Sea of Stars by Amy A. Bartol

"This, Brothers, is our declaration of war." 

The war on Ethar has begun, and the only thing that Kricket Hollowell can do is fight to stay alive as every side guns for her powers. The second book in the Kricket series picks up right where the first left off, plunging the reader back into Ethar with a vengeance. This action packed sequel takes place in the first battle of the war, and sets the stage for a supernova of a series.

"'You killed Kenny,' I groan with my lips chattering, 'you bastard...'" 

Kricket has lost none of the rambunctious personality that enthralled readers in the first book. Her clever quips are paired perfectly with an emerging sensitivity as she allows people to grow closer to her. She's lost the ability to act without consequence, and has surrendered her heart of stone for one of paper, though not nearly as fragile. It's easy to see the conflict in her personality as she struggles with having people be dependent on her for the first time in her life, and the fear of losing them. But despite the slightly heavier plot in the second book, the depth of her personality is really shown as she fights for what and who she loves. Don't worry, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments timed perfectly to break the tension as well. In another review I read there was concern expressed that Kricket is too much like Evie from the Premonition series. After giving it some thought I've come to the conclusion that they do share similarities, but mostly it's the goodness in them that is alike, not necessarily their actions or their words. Therefore the similarities in the characters are not an issue because they are two story about good people, which is what people want to read about.

"I promise that it'll be you and me from this moment forward–whatever happens." 

The romance also expands much more in this book. While the first book in the series could easily pass for YA, this book definitely crosses into New Adult territory. I don't know that I would call it adult because of the youth (or appearance of youth) of the characters, but I wouldn't recommend this book for younger teens, because things do get pretty steamy. Despite this book being packed with nonstop action, that doesn't mean there's a lack of romance. In fact, being a reader who gets bored without romance, I was never able to put this down. Ingrained in every moment of the fighting there is something that anchors the character's actions and motivations, providing a perfect line to keep the reader hooked.

"There'll be no martyrs here, Kricket. I'll tear your heart off your sleeve and bury it deep in my chest. Your savage heart will beat for me. Run if you think you can–I'll hunt you down." 

There is no shortage of Kyon in this book either. While the first focused on Trey and Kricket coming together, this book begins to expand the politics of the world and some of the other characters. We are introduced to some of the other priestesses, and from just their few short scenes, it's clear there's a lot going on behind the scenes in the Alameeda clan. I was delighted with Kyon's character in this book, and I can tell that this was setting up for a lot more to come in the third.

"Stealing oxygen while being tethered to the sky, that's what it feels like to be loved by Trey." 

There are too many amazing quotes from this book to include in one short review. I'm pretty sure my kindle version is almost completely highlighted. I'm excited to read this again, because with the speed at which I devoured it, there's certain to be even more beneath the surface waiting to be found on the second pass. 

"You made me love you! You're not allowed to give up, do you understand? No surrender to death. Whatever happens, you have to survive it." 

As a fan of the Premonition series, I can honestly say I'm glad Miss Bartol wrote those first. They allowed her to hone her skills and practice literary techniques so that she could produce this incredible–and in my opinion, better–series. This is going to be a whirlwind of a series, and the only regret I have is that it's going to be a long wait for the rest of the story. 

Read it, you won't regret it. 

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/996433574

The Seer by Ariel MacArran

In the Realm, Seers are not citizens. They are no better than animals and are to be executed on sight. That's why Arissa has been in hiding her entire life, after her parents faked her death at the age of five. But when she sees a Fleet Commander being held at gunpoint in an alley, she can no longer cower in the shadows, and steps into the light to save him. Bound by honor to save Arissa's life, Jolar has no choice but to take the beautiful Seer on his mission to a corrupt and dangerous planet, where dark intentions are afoot. It doesn't take long for Jolar to realize that Seers are nothing like the Realm makes them out to be, and in the dangerous world that he has brought Arissa in to, he's going to have to give up everything to keep her safe.

"Just in case my thoughts and feelings aren't shouting it to you, my beautiful Seer–I'm madly, wildly in love with you and nothing is going to keep me away from you."

Drawn in by the beautiful cover, I picked up this book, though I'm usually not much for the Science Fiction genre, and fell in love. This was a stay-up-all-night-because-you-can't-put-it-down read, and I regret nothing. From the opening line I was sucked in to this fast-paced, intricately woven story, and wasn't released until well into the afternoon.

