"Sanctuary" by Caryn Lix

    Being a security guard for a prison in space that holds Earth’s most dangerous superpowered teenagers runs in the family and Kenzie is finally able to prove her worth after spending her whole life in training. When Kenzie gets caught up in an actual jailbreak, though, she’s on her own because, you know, protocol says no negotiating with prisoners even if they have your daughter. It soon becomes clear that something beyond protocol is threatening the lives of everyone on board Sanctuary and it's up to the teenagers to save the day. Will they save each other and the world?

    I liked this book a lot and sped through most of it. There was a build up in the beginning, that showed normalcy is being crushed, that everything Kenzie believes in is going to change. The transition feels real because she kept going back and forth between Omnistellar Concepts protocol and surviving.

    The action and mystery get phased in. You only get a snapshot of a character’s life before the plot of the book, which really brings you in to how much the characters’ lives have changed, how much they rely on routine. Kenzie’s parents are extremely loyal to Omnistellar Concepts, the corporation that gives them citizenship and they have ingrained those loyalties in Kenzie as well. They stick to Omnistellar’s protocols and rules to keep them all safe because other people have it worse. They want to show how grateful they are to have a life where they are provided for. Even though Omnistellar authorities have a feeling something is going to happen soon because an anniversary is coming up, they are unable to protect their citizens or their prisoners.

    In true monster story fashion, we don’t know what’s going on until the main character is right in the thick of things. Someone manages to get away from the initial attack and is able to vaguely give the characters a glimpse of what they’re dealing with. They then slowly piece together what’s going on, well, they have a guess with the information they are able to gather. Just because it’s a classic plot doesn’t mean its any less disturbing or intriguing. I was drawn in once Kenzie entered the prison. The AI runs things, not necessarily the human security guards, so its like venturing into the great unknown. It’s not the setting that draws you in, it's the characters because you don’t know what they are capable of, you don’t know what they’re up to while the security guards are in the command center. The AI takes care of it, which is concerning because if there’s anything we’ve learned from science fiction and a few dystopian novels, its that AIs can go bad, even with the best intentions and programming. Don’t you worry, though, the AI isn’t the big problem in this one!

"The Boneless Mercies" by April Genevieve Tucholke

    Boneless Mercies have managed to stay in business throughout constant changes to the world around them. They travel in groups across Vorseland, being paid very little to end the lives of those who suffer from illness or old age, the sight of their signature raven cloaks enough to turn most away. Frey, Ovie, Runa, and Juniper are one such group of Boneless Mercies and they travel with a former healer named Trigve. They all want to live different lives outside of the death trade. As they’re traveling between jobs, the group hears that a beast has been ravaging a jarldom in northern Vorseland. Will this group of Boneless Mercies bring an end to one jarldom’s suffering? If they go up against this beast, they will have a challenging journey ahead of them with danger lurking in the depths of the Red Willow Marsh and the forests of Blue Vee.

    Overall, I enjoyed this story! It was imaginative and makes me envision a world similar to the Vikings, at least in the general knowledge of them that I have because of the clothes, hair, weapons, and warrior mentality that most characters in this story have. I was not a big fan of the point of view this story was written in even though I understand that it adds to what Frey wanted out of her life, being known for something worthy of a saga, one known by all of Vorseland.

    The pace of the story was also a little slow for me. In hindsight, I see that there has to be a build up of events that lead to them leaving the Mercy trade. They even explore each of the options that they have. We end up being able to hear the stories of how each Mercy ended up becoming a part of the death trade, which is very interesting.

    I like that there was not any definitive romance until the end because it makes the story unique and adds to the chosen point of view. Frey has a possible romantic relationship with Jarl Roth but goes with her close friend Trigve while he attends healer school. Ovie, Runa, Juniper, and Trigve get close to people the group encounters throughout the story but they do not seem to amount to anything serious. It is a relatable situation, though, because it’s confusing and blurry when you’re a part of the situation.

    This group’s journey as Boneless Mercies is unique and pretty dark, to say the least, but they embark on a journey to make their line of work famous. Will you tag along?

