The Eighth Day by Dianne K. Salerni

 

 

The Eighth Day by Dianne K. Salerni is this action adventure series that has Arthurian links to it.  Jax’s life sucks, his father died recently and now lives with Riley, a 19 year old, as his guardian.  After his birthday Jax notices something odd, he wakes up to a quiet world.  Thinking that something bad occurred he rushes to Walmart and takes the necessary things like water bottles and canned food, think that there is a zombie apocalypse coming.  What he’s in for is a ride for of a life time.  Come to find out, he is part of this century’s long battle of good and evil that is all tied to the original King Arthur and Merlin, and they all live within the 8^th day, some like himself live during the regular 7 days as well.

I really liked the idea of there being an 8^th day in the week that only certain people live in, much like Jax and everyone like him.  His friendship with Evangeline, one of the beings that only live in the 8^th day is sweet and interesting.  The connections of the characters to the Legend of King Arthur characters are also intriguing.  Fast pace and adventurous, this stunning debut will win over many readers.

 

4 out 5 stars.  Thanks Edelweiss

The Taking by Kimberly Derting

The Taking by Kimberly Derting is the first book in The Taking series.  If you are a fan of Derting, you might be used to her Body Finder series.  This was a completely different story; more aliens than guts and crime.  Kyra has just had a phenomenal game and is ready to celebrate with her teammates and then her wonderful boyfriend; however, destiny has a different idea for her.  After an argument with her father, Kyra walks into a field, away from her father’s car only to be blinded by a bright light and pass out.  When she awakes Kyra feels like only a few minutes have gone by, checking her phone for reception she decides to trek it back home before she gets in trouble.  Once she arrives home, Kyra realizes that that she cannot get in and there is a toddler in the house.  Confused and nervous Kyra runs down to her boyfriend/neighbor’s house, and launches herself at him when he opens the door.  The problem: that’s not her boyfriend, it’s his younger brother, who was 12 the last time Kyra saw him, which was the day before. 

What Kyra doesn’t realize is that she has been abducted by aliens and returned back to her life 5 years later without aging a day or second.  Her boyfriend is off at college and is now her ex, and his little brother is not so little anymore.  Filled with conspiracies, sweet moments, and life lessons this is the beginning of a nice series.

 

3.5 stars out of 5.  Thanks Edelweiss.  

The Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman

 

 

 

 

“The great masses of the people will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one.”

                                                                                                                —Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf  

 

The Prisoner of Night and Fog is set in the early 1930s.  Instead of depicting the life of someone in Germany during the beginning of the Holocaust who is Jewish, this book turns to the other side of the coin and tells the story of Gretchen Muller, daughter of a martyred National Socialist.  After his death Adolf Hitler took the Muller family under his wing, so much so that Gretchen knows the crazed leader of the Third Reich as none other than Uncle Dolf.  With her father gone, life seems quiet for young Gretchen, except for her angry psychotic brother, who likes to “teach her lessons” when no one is paying attention.  Gretchen loves Uncle Dolf, because he is the only one that listens and takes care of her brother when he gets out of line; however, things are changing and Gretchen isn’t a little child anymore, she’s beginning to understand what is going on. 

After meeting a young Jewish reporter, she falls into a down whirl spiral of questions that threatened to break her life as she knows it apart.  How can these Jews be so kind, when all they want is to mislead people?  Even though they are cold-hearted people that abuse the trusting Germans, is it okay to beat them in the street?  Is it possible that all Jews inherit the evil gene, and we must also punish children?  How can everything that Uncle Dolf taught her be wrong?  Gretchen begins to see things in the perspective of the hunted, especially since the reporter, Daniel Cohen, has made her question her father’s death.  Who was really behind his death?  Could it have been his friends and comrades?  One thing Gretchen is certain of is that things are not as they seem and she needs to know what is going on.  Falling for Daniel is another catalyst component to her journey.  She must do everything in her power to find out the truth of about what happened to her father, help Daniel expose the ill treatment of the Jews to the world, and save herself from those that were her family and friends.

