Review: Shadows of the Forest by Emma MIchaels

Shadows of the Forest by Emma Michaels
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received this book in exchanged for an honest review. This book sounded so interesting, however found myself often confused as to what was actually going on in this book. I frequently had to go back and reread significant amounts of the book to figure out what was going on. I don't appreciate that kind of confusion in the books I read. I often didn't know which character was speaking, sometimes that was cleared up a few paragraphs later sometimes it wasn't clear at all. The concept of the story had a lot of promise, thy way the story was told just didn't work for me. I think with a little more length and development it could really be something great.

On to the story itself, we follow Cole and Lily, a set of twins who have been orphaned.  They've not had the best childhood.  Their father was abusive and we don't know much about their mother other than she died in the forest with their father.  Apparently they destroyed each other, not sure what that means it is never explained.  As is much of the story it is left up to interpretation.  Cole was always Lily's protector, taking as much of the abuse and trying to stick up for Lily as much as he could.  At the beginning of the story Cole and Lily are on a road trip trying to start a new life when they get into a car accident, and Lily is fatally injured.  Cole ever her savior makes a deal with a spirit to save her and take him instead.  She awakens in a kind of spirit hospital to find Kaede and his daughter Willow the resident "healers" who kind of sort of explain what happened to them and what they did to save her.  She is naturally alarmed to find Cole missing and herself alive.  Kaede tells Lily the 3 rules:  1. Do not enter the West Wing; 2. Do not go outside after darkness falls; and 3. There is only one exit; The Gates.  I was never really clear if she broke the rules or not, but the book is supposed to be the story of what happens when she broke the rules.

Lily goes outside and eventually meets Arro, the spirit Cole made the deal with to save Lily.  Arro is or was a fox spirit, but he can take the form of a human.  He tells Lily if she wants to save Cole's life she needs to talk to Willow's mother.  This make's Willow angry because she feels abandoned by her mother and basically thinks the woman is a jerk.  Abandonment is a big theme in the book.  So Lily ever the impulse driven hot-head jumps into action in search of Usagi, Willow's mother and Kaede's true love.  Arro guides  Lily through the forest which has its own strange rules and more spirits with their own stories.  This journey is more than it seems and when she finds Usagi, Lily finds more than she could have ever expected.  This is where the book was actually developed pretty well and wasn't as confusing.  Lily's is faced with a decision that will not only save Cole, but it has the potential to save everyone else too.

The end kind of wraps up with the story being about living life the the fullest, self acceptance, self love, remembering those who have passed on, and alot of symbolism of what the afterlife might be like.  If I'm not mistaken there is alot of Asian influence which I find really interesting, but the background and definition is left out so I'm left not knowing anything about the culture without doing my own homework.

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Cover Reveal Next to Never and The Next Flame by Penelope Douglass

NEXT TO NEVER is a digital novella that releases on January 17th and THE NEXT FLAME is the print edition of Next to Never, and the previously published novella, Aflame, into one book that releases on May 2nd. 

About NEXT TO NEVER

Under the close watch of the men in her family, Quinn Caruthers has found it nearly impossible to spread her wings—or even date—without her three older brothers, Jared, Madoc, and Jaxon, jumping in to hover. And when a family friend—several years older—from her childhood still holds her heart, she knows they’re going to be a problem. Lucas Morrow is a man, and knowing her brothers, he may as well be forbidden.

But years ago, Lucas left town and shows no signs of returning. Quinn knows she shouldn’t wait for him anymore.

Until a package turns up on her doorstep with no return address and its contents reveal family secrets that threaten to turn her world upside down. She’s never asked about the path of her parents’ romantic history, but she soon learns their happy marriage had a very rocky and passionate start.

As she starts to see things around her with new eyes, Quinn will have to make tough choices about whether she’ll keep waiting…or finally go after what she really wants.

