Tag Archives: YA

Book Review: The Badlings by Ksenia Anske

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The Badlings by Ksenia Anske

A YA Fantasy Novel published by Ksenia Anske(07/07/15)

 

Summary:

Bells, Grand, Peacock and Rusty fall into a book, but not just any book, the Book of Dead Pages AKA Mad Tome. Within Mad Tome reside all the pages that people didn’t finish reading and all the characters who are tired of continuously playing out those pages over and over again. Bells and her friends discover a world of books that have ulterior motives. Are these Badling children here by accident or were they lured into this imaginative world for another purpose? But hey, since books aren’t ‘real’ and Mad Tome is just a collection of pages torn out of other books they should be able to escape easily, right? After hopping through quite a number of stories and meeting quite a number of characters Bells and her buddies will discover that it’s not as easy to escape after all.

 

Keywords:

Books, Rude Children, Badlings, Goodlings, Morbid Thoughts, Imagination, Doughnuts, Alice in Wonderland, Snow Queen, A Little Prince, Bluebeard, Masque of the Red Death, Sinbad, flying mattresses, Jungle Book, Don Quixote, Dracula, The Little Black Hen.

 

My Review:

Rusty and I both like doughnuts. Bells and I both don’t how to pick our fights as we choose to battle every time. Grand and I both ramble on when people don’t necessarily want to listen anymore. Sometimes I just want to be noticed, like Peacock. Ksenia Anske builds characters that may be completely different from her readers, but they always have something you can hold onto as a characteristic you can relate to. Which is good, because sometimes her storylines become entirely peculiar.

Anske is a bit like Louis Sachar in that her characters are young and whiny and whimsical. Anske is a bit like Neil Gaiman in that she crafts a story that has creative rhyme and reason to the imaginative twists. Anske is a bit like Lewis Carroll in that the reader can’t quite tell what is real and what is false. In The Badlings, Ksenia Anske gives me some of what I longed for in the Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. The Badlings is young adult and references books I’ve actually read, unlike Eyre Affair with its snooty books for adults.
The Badlings began with a neat little twist, like a less sinister (or so I thought) Jumanji that was all about books! Four kids find an object (a book) and it does something completely out of the ordinary (pulls them in). From there Anske does things a little bit differently. I appreciated the fact that there is a subtle theme for holding books sacred and that you shouldn’t just throw them here or there and that you MUST FINISH THEM or be regarded as a Badling. Everybody should strive to be a Goodling.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys the whimsical imagination of Neil Gaiman or appreciates books.

This novel was published by Ksenia Anske July 7th, 2015 and is available on Ksenia Anske’s Website here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

 

Links for more information:

Ksenia Anske’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: The Earth Dwellers (The Dwellers Saga Book 4) by David Estes

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The Earth Dwellers (The Dwellers Saga Book 4) by David Estes

A YA Sci-fi/Dystopian Novel published by David Estes (09/03/2013)

 

Summary:

“…in the end, we all die. But we don’t die equal.” (Kindle Locations 2675-2676).
Earth Dwellers. They came from below ground and they refuse to mingle with those already living in the harshness of the surface of the Earth. In this final installment of the Country Saga Series and the Dweller Saga Series, Earth Dwellers chronicles the final battle for control of the surface. It’s about more than control, though, the Earth Dwellers don’t want to share and plan to annihilate any who are living above ground.

 

Keywords:

Cowardice, Protection, Loyalty, Love, Romance, Compassion, Patience, Responsibility, Leadership, Power, Overthrow, Dictatorship, Tracked, Post-apocalyptic, Underground, Segregated Society, Class System, Unequal Power, Corrupt Government, Fight the Power, Resistance, Friendship, Survival

 

My Review:

I was very glad that David Estes once again provided a slang term guide at the beginning of the book with all the different “regions'” special words and definitions. His usage of these terms is not wholly unique, but adds a specialness and intimateness to the worlds he is creating. I absolutely love the Fire Country’s curse words and like it when an author thinks of unique curse words that are inoffensive to our modern real world.

I was not as pleased with this final book as I was with any of the Country Saga Books or the first Dweller Saga book. This final book of both series fell short of the excitement in the other books as it was trying to bring together so many characters and so many stories, but focused mainly on the original storyline with Adele of the Moon Realm and Dweller Saga Series. Main characters from other stories, such as Water & Storm Country didn’t get as much time and weren’t even present for the entire final battle!

I did not like Perry and was exasperated with how much appearance he made in this final book and in the Fire country book.

I still enjoyed how David Estes told the story from many perspectives and appreciated it much more in this book as many people from many places were coming together.

Not only was there resolution of the old stories from the other books, but Estes gave us a new story and new characters: The Earth Dwellers.