Arissa is beautifully innocent and strong at the same time. It was great getting to see her excitement at finally being a part of the world around her. She maintained her belief in good despite the corrupt world around her, and no matter what, she was always looking out for others.

Jolar was strong-willed and honor bound, but his character was so great because after meeting Arissa, he came to question beliefs that he had simply accepted before, and so the character development was great. It was fun to watch him softening toward Arissa during their journey, and it was intriguing how he took for granted the things that were so fantastical to her.

This is a long book, and it was chock full of action and twists and turns in the plot, it never gets boring. Honestly this was one of those books where the plot seems very narrow-minded and you assume you know the ending and how the book will progress, but it turns into so much more than that. The book has an incredible scope by the end, and it truly was breathtaking. The galaxy was well thought out and the foods and animals remained consistent, which can be hard to do in SciFi. It's clear the author had the planets, and aspects of them very well documented, because there weren't inconsistencies.

Jolar and Arissa are great together. Arissa's innocence complements Jolar's jaded attitude, so that they each make each other a better person. While they did seem to fall in love a little quickly, it didn't bother me the way so many insta-love stories do. The conversations between them flow, and the author didn't cop out by say something like, "And they talked for hours, getting to know the little things about each other" or something like that, as authors that don't know how to write chemistry do. They interract well, and maturely with each other. The only thing is I couldn't get a good read on exactly how hold Jolar is. We know Arissa is right around twenty, but Jolar's age is never mentioned, though I got the impression that he was at least a few years older than her. I would put him in his late twenties.

This was a great book, especially for a self-publisher. There were a few editing issues, but there wasn't anything chronic, which made it easy to handle. I really appreciated this book, and while there isn't another in Arissa and Jolar's story, I will look in to other books by this author.

Five Stars

Rosalie Williams

The Seer on Goodreads

Perception by Lee Strauss

A perfect human. Beautiful, never succumbing to illness, living an extended life, Zoe has it all. Until her brother goes missing, and her utopian world begins to unravel around her, with a mysteriously charming "normal" at the center of it all with her.

Perception was free off of amazon, and I always have my reservations about free books, especially because editing errors eat at my soul–they're so easy to avoid! But that's beside the point. This is giong to be a short review because I honestly don't have much to say about this book. I read it in one night because I got it for free and didn't have anything else to read. It was fairly short, and to my amazement, didn't have any editing errors (that I caught anyway)! So that definitely put me in a good mood.

As far as the plot goes it was fast-paced and didn't get boring. I appreciated that, especially since it was two in the morning and I couldn't have lasted through anything tedious or slow. There is action the entire time, and it kept me excited. I did predict the ending, but that didn't keep me from liking it any less.

The romance is fairly bland, unfortunately. It's there, and I appreciate the effort, and I do like Zoe and Noah together, but  I just didn't feel that spark, sorry! I liked how protective Noah was of Zoe, but I think there was a bit of a dichotomy in his character, which took away from the romance aspect of the book. Noah is originally portrayed as a self-confident, pushy, arrogant guy. But then about halfway through, all that goes out the window, and suddenly he's a devout virgin Christian. I personally liked the bad-boy side of him more.

Zoe tries to be that stubborn female protagonist that is so popular in YA these days, but she doesn't quite pull it off. Her stubborn attitude ends up making her look kind of stupid, especially since she always makes rash decisions, and then banks on Noah to get her out! There was no real substance to her character, so I didn't connect with her as much as I would have liked to.

All in all it was a nice one-night read, but let's just say I won't be investing the few dollars to buy the next book in the series.

Three Stars

Rosalie Williams

Perception on Goodreads

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis

The final book in the Across the Universe trilogy, Shades of Earth takes place on the distant planet once thought to be far from reach.

The series began with Amy awakening to be trapped on a space ship where corruption and secrets abound. Initially, she is told that they are fifty years from planet landing, and will be an old woman before she ever sees her parents again. Through numerous challenges and discoveries, her relationship with the future leader, Elder, strengthens and weakens. Though they clash on many ideals and even fight over the death penalty, in they end they come to love each other.

Shades of Earth was by far the best book in the series. Beth Revis did a fantastic job of describing the new planet, and the world both in space, and on the planet is colorful and intriguing. It is fantastic the way all the loose ends and mysteries from the first two books wove together to finish off the series. There is enough of a world here to write an entire new series based on the planet, and I sincerely hope she decides to do an extension series.

