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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: For What It’s Worth by S.M. James (Excerpt)
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BLOG TOUR: The Students of Barrenmoor Ridge by Jackson Marsh (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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BOOK BLITZ: Haskell Himself by Gary Seigel (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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REVIEW: Before The Sun Rises by Christopher Renna
Darkness On The Horizon: Before The Sun Rises – Christopher Renna
THE ONLY EASY DAY WAS YESTERDAY – – Despite the odds, Morgan defeated his captor, DuPont, and the Immortals of the East Horsley Colony. His rebellion destroyed plans for initiating a new Great Immortal Battle. Now, returning to America with his allies, Morgan will confront a war in the form of retaliation. The defeated Immortals want Morgan dead for disrupting their plans. Although protected by security, Morgan must fight to survive while testing his independence and defining his role as part of a team.
Morgan’s past paves the road to his future. Survival is not the only goal. He must come to terms with guilt. Accept failures and celebrate successes. Embrace friendships and trust new relationships. Abide by rules and lead with authority. Because everything that happens now will shape the man that Morgan becomes.
Morgan is back! Wiser, more mature and definitely more badass!
Before the Sun Rises continues Morgan’s journey. He and Jonathan had returned to America and currently recovering from their England ordeal. Nicolas and Emily, the Mortal Souls who became Morgan’s friends, went with them. Because of what happened in England, many vampires were out to kill Morgan. With the help of Immortal Elder, Priscilla, they prepared to lure and kill the defeated Immortals who wanted to start a vampire war, using the young man as a bait.
This sequel did a good job portraying Morgan’s growth. Here, he listened more to Jonathan and thought harder about the consequences before acting. Even though he was caught up in paranormal events, he still dealt with practical real world responsibilities and understood the importance of getting a diploma. He’s adjusting to his life as an Immortal and he’s also able to explore his sexuality with both Emily and Nicholas. He was honest enough to admit to himself and to everybody who and what he liked. There were still times when he acted like a typical teenager but that is to be expected from an eighteen year old who still had a lot to learn.
There were many new characters introduced, most notably Erin, Kendall, Lee, and the rest of the security team who went with Morgan, Jonathan, Emily and Nicholas to Colby. Majority of them were faceless and ageless as there were minimal character descriptions. Some features would have been appreciated, just to give these people dimension. The book was written from Morgan’s POV so maybe we can assume, he didn’t really pay attention to their appearances. I was surprised to learn that Nicholas was already in his late 20s because he came across as much younger.
The flow of the story was smoother this time. There were less erratic twists and much faster pacing in general. However, the middle part dragged a bit and felt like nothing’s happening. I was also wondering about the part of Lee and his team being pulled out, only to be reassigned again. I think they could have done the hunt at that point already. The story picked up when Kendall started training Nicholas and the two of them, along with Morgan and Jonathan went around town looking for the killers’ hideout.
The climax had humans and Immortals battle it out with the vampires in an all-out leave-no-one-standing chaos. The fights were as bloody and brutal as in DOTH but with a higher body count. And just when you thought it was over, the book has more surprise in store!
Before The Sun Rises is a paranormal coming of age tale of a young man who found himself the target of inhuman killers. He learned to fight the hard way, met new friends, lost a few, survived a war, proved himself the better man, all while dealing with Algebra and graduating from high school. All in all, I’d say Morgan’s doing pretty good!
P.S.
Before The Sun Rises will be released August 2019.
Thank you to the author, Christopher Renna for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Final copy of the book may have revisions.
review of book one, Darkness On The Horizon here
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Breathe
Artist: Pink Floyd
Album: The Dark Side Of The Moon -
REVIEW: Exit PLans For Teenage Freaks by Nathan Burgoine
Exit PLans For Teenage Freaks – Nathan Burgoine
Being the kid abducted by old Ms. Easton when he was four permanently set Cole’s status to freak. At seventeen, his exit plan is simple: make it through the last few weeks of high school with his grades up and his head down.
When he pushes through the front door of the school and finds himself eighty kilometers away holding the door of a museum he was just thinking about, Cole faces facts: he’s either more deluded than old Ms. Easton, or he just teleported.
Now every door is an accident waiting to happen―especially when Cole thinks about Malik, who, it turns out, has a glass door on his shower. When he starts seeing the same creepy people over his shoulder, no matter how far he’s gone, crushes become the least of his worries. They want him to stop, and they’ll go to any length to make it happen.
Cole is running out of luck, excuses, and places to hide.
Time for a new exit plan.