Review: Beauty and the Mustache by Penny Ried

Beauty and the Mustache by Penny Reid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think this is my favorite of the Knitting in the City books to date. I loved getting to know the new characters. Ashley was always present in the other books, but she was never in the spotlight like Janie, Sandra, and Elizabeth. This is such a whimsical series, but this installment is a bit sad and sobering, but with a happy ending and a sweet romance.

The book starts out with Ashley, a spitfire of a character, giving who she thinks is one of her 6 brothers a "purple nurple" because they are revving a car engine early in the morning and she's only had a few hours of sleep. Much to her embarrassment, she's twisted the nipple of the attractive Federal Game Warden Drew who looks like a Viking marauder per Ashley's description. Ashley has flown home to Tennessee from Chicago to visit her ailing mother. Turns out her mother is terminally ill with cancer and only has a few weeks to live, and Drew has been entrusted with her mother's estate and medical care for several reasons that are revealed later in the book. This does not sit well with Ashley but she deals. Being a nurse practitioner and the only daughter, Ashely is determined to make every minute count with her mother.  Ashley is willing to sacrifice her personal wants and needs to ensure her mother's last minutes on earth are as comfortable and pleasant as possible.

Drew is determined to make every moment count with Ashley as he is instantly attracted to her, but has zero expectations of a relationship with her as he knows her life is in Chicago. He makes her shower, eat, have philosophical debates, sleep, and repair the damaged relationships with her brothers.  He has become like another son to Mrs. Winston and a brother to the rest of the boys. He's handsome, quiet, and broody, but full of deep feelings. He's one of the good ones and Ashely eventually figures that out. Their romance slowly takes shape and smoulders for quite a while. It almost took too long to develop and for them to admit that they were in love.

I loved the addition of the whimsical Winston Brothers, and now that I know there is a spinoff series with the bearded brood I can't wait to read about them and their antics. The book is filled with the comical appearances of the Chicago knitting group.

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Review: Garnet's Story

Garnet's Story by Amy Ewing
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a great novella and a nice addition to the series. I like novellas like this that keep me engaged in a series while I'm waiting for the next book or give me interesting information. I've always liked Garnet's character, but we don't know much about him other than he's kind of a rich, spoiled, playboy, who likes to annoy his mother the Duchess of the Lake. It turns out there is more to him and his life than partying and causing trouble. The House of the Lake is one of the original Royal Houses and his mother is cold and always scheming to be at the top of the food chain, Garney has suffered because of her wickedness. We get to know Garnet a little better in this book and learn about how he came to play the role he does in the series.

This novella takes place when the Duchess purchases Violet, a surrogate, and takes us through Garnet's side of the timeline. Garnet has done something stupid, and to clean up his mess Lucian, the Electress' (kind of like the queen) lady in waiting, offers to clean up his mess in exchange for keeping tabs on Violet. The timeline is a bit accelerated as it is a short story, but we come to understand how Garnet gets involved in the action that takes place later in the story. Ewing does a great job explaining how Garnet ties into the story without retelling the whole first book.

This was a pretty quick read and feel like it was a good addition to the series. I'm looking forward to the conclusion of the series.

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Review: Genesis Girl by Jennifer Bardsley

Genesis Girl by Jennifer Bardsley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Let me first say from the description I wasn't really sure I'd like this book. I was intrigued though and took a chance, I'm glad I did. This was a very quick read and the story was very interesting.

Genesis Girl follows Blanca, a girl who has been cloistered from technology for her entire life. She lives at Tabula Rasa, an exlusive school for Vestal children. Vestals have been sheltered from social media for most if not their entire lives, no photos posted to the internet, they've never surfed the web, they are essentialy pure of technology and lead very private lives. For this reason they are sold to the highest bidder upon graduation to advertise whatever the newest product on the market at a major company because Vestals are trustworthy and free of the prejudice caused by social media. Vestals were created after cell phones, wi-fi, and bluetooth caused a brain cancer epidemic and a man named Barbelo Nemo decided to create a cult like environment with lead lined walls where the children would be free of such dangers. The rest of the world adapted to various forms of chip technology to get their tech fix.

