Under the Never Sky Trilogy by Veronica Rossi

 

Book 1: Under the Never Sky

Book 2: Through the Ever Night

Book 3: Into the Still Blue

Author: Veronica Rossi

Amazon Synopsis:

Book 1: Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive. A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption.

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Book 2: It's been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don't take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe's precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both.

Threatened by false friends and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night?

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Book 3: Their love and their leadership have been tested. Now it's time for Perry and Aria to unite the Dwellers and the Outsiders in one last desperate attempt to find the fabled Still Blue and bring balance to their world.

I decided that I should review these as a set, even though they all made me feel very different.  The beginning had a feel similar to the feel of The 100 tv series(which was very loosely based on a book as well).

To start off I'd like to talk about the things I enjoyed about this series.  It has a very dystopian feel to it, similar and yet different, to series like The Hunger Games and Divergent.  I've been pretty partial to the concept of Dystopian since I first read The Hunger Games, about a year before its movie release.  Similarly enough one of the lead characters is a girl named Aria.  I enjoy book series that contain female leads.  It's a sort of delicious strength I like to surround myself in.  More and more these days stories are arising where female characters are our leads.  I think it's a positive message that females are just as important as their male counterparts. 

Under the Never Sky had me intrigued from the very beginning.  It had been a while since I found a novel that enticed me to read again. My rediscovery of books was rekindled with this book. New, and yet similar concepts to other dystopian novels captured me. I wanted to see what would happen further along.  It didn't take me too long to finish this. It's been a little while and I can't remember, but I think I might have gotten this as a free kindle book.

Having been taking on extra hours at work and with the looming pandemic arising, it took me a while to read this, even though I wanted  to.  I spent only a few moments every night, perhaps a chapter or two at a time, reading before bed.  It was very hard to put down and go to bed.  As soon as book 1 was completed I was hooked and I found myself buying Through the Ever Night on my kindle curious to follow Peregrine and Aria into their newfound relationship.  Even the ending of this novel had me intrigued to see what was going to happen into book 3.  I desired to know what The Still Blue had in store.

Into the Still Blue started out pretty slow.  I felt as if the first two novels were far more interesting and fast paced than this.  Some of the more exciting scenes in this novel are spread out and far too few in my opinion.  With Under the Never Sky and Through the Ever Night I felt butterflies and excitement coursing through my veins, this book however, left me tired and bored. The ending didn't make me feel happy or excited.  I felt uninterested while reading this and it took me longer to read than the first two books.  I felt like I was expecting something more out of the still blue, description-wise, only to be left parched in the desert.  I expected more description and something fascinating to come out of this new discovered land, but in the end there wasn't much.  For costing about the same as the first two novels combined, I was very sour and disappointed.

There are more books in this series, but this is a trilogy in of itself.  The others are stand alone types.  Maybe one day I will pick those up and read, but for now, it's time to take a break.

As a whole, I give this series 3 out of 5 pinwheels.  Id have given it more, but book three just ruined the allure of the trilogy for me. 

Shame to those who think evil of this.

Kindle Free Books 1-21-20

Alright, thought I'd get back to you guys and share some more free books in case the last lot wasn't something you were interested in.  Hope this selection better fits your needs.  Free books don't always last, so keep a look out to make sure it's still for free!

Outlasting After (Book 1)

Author: LK Magill

Amazon Synopsis: There were no women left. He was sure of it. After the war, Cole Tanner was pretty damn certain they were all dead.

Hell, he and his strike team hadn't seen one in years.

But then there she was. A woman. All alone, standing in the middle of the road. His road.

She looked so haunting. So hungry and dirty, and well... vulnerable. He was going to help her, really he was. And for a split second, he wondered just how she'd survived.

Then she leveled the gun at him... and he had his answer. Damsel in distress? Apparently not.

But that didn't change things, not how Cole saw it. No, she still needed him, and his team. Same as they needed her. And Cole was nothing if not good at convincing people to follow him. Or at least, he used to be.

