Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (reviewed by Louise)

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Review by Louise Ryan

 

Book Overview (Blurb) by Amazon

 

By the author of THE THOUSAND AUTUMNS OF JACOB DE ZOET, David Mitchell’s bestselling and Booker Prize-shortlisted novel, one of Richard & Judy’s 100 Books of the Decade, CLOUD ATLAS has now been adapted for film. The major motion picture, directed by the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer, stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, Jim Sturgess, Ben Whishaw, Jim Broadbent and Hugh Grant.

The novel features six characters in interlocking stories, each interrupting the one before it: a reluctant voyager crossing the Pacific in 1850; a disinherited composer blagging a precarious livelihood in between-the-wars Belgium; a high-minded journalist in Governor Reagan’s California; a vanity publisher fleeing his gangland creditors; a genetically modified dinery server on death-row; and Zachry, a young Pacific islander witnessing the nightfall of science and civilisation. The narrators of CLOUD ATLAS hear each other’s echoes down the corridor of history, and their destinies are changes in ways great and small.

 

Review:

 

This book is EPIC and jaw dropping in almost every way. The book has six stories that span time. Starting in 1850 and running through to the VERY distant future and then back again. 

 

At first reading, this book is hard going. The language is difficult and flowery and the story itself seems very contrived and it feels like you know where it heading. Trust me here, YOU DON’T! 

 

The way the stories interlock is as brilliant as it is absorbing. The very real and clever way that the English language is used to seperate the stories and time zones is, quite honestly, amazing. 

 

The pictures it portrays of the future are as chilling as they are, well observed. The characters are extremely likeable and easy to identify with. And I suspect that each reader will have their own favourite according to personality type. 

 

I can’t say much about the story because it isn’t JUST one story. It’s an almagmation of several different ones with one running thread. That thread is a soul. Can a soul be reborn? Can one soul alter time? Can one soul effect it’s own rebirth? 

 

I will say this is NOT a book you can charge through. I am a very fast reader. This book is 529 pages long and it has taken me, almost 4 days of constant reading to get through it. Not because it is a difficult read, Far from it (at least after the first part) but because you really need to take your time to understand what is going on. You need to accumulate and process the thoughts and feelings of the main characters. Each word to be savoured and twisted around your brain until it sinks in. 

 

This book is very clever and very well written. I will say though, that at the end it may be a little clever for it’s own good but I’ll let you make your own judgement. It is definitely something I would recommend for someone interested in something a little grittier than girly romances or young adult fiction.

Gnash by Brian Parker (reviewed by Louise)

Gnash by Brian Parker.

Review by Louise Ryan

 

Book Overview (blurb) by Amazon

 

An ancient fundamentalist organization chooses to lash out against its enemies by conducting several simultaneous attacks across the globe.  One of these assaults unleashes a deadly virus within the Pentagon, which sets off a chain reaction of events that the United States may not overcome.

 

When the virus mutates beyond anything the terrorists had expected, the nation’s capital is plunged into a violent zombie outbreak that threatens to infect everyone in the region.  A desperate, misguided attempt by a new political power to stop the potential global epidemic backfires as the undead survive the brutal pre-emptive strike and continue to wreak havoc on the human population when they reemerge from the bowels of the ruined city.

 

Grayson Donnelly, a former Army officer who isstranded in the Midwest during the outbreak, is forced to fight for his life and for the survival of his adopted community while his fiancée Emory is trapped in the Washington, D.C. quarantine zone.  She struggles to come to terms with her own survival while living in a government-operated refugee camp just outside of thecity.

 

Both Grayson and Emory must learn to adapt and do whatever is necessary in order to survive in a nation that is nearing anarchy as the terrorists’ heinous scheme takes on a life of its own.

 

 

Review:

 

Let me start by saying I hate Zombie anything! I don’t read the stories, I do’t watch the films and shows like the Walking Dead leave me cold. 

 

HOWEVER, This book was thrilling! I couldn’t read it fast enough. What had me hooked was the very genuine “feel” of the book. As you are reading it you realise, “O.M.G.! This COULD actually happen!” The way it is thought out is extremely clever. The author clearly has a military background as the military parts of the book and reminisces of the Male lead are spot on and heartfelt. You can’t help but “know” these thought’s have crossed someone’s mind. The medical aspect of the book also had me amazed at the authors knowledge. The “virus” could easily exist already somewhere and everything that happens, I think, Could easily happen in todays world. The fight for humanity is breath taking. You are so desperate for the characters to conquer what is happening to them that you read the book as fast as you can, Not wanting to put it down. The action is fast paced and leaves you either breathless at the events or hyper-ventilating with terror. 

 

It is a story of the human spirit and will to live, no matter the odds. I found it extremely up-lifting. I am so glad I read it. If you give it a chance, I am SURE you will too. 