In Blanca's case, a Virus or an internet junkie takes her picture the day before graduation ruining her internet purity. He posts her photo on his blog and instead of ruining her chances a good bid, she takes the top bid, however instead of going to work for a company to advertise its products she becomes personal companion or Geisha to Calum McNeal.  Blanca steals the show and is sold for the hightest price at her harvesting. Cal purchased Blanca to help heal the wounds between him and his son Seth, the very Virus that cause Blanca to take a less traditional route after graduation. Blasnca would normally never have anything to do with a Virus, but she must do as she is told.  Blanca begins to seduce Seth and begins to develop real feelings for him. As she gets to know Cal she discovers that he wants her to make her own decisions, which is not something she is accustomed or really permitted to do under Vestal guidlines, she is supposed to do what she is told and follow the rules. When asked to make her own decisions and do what makes her happy she has a complete mental breakdown. Cal and Seth try to break through to her but they are unsuccessful, they must give her instructions as a Vestal would expect. Enter Miss Lydia, a Vestal mentor, she cozies up to Cal and helps guide Cal and Blanca through the strangeness that is Vestal life and politics  She begins an advertising campaign for Cal's energy company and begins to "date" a Vestal boy.  She is the picture of Vestal perfection and happiness, until she begins to uncover that Lydia isn't what she seems though, then neither is Cal or Seth. Blanca soon learns that maybe making her own decisions might not be that bad and that the "outside" world might not be as bad as she's been led to believe.  In order to save her own life and the life of a friend, she must use the technology she was raised to never use and think for herself.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I liked the original story and plot. I didn't like that Blanca was a brainwashed robot, but that was kind of the point. She overcomes that as she discovers that Vestal life isn't everything she was raised to believe. I'm interested to see what the next book in the story brings. This book stands on its own and closes off nicely. This kept me interested until the very end.

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Review: Fall from India Place by Samantha Young

Fall from India Place by Samantha Young
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

OK so I read these a bit out of order, so I kind of already knew about the plot twist in this one. In all honestly, all the books stand on their own, but it makes a little more sense cast and character wise if you read them in order. I recommend reading them in order, I read Cole and Shannon's story first so I kind of already knew what happened in this one so I think it really impacted my enjoyment of the story.

We first meed Hanna Nichols in on Dublin Street when she is 13 or 14, just before or just as she meets Marco. As a teen she is a smart, shy, nose in a book girl who is dedicated to her family. Marco is from Chicago, he's gotten in trouble so his grandparents send him to live in Scotland with his aunt and uncle. Marco has not had it easy, and Hannah has never really known hardship. One day 14 year old Hannah stays late from school and misses the bus, some thugs try start to harass her when 17 year old Marco comes to defend and protect her. A friendship forms. I enjoyed this part of the book flipping between getting to know current time Hannah who is in her early 20s and teaching high school English and teenage Hannah. In the past we get to learn about Hannah and Marco's friendship and how she's always been in love with him but he kept her at a distance. In the present, Marco comes crashing back into her life and wants forgiveness for leaving her so abruptly when they were younger. They both have secrets, and they both are still mad for each other. Can they get over the pain of the past to make their future work?

I have to admit that the chapters and chapters of Hannah not being able to let go of her hurt and baggage got a bit repetitive after a while. You know she is going to let it go and get with Marco in the end, but it takes a bit to long to happen in my opinion. The why she is mad and hurt makes sense, but the length of time it takes to get over it seemed a bit whiny and immature. That might actually be appropriate for her age and the situation, I think she was only 22 and Marco was her first and only love. Her constant, I love Marco but I refuse to be with him and forgive him got old after 10 or so chapters. She gives some amazing advice to her class after a tragedy occurs, yet she doesn't take her own advice. Marco tells her his secrets fairly early on in their renewed relationship, yet she is determined to punish the both of them for something that neither of them could have controlled. It got old after a while. As I said earlier, I knew what the plot twist was as to why their relationship would be tested going into the book so I think that impacted my enjoyment of this one. I typically love Samantha Young's ODS series.