So he'd try his hand one more time, and hope like hell she didn't pull that trigger.

If this title tickles your fancy, you can get a copy here.

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Steamborn (Book 1)

Author: Eric R. Asher

Amazon Synopsis: A supernatural swarm. A treacherous scheme. A tinker’s apprentice may be the village’s only hope…

Jacob has yet to meet a gadget he couldn’t fix or an adventure he could resist. With trade routes to his remote Lowlands town cut off, Jacob must exchange his boyhood adventures for petty theft. After all, his wages at the tinker shop aren’t enough to pay for his father’s medicine.

But it soon becomes clear why few merchants brave the nearby roads as a plague of terrifying creatures descends upon the town. With the Lowlands under siege, Jacob and his friend have no choice but to run for their lives. When their escape uncovers a terrible secret, Jacob learns there are those who’ll stop at nothing to make sure the teen takes the scandal to his grave…

If it suits you, here is a copy you can get for free.

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The Breakers (1-3) 3 books all for free!

Author: Edward W. Robertson

Amazon Synopsis: 

BREAKERS (Book 1)

In New York, Walt Lawson is about to lose his girlfriend Vanessa. In Los Angeles, Raymond and Mia James are about to lose their house. Within days, none of it will matter. A plague tears across the world, reducing New York to an open grave and LA to a chaotic wilderness of violence and fires. Civilization comes to an abrupt stop.

Just as the survivors begin to adapt to the aftermath, Walt learns the virus that ended humanity wasn't created by humans. It was inflicted from outside. The colonists who sent it are ready to finish the job--and Earth's survivors may be too few and too weak to resist.

MELT DOWN (Book 2)

In upstate Idaho, Ness Hook is run out of his mom's house by his bullying brother Shawn. In Redding, California, Tristan Carter is graduating college, but with no job and no prospects, she'll have to move back in with her parents.

Then the world ends: first with a virus, then with an alien invasion.

Ness and Shawn take to the mountains to fight a guerrilla against the attackers. In California, Tristan and Alden are taken prisoner. Separated from her brother, Tristan crosses the ruins of America to track him down. She will stop at nothing to get Alden back--but her fellow survivors prove even more dangerous than the monsters who broke the world.

KNIFEPOINT (Book 3)

Raina was just a girl when the plague came. She survived. Her parents didn't. Neither did the world. As civilization fell, she took to the ruins of Los Angeles, eating whatever she could catch.

After two years alone, she's found and adopted by a fisherman and his wife. Their makeshift family lives a quiet life--until a man named Karslaw sails in from Catalina Island with an army of conquerors. Driven by visions of empire, he executes Raina's new father as a traitor and takes her mother captive.

But Karslaw's people aren't the only ones vying for control of the ruined land. As violence wracks the city, Raina joins a rebellion against Karslaw's rule. She will stop at nothing to free her mother--and to have her revenge.

Do these books intrigue you? They are for free currently on amazon kindle.

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The Ravagers (1-3) Again, 3 books for free!

Author: Alex Albrinck

Amazon Synopsis: In the distant future, humanity staggers as wave after wave of population decimating catastrophes push humanity near its extinction point.

A gift from the past provides them a way forward, and soon the human race is exploding its numbers, recreating civilization, generating art and commerce, and expanding its technological capabilities. The growing human civilization also bring back the concepts of war; East and West wage an eternal detente, neither side willing to attack, neither willing to announce peace.

In the midst of resounding success, a dark force conspires against humanity: the unleashing of a shockingly deadly, destructive weapon that will leave humanity on the brink of extinction once more.

Five people must deal with the launch of this weapon, work to survive, atone for their role in its creation, and try to discover and thwart the plans of those who launched it. 

Before it's too late. Before everything is gone.

Trilogies for free is one of my favorite things, I hope you enjoy this one!

Christmas Book-a-thon

It's been a very busy year for me.  The fall semester has been over for about a week already and I have yet to do much.  I think I just needed a breather.  This weekend I am doing a little reading catch up for the Christmas Book-a-thon going on this weekend.