Captive at Christmas by Danielle Taylor (review by Karmin)

Captive at Christmas

Book 1 of Captive Hearts series

Danielle Taylor

Reviewed by Karmin

 

**18+ only book!!!!!!**

 

Book description (amazon.com): 

When her life seems to be falling into pieces, Hannah Magnus decides to spend Christmas away from her Vancouver home. She crosses the border into Washington State and locates the idyllic cabin that will serve as her home for the next two weeks. 

 

Mackenzie Dunlop is a man of action and reaction. A creation of his past and his profession. When he travels to the cabin he’ll be in until the repairs on his house are complete, there’s a surprise waiting…and Mac loathes surprises. 

 

Thrown together in the least likely of circumstances, Mac and Hannah find solace in each other after a harrowing event. But once they leave, will they be able to get on with their lives apart?

 

Review:

  Most romance/erotica novels have little meat with their bone (if you’ll pardon the phrase). This book is an exception. Taylor does a good job of laying ground work for her story, even though, right off the bat, there are some naughty thoughts from the characters. This book is NOT steeped in raunchy, which I adored, but rather development of a relationship. The characters are rich, even though the main male (Mac) doesn’t seem so at first; here, Taylor does a wonderful job of slowly sinking you into him as he opens up throughout the story. 

  On to the naughty bits (I know you were waiting), it couldn’t be an honest review of the book without mentioning these scenes. The sex scenes are not all “he put his ___ in her ___” instead, Taylor focuses on the emotion of each character, while ADDING the physical to it, which was appreciated. Although there ARE graphic details (as should be expected in such a novel), they are not overpowering and don’t really detract from the story itself.

  All in all, it was a well written story and an interesting read. I recommend it to romance-lovers looking for story to go with their naughty.

Deeply Twisted by Chantal Noordeloos (Reviewed by Brittany)

Deeply Twisted- Chantal Noordeloos

 Reviewed by Brittany Jimenez

 

Overview (amazon.com)

A mother murders her eldest daughter. A clock appears in the middle of a park. A one-eyed man with a raven on his shoulder joins three homeless men on a chilly night… 

Embrace the night and all its terrors in this macabre gallery of monsters. The living and the dead, the spectral and the material—horrifying visions from the tormented mind of Chantal Noordeloos. Your nightmares will never be the same 

 

 

 Review:

Let me just start off by saying how much I loved these stories… I LOVED THESE STORIES! Ok, much better.

 

 

Deeply Twisted is a collection of 20 deeply twisted short stories. Some stem from traditional themes, e.g. zombies, aliens, murder, but all have an authentic twist to them.

 

 

Starting off, when you look at the book cover, just the look of it entices you to read. A woman bent over backwards, seemingly overcome by darkness, hmm. Not to mention the title states that these stories are “deeply twisted” and, if you are like me, you should be skeptical and read them to try to prove the author wrong. If you aren’t captivated yet then read the foreword, a quote by Vincenzo Bilof, author of “The Horror Show”, really sets the mood and tickles your curiosity.

 

 

The stories aren’t your basic campfire, girl scout, or Goosebumps-type tales. So if you can’t tolerate entering the mind of a serial killer or feel the blood lust that envelopes you when a character’s rage stirs, then you should probably drink your warm milk and head to bed. This talented author has somehow let me feel what it’s like to be buried alive and then, just two pages later, had me screaming at a character to warn them of approaching danger. The descriptions aren’t overbearing and the way they are used almost leads you to believe they are fact. Grammar and structure are a sigh of relief and I’m happy to say that this collection is far from the teen angst novels you find at the grocery store.

 

 

On a scale of 1-10, I give a 10. Chantal Noordeloos really knows how to spin a tale and I really appreciate the effort she, and probably many of her dedicated friends, put forth to make me second guess those creaky floor boards and whispers in the wind. I look forward to reading more of her work and implore you to do the same.

Captive at Christmas by Danielle Taylor ***TEASER***

His eyes scanned what he could see of the inside. Mac slipped through the doorway. He didn’t bother kicking his boots to loosen the snow clinging to them. His weapon trained ahead of him, he searched the entire main living area. Contented for the moment, he turned to the doorway on his right.
Again, he made a silent entrance into the room; a bedroom with an enormous king sized bed, just like he asked for. As a man standing at six feet, six inches, the usual beds simply wouldn’t do. He could hardly wait to sink into its comfort after driving for nearly fifteen hours straight-
“Hmmm…”
Someone was in the room with him.
Mac dropped to the floor with the gun in his hands. A large whirlpool tub came into view on his left, in the corner of the room. An empty wineglass sat on the edge. Soft cinnamon tresses dangled over the side of the tub, resting on the step.
Using the stealth afforded to him from years of tactical training, Mackenzie edged nearer to assess the threat. When he reached the steps of the tub, he knelt, eyes narrowed. He took a fortifying breath and pushed himself up slowly, powerful thighs raising him evenly and without pause or strain.
Creamy pale skin poked out from the rapids in the tub…belonging to a woman. His eyes widened as the swell of her cleavage was jostled by the streams of water. Though she had the appearance of an angel and not that of a hired hit-man – or rather woman – Mac knew better. Evil knew no bounds, ignored prejudices, race, and gender.

