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 Boleyn Inheritance - Philippa Gregory

Genre: Historical Fiction

The Boleyn Inheritance is a novel that takes place in the era of King Henry and switches between the perspectives of Jane Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, and Katherine. It's a novel of characters plotting, and trying to save their own hides from the Kings changeable opinions of them. Henry, the king is a stink of an old man who changes his mind so frequently nobody knows if they will live or if they will die at his command. Everyone seems to be after the same thing, fortune and status.

Jane is willing to take the kings side against anyone's trials, if it'll save her from the kings hatred, she's simply only looking out for herself. If you've read or watched the movie The Other Boleyn Girl you would know that she's given away her own love to death.

Anne of Cleves was once nearly queen, but problems arise and she fears she may be beheaded by the king who decides she fairs better as a sister than as a queen.

Katherine is a young harlot who uses her own sexuality to get into the kings chambers, simply for fortune of dresses and fancy jewels.

Inside the back cover:
"The Boleyn Inheritance is a novel drawn tight as a lute string about a court ruled by the gallows and three women whose positions brought them wealth, admiration, and power as well as deceit, betrayal, and terror. Once again, Philippa Gregory has brought a vanished world to life--the whisper of a silk skirt on a stone stair, the yellow glow of candlelight illuminating a hastily written note, the murmurs of the crowd gathering on Tower Green below the newly built scaffold. In The Boleyn Inheritance Gregory is at her intelligent and page-turning best."

To be quite honest, it was hard to get through it. I'm glad I finished it though. It's not poorly written by any means, but the characters just seem so...flat. I don't know how better to explain that. However, I don't feel by any means that Philippa Gregory is a poor writer. I just felt that the characters needed something to set them off. I think the only character you see any real development from is Jane Boleyn. I loathed most of the characters in this book, apart from Jane. It's a book full of evil and deceit. If you're into books about plotting and deceit this may very well be the book for you. However, for me, I can't ever see myself picking this book up for a second read. Worth at least the first read anyways. Could have been worse, could have been better.

Shame on anyone who thinks evil of this.