Here's what I'm reading:

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull - Fantasy
I got this as a Christmas present from someone I am very close to.  It's one of her favorite series and she wanted me to give it a read, I'm already around 70% completed with it and I've only been reading it for about 2 days off and on. Read the majority of that today.  I will definitely finish this before the weekend.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - Dystopian
I finally got myself this entire trilogy...Well I bought my dad The Hunger Games since I won myself a copy when I went to go see the movie.  I bought myself both Catching Fire and Mockingjay in Hardcover. I just saw Catching Fire on Thanksgiving weekend with a friend and thought it wasn't too bad.  Now I remember why I wanted to read this one.  I just started it so I'm not that far into it yet...maybe about 4% done. Not sure if I will finish it before the weekend is over or not but I definitely plan to finish it before the year is through.  I've been wanting to read it, and since I now have it in hardcover (I actually got it as a gift for myself for getting straight A's for another semester), I will be trying to finish it as soon as possible.

The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo by Stieg Larsson - Whodunit (Mystery)
I'm really not understanding all of the hype around this book. I was expecting something magnificent but I'm struggling just to get through it.  It's not the genre that bothers me, but the way in which it is written.  The story feels dry and flat and more needs to be happening.  The most exciting part of this book is....well I don't want to spoil it for you, but lets just say around the middle portion of the book. I'm about 43% of the way through with it, but I've been reading it for a few months off and on when I've had time.

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman - Witches
I saw the movie for this quite some time ago and had been wanting to read this book ever since.  I started this in October but found myself tapped for time so I didn't get to finish it before Halloween.  It's very different from the movie, and I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing.  Still, it's been sitting on my shelf since about the beginning of the year when I finally found a copy. I eventually aim to complete it.  I am about 42% done with this.  As you can see I jump around a lot and get halfway through books and then haven't really had the time to finish them. Let this be the weekend.

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

Date Finished: July 12, 2012

Genre: Science Fiction / Fantasy / Historical Fiction / Dystopian

A man invents a time machine and travels into the future to a world where humanity has lost its intellect and split into two groups: morlocks who live underground and eloi who live above ground.

Back Cover:

The Time Machine conveys the Time Traveller into the distant future and an extraordinary world. There, stranded on a slowly dying Earth, he discovers two bizarre races: the effete Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks—a haunting portrayal of Darwin’s evolutionary theory carried to a terrible conclusion.

Let me start by saying, I watched the movie of this first.  I know, I know, worst thing to do ever.  The movie, however, reminded me of my need to read the book that I’d already been wanting to read.  I found my copy at the bookstore, and it’s actually a split copy of The Time Machine and The Invisible Man.  With that being said, I must tell you that if you’ve seen the movie and haven’t read the book, but still want to read the book, you must know not to expect grave similarities. In fact, the only similarity between the book and the movie is that the Morlocks live under ground and eat the Eloi who live above ground.  Other than that there are no similarities, at all. The movie was almost and entirely a rewrite of the entire story.  This of course, isn’t to say that the book wasn’t a good read, nor is it to say that the movie sucked.  I enjoyed both for their own reasons. 

The book was kind of slow going at the beginning, and I didn’t really connect to any of the characters, but for its time this book was well written. Having previously read War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, I wasn’t expecting much from this book; however, this book surprised me by being far better than War of the Worlds. It’s too short though, and I do wish I knew what happens in the end, since it’s kind of left open to your own fantasies of it.  This was one of the better books I’ve read this year.

 Shame on anyone who thinks evil of this.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Genre: Dystopian / Apocalyptic / Romance / Young Adult / Government / Survival

Before you read this review, if you haven't yet, go read my Hunger Games review.  Make sure to read the first book cus it's good.

The capitol is angry about Katniss defying them.  In retaliation they round up previous tribute winners for the 75th Annual Hunger Games. Unknown to Katniss and Peeta, a rebellion is about to break out.  Katniss is known as the Mockingjay...which is a sort of catalyst symbolism.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sparks are igniting, flames are spreading and the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol-- a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before... and surprising readers at every turn.