This novel was published by David Estes 09/03/2013 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TLDR Star Rating: 4.25

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

David Estes’s Website

Twitter

Book Review: The Sun Dwellers (The Dwellers Saga Book 3) by David Estes

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The Sun Dwellers (The Dwellers Saga Book 3) by David Estes

A YA Sci-fi/Dystopian Novel published on amazon.com (11/27/2012)

 

Summary:

“While the star dwellers live in squalor and filth and darkness, and the moon dwellers are impoverished, hungry, and hopeless, the sun dwellers enjoy the high life, basking in their beautiful sunlight, surrounded by elegant buildings, pristine city streets, and everything money can buy. (Kindle Locations 1998-2000).”

It is this injustice that Adele and the lower Tri-Realms are fighting against. The Sun Dwellers picks up where the Star Dwellers left off and it is the second to last book in this series, but by no means is it the final book in the world of Adele, her friends, and her fellow Dwellers.

Adele’s mission in Sun Dwellers is to assassinate President Nailin. The assassination attempt isn’t all that is going on in this book, though, it is full of secrets revealed and fights and strength to the end. The romance that began in Moon Dwellers, blossomed in Star Dwellers, will be put to the test in Sun Dwellers.

 

Keywords:

Post-apocalyptic, underground, uninhabitable earth, romance, segregated society, class system, unequal power, dictatorship, in the dark, secrets, power-hungry leaders, corrupt government, fight the power, resistance, escape, kick-butt female, friendship, survival, assassination attempt

My Review:

It seems like a lot of what happens in the Dweller Saga is travel. Adele and her trusty companions are constantly on the move, using stealth and secrecy to accomplish their goals. The Sun Dwellers takes place mostly in the Sun Realm and mostly out of sight of any main pathways. It also takes place within only several days, but there is no want for action and adventure and emotion.

I love the tension present in this book between Adele and Tristan. Their relationship was really put through a loop with some secrets revealed and discovered. Why were they so instantly attracted to each other to begin with? Estes gives us more insight into this answer and more. Adele and Tristan each go through heartache as they come to terms with the answers they discover and their feelings for each other. It is both heartbreaking and exhilarating to watch them in their relationship.

If you like a story full of suspense and secrets, action and adventure, love and emotion, then go no further and grab the Dweller Saga by David Estes because they are excellent.

 

This novel was published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform 11/27/2012 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.50

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

David Estes’s Website

Twitter

Book Review: Water & Storm Country (The Country Saga) by David Estes

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Water & Storm Country (The Country Saga) by David Estes

A YA Sci-fi/Dystopian Novel published by David Estes (06/03/2013)

 

Summary:

“As the name suggests, storm country is a place where nature fights against itself constantly, warring in the skies— not with swords and shields and horses and ships, but with lightning and dark clouds and— Boom!” (Kindle Locations 506-507).

Huck Jones may only be 14, but in a world that is ravaged by a plague and the fact that old age is a fantasy to most, he is expected to be a man and take command of his life, as long as he follows all the rules laid down by his father, Admiral Jones. Huck is a ‘Soaker,’ and has spent his life on a ship. He is supposed to become a man and take control of the unruliest ship of the lot, but it will take courage and leadership, things Huck is still learning.

Sadie has always wanted to be a Rider and is determined to be a Rider. There shouldn’t be any problems, because she’s destined to be a Rider, but she wants to get her horse and fight now. There are threats now and she isn’t content staying back in the tent with her father. She has no place for cowards and doesn’t like being cooped up when she could be out there with her destiny as a Rider in the Stormer’s army.

The Stormers and Soakers don’t get along, but when an even larger enemy rears its head, they will have to play nice to stay alive together.

Keywords:

 Storms, Horses, Ships, Slaves, Coming of Age, 14 year old, Responsibility, Leadership, Power, Cruel Father, Cowardice, Protection, Loyalty, Love, Romance, Compassion, Patience

My Review:

Water & Storm Country is more than a story about survival and determination, it is a coming of age story set in world entirely different than our own. It is a story about growing up and taking responsibility and fighting for those you love. Huck, more than Sadie, must figure out who he wants to be as an adult and become the leader he is supposed to be.

Once again David Estes creates two narratives in this book and balances them in their strength and importance. Huck is less sure about himself, his future and his decisions. He is nervous about living up to the expectations set forth for him. He has his convictions and they don’t always match those of his father. Sadie knows exactly what she wants out of life and knows she will be exactly what she is supposed to be. She is confident and mildly arrogant about her abilities.

I enjoyed this third book in the Country Saga Series and look forward to the culminating book of both the Country Saga and Dweller Series books: Earth Dwellers.