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Review: Dragonmark by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Dragonmark by Sherrilyn Kenyon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was so excited to get this after reading Dragonbane. I'm a long time Kenyon fan and I've read and own all of the Dark Hunter books.  I'm sorry to say I was sadly disappointed in Dragonmark, and that has never happened to me with a Kenyon book before

I will say if you haven't read Dragonbane and Son of No one this is actually a pretty decent read. The story flows well and it follows Kenyon's typical style and story construction. If you are a long time fan of the series and have read all the books, you'll likely be disappointed and somewhat irritated like myself.

After the cliffhanger in Dragonbane left us with, Illarion's story seemed so promising. I was so excited to learn more about him and see what happens after he is lured away by what appears to be the illusion of his dead wife.  After waiting for it, this book does not deliver as expected. It starts out well enough giving us the backstory of how our hero and heroine meet and their love story unfolds, but after 150 or so pages it of a 340ish page book it is almost a direct copy of chapters from either Son of No One or Dragonbane and we only find our main characters' resolution in the last 30 pages of the book. Kenyon is one of my favorite authors, and this is probably my favorite series but this one left me wanting and upset. She has never sacrificed the quality of her story before just to publish a book, it is something I've long admired about Kenyon. She's published many short stories/novellas in the series and I feel this one may have been better suited as one of those as there was only about 180 pages of new content and the rest came from the previous 2 books. This book is is almost as if she started writing Dragonmark and couldn't finish it or didn't have enough content so someone else finished it by taking content from the previous 2 books to finish it and fill it out. There were some plot holes that could have been explored, however Dragonmark was like re-reading Dragonbane and excerpts of Son of No one sometimes word for word. I hope that this one was just a dud and the next one in the series returns to the type of book I've come to expect and love from Sherrilyn Kenyon.  I'd rather read a great novella or wait longer for an even better novel, but don't give me half a book I've already read.  Long time Kenyon fans will wait patiently for Sherry to put something excellent out.

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Review: Moonlight on Nightingale Way by Samantha Young

Moonlight on Nightingale Way by Samantha Young
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm so glad Logan got a story before the series ended,he was and intriguing character that we really didn't get to know in Echos of Scotland Street. That being said the construction of this book was a bit different than the other books in the series. Most of the books focus on the instant attraction of the two main characters and the development of their relationship, inevitably something happens and one of them hurts the other and they break up only to realize they are madly in love and can't live without each other. In this book, our two main characters, Grace and Logan, don't really like each other for the first part of the book. Logan receives some very surprising news one day while arguing with Grace again, and Grace finds herself swept up in his life. I liked the different take on this, Grace and Logan's relationship grows into a friendship and then into something more. They've always been attracted to each other and they acknowledge that there was always something there, so when they finally decide to be together it is pretty explosive and more than just lust.

They both have baggage, and that causes the hurt they both cause each other that threatens to split them up, but if you've read Samantha Young or any book in this series before, you know they won't be apart for long. With the help of the entire cast of On Dublin Street to help them figure it out, they come together live happily ever after. In the end, Grace learns to stand up for herself and the abuses from her past caused by her awful family. She finds herself surrounded by the family she has always wanted. Logan learns that he is a fierce protector and that he will do anything to protect those he loves, while he saved his sister Shannon from an abusive boyfriend and paid a 2 year prison term for it, his sentence is over and he is worthy of happiness.

I really enjoyed the epilogue, it was a homage to all the couples we've seen in the series and brings a sort of closure to each one of them.  It is a nice send off to the series.  I've been with this series since Samantha published On Dublin Street since the beginning.  My copy of ODS is the self published version and I couldn't be happier that this series has had so much success.  I love Samantha's books, her self published YA stuff is amazing and I can't wait to see what she brings us next.



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Review: The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz

The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had no idea that this series had been continued after the initial 3 books.  I was intrigued to find that another author, David Lagercrantz, had picked up where Stieg Larsson left off with the world of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist.  Like Larsson's original works, this book is long. I listened to it on audio book and I believe it was over 13 hours so it took me quite a while to get through it.