What did I think of this book?  I thought it started out pretty slow.  It only starts to get better around 66% of the way through.  After that it gets good enough to be worth reading.  The ending caught me off guard, even though I didn't have any expectations.  It definitely makes me want to read the third book.  I know that I will!  I can't wait to see the second movie too, even though it probably wont be as good as the book.  If you liked the first book I suggest giving this one a shot.  Like I said though, it starts out slow but gets better around 66% of the way through.  The beginning is just sort of a set up for what's to come.

Shame on anyone who thinks evil of this.

Errant Intern by Shawn Keenan

Genre: Dystopian/Medieval/Futuristic/Post-apocalyptic/Sci-Fi/Romance

This is a story about...well sometimes I'm unsure what it's about. Sometimes I felt like it was about being controlled, then fighting for freedom, but later I felt like it was all about love...

In this Dystopian, Medieval, Post-apocalyptic story Kip, a lowly intern goes on an adventure that makes him a champion. He helps lead a riot against the governments monsters: the Subjugators. Along the way he makes a few friends, falls in love and saves people, even those who seem completely unworthy of being saved. With his friends, can they defeat the Subjugators and become free in a world that wants them as slaves?

This books hard to get into. The themes really clash in this book, medieval, dystopian, futuristic, science fiction. I just felt like it didn't work. I was confused between Kip and Kian in the beginning, similar names. I also felt like some 'new' terms would have worked better if they would have been explained right from the git go, as an example: Generex. I tend to get bored if I'm not understanding words or terms. I find that it's best if they are right away defined. I'm not a fan of Kip, at all. Things that seem insignificant to the story get explained a lot more than things that seem important. I didn't realize what Generex even meant until almost near the end, it must have been subtly implied. The story is not very elaborate at times; there's a lot more that should be elaborated on, filler as it were, to make it feel more real; the story felt too rushed. Too many things didn't make sense to me as I read. The two main characters, Kip and Abbey constantly explode in each others faces; these are signs of an obvious emotionally abusive relationship. The ending felt inappropriate in my opinion.

So what did I actually like? The character Alabaster Siberius Winters talks a bit about the Generex history, he also has a really cool name so that doesn't hurt. I do like the card swipe idea, but it sounds like everyone can watch everything you're doing and control where you can go, so in a sense that would suck in reality. On the plus side, this book has some good quotes and I like the idea of the retractable weapons, though it felt a bit too much like lightsabers. The subjugators are interesting bad guys, but I'd like more details about them. Overall this book as potential, but I feel like it could be expanded on more thoroughly.

I leave you with some good quotes from the book, and at the bottom, my rating. This is the first book I've rated so low in a while. I was extremely harsh on this novel, but for what I saw as good reasons.

Quotes:
“If you’re looking to make a little money on the side like I do, you might want to apply somewhere else. You’d have to wax your legs to make this dress work on you." (Abbey to Kip)
- Shawn Keenan, Errant Intern

“It sounds like you aren't used to having something so powerful between your legs," Abbey said. "Maybe you should let me drive.” (Abbey to Kip)
- Shawn Keenan, Errant Intern

“You're going to be too busy being at my beck and call to worry about doing any driving.” (Kip to Abbey)
- Shawn Keenan, Errant Intern

“Don't mind her," Kip said to Nicki. "She's just crabby from the long ride." "Yeah, I've been riding with...I mean on...a horse's ass all day," Abbey quipped.
- Shawn Keenan, Errant Intern

Shame on anyone who thinks evil of this.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Genre: Post-apocalyptic/Dystopian/Young Adult

This book is about a crumbling US government that devised a way to control the people with a thing they call The Hunger Games.

Back Cover:
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before--and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.


