of him. Don’t get me wrong. There were times that I wanted to shake him but I also had to remember he is 16 and teenage boys don’t always get it.
I enjoyed the secondary characters as well. Max and Zella helped moved the story along and Amy was definitely interesting. Although the adults played a critical role they seemed to have very little influence on the progression of the story. The exception was Dr. Danvers. I won’t give anything away here but she definitely played an important role and I found it interesting how Grey tied it all together.
I do wish we had gotten a bit more backstory on Asher’s mom. He was clearly affected when she reached out to him but other than a mention of it and him reacting; I wasn’t sure where it was supposed to lead me as a reader.
I loved that these kids were smart….and I suppose not just smart, mega smart. Yes the science plays a major role in the book but don’t let that scare you away. This book has an interesting premise, a fast paced, solid story and some great characters. If those things interest you at all, definitely check this one out when you can.
Ultraviolet Catastrophe is one of those books that intrigued me just from reading the summary. Then I read the first sentence of the book and I was hooked. I mean, when something starts “You know your life is never going to be the same when your mom pulls a gun at the shopping mall” it is bound to be good.
First, I will say that I am in no way knowledgeable enough to even know whether the science in this book made sense but….it kind of did. It definitely plays an important role in this book but if you are at all like me and science challenged, don’t be intimidated.
Lexie is the main character and sixteen years old. She has recently found out that her parents have been drugging her under the premise that she has ADHD when really they have been giving her something that will suppress her IQ. When she finds out, of course her world gets flipped upside down. Lexie also finds out at the same time that for the last 10 years, her parents have pretended to hate each other for her protection and now that she is in danger, they make the decision that she will move in with her father who has been pretty absent for the last 10 years. Lexie is immediately enrolled at Quantum Technologies (QT) where the students are scary smart and her father works as a scientist.
Lexie’s character is believable which makes the story believable. She is starting a new school where the kids aren’t very welcoming and she struggles with fitting in. At the same time she is trying to do what she can to make sure people don’t question why she is at QT. It is clear some people at QT are threatened by Lexie but there are also those that are immediately drawn to her.
This leads me to Asher…who I loved. He is the resident genius and it doesn’t hurt that he is nice to look at. The first description alone won me over…
“dark hair, tousled like he’d run his hands through it a few times.” And his eyes…”were a startling shade of blue that made me think of the sky at dawn.”
Add to this the fact that he is charming, nice and wears funny t-shirts like this…
I love nerdy characters and the fact that he is swoony on top of that, only improves my opinion of him. Don’t get me wrong. There were times that I wanted to shake him but I also had to remember he is 16 and teenage boys don’t always get it.
I enjoyed the secondary characters as well. Max and Zella helped moved the story along and Amy was definitely interesting. Although the adults played a critical role they seemed to have very little influence on the progression of the story. The exception was Dr. Danvers. I won’t give anything away here but she definitely played an important role and I found it interesting how Grey tied it all together.
I do wish we had gotten a bit more backstory on Asher’s mom. He was clearly affected when she reached out to him but other than a mention of it and him reacting; I wasn’t sure where it was supposed to lead me as a reader.
I loved that these kids were smart….and I suppose not just smart, mega smart. Yes the science plays a major role in the book but don’t let that scare you away. This book has an interesting premise, a fast paced, solid story and some great characters. If those things interest you at all, definitely check this one out when you can.
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4.5 stars.
I don’t know why I sat on this one for so long but shame on me. This is one of those books that makes you think and yes, there is a glossary but I loved it.
Paige is a Voyant and has been hiding her ability most of her life. Very few know about her ability to dreamwalk but it is that same ability that draws the attention of the Rephraim. Because clairvoyance is considered treason in Scion, Paige is in danger just by being alive. If she gets caught by the wrong person, she could be in big trouble. On her way home one night from her work with the Seven Seals, the train she is on is spot checked and Paige ends up doing something she has never done before. As a dreamwalker, she is able to push her spirit outside of herself and in her attempt to protect herself, Paige ends up killing two Underguards.
After getting caught, Paige is transported to Oxford and part of something called The Bone Season. Specifically, The Bone Season XX. Clairvoyants and amaurotics are brought to serve the Rephraim either by protecting them from the Emim or becoming servants and/or performers. In Paige’s case, she happens to be put under the rule of a Keeper called Warden…who just happens to be the blood consort of Nashira Sargas (the Rephraim with the most power) and it is hard to say whether this is a good or bad thing…at least at first.