The first two books really established Amy and Elder as characters, but it isn't until the third book, when they are faced with the most dangerous decisions, does their character really come to fruition. As a couple they gain a lot more substance, and they no longer seem so immature.

This is definitely the best book in the series, and I enjoyed it immensely. The claustrophobia of the space ship is finally alleviated, and made the finale much more meaningful.

Four Stars

Rosalie Williams

Shades of Earth on Goodreads

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

The second book in the Across the Universe trilogy, I was very apprehensive about this installment, but it did not disappoint.

Anything about space is truly enthralling, but also it is terrifying. The thought of being trapped in a ship, hundreds of years from its destination and knowing you will never step outside again is a huge fear for most of us.

The first book ended with no hope that they would ever reach the planet, which worried me. How much can happen on an enclosed ship hurtling through space? My claustrophobia kicked in, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to read the next to books. Luckily for me, a lot happens in this story.

There is definitely character development, which I really liked. Elder grows up some, and his and Amy's relationship matures some. However, they still seemed immature to me separately. Their conversations felt like high school freshman talking to each other about something way over their heads, not two young adults debating something very important. This aspect made the book very difficult to get through.

Fortunately, there is a lot of plot. Amy spends most of her time searching for clues, and Elder spends his fighting a revolution. But despite the immaturity of their actions and words, I liked the turn this book made. It was definitely a bridge book, as the second book in trilogies often are, but it was an exciting one for sure.

I look forward to the third book, because I think if the author does it properly, it will be the most exciting of the series yet, and I can't wait for that.

Three Stars,

Rosalie

A Million Suns on Goodreads

Arclight by Josin L. McQuein

I would like to begin by saying that this is a reread for me. I listened to it as an audiobook in the summer last year, and really loved it. Just recently I was looking for a new book to listen to, and couldn't find any that seemed appealing! Remembering how much I liked this one, I decided to listen to it again.

So let's get started!

Marina can't remember anything from her past. All she knows is she cost people from the Arclight their lives when they left the safety of the lights to rescue her from the darkness. The Fade have been attacking nonstop since she was brought into the Arclight, and for some reason the leaders think she holds the answers to the plague that wiped out most of humanity and resulted in the ominous Fade.

The beginning of the book really hooked me, and I think that might be one of the reasons I like this book so much. It doesn't take long to get started, and isn't confusing the way a lot of dystopian books are, because Josin didn't give a new name to everything, which was much appreciated. I immediately liked Tobin, as well as the way the teenagers are more mature than normal, which is to be expected in a post-apocalyptic world where everyone has to grow up quickly.

The action does slow a bit toward the middle, and at that point it becomes a little tedious, though the relationship development is great in this novel.

I really liked the idea of the Fade, and I loved Rue, to be honest. I think he was my favorite character. The one thing that really bothered me was the hive mind mentality of the Fade. Maybe it's because I'm human and we cling to our individuality like the world depends on it, but the hive mind mentality didn't appeal to me much. This, of course, means that when the "big decision" at the end came, I was fairly certain which side she would choose, and who she would end up with. The hive mentality is too unappealing to humans, so Josin would have lost a lot of fans over a choice to assimilate.

Overall, the writing for this book really was sublime, and I very much look forward to getting my hands on the sequel.

Four Stars

Rosalie

Arclight on Goodreads

Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

The second in the For Darkness Shows the Star series, Across a Star-Swept Sea takes place on another surviving island, much different from the one described in the first book.

Initially I was disappointed that Diana wasn't sticking with her original characters. The biggest problem I had with For Darkness Shows the Stars was that the romance really didn't come into play until the last few chapters. For the most part the main characters were mean to each other, and I really wanted to see them actually be happy together. To my dismay, the same thing happened in this book. The main characters strongly dislike each other for the majority of the book, though it's not as extreme as the first. Luckily, there is a bit more romance, though it's slow moving and not nearly enough.

First of all, I have to comment on the cover. By far one of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen. The way the water turns into the dress is stunning, not to mention the sky and island background, with the few stars floating on the water, it's fantastic. It really helped me visualize a few key moments in the book, so bravo for the marketing team on this one.

So let's talk about the Wild Poppy. I really did like the idea of a beautiful revolutionary who play dumb but it really a genius. I think Persis' character was very fun, and I liked the way she carried herself. While sometimes she did seem a little immature, for the most part she made logical decisions. One thing I think could have added to the story was had she demonstrated times of more cunning. Even when she's in the mindset of the Wild Poppy, her thoughts lack a certain clarity that would have convinced me more that she really is a hidden genius.