Zombies and Fighting Galore -- "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

     
Jane McKeene was born just days after the dead started walking again and brought an end to the Civil War. Under a law enacted years later, children with colored skin are sent to combat schools where they are taught how to put down the dead (affectionately called shamblers) for good. Girls like Jane can get a job protecting wealthy white women as Attendants, which will hopefully lead to a better life. In Baltimore, where Jane attends Miss Preston’s School of Combat, politicians have started voicing their desire to restore America’s pre-shambler glory but Jane doesn’t want to hear any of it when she’s so close to going back home to Kentucky. Before she can return home, though, Jane finds herself entangled in a conspiracy concerning the disappearance of families in the Baltimore area.

    I found that the elements of this story that were rooted in history were very heartbreaking but also important to tell. I liked the inclusion of a Native American character who attended a combat school and worked for a rich, white politician like Katherine wanted to do after graduating from Miss Preston’s School of Combat. He followed the path that society intended him to, but we don’t know where he ends up. We do know that he identifies with Jane, Katherine, and Jackson (the main characters) through their shared mistreatment.

    The zombies in this book were definitely different and I kind of liked it, even though I haven’t read very many books that involve zombies. No one is looking into the reason why the dead are coming back to life, they are just fighting and trying to come up with a vaccine to seemingly no avail. African and Native Americans are the only ones physically fighting the shamblers.

    I like the letter Ireland wrote for the beginning of the story because I think that it brings a lot of emotional weight/ urgency to the story, specifically how everyone is treated. She also includes an author’s note that reiterated the historical and societal significance of this story even though it’s in the background.

    Overall, this book is amazing and showed how people were affected by America’s past. I can’t wait for you all to experience the heart wrenching story of Dread Nation by Justina Ireland when it comes out in April 2018!

What's Out There in Space?--"Honor Among Thieves" by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre

 
   Zara Cole is your average, prodigal criminal teenager living in the Lower Eight district of New Detroit except, she gets recruited for the Honors program where she will explore the universe on the Tour aboard an alien spaceship race called the Leviathan. Zara, her partner Beatriz, and Nadim, the Leviathan they are aboard, soon realize that space is a lot more dangerous than any of them ever thought. Will they be able to survive the Tour?

    It took me awhile to get into this book. I had some expectations as to what kind of story this was going to be because I read that fans of stories such as Illuminae and the 100 would like it. I love Illuminae (and it’s sequel Gemina) so I was really excited to start reading. Now that I think about it, Illuminae and Honor Among Thieves have similar reading paces because it was hard for me to get into Illuminae as well and I could stop reading at any point, so I wasn’t completely sucked into the story. Don’t get me wrong, this book was amazing, it just doesn’t have as much of an urgent pace as books I have read recently, which I would consider a good thing.

The pace is one of the things that made this book enjoyable for me to read. It was pleasant and did keep my interest once I got into the story! I found it interesting that the scenes with Leviathans in them had the most detail, I could see what they look like vividly. This is interesting because it reflects how complicated the Leviathan are, they look like spaceships but they are also living things that think and have feelings. I really enjoy reading all of the little details, especially of the settings so it caught my attention. I could visualize the settings and I could connect with the whole book this way.

Even though the future society that Aguirre and Caine created is unique, I didn’t feel intrigued to read about it. I think that Zara’s narration makes the city bland and turns off my interest. There are aspects that I want to know more about, but because Zara doesn’t care, we won’t get more information. She is closed off to the world and to herself as well, which makes her narration very restricted but I want to know more. I’m sure that we will get more answers as Zara and everyone else does, but as someone who loves getting the itty bitty details I want to know more about this future America.

Despite my hunger for the little things, I really liked this book, especially the imagery. I can’t wait for others to read it when it comes out in February 2018!

A Magical Story- "The Queen's Rising" by Rebecca Ross

Brienna has had a hard time figuring out what her passion is at Magnalia House since her grandfather dropped her off, but she decides to master knowledge with only three years left. As her seventeenth summer solstice gets closer, so does her need to have everything go according to plan. This plan includes only two things: actually mastering her passion and finding a patron, which is easier said than done. Let’s just say that the summer solstice doesn’t go well. A month later, Brienna gets an offer of patronage from a mysterious lord with a huge secret. This secret leads Brienna to the center of a dangerous plot to overthrow a ruthless, bloodthirsty king and maybe even figure out who her family is along the way.