A lot happens in this book and through her relationship with Warden, we learn more about Oxford, Nashira and the history of the colony. I thought Shannon did a great job maintaining the integrity of Paige as a character. She was tough and did what she thought was right even if it meant that she would be looked at differently. Paige also did what she could to protect the people she was closest to. By integrating Warden’s gift, we were able to learn a lot more about her history and the things she has gone through. I loved that up until the very end, she battled with herself over the fact that Warden was truly supposed to be her enemy. Yes, she started to trust him and he started to trust her but both of them knew it wasn’t just magically going to happen – they had to build it.
Now…Warden. First, I love how he is introduced.
He was the single most beautiful and terrible thing I’d ever laid eyes on.
He respects Paige but needs to keep his true thoughts and feelings hidden. It creates a tough dynamic because he has to act one way in public and wants to act another way in private. He helps Paige begin to realize the things she is capable of and is the catalyst to getting her to push herself. The evolution of their relationship was one of the things I enjoyed most and I have no words for that one scene…
I enjoyed the secondary characters as well. I am curious to see what happens with the Seven Seals as well as the Rephraim and although I was sad to see some of the characters I liked didn’t survive, it will be interesting to see where the rest of this series goes.
If you enjoy a good story that gets you invested in the characters, you will most likely find that this is one of those books that grabs you and doesn’t let you go until you reach the end.
I don’t know why I sat on this one for so long but shame on me. This is one of those books that makes you think and yes, there is a glossary but I loved it.
Paige is a Voyant and has been hiding her ability most of her life. Very few know about her ability to dreamwalk but it is that same ability that draws the attention of the Rephraim. Because clairvoyance is considered treason in Scion, Paige is in danger just by being alive. If she gets caught by the wrong person, she could be in big trouble. On her way home one night from her work with the Seven Seals, the train she is on is spot checked and Paige ends up doing something she has never done before. As a dreamwalker, she is able to push her spirit outside of herself and in her attempt to protect herself, Paige ends up killing two Underguards.
After getting caught, Paige is transported to Oxford and part of something called The Bone Season. Specifically, The Bone Season XX. Clairvoyants and amaurotics are brought to serve the Rephraim either by protecting them from the Emim or becoming servants and/or performers. In Paige’s case, she happens to be put under the rule of a Keeper called Warden…who just happens to be the blood consort of Nashira Sargas (the Rephraim with the most power) and it is hard to say whether this is a good or bad thing…at least at first.
A lot happens in this book and through her relationship with Warden, we learn more about Oxford, Nashira and the history of the colony. I thought Shannon did a great job maintaining the integrity of Paige as a character. She was tough and did what she thought was right even if it meant that she would be looked at differently. Paige also did what she could to protect the people she was closest to. By integrating Warden’s gift, we were able to learn a lot more about her history and the things she has gone through. I loved that up until the very end, she battled with herself over the fact that Warden was truly supposed to be her enemy. Yes, she started to trust him and he started to trust her but both of them knew it wasn’t just magically going to happen – they had to build it.
Now…Warden. First, I love how he is introduced.
He was the single most beautiful and terrible thing I’d ever laid eyes on.
He respects Paige but needs to keep his true thoughts and feelings hidden. It creates a tough dynamic because he has to act one way in public and wants to act another way in private. He helps Paige begin to realize the things she is capable of and is the catalyst to getting her to push herself. The evolution of their relationship was one of the things I enjoyed most and I have no words for that one scene…
I enjoyed the secondary characters as well. I am curious to see what happens with the Seven Seals as well as the Rephraim and although I was sad to see some of the characters I liked didn’t survive, it will be interesting to see where the rest of this series goes.
If you enjoy a good story that gets you invested in the characters, you will most likely find that this is one of those books that grabs you and doesn’t let you go until you reach the end.
Reclaimed is one of those stories that I went into thinking it was going to be the normal YA with some angsty love interest stuff and small town drama. I was pleasantly surprised when it turned into something more.
All Jenna wants is to get out of Solitude. She doesn’t want to be like her mom and not have a choice so she is doing everything in her power to make sure she gets out of the small town and all of the baggage that comes along with it. On an October day she won’t forget, she meets Ian McAlister and even though she knows she will never see him again, she decides to spend the day at a diner with him.
Fast forward 7 months later. Jenna’s family dynamic has changed a bit. Her grandfather (Pops) has passed away and her mother is more interested in drinking away the pain than anything else. After finding out her mother has finally sold Pops’ house, Jenna is sent to collect some boxes and finds out that the McAlister’s are the ones who have bought the house.
Ian McAlister is described as “dark and disheveled” with blue eyes….sounds good, right? Unfortunately, he has a problem – Ian can’t remember things and seems to be forgetting more as the story progresses. When Jenna shows up on his porch, he doesn’t remember her. What he does know is that he is definitely drawn to Jenna and finds that she is slowly becoming the one thing he wants in his life. He feels like she is going to return things to normal. You see, something happened to him and it becomes very apparent throughout the book that not everyone is being honest.