This book is all over the place, there are so many characters and each one has a backstory. I kept listening to all the character development and there was no plot for quite some time. It takes until about halfway through the book until the stories start to come together and there is actually a plot starting to form. In the past there was always a story Blomkvist was trying to write and Lisbeth was helping him in some way. Lisbeth unnervingly absent in the book. The title is misleading because this book is not about her at all, she really only makes a cameo in the book in my opinion. You can't title a book The Girl in the Spider's Web, and leave the girl out of 75% of the book. You can tell that someone else is writing the book as the original characters and style of writing is very different.

The relationships between the characters is also different as if the writer just didn't want to write the grown up stuff.  Sex was present in the previous books, not that it Larsson wrote erotica or adult romance novels, but he didn't shy away from it either.  Lagercrantz just skirts the subject and kind of just dances around the relationships that previously existed.  Lisbeth was very much bisexsual in the last book and in a somewhat committed relationship at the end, that is no longer exists but it is not explained away either just Lisbeth is Lisbeth so she can't have a relationship.  Her character is still surly and socially inept as ever but she just isn't the same character you've come to expect from the previous books.  She isn't as vibrant and present as she used to be, I wanted more of her and was left wanting.  Blomkvist is well done and is mostly the same.  The rest of the returning characters are actually a little more developed than they maybe were previously, even if they are only supporting roles.

I got quite the education on autism, savants, hacking, and other topics. These topics were well researched which I appreciated, but the information was repeated many times throughout the book and I feel could have been delivered once or twice and had the same impact.  The repetitive nature of explaining the autistic boy, August's ability to draw and his autistic condition, over and over filled up too much of the book and took away from the story in my opinion.  There should have been more action, drama, and suspense.  The book ended with too many plot holes and unresolved information.  To tell you what is left unresolved would spoil the plot if you've not read the book.  This leaves the series open for more books, but I'm not sure I'm drawn to find out what happens next.

While I don't think David Lagercrantz did a bad job or is a poor writer, I think he would have been better off writing something new and of his own invention instead of trying to carry on the series.  It isn't the same, its not terrible by any means.  I give him credit for trying, but this just wasn't my favorite.



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Review: The Footprints of God: A Novel

The Footprints of God: A Novel by Greg Iles
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was on my to read list for a long time. I was drawn in by the cover and read the description at the airport during a business trip several years ago and it immediately seemed like something I'd enjoy. It sounded in the realm of Dan Brown's Digital Fortress with a religious twist, sounded really interesting. I put it on my wishlist and kind of forgot about it, then one day I got a notification that it was finally available on ebook at my library. I was very excited to pick this up. I'm sad to say this did not live up to my expectations. I picked this book up and put it back down several times before finally finishing it. This book was very slow and was not the action packed sci-fi thriller I was expecting.

David Tennent our main character is a doctor assigned to monitor the ethics on a highly classified supercomputer project with some of the greatest minds ever known. David having been subjected to the new technology being used to build the computer, has begun suffering from strange side effects. In order to gain insight to the dreams and narcolepsy he's been suffering, David enlists the help of Rachel Weiss, a psychiatrist with a specialization in dream science. She thinks David is hallucinating and takes the stance that she wants to "fix" him. His dreams can't possibly be of God or Jesus, they must be an interpretation and projection of his grief of the death of his wife and daughter years earlier. Enter the Project Trinity security force who is trying their best to ensure that David doesn't do anything to jeopardize their success. These must be hallucinations because why would the NSA be trying to kill David?

David and Rachel go on a whirlwind adventure, guided by the dreams he having all the while being chased by people who are trying to kill him, the NSA. After some close calls Rachel finally starts to believe the NSA might be after them. She's kind of irritating as a character. He and Rachel finally acknowledge the romance that his been growing between them since he's been seeing her. Their relationship is a bit flat and adds nothing to the story. She doesn't trust him or believe anything he says, even after witnessing everything he says is true, yet she loves him.

