~The Geneva Project: Lies by Christina Benjamin~

                Happy Friday readers!  Today I'd like to take a moment to announce the winner of the last giveaway: Bogdana.  Congratulations!  Next I'd like to share my thoughts and feels on The Geneva Project:  Lies by Christina Benjamin the third book in the series.  Also I should note this is not the last book in the trilogy as I initially thought, right up until the end that left me in shock as I had it in my head this was only a trilogy.  Probably that there are so many series that are in the form of trilogies.  Anyhow not the end.  There will be spoilers for the first two books in the series I've already reviewed, Truth and Secrets, and an interview I did with one of my favorite characters, Sparrow here.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

                Lies takes place just where we left off and it is true to the title.  There are an abundance of lies being told throughout the story.  Geneva and our gang try to sneak back into the orphanage to try and locate the other two pillars but things don’t go as planned.  They are caught as soon as they step inside and treated to a non to pleasant welcome.  The orphanage is no an Academy for all students orphans and Luxors to attend and learn funded by the new headmaster, Malakai aka also secret leader of the Ravinori, things are not as they remember.  The place is now clean and full of the finer things in life but the dangers inside are more real than ever. 

                We get to meet new characters and connect with old ones as well.  Loyalties are tested and new bonds are forged.  New mysteries are revealed and new schemes are put in place.  There is a constant black out of information as everyone is lying left and right for one reason or another be it justified or not.  The two biggest players in the lying game are Geneva and Jemma, though more Jemma since they all start with her.  The lies start to pile up quickly.  I did get a bit frustrated with them and how she was allowing herself to keep them when every instinct told her to be honest.  I think mostly because of Jemma, I don’t care any reasons why she should be given a chance or a benefit of the doubt since book one she has been nothing but a total bitch.  She has undermined the group and the mission at every turn with any way to put herself ahead.  She is selfish and I wouldn’t have taken her on the mission to begin with.  Jemma is a real piece of work and my opinion of her only plummets from in Lies.

                Geneva is stuck in a hard spot.  I didn’t understand this as much because of my personality, I’d rather watch the world burn than give someone the satisfaction of hurting me when I could flip things on them by telling the truth consequences be damned.  I’m a bit stubborn in that way.  Still I could see how Geneva struggled with it.   I also liked getting to know Kia even though I hated that as she got to know him, for the cause, it was hurting Nova.  Nova I still adore him and his hot temper.  It’s hard to get to know people and get them on your side when you have to be careful who you tell the truth too.  Plus all the tricks and trials they face all designed to confirm what the baddies already know and figure out a way to use her further. 

                I really liked this story and I look forward to learning what happens next even more since I was shocked with the ending.  I was convinced somehow that this was a trilogy and I was getting anxious as the pages dwindled and we were getting more and more into something and trying to figure out how it could be resolved in so few pages but then I find it isn’t over and many things are not resolved.  I NEED answers and I’m intrigued to see where things go from here.  As for why this book went down just a touch in rating for me is just a personal pet peeve of mine.  When lies play a big part of the story (hence the title) there is only so many times you can promise no more lies and follow it up with a lie before I hold it against you.  No matter the reason after you swear it you don’t break it, definitely not more than once.  Plus I wanted a certain someone to get maimed the whole story and I got no karma or retribution there, but I hope it will come in the next book.  Still I highly enjoyed the book and look forward to continuing on in the series. 

                Feed my happy feels and tell me your thoughts below.  What would make you tell a lie to those you love?  How many chances would you give someone who has wrong you time and time again?  I’d love to know. 

                Until next time…

The Geneva Project: Lies Blog Tour ~ Character Interview with Sparrow

                Hello everyone.  So as you may know some amazing books came out yesterday, just a couple are Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas, Firewalker by Josephine Angelini, and of course Lies by Christina Benjamin.  Today I'm going to talk about Lies.  I'm super excited to be a part of this.  I've reviewed the first two books in The Geneva Project, Truth and Secrets the past few weeks.  This was all to get ready for the release of the third book, Lies.  For this we wanted to do something special and I got to host my very first character interview.  I spoke with Sparrow from the series and I just adored her in the first two books and I'm loving Lies so far.  She had some interesting insight to share about herself and her friends so read on and enjoy.  

Interview with Sparrow:

Hi Sparrow!

I know you're rather busy helping Eva save your world and staying alive and all so thank you for taking the time to answer some questions and let us get to know you better.

 World saving aside, if you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do? Oh great question! I think I’d want to go cliff diving from the cliffs on Lux. I read about it once and it sounds so fun! It must be so freeing to feel like you’re flying before you dive into the cool clear water. Then, I’d want to spend the rest of the day sunning and hanging out with my friends. And maybe play a game of tag in the forest at night with our nifty magic powers.