This was a riveting YA historical/fiction novel.  The themes are close to other books set at this time and during this particular event; however, because it is in the perspective of someone inside of the Nazi party it’s much more interesting to me.  I believe it holds great value for readers, so that they can see how WWII affected all citizens of Germany, and also to expose the idea that not everyone was brainwashed or completely behind the Nazi movement.  I would recommend this to people who have a clear interest in the Holocaust and WWII, and also those that enjoy historical fiction or political conspiracies. 

 

4.5 Stars.  Thanks Edelweiss!

The Nethergrim by Matthew Jobin

“Edmund felt despair eating away at his victory. ‘Why is the world like this?’ He shivered.  ‘Why does it feel so cold, so hard?’

A smile flickered on John’s face, one that was neither happy nor sad.  ‘What would be the worth of goodness, in a world that always rewarded it?’”

     Edmund is the older of two sons, and will one day inherit his father’s tavern; however, Edmund has other dreams.  He wishes to be as powerful as the legendary wizard Vithric.  Many years ago, a dark shadow passed over the lands, a vicious beast known as the Nethergrim and it was on the prowl for the sweet flesh of children.  A brave knight, Tristan, and one of the greatest wizards ever known, Vithric, along with other knights defeated the beast.  The lands were happier, the children safer, and the world was back to order now that the Nethergrim had been defeated… that is until our Edmund’s story.  Edmund secretly learned about magic and wizardry, until his father found out and burned all his books, this led to Edmund making one false move and angering the wrong person in his pursuit of knowledge.  On top of all of this the children are disappearing, and a beast like no other has found that peace does not agree with it.  Along with his village, his crush, and an abused indentured servant Edmund must find a way to defeat this beast and save his brother and the missing children.

    This was awesome!  I was a tween when Harry Potter came out, so I am in love with YA supernatural/adventure stories.  While there are similarities to the mentioned series, this series stands on its own two feet.  The characters were endearing, the bad guy was pretty nasty (a little Dorian Gray for my liking… but it works), and the gruesomeness was never too understated.  I can already see all the life learning messages bleeding out of the pages, and I am giddy to find these characters again in the next installment.

Thank You NetGalley! 4.5 Stars!

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa is the third and final installment of the Blood of Eden Series.  I fell in love with this series for 5 reasons:

1.       Allison- She is badass to the bone.  I believe that was my first reaction after I read the first book.  I looked at no one, because I was alone, and said “Holy shit, she’s badass.”  I didn't want to punch her, or burn the book.  From the first page to the last, Allison never changes.  She is strong and determined.  The one thing that does change is her confidence in herself not to become her worst nightmare.

2.       Kanin- I mean he is an awesome sire.  He saved Allison from death, turning her into a monster she hated; however, he asked her first.  Kanin had his own demons to battle and as this series unfolded it is not hard to see why he might have had a conscious.  I think the end was justified and frankly I am happy things turned out for Kanin the way they did.  In the end, he found what he was looking for.  Also, his deadpan way of being was great addition to Allison and Jackal’s bickering. 

3.       Jackal- Aside from being the bad guy in the first book, I fell for this bad boy vampire brother of Allison.  Tied to her through Kanin, Jackal has been the complete opposite of Allison.  He has never denied being a jerk, and does not deny his true nature… kind of reminds me of Damon from Vampire Diaries.  He is a vampire through and through.  In the end, I think he got what he deserved as well.  Jackal was a necessary evil, one that pushed Allison into both the good and the bad path.  I loved his banter and frankly I like those characters.

4.       Zeke- Ezekiel was. The. Best.  I fell right in love with him.  Allison also felt similarly, and they worked. (Thank you for not doing the whole love triangle thing, it gets in the way).  Zeke was the first connection to the human world Allison loved that really accepted her and taught her to accept herself.   What happens to him sucks; he did not really get what he deserved most of the time.  All four of these characters are just puppets in Sarren’s scheme for utter destruction.