With the NSA on their heels, the super computer goes live and starts taking over the internet, it does exactly what it was designed to do. David is the only one who can stop the destruction the computer has unleashed in order to protect itself. David is up against the clock to save himself, the woman he loves, the computer he helped build and humanity itself. This part of the story and the part where they go to Israel to understand David's dreams is actually pretty interesting and the pace of the story actually picks up. The problem is its only about the last 30% of the book. I'm glad I finished it, but I'm irritated that it took so long to get to the good part.

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Review: Alienated and Invaded by Melissa Landers

Alienated by Melissa Landers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this. It was such an interesting take on alien encounters. Typically the aliens are hidden and don't want humans to know they are here and they are among us. In Alienated, humans are fully aware of the existence of the L'eihr race and planet and are trying to form and alliance with them. Much like any new culture, race, or diversity, there are groups that form that don't want the aliens around because they are different and could be dangerous. There are also welcoming groups of humans that are excited to meet the L'eihrs.

The story follows our two main characters Cara (human) and Aelyx (L'eihr) who are stuck together for a year for an exchange program. Cara is the valedictorian of her school and has won a much needed scholarship in exchange for hosting a L'eihr student on Earth. Aelyx and two other L'eihr students have been brought to Earth to assist in forming an alliance with the planet for unknown reasons. Aelyx is polite enough, but doesn't want to be on Earth anymore than HALO wants them there. HALO stands for Humans Against L'eihr Occupation and they do not want the alliance to go through. Aelyx and his friends have a plan to twart the alliance, but he soon realizes that Cara and humans aren't as bad as he thought. He does uncover a problem in the Earth's water supply, and he know's his people can fix it but not without the alliance. HALO continues to threaten Cara and Aelyx and things get ugly.

Will the alliance fall through? Will Cara get to continue the exchange program? You have to continue with Invaded to findout, but this one wrapped up nicely.

Madeleine Lambert did an awesome job with the audio book. She did a great job with the various voices for the different characters and made me laugh so many times.

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Invaded by Melissa Landers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this one as much as I loved the 1st one. Can't wait for the 3rd one on audio book, I believe it was released in September and I'm patiently awaiting my library to get it in. I hope Madeline Lambert is the narrator again, it won't be the same without her.

I listened to the audio book of this directly after listening to Alienated, and the story picks back up where the 1st book left off.  Cara and Aelyx need to clean up the mess they've created, we'll mostly Aelyx has created.  Cara, ever the debate champion, wins over The Way or the L'eihr head council, and convinces them that the Human/L'eihr Alliance should be given a chance.  She's trying to save the earth, her beloved, herself, and figure out why the L'eihrs need humans so badly.  The Way, lacking emotion, but seeing reason decides that Aelyx and Syrine (another L'eihr exchange student) need to fix the alliance as they are the ones who tried to break it in the first place, and Cara will continue the exchange program on L'eihr.   Syrine is angry and hates humans, but Aelyx is willing to do anything to fix the mess he made in order to save Cara and be with her in the end.  Aelyx embarks on a PR campaign to win the hearts and minds of the human race, but at every turn his and Syrine's lives are threatened.  HALO seems to be behind it all, but are they?

Cara willing to do what it takes to save the day, heads off to L'eihr to start her part of the exchange a bit early.  She has a hard time adjusting to her new planet and she isn't exactly welcomed by her "peers".  Strange things keep happening to Cara to make it seem like she is a troublemaker.  Something sinister is brewing on L'eihr and Cara is determined to figure it out with the help of Aelyx via her comm sphere and Aelyx's sister.

Cara returns after spending a few months on L'eihr, excited to be back and experience all of her favorite Earth stuff only to find that it no longer brings her joy.  The simple life on L'eihr might actually suit her better, something we can maybe take away in our own real lives.  She can't really eat the food she used to love any longer as it makes her ill and places she used to love to go with her friends are too loud and crowded, people have way too much stuff and she can't take it.  It is much like when Aelyx first arrived from L'eihr and he longed for home, Cara finds herself longing for the place she's called home for the last few months. 

