Captive: A Guard's Tale From Malachi's Perspective by Sarah Fine

Captive is a novella that fits in between Sanctum and Fractured in the Guards of the Shadowlands series by Sarah Fine.  If you haven't started the series yet, you can access reviews by clicking on the titles.

Novellas that fit between books in a series can so easily go one of two ways:  they can help fill in blanks and advance the story, or they can simply be recaps of events from a different character's perspective.  Captive fits in the latter category.  That is NOT to say that it's not worth reading!  Captive is from Malachi's perspective, and anyone who's read Sanctum was probably left (like me) wanting MORE MORE MORE Malachi.  This novella is like an appetizer for that desire; it gives the reader a little more Malachi... just enough to leave me wanting even more!  I haven't yet read Fractured, but I'm even more anxious to after reading Captive.

The novella explores Malachi's thoughts and feelings when Lela is brought into his Guardhouse.  I loved the descriptive language Sarah Fine uses; how Malachi notices even the smallest things about her, like her smell and her strength.  It definitely serves to humanize him, as the smell of the sea on Lela takes him back to vacations that his family would take to the Adriatic, and how protective he is of her, right from the start.  I appreciate how Fine respects her readers' intelligence, and doesn't shove facts in our faces, but through Malachi's thoughts and emotions we also learn a little more about how he came to be where he is, and even more about his fellow Guard, Ana.

I definitely recommend Captive to fans of Sanctum (and I recommend Sanctum if you haven't read it yet)!

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by Tynga at Thursday, August 06, 2015

 Action amp; Adventure, Guards of the Shadowlands, novella, Purchased, Review, Sarah Fine, Skyscape  3 People left their mark

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Ticker by Lisa Mantchev

When the leading lady of a story is said to be 'heartbroken', we take this to mean she has suffered a tremendous emotional disappointment.  Alas, if it were only so for Penny Farthing, for she had literally  become heartbroken in that her human heart failed her.  Due to the resourcefulness of her dead sister's fiancé, she was given a second chance only, this heart has likelihood of becoming broken as well.  It's a race against time for Penny at a time when her greatest benefactor is in serious trouble.

This is were Ticker by Lisa Mantchev starts us out with the story of Penny.  She takes us on a journey through Penny's world from the view of the plucky young lady who never seems to slow down until forced to by her own body.  Constantly harassed by her brother, Nic,  and her friends to slow down and take better care of herself.  We also, eventually get to see what price Penny's antics put on her closest allies like her family an her friend Violet.  I got the impression of a young woman still discovering her place in the world and how she can effect it.

Effect it she does.  Not the she goes out looking for trouble.  It seems to find her  when she needs it least of all.  A case could be made that this story is filled with oft used tropes.  Maybe so but, I always felt that the real test for readability was not the unique nature of  the story.  It's in how well the story is told and how entertaining it is to the reader.  I think Ticker hits both of these points well.  This is the closest I've come lately to a well told steampunk story.  A tiny bit more There's a fair bit of violence and the romantic interactions are very Victorian in nature so, I would give this one a PG13 rating and wouldn't hesitate recommending this to my own 14 year old to read.



 

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by Tynga at Wednesday, July 15, 2015

 body augmentation, Lisa Mantchev, Purchased, Review, Skyscape, steampunk  2 People left their mark

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End of Days by Susan Ee

This is definitely a series you don't want to miss. If you're not into young adult books, you may change your mind after this one. If you're not too fond of books about angels, that's alright because these are not your ordinary angels and you should give them a try. If you're not crazy about post-apocalyptic worlds, this book may not be for you, but it's about so much more than that, so overlook that small aspect. What I'm trying to say is, pretty much everyone will enjoy this series because it's so original, entertaining an well written. End of Days is the last book of a trilogy that I highly recommend.

Penryn has gone through a lot in order to save and keep her family safe. She has even allied herself with the enemy by trusting and paring up with Raffe, an angel that has been trying to get his wings back. But what's worse, because she was seen killing an angel with an angel sword, which is unheard of, she now has a huge bounty on her head so she can't trust anyone, not even humans. Every fellow human could potentially be her enemy and being captured and brought to the angels would probably mean her death.

What's more, she needs to find a doctor that can help her sister, Paige. Her sister has been experimented on, cut open and put back together, and now the only way she can survive is by feeding off humans. At least Penryn and Paige's mother is back in the picture and somewhat able to help this time, instead of being a burden.