Ever had a dream where you’re suddenly in a public place with no clothes on?
That could very well be Cole’s reality when he suddenly gained the ability to teleport and he needed to get it under control fast! Teleportation is one of my top five must-have superpowers and like Cole, I’d have my fun with it too but we could all do without the creepy guys watching our every move.
The way teleportation was used in this book was closer to magic realism than full blown fantasy because it was hardly focused on majority of the book. It was more like just another skill Cole needed to work on on top of academics and art. At some points, it felt inconsequential on the face of the everyday events Cole and his friends dealt with. It even occurred to me, this subplot was just there to give the book an extra something because without it, it would simply be a typical LGBT-themed YA.
It took me a while to totally get into the story. It started slow for me then picked up when I was a third in. What I really enjoyed the most were the people and their relationships. I really loved Cole’s parents and I am happy to see a teenager who has a happy and contented relationship with his parents since many teenagers in books and movies seemed to complain about their parents. The Rainbow Club is a joy and even Grayson, the one they complained about, did good. Cole and Alec’s friendship are goals, Malik is a sweetheart and I want Candace in my corner. The representations were awesome and genuine. I think the only thing missing was a dog.
The story zooms back to the teleportation part on the last 30% of the book. Cole finally meet the creepy people face to face, did some gutsy moves then poof! it ended just when him and Malik were heading somewhere fun. I don’t know if the book has a sequel, I hope it does. The way things ended between them, I think he might hear from other teleporters in the future. Also, I want to go places with Cole and Malik.
Exit Plans for Teenage Freaks deals with a lot of things, from sexuality, growing up, career plans, disabilities to discovering you have superpowers. Some of these were well-developed and I particularly liked the inclusion of ASL in the novel, something the author knows first hand. Other aspects were either rushed or tossed around then left open such as Grayson and Alec’s conflict, Alec and Ben or that year-end party that was mentioned here and there but not shown. These asides and casual mentions reflects real life conversations but in a book, they’re kind of frustrating.
Another plus for me is that while the book is about a gay teen, it is not about coming out and all the LGBT+ teens were happy being themselves. Overall, I enjoyed the book and I think most people would also like the positive relationships, the diversity, and realistic portrayal of teenagers.
P.S.
I received a copy of Exit Plans For Teenage Freaks from Bold Strokes Books via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Song About Teleportation
Artist: Wings of Love
Album: The Charming Ghost of Freedom -
REVIEW: The Evolution of Jeremy Warsh by Jess Moore
The Evolution of Jeremy Warsh – Jess Moore
Jeremy Warsh has been in off-mode ever since his grandpa’s death a couple years ago. He set aside their shared passion, comic art, and hasn’t looked back. As an introvert from the other side of town, he fully expects to spend his boring life bagging groceries until, maybe one day, he’s promoted to store manager.
Yet, his two best friends, Kasey and Stuart, are different. They’re not afraid to demand more out of everyone. When Kasey comes out, Jeremy’s inspired. He picks up his colored pencils and starts drawing comics again, creating a no-nonsense, truth-talking character named Penny Kind. Who speaks to him. Literally.
The friend group set in motion Stuart’s plans for a huge Homecoming prank, and if they can get Penny’s comic trending, they might be able to pull it off. Could this be a stepping-stone to a future Jeremy’s only dreamed of? And after he kisses a boy at a college party, will Jeremy finally face what he’s been hiding from?
The Evolution of Jeremy Warsh is a coming of age story set in the late 90s. The book covered Jeremy’s senior year, a time for big changes and major decisions. It is presented in a slice of life style which I liked along with its conscious effort to avoid Hollywood teen movie cliches. However, as one GR reviewer pointed out, situations were presented, problems arose but there seems to be no real consequences. This I completely agree with. I didn’t feel Jeremy and his friends were in any serious trouble. Once a scenario was presented, I could safely assume things would work out for them. In this aspect, the book was predictable.
In this kind of setting and being a YA book, it is very tempting to go heavy on the pop culture references just to get the retro vibe going so I commend the author Jess Moore for not going that route. A little goes a long away and the backdrop effectively provided context on some situations and reactions. But given that the 90s is making a comeback (and that I felt like it never left) , this book could be set this year and I wouldn’t be able to tell much difference, apart from the technology.