Revealing Hamilton by Sarah Jayne Carr (reviewed by Karmin)

Revealing Hamilton

Book 1 of Jackrabbit 7 series

Sarah Jayne Carr

 

Reviewed by Karmin

 

Description (amazon.com):

A conversation with a stranger changes Amelia Hamilton’s life forever. When she learns her grandfather faked his own death, normalcy slips from Amelia’s grasp. To make matters worse, he is coming for her in less than seven days. What she hasn’t determined is why.

 Amelia’s grandfather, Marius Benedict, once headed The Physician Coalition, an elite group of doctors who threw the Hippocratic Oath out the window. Years ago, they used a low-risk medical research study as a front for their experiments. Without their consent, innocents were injected with JackRabbit7, a hazardous substance used to alter their DNA. The victims were left with less-than-desirable super-human powers or excruciating death. Years after he disbanded the group, Marius has a new plan and is reforming The Coalition.

 Max, a mysterious stranger from the Insurance Agency, offers to help keep Amelia safe. He introduces The Agency as an underground government organization that contains and eliminates those who intend to harm the world. To protect The Agency, the truth of their activities are concealed and replaced with sugar-coated stories in the media.

 Over the course of the next week, Amelia has to accept the truth and learn who can be trusted. At midnight on her 23rd birthday, a contract between The Coalition and The Insurance Agency will expire, giving Marius full rein to approach his granddaughter and finish the project he started with her so many years ago.

 

Review:

This book was not what I expected and definitely a pleasant surprise. Usually, when you see terms like “coalition” or “agency” you expect some sort of boring, generic, spy-like book. That is NOT the case with Revealing Hamilton. Carr does a fantastic job of painting her characters vividly. The characters are more than the klutzy pretty girl, the jerk friend, the love-smitten puppy, they are people with dimension and it was lovely to read that. 

  I had a blast reading this book, the first night, I plowed through 54% in a matter of hours, I refused to put it down. There is lots of action, plenty of moments where you feel a deep need to reach into the book and slap the crap out of someone for being a jerk, times where you want to cry because the visual Carr paints is SO real it almost hurts to read about the children. Carr strageically places twists and “you-guessed-wrong” moments throughout the book that just kept the pages turning for me.

  I have to hand it Sarah for not giving us something generic for this genre, but something exciting and compelling. I love the way she writes and her characters feel so real, like they are sitting next to you telling the story. This is one of the books I wouldn’t recommend to just one group of people, but readers in general for something fun and new. 

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson (Review by Louise)

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

Review by Louise Ryan

 

Book overview (blurb) by Amazon:

Warbreaker is the story of two sisters, who happen to be princesses, the God King one of them has to marry, a lesser god, and an immortal trying to undo the mistakes he made hundreds of years ago.

Theirs is a world in which those who die in glory return as gods to live confined to a pantheon in Hallandren’s capital city. A world transformed by BioChromatic magic, a power based on an essence known as breath. Using magic is arduous: breath can only be collected one unit at a time from individual people.

But the rewards are great: by using breath and drawing upon the color in everyday objects, all manner of miracles and mischief can be performed.

Brandon Sanderson proves again that he is a master of what Tolkien called ‘secondary creation,’ the invention of whole worlds, complete with magics and myths all their own.

 

Review:

 

The scope of this book is huge! At first the workings of magic and the hierarchy of the gods in this book is a little overwhelming. It’s hard to twist your brain around something that is SO extraordinary and takes a little getting used to. BUT from the start, the characters are great. The two sisters are very easy to identify with and their progression through the paths they have to take is as interesting to watch as it is endearing. 

 

 

The twists in the book are very clever as you really do NOT see them coming. And the language used is simple to follow and yet at times, complex enough to keep your brain engaged. There are also flashes of humour to keep you amused, so it never feels arduous. Also there is a talking sword, which is something I haven’t come across before and thought it was a brilliant touch. 

 

 

I liked this book. It was fun and interesting and overall, very clever. Definitely worth a read if you like fast paced fantasy. 

Envisioned by Jean Booth

<a href="

Available Now!

Envisioned
Origins of the Supernaturals Book 4.5 by Jean Booth

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

As leader of the wolves, Auto holds immense power and responsibility. He’s Stephan’s second, and his oldest friend. In truth he’d give it all up to find his mate, his Alma Xemelga.