Justen, I did not appreciate as much as I did Persis. He wasn't as much of a masculine figure as Kai was in the first book, and he seemed rather immature. He made stupid decisions, and was complaining a lot. His only really strong moments were when he was taking care of people as a medic. In those situations he really took control and established himself as an equal to Persis.

This is supposed to be a rewrite of the Scarlet Pimpernel, which I have never read, I hate to admit. While in general I enjoyed the story, it lacked a depth to the characters and storyline that it really could have benefitted from. There was a shallow introduction of the old characters, and I didn't like it as much as I should have.

As you can probably tell I am very torn with this series. I didn't love it, but I didn't not like it either. There is an element of mysticism that I adore, though the cover may be part of that…either way, I'll be interested to see if Diana's writing evolves at all with the next book (if there is one?) and whether or not she learns to develop characters more effectively.

As an afterthought, I must say the story progressed rather slowly. I had a hard time continuing at a few points, and it didn't hold my attention.

Three Stars

Rosalie

Across a Star-Swept Sea on Goodreads

Absence

Hello!

Long time no posts! I apologize immensely for my long absence from the blog and my previously quick reviews. With finals week in school and an increasing work load plus state for my debate team coming up, I've had my hands full!

Currently, I am working on three books. I'll admit that I've read a few since I last posted, and yes, they were great. My favorites, however, I plowed through so quickly that I could never have reviewed them without giving away things from the sequels, so, my apologies. As I finish the immediate books I'm reading I'll be sure to review them, and I promise to work on getting back to regular postings!

Thanks for baring with me!

What am I reading right now?

Across a Star-Swept Sea (For Darkness Shows the Stars, #2) by Diana Peterfreund

Fire (Graceling Realm, #2) by Kristin Cashore

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1) by Julie Kagawa

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

What makes a human being? Is it their memories, things they've done throughout their lives? Are we made up of tiny moments absorbed from other people, not really ourselves but a million faceted reflection of the world around us? Or is there something more? Are our thoughts, feelings, and desires driven by our memories or do we have souls, individual and precious to each of us? I'd never thought this through too deeply until I read the spellbinding tale of the Icarus, and it's two passengers, Lilac and Tarver.

After crash-landing on an unknown planet, Lilac and Tarver are thrown into a race to survive far more taxing than either could have ever imagined. Led across the land by mysterious beings called the Whispers, they find that the world is nothing like anything they've ever seen before. They each find something in themselves they never thought could exist, and in each other find a reason to keep on living. Both driven by the desire to signal for help, each with a different reason.

This is the best book I've read in a very long time. From the writing, to the characters, the plot and the setting, it is a rose in a briar patch of young adult novels. I'd forgotten what a good book really read like until I picked this up, and set it down not hours later, gasping for breath after finishing it.

The writing is incredible, some of the best I've ever seen. The world is painted in such bright clarity that not once was it a struggle to picture what was happening. Though not overly descriptive to the point of being tedious, I was so swept away it felt like I was watching a movie rather than reading a book. Had I known how amazing it would be, it would not have sat on my shelf for the week it did.

This book as changed the parameters for which I rate things, and now I feel like I should go back through every book I've rated in the last year and take away a star. This book has raised the bar for literature, rivaling some of the best books in history.

Lilac and Tarver are wonderful characters. Not only are they great to begin with, both outsiders in their own worlds, but they grow too. Not just though their love for each other, but also within themselves. Lilac goes from a complaining, eager to aggravate princess, to a hardworking and stubborn fighter. She grows from a child to an incredible woman throughout the book, and you don't even feel it happening. Tarver, a war hero and self-appointed guardian also grows throughout the story. You don't realize it at first, but looking back it's easy to see that finally loving someone the way he loves Lilac allows him to truly grow into his potential as a man. Their personalities are distinct, and don't falter throughout the story.

In an attempt not to spoil the heart-wrenching action of the last seventy pages, I'll try to keep my next sentences as vague as possible, while still getting my point across.

The writing in this book is so good, they tell you things without having to say them. Feelings and emotions practically pour from the pages without you reading a word. Your mind changes with the story up until a point, and then you feel like you've been snapped out of a coma, the bleak world snapping back into brilliant, colorful focus. As a reader it was a tantalizing experience, one I can say I am grateful to have been given the chance to read.

Five Stars.

Rosalie Williams

These Broken Stars on Goodreads