I was expecting something entirely different than what occurred in this book. That's not to say it wasn't a good book. Reading the back cover had me intrigued. As I read I felt slightly less intrigued, but continued to read knowing that sometimes it takes about 100 pages to get into a book. The more I continued to read the more I found myself feeling for Katniss and all the hardships she must face during The Hunger Games. I felt myself tear up a couple of times. We get to understand Katniss, but I think, she still has a lot to learn. I'm curious to find out what happens in book 2. If you're interested in a corrupt and brutal government, this is the book to read.

Shame on anyone who thinks evil of this.

The Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi

Genre: Sci-fi/Post-apocalyptic/Dystopian

The Windup Girl is set in a Steampunk Thailand. The story starts out with a man called Anderson who owns a factory that's failing in many aspects. Later we meet Emiko, our Windup-girl, who is a genetically engineered Japanese girl, who gets mistreated, but finds a renewed reason to live. Cibiscosis and blister rust go around like a plague making everyone deathly sick and food inedible. The world we come to know in this book is one that's very dark and depressing. Everything is genetically engineered from humans, to animals, to food.


Synopsis from goodreads.com:
What happens when bio-terrorism becomes a tool for corporate profits? And what happens when said bio-terrorism forces humanity to the cusp of post-human evolution? In The Windup Girl, award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi returns to the world of his award-winning "The Calorie Man" and "Yellow Card Man" in order to address these questions.

First let me say, this book was nothing like I expected. I didn't expect it to be so dark. That's not to say I didn't like this book, but I'm sure it's not a favorite of mine. The book takes place in a Steampunk Thailand which was different than anything I've ever known, so kudos to something unique. Sometimes the book is hard to follow, I guess because it has a lot of filler junk. I felt a bit of happiness when Emiko finds her strength. After getting into the book I guess I really had no expectations for the outcome. I did feel though, that it could have used something more...I'd have liked for the story to have a lot more about Emiko, since she's The Windup Girl as the title suggests. I felt like they should have described the diseases better, though I guess they weren't that important to the storyline. I did like that Emiko developed through the story, however, the ending kinda left me empty. Overall it was an okay book, worth a read if you're into something different and strange. This book is definitely a strange one, but with a unique story.

Shame on anyone who thinks evil of this.

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

Genre: Sci-Fi

Where's a better place to start blogging about books, than Ender's Game? There isn't one, that I know of.

Ender's game is a Sci-fi novel about a boy taken by the government and trained in battle. It's the first of a saga of books by Orson Scott Card. It's a futuristic war-space novel. I don't know if any of you have read the Halo series of novels, but you'll notice how similar Halo is to this novel. The first time I read this book I thought the beginning felt slow, but the second time around I felt I understood why it was written as it was. It starts with his home life before they come to take him away. Through all of his training you learn how intelligent Ender is and you may find yourself becoming attached to his character and who he is and can become, at least I did. You get to learn a whole lot about his character, seeing the events he goes through, who he thinks he is versus who he truly is. I really like the character development. He does what needs to get done. He even has some really good supporting characters, like his sister. In the end I feel he truly knows what it is he must do, and maybe understands a little bit more about himself than he did throughout the entire novel.

This book was incredibly intriguing and I have read it more than once. In fact I suggested it for a book group of mine, and we read it together, well...those of us who opted to give it a chance instead of opting out. It's not usually a book that females might find themselves wanting to read and even if it doesn't sound like your thing you should definitely give it a shot. I think anyone whose interested in sci-fi novels should pick this one up if they have yet to read it.

Back cover:
"Intense is the word for Ender's Game. Aliens have attacked earth twice and almost destroyed the human species. To make sure humans win the next encounter, the world government has taken to breeding military geniuses--and then training them in the arts of war....The early training, not surprisingly, takes the form of 'games.'...Ender Wiggin is a genius among geniuses; he wins all the games...He is smart enough to know that time is running out. But is he smart enough to save the planet?"

I think this book is freaking amazing. The plot is great, the story carries well, the characters are intense, and the outcome is stupendous. If you don't read this book, you are seriously missing out. It's a must read in my books.

Shame on anyone who thinks evil of this.