We Were Liars

                Welcome back to another review.  Today we have We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.  I bought this book because I was hearing about this book everywhere.  It was on a ton of lists and booktube, everywhere I look at book news it was there.  So clearly I wanted to be in the know.  I figured it was a stand-alone I could read and be caught up with everyone.  It’s a short book and I read it in an afternoon.

                The basic story is that of a distinguished family who owns a private island.  It centers on a group of friends, known as the Liars, and their friendship full of lies and secrets and eventually the truth.  This is going to be a very short review because you can’t say much without giving it away and it’s best feature is it’s quick suspense.

               

                Following the Liars, Cadence, Johnny, Mirren, and Gat around the island and seeing into the lives of the private island owning.  The style of writing was different from what I was used to but I easily fell into the rhythm.  Our narrator, Cadence, talks about the importance of the Liars and their connection as a group during their time, when they are all there, how close they are but sometimes it didn’t come across.  And I would have liked a bit more development on some of the Liars as a whole but given how short it is I can easily forgive that.

                Overall I give it 4 stars.  It was an interesting story and it kept me reading until the surprising end.  It’s a story you don’t necessarily see coming.  Following rich families around and how they interact and how it affects the children.  I do feel this book was a bit overhyped.  Again I enjoyed it and don’t regret reading it by any means, 4 stars remember, but I think the level of hype I heard for it had me expecting something a bit…more.  I do recommend this as a short read but I warn that you ignore the hype and just go in expecting a semi-dark and suspenseful story and go from there. 

                Also side note I have to point out on the description of the book it says:

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

                Okay that I do love.  Because first, don’t spoil the book for people.  And it fits with the story itself, with the Liars.  Anywho that is it for today’s review.  I should have another one up in the next day or two.  I’m trying to post regularly again, look for my review of the Legend series Monday.  

The Morph Action packed adult fantasy

                Hello fellow book lovers!  I have been totally obsessed with reading a couple of series and haven’t been doing much reviewing.  So I’m taking today off from reading, or at least until I can write a few reviews and catch up.  Today I want to talk about The Morph by J.C. Andrijeski.  If you are a regular reader then the name probably sounds familiar, I first heard of her books at the start of 2014 and have read the vast majority of her books and enjoyed them immensely.  Now I will go ahead and warn these are not YA books and deal with more adult themes and such.  The Morph was provided to be through NetGalley for an honest review.

                As I mentioned I am already a fan of the author, and am currently reading two other series by J.C. Andrijeski, Allie’sWar and The Slave Girl Chronicles.  So I was more than ready to start another one while I wait for more in those.  The Morph is book 1 in The Gate Shifters series and currently has two books out.  Yeah I found out about book 2 Crash Morph from the author herself when I mentioned how much I loved The Morph on her blog page.  Turns out it isn’t listed in the series on Goodreads (at this time, I have contacted them to see about adding it), but I found it and am currently reading it.  Like the rest of her books, The Morph has a TON going on.  There is constant actions, suspense, world building and exploring, strong characters with a slew of personal issues, devious plotting, and oh yeah some serious sexual tension.  A brief summary:

                Dakota Reyes, a twenty-something private eye who specializes in what she calls ‘hard-to-prosecute’ cases, finds herself in a dark alley one night, about to end up dead at the hands of a young Ted Bundy in training…that is, until a lost, shape-shifting alien named Nihkil rescues her, and inadvertently takes her home with him.  The problem is, his home is in a different dimension, and Dakota has no clue how to get back to Seattle, or Earth, or even her own time period.  She finds herself bound to her rescuer, Nihkil, through his ‘lock,’ a quasi-biological structure that controls whether he can shape-shift, among other things, which he needs to be able to do in order to get her back home.  Only Dakota has no idea how to open Nik’s lock, and the longer she spends in his world, the more forces begin to align against them, trying to prevent her from getting home.

                Our main character, Dakota, is a strong and independent female.  She has a less than safe or normal day, or should I say night, job and she is a fighter.  She goes for what she wants and she is willing to fight with every ounce of herself for it.  Dakota is not the type to go down without a fight, that’s for sure.  She ends up in a new world where everything is flipped on its head.  She’s lost and confused and unsure who to trust and most importantly she just wants to survive and go home.  She may be strong and independent but she is also flawed; somewhat proud and not the best at communicating feelings.  One of my favorite things about her though is her ability to roll with the punches.  She knows things need to be explained and she knows she isn’t getting it sometimes but she makes the most of what she has and goes with it until she can find a moment to get more information.  Oh and her connection with Nihkil.