It was fun to witness Jeremy’s journey. There were many people who were with him for better or for worse.His friendship with Kasey and Stuart are goals but my favorite was his time with Ms. V, his elderly neighbor and aerobics partner. I also loved his mom, Connie Warsh, who was the best mom anybody could ever hope for. He had his very own Daredevil, Matt, and early on, you could already tell they were good for each other. Their chemistry was great! Even the bully, Russ Landy, gave Jeremy a push on his evolution.
There is romance in the book but it wasn’t the focus. Sexuality was also tackled but it was just something Jeremy and his friends experienced as part of growing up. That these were not the climax but merely part of the journey is a big plus as far too many books tend to dwell too much these two aspects thus minimizing other important milestones in a person’s life. Also, there was, quite refreshingly, no major angst involved in the coming out part. At least for Jeremy, who thinks labels are not important as long as you are OK with yourself . Yes! Kasey’s parents were not so open-minded which is tough but I loved how Kasey is comfortable in her own skin.
Drawing is Jeremy’s emotional outlet and his comic book character, Penny Kind, acted both as his avatar and inner voice that made him look deep within himself. However, as a whole, I felt that Jeremy sort of just let things happened. This kind of semi-passivity gave the book a meh aura so even though I liked TEOJW, it didn’t really blow me away.
P.S.
A Penny Kind comics please!
I received a copy of The Evolution of Jeremy Warsh from NineStar Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked itSoundtrack: Oh, Me
Artist: Nirvana (originally by Meat Puppets)
Album: Unplugged in New York -
Love Spell – Mia Kerick
Chance César is fabulously gay, but his gender identity—or, as he phrases it, “being stuck in the gray area between girl and boy”—remains confusing. Nonetheless, he struts his stuff on the catwalk in black patent leather pumps and a snug-in-all-the-right (wrong)-places orange tuxedo as the winner of this year’s Miss (ter) Harvest Moon Festival. He rules supreme at the local Beans and Greens Farm’s annual fall celebration, serenaded by the enthusiastic catcalls of his BFF, Emily Benson.
Although he refuses to visually fade into the background of his rural New Hampshire town, Chance is socially invisible—except when being tormented by familiar bullies. But sparks fly when Chance, Pumpkin Pageant Queen, meets Jasper (Jazz) Donahue, winner of the Pumpkin Carving King contest. Chance wants to be noticed and admired and romantically embraced by Jazz, in all of his neon-orange-haired glory.
And so at a sleepover, Chance and Emily conduct intense, late-night research, and find an online article: “Ten Scientifically Proven Ways to Make a Man Fall in Love With You.” Along with a bonus love spell thrown in for good measure, it becomes the basis of their strategy to capture Jazz’s heart.
But will this “no-fail” plan work? Can Chance and Jazz fall under the fickle spell of love?’
Chance Cezar (love the name!) is out and proud but doesn’t know which gender box to tick. He and his best friend, the quirky Emily, embark on The Plan to make Jasper “Jazz” Donahue fall in love with Chance based on an online article, “Ten Scientifically Proven Ways to Make a Man Fall In Love With You”. Such titles always gets an eye roll and should be taken with a heap ton of salt, IMHO, despite the words “scientifically proven”. Why two seemingly intelligent teenagers bother with such articles is beyond me but books featuring hapless people following how-tos has a good track record with me and Love Spell is one of those books.
Chance is sooo OTT! He sports orange hair, is capable of rocking both stilettos and chucks and isn’t afraid to wear make-up and mix his own perfume. It took a few moments but when I finally got used to his talking style, I found it funny enough to elicit a few chuckles especially combined with the epic fails his and Emily’s strategies turned out to be. Like wooing Jazz with a megawatt smile only to have gummy bears stuck in his teeth (eew!) but, if a guy voluntarily pokes his finger in your teeth to get it out, you know he’s really that into you.
Love Spell is a YA story and it’s one of those that have the YA main character worry about his sexuality or in this case, gender identity. I know some young adults might have this concerns and it is an important issue that should be addressed but I’m kinda tired of having it in almost every other YA LGBT book I encounter (looking at you, Simon). I don’t think young adults would want to read about sexuality and gender identity being an issue all the time. I know my younger self wouldn’t want to because I want my stories to treat being queer, genderfluid or ace as normal.
What kicked this story up a notch was Jazz. He is a really sweet guy and a responsible big brother to his kid sister. When he finally had enough of Chance’s BS and decided to be upfront, it was all very squee-tastic! But then, to my surprise and dismay, the story ended just when it was getting really good. Nooo! Where’s my epilogue?!