Sage was plagued with nightmares of a wolf hunting in the Michigan forests. Drawn to the wolf for reasons she can’t understand, she never spoke of these dreams… until she met him.

With Auto’s secret in her hands, he wonders, can she accept him for what he truly is? And when he learns of her powerful, hidden talents, will she be able to accept herself?

JEAN BOOTH lives in Nevada with her husband and cats. When she’s not out risking her neck on the back of her motorcycle, she enjoys the more calm activities of reading, gardening, and spending time with her friends and family. She has worked in health care for most of her adult life before deciding to finally share the stories that have been living in her head.

To see what’s coming soon in your favorite series visit:

Website

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

” title=”Envisioned by Jean Booth”>Envisioned by Jean Booth

Piercing the Fold by Venessa Kimball (reviewed by Karmin)

Piercing the Fold

Book 1 of Piercing the Fold series *

Venessa Kimball

Reviewed by Karmin

Book description (amazon.com):

“I’m Jesca. I have intense nightmares nightly and hallucinations of dark auras closing in on me daily. Strangers’ faces distort before my eyes and I hear voices in my head. All symptoms of insanity, ‘illusions in reality’, right? Wrong. This is my reality and it has been set askew.”

Jesca Gershon Sera discovers that she is part of a legacy and a fellowship of guardians destined to protect the human race from a galactic event that will invade and evolve our world.

*The Piercing the Fold series is intended for Mature Young Adult and Adult readers due to the the paranormal and unorthodox scientific concepts addressed throughout. This series contains a rich mixture of the paranormal, science fiction, romance, adventure, and suspense. *

Review:

I had trouble with this book. I wanted to love it, but I couldn’t. I’m not a huge fan of in-the-moment- first-person, so that is entirely personal opinion, but Kimball did switch between that and in-the-moment-third-person from time to time and it threw me off a bit. Another thing that messed with me are the physics principles she put into this book. Kimball obviously did her research, but some of the things just resonated as “wrong” (for lack of a better term) with my brain (this is not because I didn’t know what she was talking about, but rather because I DID know what she was trying to say), but I do think that had she been a bit more vague on the scientific detail, it would have worked better.

As for the story itself, it’s a cool one. You have your kickass powers, psychic-style dreaming, good vs evil, and inter-world travels. Toss in some love the characters refuse to acknowledge and possible alien invasion and it makes it fun. In all honesty, it’s NOT a TERRIBLE book whatsoever, just the few things that I personally didn’t like about it made it difficult for me to enjoy. If I were rating this book, I would give it a 4/10.

 

**Edited to add links

Before reading this book, here are a few theories to read up on (even if they are on Wiki) to help understand what the author is trying to put across (These are an afterthought of the review, and may help get a better grasp on the theories she puts forth).

Alcubierre drive http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcubierre_drive

Einstein-Rosen Bridge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wormhole#Schwarzschild_wormholes

Negative mass http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_mass

The Timeless One by Lexy Wolfe (review by Louise)

The Timeless One

Book three of The Sundered Lands Saga by Lexy Wolfe

Review by Louise Ryan

 

Book Overview (blurb) by Amazon

 

After nearly dying with the effort to return the Timeless One’s dying Sentinel to the Fortress of Time, Illaini Magus Ash Avarian and Githalin Swordanzen Storm il’Thandar find themselves in the isolated domain of the Guardians of Time. Having faced and overcome their own prejudices, they and their companions discover that bigotry and racial prejudices have not escaped the mortal servants of the goddess of time. As they struggle to overcome traditions older than memory earn the right to be called Guardians of Time as well, they discover a malevolent evil that seeks to upset the great balance, and a tragic secret that stretches back thousands of years that could not only destroy them but the world itself.

 

Review:

 

Being the third book in the series this book has well established characters and you think you have gotten to grips with the story. Suddenly, Things change. The characters expand and change at a rate that is as shocking as it awe inspiring. The twists in the story that have been somewhat, hinted at, through the other two books, creep up on you and hit you with a bang. 

 

I really LOVE these books but the pace of this book is so fast that it left me dizzy. I found myself having to re-read certain paragraphs to make sure I had fully understood what was being said. Don’t get me wrong, this is in no way detrimental to the story but after the more sedate pace of the second book it occasionally felt hard to keep up. 

 

The story never slows and you simply cannot turn the pages fast enough. Yelling in frustration, as the characters do, at the only subtle hints and whispers of an enemy that is never clearly defined. Yet no less evil for it. 

 

I love the change in dynamics to the group that this part of the story brought with it and the new players in the game. In all honesty I cannot wait for the next book to come out. I will devour it with every bit of relish as I did with this one. 

 

If you like epic stories with myth, magic, intrigue and adventure? Seriously, GO AND BUY THESE BOOKS! This is story telling on a level I have not come across for a long time.