After figuring out what's going on and who is behind both the attacks on Earth and L'eihr, Cara and Aelyx decide to head back to L'eihr and help get the colony started after the alliance is formalized.  Cara has been appointed to council to help with the new colony and Aelyx is just happy to have Cara back.  Their relationship suffered the turmoil of some serious long distance, but they pulled through in the end.  

The book ends with a bit of a cliff hanger, you know trouble is coming for them and they aren't going to get their happy ending just yet.  United, book 3 of the series, was just released in August, and I"m looking forward to finding out how Cara and Aelyx's story ends up.

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Review: Death Thieves by Julie Wright

Death Thieves by Julie Wright
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this eBook for free in exchange for an honest review. I read the description on this and it sounded intriguing so I took a chance on it from http://www.ebooksforreview.com, and I'm so glad I did. It has such and interesting take on time travel, elitist society, and dystopia. I think fans of The Maze Runner, The Selection, The Jewel, etc will find enjoyment in this book. It had science, technology, forbidden romance, good guys, bad guys, all the things that I like in a good fiction book.

Summer our main character and her twin sister Winter have not had it easy. They grew up in foster care until their Aunt Teresa adopted them, but she is fairly strict, and Summer is always testing her patience while Winter always plays by the rules. The sisters have always taken care of each other and have always stayed together until the day the day Summer "dies". At the moment of Summer's death she is whisked away by Tag, who steals her from her death and takes her through time and space to help save humanity. Summer is to become a race of Elite New Youth to help repopulate the world with pure blooded children, free of mental disease. It is very Adam and Eve with a twist. Summer fights Tag at first then decides to go with him to this new future, and she eventually ends up enjoying her new life. She never really accepts that she's dead and never really conforms to her new life. She's supposed to find a New Youth boy, get married, and have babies as soon as possible. Summer, ever the rebel, does none of those things as she finds herself wanting to cure the disease that plagues the world as opposed to just being part of the re-population plan. She and a friend uncover a sinister plot regarding the New Youth's children and vows to stop them as well as go back in time and save the one person that means everything to her, her sister.   I loved that this was a stand alone and that the loose ends were tied up.  While I think it could have made a good typical YA trilogy, it stood well on its own and I really enjoyed it.

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Review: The Return by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Return by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a great spinoff series to the Covenant series. I think readers who have not read the Covenant books could infer what they need to know to get buy, and eventually it is explained so the book stands on its own. In the beginning though, the references to the past and "her" might confuse people not familiar with the YA series.  The story takes place after the original series has ended, and Seth is cleaning up the mess he made and trying to come to terms with the part he played as Apollyon and the destruction and devastation he caused.  Apollo gives him a job to retrieve and protect Josie, a girl who happens to be a demi-god and Apollo's daughter.  Josie knows nothing about the world Seth lives in, but she accepts it fairly quickly and goes with him to the university for protection and training.  Their relationship starts out rocky, but they quickly realize that they can tolerate each other and may actually need each other especially if they are going to defeat the Titans who are running amok.  If you've read the Covenant series Seth still has his immature, cocky, I do what I want ways about him, but you see him growing up and starting to mature.  Josie is all over the place, by design, due to her being dropped into a new circumstance and environment and she has to learn who she really is all over again.

I was happy to see old characters resurface and the return of Seth. This isn't as racy as some of Armentrout's new adult works, but it is steamy for sure.  I would not recommend this for the under 18 crowd.   If you have read and are a fan of of her other New Adult books or the Covenant series or both give this one a try.  This book is alot more on the romance side of the house than it is on the fantasy side, so if you are loo king for a true continuation of the Covenant series you aren't going to get it here.  This definitely is heavy on the romance and relationship side, with inner monologues of how the two main characters feel about each other with descriptions of how their bodies react when the other person is around.  That is very typical of how her new adult books are written and this is a pretty good mash up of that recipe and the followup story of the Covenant series.

I really enjoyed this and can't wait to read the rest of the series.

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