As Ian and Jenna become closer, Jenna finds out that Ian has a twin brother, Luke. Luke has always lived in the shadow of his perfect brother and although he tries not to be, he finds he is also drawn to Jenna. Additionally, Jenna is drawn to Luke as well and although she likes both for different reasons, she realizes she needs to decide which one she likes more. Unfortunately, it will most likely hurt one of them.
There isn’t really much I can write in this review as I don’t want to give anything away. I have to stop telling the summary there for fear that I will mention something I shouldn’t but know that if you do start this book, you will most likely not be able to put it down. Every time I thought I had things figured out, I would get to the next chapter and realize I was off.
I will tell you that this was a story that grabbed me from the first page and I found myself unable to put it down. We are given the story from Jenna’s, Luke’s, and Ian’s points of view and Guillory did a wonderful job weaving the entire story together without making it feel like I was jumping all over the place. It was absolutely necessary to see the different perspectives to understand just what was going on and when it all clicked, it made absolute sense.
Another thing I liked was the way that Guillory built the relationships out. Between Ian and Luke we are able to see through the stories they share, that they were once very close. Being a twin myself I think I partially identified with the whole, “other half” thing. There are always times that you just want to be your own person but the great thing about being a twin is that you always have that one person you are super close to and Ian and Luke had that for most of their lives. It was so hard to read about how it changed and their differences created so much tension in their relationship.
Is that vague enough for you? Hopefully that doesn’t make you think I am stringing you along – trust me when I say that you wouldn’t want me to tell you what happens…you want to experience it as you read the story. Needless to say, I wasn’t expecting it to end up the way it did. I was completely invested in these characters and how their lives turned out – I applaud Guillory for taking this story to a place that wasn’t expected (at least by me) and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
All Jenna wants is to get out of Solitude. She doesn’t want to be like her mom and not have a choice so she is doing everything in her power to make sure she gets out of the small town and all of the baggage that comes along with it. On an October day she won’t forget, she meets Ian McAlister and even though she knows she will never see him again, she decides to spend the day at a diner with him.
Fast forward 7 months later. Jenna’s family dynamic has changed a bit. Her grandfather (Pops) has passed away and her mother is more interested in drinking away the pain than anything else. After finding out her mother has finally sold Pops’ house, Jenna is sent to collect some boxes and finds out that the McAlister’s are the ones who have bought the house.
Ian McAlister is described as “dark and disheveled” with blue eyes….sounds good, right? Unfortunately, he has a problem – Ian can’t remember things and seems to be forgetting more as the story progresses. When Jenna shows up on his porch, he doesn’t remember her. What he does know is that he is definitely drawn to Jenna and finds that she is slowly becoming the one thing he wants in his life. He feels like she is going to return things to normal. You see, something happened to him and it becomes very apparent throughout the book that not everyone is being honest.
As Ian and Jenna become closer, Jenna finds out that Ian has a twin brother, Luke. Luke has always lived in the shadow of his perfect brother and although he tries not to be, he finds he is also drawn to Jenna. Additionally, Jenna is drawn to Luke as well and although she likes both for different reasons, she realizes she needs to decide which one she likes more. Unfortunately, it will most likely hurt one of them.
There isn’t really much I can write in this review as I don’t want to give anything away. I have to stop telling the summary there for fear that I will mention something I shouldn’t but know that if you do start this book, you will most likely not be able to put it down. Every time I thought I had things figured out, I would get to the next chapter and realize I was off.
I will tell you that this was a story that grabbed me from the first page and I found myself unable to put it down. We are given the story from Jenna’s, Luke’s, and Ian’s points of view and Guillory did a wonderful job weaving the entire story together without making it feel like I was jumping all over the place. It was absolutely necessary to see the different perspectives to understand just what was going on and when it all clicked, it made absolute sense.
Another thing I liked was the way that Guillory built the relationships out. Between Ian and Luke we are able to see through the stories they share, that they were once very close. Being a twin myself I think I partially identified with the whole, “other half” thing. There are always times that you just want to be your own person but the great thing about being a twin is that you always have that one person you are super close to and Ian and Luke had that for most of their lives. It was so hard to read about how it changed and their differences created so much tension in their relationship.
Is that vague enough for you? Hopefully that doesn’t make you think I am stringing you along – trust me when I say that you wouldn’t want me to tell you what happens…you want to experience it as you read the story. Needless to say, I wasn’t expecting it to end up the way it did. I was completely invested in these characters and how their lives turned out – I applaud Guillory for taking this story to a place that wasn’t expected (at least by me) and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