As you read the book, it becomes clearer why the angel Uriel is trying to create this fake apocalypse. He believes that in order to get elected as the Messenger, he needs to entice the angels with an apocalypse to wipe out the human race and prove his worth. The other potential candidates for the job, Raffe and Michael, have been absent from angel society, which may provide Uriel with a default win.

In my opinion, what makes this book even more special is the relationship between Penryn and Raffe. The emotional tension is definitely there and makes all their scenes together so much sweeter. Their relationship is doomed from the start because a relationship between an angel and a Daughter of Man is considered blasphemy and would make any angel Fall from angel society. As a reader, we don't give up hope, even if we see the impossibility of their relationship. I love, love these two characters together. Penryn has been such a strong character throughout the series, that I'm sad to see her go. She's the type of young adult heroines that we need to see more of. Just an ordinary girl trying to survive along with her family and the rest of humanity. Raffe is just Raffe. His mere presence makes you giddy and I wonder how Penryn is able to stay so cool around him.

Susan Ee excels in writing action scenes. She's not afraid of killing off characters, good or evil, which keeps her readers on their toes. Also, it almost feels like gore and blood is second nature in her writing because there's so much of it, and you just come to expect it. The last bit of End of Days did feel a little bit rushed, like she had so much to say in the end but didn't have enough room for everything.

I really wish there would be more, but all good things must come to an end. It's amazing how this series started off as a small book from a small publisher and it grew into such a big thing. It might have something to do with luck but it's mainly because of a great plot, exceptional characters and great writing. I highly recommend this one!

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by Tynga at Monday, June 08, 2015

 angels, Paranormal, Penryn and the End of Days, Post-Apocalypse, Review, Skyscape, Susan Ee, young adult  1 Person left their mark

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World After by Susan Ee

If I would have read this book when if first came out a little more than a month ago, WORLD AFTER could have easily been my favorite Young Adult book of 2013 (along with the first book of the series). That being said, even if it's still early in the year, it will probably be at the top of my YA books of 2014. It's a great way to start the year that's for sure, and couldn't ask for a better book to kick off 2014.  The story is wickedly interesting, totally brilliant. I'm glad it's a direct continuation of book one and as one book flows into the other, the stories simply merge into an epic series.

"Rising from the dead" after being stung and paralyzed by an Angel-scorpion-abomination, Penryn, her sister that looks like a lab experiment gone wrong, and her crazy mother are given the cold shoulder by pretty much every member of the Resistance, a group they had more or less became friendly with in the previous book. Not knowing who to depend on, Penryn in still the rational teenager we met in book one and every little detail about her actions are well thought out.  At least at first. When her sister runs away from the Resistance camp after a bloody incident, her desperation becomes evident which makes her take more and more risks, despite her sister looking like a stitched up doll. Her ever crazy mother makes the search cumbersome but Penryn is so dedicated to her family that she does everything to keep them all alive.

Her sister isn't the only person she's looking for. Secretly she wishes to also reunite with her angel ally, Raffe. Now that she is the possessor of Raffe's angel sword, she forms a bond with it and in turn the sentient sword shows her glimpses of Raffe's life through dreams and feelings. As we learn more and more about Raffe, it confirms that he's unlike the other angels. While many angels long for the apocalypse, Raffe's conscience makes him doubt his brethren and the bond he forms with Penryn is something he thought would never happen to him. He was taught that having feelings for a Daughter of Man is sinful and against the rules, but it's like something invisible draws them constantly together.

The scenes with Penryn and Raffe together make this book complete. Raffe's sarcastic comments and their undeniable bond makes this book so much more interesting, it's almost sinful to read their impossible relationship. You might expect a book about angels to be all about doing good and shinny things but WORLD AFTER is exactly that: the world after the invasions of the angels. These angels aren't friendly. In fact they are brutal, some are insane, and one might even say some are evil. Their enthusiasm for the apocalypse and the end of human kind makes you shiver and rethink your definition of angel.

Despite all the awful things these angels are doing to earth and humankind, it's the perseverance of humans and their fight for freedom that shines through. Imprisoned, some humans seem passive and seem to accept their faiths but deep down, humanity's desire to survive guide many of their actions. Humanity is strange and difficult  to write about but I think Susan Ee has done an excellent job in describing it in her version of the end of the world. Perseverance is the key message to this book and I think it's something we all need to read about, from time to time. I can't get enough of this series and I really hope the series continue to inspire us with the goodness of humanity.

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by Tynga at Sunday, January 05, 2014

 angels, Dystopian, Paranormal, Penryn and the End of Days, Post-Apocalypse, Purchased, Review, Skyscape, Susan Ee, YA  3 People left their mark

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