This book is filled with mysteries and secrets galore! I like that you don’t realize you know something until you know it! You aren’t given family trees and character lists because it’s hard to keep track of all of the information. The reason is far more pleasing to figure out on your own and I feel like you would appreciate the amount of creativity that went into creating this world and these characters more if you make connections as you read as opposed to you getting a heads up from reading this review. If I try to explain this book, this post will be far too long and I feel like reading the book would take less time than me trying to do so in my own words.

This story is so intricate and everything is well-connected. Every little detail is important, you can’t afford to skip even when you just want to know what happens next! Ross forces you to pay attention to everything by giving all of her words a kind of magic that draws your attention. In your rush to find out what happens next, you aren’t going to skip to the dialogue like in a lot of other books, you’re just going to want to read faster. You’ll want to skip to the good parts, but the whole book is one big good part. The only thing that changes is the pace, the level of intensity. While you’re reading this book, you will undoubtedly find yourself up passed midnight because all you’ll want to do is find out what happens next!

I can’t wait for you all to fall under the spell of The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross, which will be on bookstore shelves in February 2018!

Time is Literally Money- "Everless" by Sara Holland

In a world where blood is time and time is currency, Jules and her father have started to run low on funds ten years after being chased out of the glamorous castle of Everless and its cushioned lifestyle. In order to get more time, Jules returns to Everless to work where others’ time is given out generously. While working in Everless, Jules begins to delve into secrets of her childhood that her father never wanted her to know about. These secrets will drag her into a past she doesn’t understand (her own) and an insidious plan for time itself.

I raced through this book. It was fast paced and before I knew it, I was three quarters of the way done with it! Even though this book went by quickly, I was able to stop for a few minutes to inquire what would happen next. I like that I was able to do that because it allowed me to stay connected to the story despite how fast I was reading.

I enjoyed that there was a contrast between the different sides of time being currency: how common people truly are drained while the Gerling family and the elite class, including the Queen, are only benefitting. In scenes that take place in villages, all you see is the taking of blood, while in Everless, everyone consumes time. During the scenes in Everless where blood is being taken, you rarely see it because the guards just drag them away. It’s scary because we never find out what happens to those characters. There are other reasons, but that would involve me revealing spoilers that I think would ruin the level of cruelty that Everless hides within its walls.

Another element that I liked was that romance wasn’t a big part of this story, it takes a bit of a backseat in this one. It’s a bit of a surprise and just pops up here and there. This leaves room for the complexity of time. The role time plays in this book is really intricate, like the work of a master seamstress.

I would definitely suggest that you guys read Everless by Sara Holland when it comes out in January 2018! It is a great story that is based in a completely new world with a whole new kind of darkness that just sneaks up on you.

And Then There Was The End- "And Then There Were Four" by Nancy Werlin

Antoine Dubois, Saralinda de la Flor, Evangeline Song, Martha McKenyon, and Caleb Colchester Jr have been brought together but they do not understand why until the roof collapses on them. This is just the start of the mysteries in their journey to figure out why this is happening, but can they do it before time runs out for all of them?

And Then There Were Four by Nancy Werlin was intense and I just had to keep on reading. There did not seem to be any down time, it was just constant motion and I was constantly wondering what would happen next! I know that I have already read a mystery book, but this one seemed different because I just got Agatha Christie vibes from the title.

This story is told through Caleb and Saralinda’s point of view for reasons that you will understand when you finish reading the book (no spoilers here). Saralinda’s chapters were a little hard to read because it’s written in the way she thinks, but Caleb’s chapters are written like he’s outside of  himself. Even though these points of view are completely different, a couple of times I would find myself being confused about whose point of view I was reading. That may have been because of how fast I was reading, though. I was laughing and gasping out loud and just smiling more than a couple of times while reading this book. The characters were lovable because of their flaws, which are pretty personal and made their connections with each other more intimate, along with our connection to them, especially Saralinda and Caleb. It was so enjoyable to read, though it was creepy at times, but that’s a trademark of a mystery book isn’t it?

Another thing that I liked was Caleb’s character growth throughout the book because you really see it in his chapters but it continues in Saralinda’s chapters as well. He was so inside his head because of his flaw, but then he really connected with Antoine, Saralinda, Kenyon, and Evangeline. It warmed my heart to see how he was growing and how he would sometimes slip up about the way he has been forcing himself to think. I was catching so many different feels while reading this book, but that made it so engaging and almost impossible to put down! Even when you do put this book down (because you’ll have to at some point because homework and life), you will be thinking ahead and trying to guess what happens next!