                Oh Nihkil.  I like him because he is VERY flawed.  I wasn’t 100% sure if I liked him or not through part of the book.  He seems like a good guy but it wavers for a bit and I liked the uncertainty, really you have to make up your mind for yourself if you trust him or you don’t.  That is made harder because he’s not very forthcoming.  He’s pretty secretive and much like his counterpart, Dakota, is not getting a gold star for his communication skills.  Though I admit I gave him a bit more slack in this because well he’s not human so I cut a morph some slack.  Nihkil is a very complex character and he has some serious issues, many of with leave him unsure of his role in life and unsure of himself. And the tension between them is very solidly there but it doesn’t overpower the rest of the story.

A perfect reason to add pretty pictures like this!

                 And remember the little part about a new world, a new dimension.  There is a lot of world building and learning of the new world and adapting to the cultural differences and views.  Some things remain the same but the majority of things are different.  We see new creatures and places.  Hello aliens are real.  There is a total structure change for the government/society.  Morphs, they are treated like slaves or pets.  It’s a very harsh and brutal world, but even in the vicious world there are still spots of beauty and The Morph finds a good balance with that and not bogging you down with too much world that you lose the story.  Things are always in a state of constant motion in one way or another, from internal struggles to knock down drag out action, or the political games, and war.  Things are never boring that’s for sure. 

                I’m currently enjoying the second book.  If you like high action, complex characters with issues, fantasy, and adult themes then I highly recommend checking out this book.  I give it 5 Stars!

                

Fire and Ice My thoughts on Rivulet by Jamie Magee

Happy New Year readers!

                With the new year I have a new reading challenge (100 books), a new work schedule which is currently kicking my tale, and of course some resolutions.  One of mine is to work on my blog more and post reviews more frequently and other fun things.  Any ideas on this please feel free to e-mail or comment, I’m always looking for ways to improve.

                Rivulet by Jamie Magee, todays review, was provided to me through none other than NetGalley, of course, and Alvasia Publishing.  Now when I saw this book the cover caught my eye.  The first thing I did was check if it was in a series and if it was book one.  I’ve requested books realizing after getting them they are like book three or four which does me no good until I’m caught up.  Here is the semi-confusing part, Rivulet is book one in the self-titled series but also book 11 in the Web of Heart and Souls series which from what I’ve gathered on Goodreads has several series in it.  I didn’t learn this until after reading and it didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the book one bit.  It just added ten other books to my TBR is all.  The start of the book did state all the books saying:  All series mingle at some point creating a “web of hearts and souls.”  So read it as part of the whole or like me as the start of a new series that may mingle with others.  Either way you will be fine!  Promise.

                Indie, our main character, is dealing with a lot.  She has this curse; this cold that she can’t get rid of.  It pushes people away from her and keeps her somewhat captive and isolated from all but a select few.  Still she cherishes the visions, particularly those of a special guy that held her in a lost time, one she can never reach.  She would give anything for that life.  She has all of this to deal with while fighting over her inheritance from her evil Aunt who tries to take advantage of her grief.  Her parents where unfathomably rich and had fostered several generations over the years. 

                Then one night she wakes from a nightmare, just like the one she had before she lost her parents, and knows something horrible is going to happen.  Everything changes then.  Oh and the one thing that keeps her curse semi-under control is taken back as her special guy, Sebastian, the one she is in love with from the visions, walks into her life in the flesh.  Indie soon realizes that she has her work cut out for her and she may have to risk everything she was, is, and could be to do what she knows is right.  Because she will do everything in her power to prove that no myth, spoken fate, or curse, is able to keep her from having it all.

In life he haunted her…in death she haunted him.

Love is eternal…

                I was intrigued through the whole story and read it in about three days and have already bought the first could of books in the overall Web series and look forward to starting them.  Clearly I enjoyed the book or I wouldn’t bother right?  I found Indie and her dilemma interesting.  Sure there were times when I didn’t agree with her or her actions but she is impulsive and I respect that.  Sometimes impulsive people do stupid things, I speak from experience.  Besides you can’t help but feel for her with everything going on.  You cheer and cry for her.  Her close network of friends and the way they interact felt natural (minus the supernatural curse part of course haha).  Falling into things that are expected then realizing it wasn’t meant to be but not losing anything.

                Then you have Sebastian.  Oh yummy.  First we fall for him like Indie in her visions.  Then when he appears in the flesh there is definite chemistry and sparks.  They don’t see eye to eye with lots of things in the way, but one thing is clear they have something real, something more than a vision.  Sure he is a bit pig headed but he’s a guy and like so many of our beloved book boyfriends he has some brooding to do and that only adds to his appeal. 

                As mentioned the story is pretty fast paced.  There is a LOT happening.  I give this book a solid 5 Stars.  I look forward to reading more books in the Rivulet series as well as catching up on the other books by Jamie Magee and seeing what connection Rivulet plays in the overall Web of Hearts and Souls series overall.