What is the happiest moment you can think of from your life thus far? Saving Journey when I met him on the beach after the Flood. He’s never let me feel alone.

Awe that's so sweet.  We all have fears, what are you most afraid of? Failure. Not being strong enough when the time comes. I’ve always felt that my healing magic was a gift that would require great sacrifice someday.

To lighten things up, what is your go to when you're feeling down?  What always cheers you up? Singing! I love to sing. That was always my favorite part about getting ready for the new year gala at the Troian Center

Fun time!  Describe your dream guy?  (blushing) Someone kind, sensitive, good with animals. Maybe even someone who’s not completely sure how incredible he is. That kind of modesty is so adorable. I’m sucker for brown eyes too.

That does sound familiar ;) You and Eva seem to have become fast friends.  What do you like most about Eva?  Least? Yes! I’m so glad that Eva and I found each other. We bonded right away. I just felt an instant connection to her, ya know?. Like most, she’s so easy to talk to and even though she’s probably the most important person on our island, she’s still modest and always makes time for me. Like least, her self doubt. She has no idea how we all look up to her and that can blind her at times.  I try to remind her of her self-worth whenever I can.

As they are sisters and we wouldn't want her to feel left out, what do you like most about Jemma?  Least? Oh, Jemma. That’s tough because I try to never speak poorly of others, but Jemma makes it hard to find any redeeming qualities about herself. Most, I guess it would have to be her bravado. That girl commands attention. Least, the way she manipulates others just to be cruel. I especially despise the way she’s been trying to get between Nova and Geneva. Everyone knows they’re meant for each other.

I agree with you there.  Not very sisterly.  How did you ever convince anyone you and Journey are brother and sister?  Has anyone ever questioned it? (giggles) That’s a good question. You’d have to ask him that one. Journey’s a man of few words, but was he does say gets treated like law. I think it’s because he’s so stubborn that the Grifts just gave up and let us stay together. None of the other orphans really believe it’s true, but we all have our own strange secrets at the Troian Center, so no one really asks too many questions.

This is true.  I bet the looks on peoples faces when you said you're brother and sister are just great.  Now getting back to you, what do you think your friends would say are your best and worst qualities? Best – I’m always optimistic and try to help my friends see the bright side in our sometimes bleak situations. Worst – Sometimes I freeze under pressure. I think it’s my fear of failure.

You have some pretty nifty powers for yourself.  If you could have any additional powers would you take more and which would you prefer? Yes! Powers are so cool! I would surprisingly want Journey’s powers. Probably because I’ve known him the longest and he’s spent years driving me crazy with the way he can see and hear some much better than I can. Plus it would be nice to be as ridiculously strong as he is, too.

What's the most important thing in your life?  What do you value most? Family and friendship. I guess it’s because I don’t have a traditional family thanks to the Flood, so my friends have become my family. They’re everything to me.

What is the best thing you've learned since going into the forest? That I’m not alone! It’s given me hope that there may be others like me out there still. Maybe even long lost family. That hope has given me a strength that I didn’t know I had.

Of your special group, who do you mesh with best? Geneva. She’s what I always imagined having a sister is like. We can trade secrets and talk boys and we always have each other’s backs.

You seem to be encouraging everyone to talk to one another and get things out in the open, I'm with you there by the way, so you must have some thoughts on the romantic drama.  Briefly tell me your thoughts on the Nova/Eva/Remi/Jemma drama.  Do you think they can work it out and not make the same mistakes of the past.  I sure hope so. To me, it’s plain to see that Nova and Geneva are soul mates. I don’t know how they sometimes can’t see it themselves. I guess we all have those little insecurities and doubts and Jemma’s specialty is exploiting them. I swear if she wasn’t around Geneva and Nova would already be couple of the year at the Troian Academy. I mean I’ve never seen a boy look at a girl the way Nova looks at Geneva. I’d give anything for the boy I like to look at me that way. (sigh) Then there’s Remi. He follows Geneva around like a lost puppy. I know she cares about him as a friend, but I think he’s wasting his time. If he would open his eyes, he might see that they’re not meant to be more than really good friends and that there could be a better match for him than Geneva.

I agree with all of that.  I think there might be someone even better for Remi out there.  And last but not least, we all know how important and dangerous the current mission is.  Do you believe you are all on the right path to accomplishing your goal? Absolutely. I truly believe that together, we can accomplish our goals. Geneva is the chosen one and I’m confident in her. I’ll do everything in my power to help her succeed.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us Sparrow.  I have to admit you are one of my favorite characters.  Thank you so much! It was a rare treat to be interviewed.