Overall, Love Spell made me laugh, cringe and root for Chance to go, get that boy! Waiting for him to get a clue at how ridiculous his maneuverings were was equal parts exasperating and funny but Jazz was worth it and more. I would have preferred Chance to worry less about his gender and focus more on other things, like getting into a good college just like how Emily is determined to get into her dream school. However, I mostly had a good time with this book and I recommend it.
P.S.
Complaints on
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
here.
I received a copy of Love Spell from NineStar Press
via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and love
Soundtrack: Gorgeous
Artist: The Heartbreaks
Album: Funtimes(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41025385-love-spell)
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Sidekick Squad: Not Your Sidekick – C.B. Lee
Welcome to Andover… where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef-up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship—only it turns out to be for the town’s most heinous supervillain. On the upside, she gets to work with her longtime secret crush, Abby, who Jess thinks may have a secret of her own. Then there’s the budding attraction to her fellow intern, the mysterious “M,” who never seems to be in the same place as Abby. But what starts as a fun way to spite her superhero parents takes a sudden and dangerous turn when she uncovers a plot larger than heroes and villains altogether.
Jessica Tran was born into a family of supers, Mom, Dad and big sis are superheroes, lil bro is a super genius. She, however, is average. It hasn’t stopped her from trying her best and doing her research to find out that maybe, just maybe, she does have some kind of power. Jess reminds me of Rock Lee from Naruto who couldn’t do any fancy chakra manipulation like the other shinobi but was instead dubbed as a genius of hard work.
Blame it on my elementary days spent hoarding Marvel collectible cards but I have always fantasized about having superpowers. Telekinesis because I’m a lazy-ass shit. Teleportation or flight because I want to travel but I’m broke. Supercomputer brain because I suck big time at physics and I was, unfortunately, a physics major. Etc, etc. So, at first glance, C.B. Lee’s Sidekick Squad world is the kind of world I want to get stuck in. It seemed an exciting, ordered world where superheroes fight super villains and everybody cheers them on. All things in their right place until Jess becomes friends with M and Abby and she starts noticing and asking questions about the villains.
For me, villains are almost always more interesting than a goody-goody hero. For one, they are usually more intelligent, complex and nuanced. And as a lifetime of anime has taught me, villains are not always bad. They usually have a compelling reason to do what they do. Jess started to realize that there’s more to this heroes vs villain thing than their government has let on. And I started thinking I might be better off as an average citizen in Andover.
Jess has a crush on Abby, an elite student and varsity player in her school. I admit, I am neutral on the FF front, it doesn’t affect me the way MM couples do but C.B Lee did a great job creating the tension and describing the awe Jess felt towards Abby. There was mutual attraction between the two and it was cute how Abby, in the shadows, tries to encourage Jess to ask her out and how Jess is just a bundle of nerves when it comes to asking Abby out
Bells and Emma are Jess’ bestfriends. Bells is crushing on Emma but Emma is oblivious. Bells has some secrets of his own and I can’t wait to read his book. Would Emma finally notice?
Not Your Sidekick is a good stab at the heroes vs villains trope. C.B. Lee has created a world where, at first glance,
things seem to be clearly divided between good and evil. How Jess and her friends uncover some of the secrets and how the lines become blurred were pretty interesting but overall this book falls between like and love. This means I couldn’t really pinpoint what was wrong, maybe nothing really. It’s more like, it didn’t really wow me. I’d still recommend this books for the interesting premise, great characters and cute FF couple.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and love
Soundtrack: Heroes & Martyrs
Artist: Bad Religion
Album: New Maps of Hell(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29904219-not-your-sidekick)
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Mad About the Hatter – Dakota Chase
This isn’t his sister’s Wonderland….
Henry never believed his older sister, Alice’s, fantastic tales about the world down the rabbit hole. When he’s whisked away to the bizarre land, his best chance for escape is to ally himself with the person called the Mad Hatter. Hatter—an odd but strangely attractive fellow—just wants to avoid execution. If that means delivering “Boy Alice” to the Queen of Hearts at her Red Castle, Hatter will do what he has to do to stay alive. It doesn’t matter if Henry and Hatter find each other intolerable. They’re stuck with each other.
Along their journey, Henry and Hatter must confront what they’ve always accepted as truth. As dislike grows into tolerance and something like friendship, the young men see the chance for a closer relationship. But Wonderland is a dangerous place, and first they have to get away with their lives.
Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are all-time favorites so inevitable comparisons were made while reading this.