This novel was published by David Estes 06/03/2013 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TLDR Star Rating: 5.0

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

David Estes’s Website

Twitter

Book Review: Ice Country (The Country Saga) by David Estes

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Ice Country (The Country Saga) by David Estes

A YA Sci-fi/Dystopian Novel published by David Estes (03/29/2013)

 

Summary:

“To fight or not to fight? Why is it that I constantly have to make this decision over and over again?” (Kindle Locations 1578-1579).

Ice Country is the winter version of Fire Country. There are mountains and forests and snow for days. Ice Country is home to the Icies and the main character Dazz. He lived a normal life, getting into bar fights at Fro-Yo’s, hanging out with his best bud Buff, being told off by his brother Wes, disappointed in his drug-dependent mother, and living for one of his sister Jolie’s smiles. But Dazz gets into one bar fight too many and is kicked out of his second home. Desperate to make the money to pay back Fro-Yo’s for the damages, Dazz and Buff head to the local gambling den. It seems like anything Dazz does cannot end well. When they’re offered employment to help pay off debts, Dazz and Buff jump at the chance. Their employer is not who he seems and the job is exactly what it looks like. Then Jolie goes missing in the night, taken right in front of Dazz’s nose and he will stop at nothing to find her and bring her home. In the middle of his investigation into her kidnapping and during the increasing curiosity that has become his job, Dazz meets the most unlikely allies from the Fire Country. There are bigger things afoot than just the abduction of Jolie, and Dazz is determined to pick himself up and do the right thing now.

Keywords:

 Cold, Survival, Fighting, Disease, Death, Post-Apocalyptic, Convoluted Truth, Friendship, Romance, Love, Family, Curiosity, Allies, Fire Country, Revenge, Murder, Corrupted Leadership, Trust, Strength

My Review:

Dazz seems, at first, like a lowlife good for nothing seeking-out-trouble young bad boy. He gets into bar fights with little to no provocation. He aims high in the girlfriend realm without really falling in love. He has no money and no job and spends all day at the local bar. This is what life is like in the Brown Disctrict, where the poor have less opportunities and many vices. Even Dazz’s brother Wes is only barely getting by. Dazz comes to life as a character to look up to when he is given morally charged choices. He is bound by his family and his love for his sister and wants to protect her, but he is also compelled to protect the weak and innocent. He is a good person stuck in a bad situation, a rut of life in the poorer district. He is a true underdog and grows up to his potential with the story.

Skye from the Fire Country Book one of the Country Saga Series comes into this story with her fierceness and determination. She is more developed and more cool than ever in Ice Country. As Dazz puts it so eloquently, “Skye’s not the type to wait around for heroes to rescue her. She is the hero.” (Kindle Locations 4100-4101). When you need a fighter who won’t back down and can take a punch like any bar-fighter, Skye’s your man (I mean woman). Isn’t that cool to have such a kick-butt female!

Estes brings in more of the characters from book one, interweaving the sinister plot they were discovering in book one into a whole mess of a situation that gets bigger and bigger in this second book. Seina, Circ, and Feve are all back for more.

Dazz is the main character and all events are told from his perspective. He’s a fun, intelligent, and interesting narrator and does the story proud in his telling. I can’t wait for book three, Water & Storm Country.

This novel was published by David Estes 03/29/2013 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TLDR Star Rating: 5.0

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

David Estes’s Website

Twitter

Book Review: Fire Country (The Country Saga) by David Estes

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Fire Country (The Country Saga) by David Estes

A YA Sci-fi/Dystopian Novel published by David Estes (01/23/2013)

 

Summary:

‘“The Call is an important and magnificent event for us, the Heaters, the people of fire country. It is near and dear to my heart. It is a chance to say to all that threaten us, we will not be defeated! We will carry on, replenish our flock! We are not afraid!” A cheer rises up, but it’s deep and heavy— a man’s cheer. When I look ’round most of the women are silent.’ (Kindle Locations 3710-3712).

Siena will turn 16 shortly and her world will change. At seven her body could reproduce. At 16 she will be matched with her Call and produce a baby. At 19 and 22 she will be re-matched and reproduce twice more. At 32 she will probably die. That is the life for a girl in the Heater Tribe out in Fire Country. As a Pre-Bearer, Sie’s life is mapped out, but what if she has a choice? Her friend Lara knows something. Sie doesn’t want to have to break off her friendship with Circ to be a Call, to do her duty.

When the time comes to make a decision, what will Siena choose? She doesn’t know the complete truth, but she will try her hardest to find the answers to the ever-increasing questions surrounding the Heaters and her father, the Head Greynote.