5.       World Building- Kagawa’s worlds are always rich, but real enough that you almost feel like you’re standing there.  This world was gritty, harsh, dark, and really horrifying.  I could see how these cities mentioned would look the way they were described.  For something to be scary, it needs a bite of reality.  While I don’t believe in vampires, I will say that that is the only unrealistic thing about it.  If you take that out, you end up with a not so violent book, and it would fall flat into a regular evil government story. 

I am sad this book is ending, but I am glad I went for the ride.  Now to wait for all her other books to come out!

5 stars.  Thank You NetGalley! 

Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

 

Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen is the story of the lost city of Trollus.  It was believed that a long time ago, an earthquake buried and destroyed this ancient city; however, the myths also include the trolls that lived within the city.   For centuries the city remained buried, the magic of the Trolls slowly faded from history, but a prophecy has been put into play.  Cecile has always wanted a fancy and free life of a singer, much like her famous mother.  On her last day before she leaves to the big city with her mother, in order to begin her training, Cecile encounters Luc, who abducts her and brings her into the mythical city of Trollus.  The prophecy in place: a daughter of sun and son of dark bound by marriage will break the centuries old curse and bring Trollus back on the map.  Cecile has been bought by the Troll King for his son, for she will be bound to him and will break the curse (no pressure), against her will.

Secrets, Trolls, witches, curses, love, and conspiracy all play a part in this book.  I frankly loved the setting, descriptions of Trollus, and the romance.  Also, I see what the author is doing with the secrets of the Trolls… I see what you did there and I like it.  I cannot wait to see how this unravels, and I want more Cecile and Tristan!!!

4 out of 5 stars.  Thank You NetGalley!

Darkbound by Scott Tracey

“Not all creatures die a mortal death.  Sometimes death is cunning: a caress instead of a slap.  Even death can fall in love.  Even death can dare to break the rules.”—Darkbound by Scott Tracey

We are back at it again with the Moonset coven, in the second book Darkbound.  In the aftermath of the last book, the coven kids are going about a regular life, still being watched by the Congress.  Instead of being in Justin’s head this time, we are now in Malcolm’s.  I. Love. Malcolm.  He’s angsty, angry, volatile, and he’s got a big date with a dark prince.  Since this book revolves around Malcolm, it also revolves around the questioning of the coven binds and magic in general.  Malcolm would give anything to lead a normal life, away from magic.  He’s tired of being in the life that ruined he’s coven’s prospect at a fulfilling and peaceful life, until one of the Dark Princes arrives in town.

With dark secrets from the past still being revealed, Moonset must figure out, along with The Congress, who brought a Dark Prince to life and why.  This becomes extremely important once the Prince shows himself to Malcolm and Malcolm alone.  With hints of romance one can assume that the Prince fancies our prickly Moonsetter, but sometimes there are more complex things lurking at the bottom of every reason.  Now that the Dark Prince is in town, no one is safe, and if you are not magically inclined you’re screwed.  This is when Malcolm begins to question his wants versus the needs of those around him, and ultimately his needs as well.  What would Malcolm give to get what he wants, and are the sacrifices worth the risk?

It was great to see life in Malcolm’s perspective because he’s so ornery and prickly.  I know he’s gay but frankly I am not immune to his charm (which is constantly brought up), I mean he sounds like an amazing specimen and again his attitude tends to be on the funny side versus, the rude mean side.  The character growth in this book was great, including Jenna and Malcolm’s relationship.  Where I was confused in the first book, I was able to pick up quickly in the second book and I noticed an increased ease in following along with the story.  The whole past has not been revealed, but there are some shockers and there are some new secrets brewing as well.  I cannot wait to see the next installment!

4 out 5 stars.  Thank You Net Galley