*****

There you have it folks.  Now that you know a bit more about our group swing by and pick up these fun and adventurous books and snuggle up for a good time.  I'll have my review for Lies up in the next couple of weeks so stay tuned for that as well.  Until next time.

The Geneva Project: Secrets

                It's Friday!  So that means it's time for another review here at Functioning Insanity Reviews.  Last week I reviewed The Geneva Project: Truth by Christina Benjamin here, the first book in the series, and today I'll be reviewing book two Secrets.  You know the drill this is book two so it will contain some spoilers for book one, sorry, but if you haven't read it yet go do so and come right back.  You have been warned. 

Rating:  5 Stars

                Secrets picks up where Truth ended.  Pretty much that same moment, we go right back into it not skipping a beat. Tippy now knows she is Geneva, the Eva, the one meant to lead the Beto people and all on the island back to a peaceful way of life.  The Book of Secrets gave her more than she bargained for with the whole destiny and a sister she never would have asked for.  Still this is not the end she has many more secrets to uncover, some dark and mysterious.  Geneva must decide who she can trust with her secrets and which she must keep to herself. 

                When we left Tippy, aka Geneva, in Truth she just found out her destiny and oh yeah Jemma, her enemy is now her older sister.  Shock set in now.  It's overwhelming to learn  all of this.  Add to that she had just put an end to an evil hunting them and she needed a moment.  Things quickly get into gear as the gang joins with the Beto people in the forest, constantly on the move to keep themselves safe.  My thoughts and theories about a couple things were in fact true, I'm that good.  Though I admit it happened in a different way than expected.  In Secrets we get to meet so many new characters while still learning new things about the ones we already love.  My favorite new addition was Jovi.  We found out more about the legends and history of the island.  This is important if they wish to change the past and not let history repeat itself.  

How I imagine the expanse of forest on the island, lots of places to still discover!

                Along with tons of character development and growth, because Eva has some serious stuff to cope with.  Sure she doesn't always make the sound decisions but she's young and she's overwhelmed and I had a hard time being upset about any mistakes or decisions she made based on flawed logic because of that.  I loved being in her head and seeing just what she was going through and how she came to her decisions.  Even when things are not explained to her fully or she is lied to and betrayed she still finds it in her heart to do what is best for everyone and not take a vindictive stance.  That shows me she is a good leader.  She has her moments and she may do some things against her personal desires and get a touch of payback in there but she at least feels bad after.  Heads up I didn't feel bad at all.  I'm not even going to try and describe the tension of all types between all the characters, lots of emotions and feels happening there.  I think it was best to experience it first hand so I don't want you to be expecting anything and ruin that ah ha moment.  I'll just say wow...some stuff is going down.  High drama levels done right.

                 Secrets also focuses on their mission.  They need to find the four pillars.   Eva believes that the best place they will be is back at the orphanage they escaped from.  They have to go back.  No one is excited at the prospect of course but it's a necessary evil they must work towards with the best plan possible.  The road is dangerous, more so as in this book we find out more of the other side, the evil group that are seeking out Eva and the pillars for a completely opposite reason than peace and unity. Seeing things happen from both angles and knowing how more than the other characters made it all the more intense.    

                There is so much happening in the book. Things never stop moving.  The continued world building is astounding and completely natural as they learn about the legends and at the same time it blends so easily into the characters stories it's perfect.  I really enjoyed this book and I'm beyond excited for book three: Lies to come out next month.  Which leads me into my next bit of news, to celebrate the release of Lies I had the pleasure of doing a character interview of Sparrow.  It was so much fun to put together with the author and I can't wait to share it with you all.  I'll be posting that on September 2nd so make sure to check back then for more.  Until then check back for more fun posts and reviews.  Share your thoughts and feels in the comments below they fill my heart :) 

The Geneva Project: Truth by Christina Benjamin

                Welcome back to Wednesday fun!  Review time.  Today I’m going to discuss a book I got while at UtopYA back in June.  I’m starting to catch up with some of the amply amount of books I came away with.  Seriously, more than a carryon suitcase can hold.  That and a huge tote bag full and some.  Yep lots of books!  Plus even more I got on my kindle while there or added to my wish list.  Anywho I’m starting to get into them and add them into my current TBR lists.  Today that book is The Geneva Project: Truth by Christina Benjamin, the first book in The Geneva Project series.