In terms of world-building, Dakota Chase’s Wonderland is as topsy-turvy as the original. There were sharks in trees, a land where everything was backwards, an endless desert made of sugar sand and armies of confectionery at war with each other. We meet old favorites like Caterpillar, the White Rabbit. Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the Red Queen (nasty, nasty creature) and of course the Cheshire Cat who I wish had more page time. We also meet an older Alice, now a family woman, with kids named Carol and Louis (I’m sure you get that). However, the focus was mostly on the Mad Hatter.
I love Hatter’s character the most. Ever so charming, proper and maddeningly logical, he guides Henry through Wonderland all the while trying to keep them both safe and processing his feelings towards the young man. Henry was harder to like. The way he questioned everything in near hysterical voice could be tiresome and I wonder if Henry as a turn of the century British young adult would be calmer and more tolerable than Henry the modern American teenager. The romance between them was of the insta-attraction variety which was kind of OK as far as romances go but the realization of feelings was mostly from the Hatter’s side. How Henry suddenly liked the Hatter apart from the fact he found the Hatter handsome when he apparently disliked the man needs to be spelled out.
There were a lot of walking involved in this story and it would have been boring if not for all the whimsical attractions and dangers of the land AND Joel Froomkin’s, who is actually Joel Leslie, amazing voice acting skills. Everything was resolved satisfactorily when it comes to the Kingdom of Wonderland although I’m not as satisfied with Hatter and Henry’s ending, particularly Henry’s decision which, going back again to my complaint earlier, he might not feel as strongly about Hatter as Hatter does about Henry. Still it’s nice to see the Hatter fall in love and it’s almost expected that he is at the very least bisexual if not pansexual.
Overall, the author stayed faithful to the spirit of the original but added modern elements (Hatter’s reaction to motorized vehicles was hilarious) which worked somehow but was, I think, unnecessary. I consider the whole thing an enjoyable romp through familiar territory made more diverse by LGBTQAI+ leads and while it is not without its flaws, Mad About the Hatter was a good homage to the original stories.
Recommended!
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and love
Soundtrack: Everything You Can Think
Artist: Tom Waits
Album: Alice(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25926238-mad-about-the-hatter)
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Timekeeper – Tara Sim
I was in an accident. I got out. I’m safe now.
An alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, where a damaged clock can fracture time—and a destroyed one can stop it completely.
A prodigy mechanic who can repair not only clockwork but time itself, determined to rescue his father from a Stopped town.
A series of mysterious bombings that could jeopardize all of England.
A boy who would give anything to relive his past, and one who would give anything to live at all.
A romance that will shake the very foundations of time.
Victoria Schwab describes the novel as “at once familiar and utterly original”. An alternate Victorian world ruled by clock towers does sound original but the automaton and principles used were familiarly steampunk.
In this world, time seems to be a very changeable thing which leads me to some questions. What is time in relation to the moon, the sun and other celestial bodies? If time can run fast them slow, does that mean the people in a town age faster and die faster or a town where people die sooner than another town? In a world where time is very erratic, what is their reference point? These things were not explained and I think the world-building needs to flesh out some of the finer details.
Danny is a skilled mechanic but he’s also the type who do not think things through and did some things that came biting him in the ass. There were moments when I thought he was unlikable but he pulled through at the end. Danny and Colton are a cute couple although I am only halfway convince that their relationship would work because a. Colton’s a clock spirit, he doesn’t age but he also very fragile, b. Colton’s emotions affect time so when things got hot and steamy between him and Danny, time ran really, really fast so I don’t think Colton should be exposed to extreme emotions. However, there’s enough fluff to satisfy my fluff quota so I could deal.
You’re everything. You’re… You’re chaos and order and everything between. Like sunshine kept back by clouds. Like the entire world’s imploded inside you, but all I see are the stars are sewn into your skin. You’re filled with soft, dark music. I hear it all the time. Your music.
This book was on my to-be-read list for a long time. Sadly, I was not as into it as I hope I would be. There were some predictable elements but I really liked the clock spirits idea. There is so much potential here that I hope the author might expand the concept and make the logic of the fantasy element a little more rigorous. I hope she adds more details to the world and make things a little more steampunk other than just mere mentions of automaton. I also don’t understand what the protesters were for and why exactly they are protesting the towers. I hope book two might make this plot point clearer.
Timekeeper is an example of a book with an interesting premise but failed to deliver all the goods. The parts where it delivered were enough to convince me to pick up the second book though so I’m not giving up on Danny and Colton yet.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it
Soundtrack: Precious Time
Artist: The Maccabees
Album: Colour It In(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25760792-timekeeper)