                Briefly Truth centers on an island that was devastated by the flood several years ago that left many orphans.  The orphans are trapped at the center and put to work scouring the islands flood zones recovering precious stones and things of value for the wealthy citizens of the still prosperous city Lux.  Orphans have no individual names only numbers affixed to John or Jane.  Truth focuses on Jane 65, she is different, the youngest orphan in the center found as only a baby. Her life is rather dull until one day she meets a John from the older year.  He handles himself differently and…he knows his name.  This sets her down a road that spirals her dull life into something completely different as she searches for answers to who she is, the legends of the island, and the magic within some of the orphans.  However, on this quest to self-discovery 65 and her new friends must navigate the new information and who to trust while keeping it a secret from the evil head mistress of the orphanage.

Rating: 5 Stars

                I was intrigued by this book from the start.  I looked up some of the authors for UtopYA beforehand hoping to get an idea of some of the books and to do some pre-orders to keep my budget in check.  Without a budget you could get in serious trouble at a book event.  Truth and the sequel Secrets were on my pre-order list.  The covers called to me, simple and mysterious, and the description or blurb I read for them made me want to know more.  When I went to pick up my books Christina had them all put together in a nifty bag and everything all ready to go including items for photo ops!  We took pictures and discussed her books for a nice little bit and it only made me want to read it more.  If you ever have the chance to hear an author gush about their books I highly suggest it.  Her enthusiasm and friendliness were contagious especially to someone like myself who was still feeling a bit shy at the beginning. 

                This book did not disappoint me.  The world building was done in a way that you don’t really notice it.  The world just comes to life around the characters.  You get to know the world along with Jane 65, ‘Tippy’, and the story unfolds.  The island seems massive with the glamourous city of Lux, the orphanage, the flood work zones, and the vast forest that scares people away, and who knows what else could be on the island we haven’t yet discovered.  Still it had the overall feel of an island like you see on movies or if you luck on vacation.  Also placing the story on an island lends to the seclusion of it all.  Isolated and no real ability to ‘run’ if one wanted as there is a limit to how far you can go.

                Everyone has numbers and not names.  That is a hard idea.  To be regulated as a number, not good enough for a name.  This book handled the idea of self-identity very well.  Some remember their names but you are unable to use it in public, others knowing is a luxury, a privilege almost.  Then you have 65 who is unable to remember anything being as she was too young to have any memories.  She has no idea who she was, she only has a number and no name to hold onto.  She gets a nick name, Tippy, which I find myself always wanting to use instead of something as impersonal as a number.   It’s easy to follow Tippy and root for her.  She is easily likeable.  She is a year younger than the rest she is housed with but always fits to be just as fast and smart as them.  Even more so as the powers come into play.

Telepathy could be very useful...also save $ on cell phone :) 

                Speaking of powers.  I liked that how different they were and how they came about.  Taking time to learn to use them and improve upon them.  There were so many different ones happening but I think one of my favorites was hearing and talking to the animals.  It was only touched upon but that just struck a cord with me. 

                While the powers of some of the characters are pretty spectacular and fit quite nicely with each of them I would love them without them as well.  Which means they are done well.  First I must say this.  I heart Niv!  I gushed over Niv.  Aside from Niv we have Nova, the boy who started it all but telling Tippy he knew his name.  He is friendly and sweet from the start, a year older but always treating Tippy the same as everyone else.  Tippy's best and only friend in the beginning is Remi.  They are the quite duo.  They both kind of keep to themselves and only talk to one another not having lots of friends.  Peas in a pod.  I have some theories about him and his character arc to come.  Then we have two who seem like opposites but are like family, Journey and Sparrow.  Even mean girl Jemma has some depth to her you want to learn more about. 

                I think the story was well paced and kept you wondering what is happening next.  You wanted to go on the journey and find the truth with the gang.  It went by quickly and I didn't want to put it down.  Everything flowed neatly into the next.  My only problem, and I am leery of even calling it that, was that I had with the age of the characters.  They are only thirteen, making Tippy twelve.  It just seemed a bit young for some things.  Maybe I'm dating myself but that may just be that when I was twelve boys were still kind of icky haha and I don't think my thoughts were that deep.  At least not on a regular basis.  I know things have changed in the recent years but mentally I kept aging the kids a few years.  It didn’t hinder my enjoyment at all, like I said my mind just mentally aged them almost without me noticing.  It wasn’t until the age is stated again that I’d pause for a moment like I just realized that. 

                I'm going to be starting the sequel tomorrow, or today depending on what time I wake up, and I look forward to continuing the series and finding out what secrets are waiting to be uncovered.  I look forward to sharing thoughts on it soon.  Also as an added bonus the third book in the series, Lies is set to come out on September 1st!  Which means a super short wait which is always a plus.  Share with me below your thoughts and feels on the book.  If you could have any of their powers which would you choose?  Or pick your own.  Comments fill my heart  with happiness J  Until next time.