 

Keywords:

 Tribe, Survival, Desert, Fire, Disease, Death, Fighting, Short Life Expectancy, Post-Apocalyptic, Convoluted Truth, Friendship, Romance, Love, Family, Curiosity, Duty, Obedience

 

My Review:

Siena is Scrawny and Circ is Smoky and together they are the best of friends. Sie lives for Circ and will do anything, even something completely stupid, to try to save her friend. She can’t imagine what life will be like after the Call, when she’s been matched with another random Heater in order to bear children and keep the Heater tribe alive. She can’t imagine it and it never enters the readers mind that it is a real possibility. Something has to happen. Her life and the story would be over if she was the obedient daughter who followed all the rules.

Siena is not one to follow rules without question. She is always seeking out the truth. She may be the scrawniest in the village, but she is tough where it counts. She is brave when it counts. She doesn’t think of only herself when those she loves are in danger. She is a character that fights, that doesn’t back down, that can take a hit. She is a true heroine. Yet, she still gets battered and bruised. She is still knocked around by her father, the town bullies, and her own two left feet. She is far from perfect, but she is someone to look up to nonetheless.

The intense friendship between Siena and Circ blossoms just like the romance between Adele and Tristan in the Dweller Saga. David Estes has a way of bringing two people together and showing their intense feelings and love for each other. There is nothing in Sie’s way in her love for Circ, except her realization that Circ is more than just a friend for her. If it were possible, she might choose him as her Call. Society and her father have other plans, though, and in the Heater world Sie and Circ can never and would never be matched.

I absolutely loved this first novel and will be consuming the entire Country Saga series by David Estes for more daring heroines, dashing heroes, sinister leaders, engaging love and friendships, and everything that Estes is able to do in his books that is so very captivating.

 

This novel was published by David Estes 01/23/2013 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TLDR Star Rating: 5.0

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

David Estes’s Website

Twitter

Book Review: Silent Circle (Volume 1) by Cassandra Larsen

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Silent Circle (Volume 1) by Cassandra Larsen

A YA Fantasy/Paranormal Novel published by Cassandra Larsen (08/21/2014)

 

Summary:

“We can‘t change what we are, but we can practice to get more control over what we do.” (Page 126)

Emerson is your average teenage girl. She’s got a hot boyfriend. She has a few good friends. She goes to the local high school, dressing like everyone else, partying like everyone else. On her seventeenth birthday, however, everything changes when she gains her powers. Em can’t believe that she’s a witch, but after some of her awesome abilities are revealed, she realizes there’s something going on that even her mother never told her about. That’s because her mom died when she was fourteen, before she had a chance to explain to Em who she really was. Em’s life is further complicated when her boyfriend Sebastian catches her with the local quiet boy Caiden, but hey, it’s not what you think!

 

Keywords:

Witches, Spells, Rivalry, Friendship, Loyalty, Mistakes, Teenage Drinking, Parties, Gossip, Secrets, Revenge, Death, Teen Drama, Strength, Running from Problems, Teen Issues,

 

My Review:

I like how Em is portrayed as a very normal and down to earth teen girl, albeit with her own troubles and chips on her shoulder, but those make her interesting and mysterious. Em is part of her own ‘it’ crowd but not the most popular. She’s not the model student or the model popular. She’s interesting but not really different from the norm. She fits in, until her 17th birthday when everything changes.

Larsen keeps up the intrigue throughout the book, hinting and foreshadowing that greater things are afoot and will be revealed in time. Em has just found out she’s a witch and less than a week later is having to make choices she’d never thought she’d have to make and letting people help her when she’s decided that she is self-sufficient and independent. It’s difficult for her to learn to accept the help and community of being a part of something.

I like how Em already has a boyfriend and the entire book is not a sappy falling in love romance. It’s about Em and how she has to fight to figure out what she believes in and figure out what is the truth and how she fits into this new world of witches and powers beyond belief.

The teens are realistic to a fault. You grow to love them while at the same time despising them for acting like teenagers! Rowdy drinking, bad decisions, and forgetting how they affect other people. Definitely teenage behavior. They are snarky and sarcastic and blow up in anger over little things, but they will also surprise you with their fortitude and their willingness to try. Em may have anger issues, but she is motivated to learn to control herself. That is a character trait that is really one to look up to, how many of us can say that?

The hint of a relationship between Em and Caiden, like all the gossip wants to point out, is just barely there and I hope it develops more in book two, but alas we also like Sebastian and don’t want to see him drop off! I’m interested to see how Larsen will develop the relationships and romance in the second book.

This novel was published by Cassandra Larsen 08/21/2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Facebook

Book Review: Evolution: HEX (The Evolution Series Book 3) by S.A. Huchton

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Evolution: HEX (The Evolution Series Book 3) by S.A. Huchton

A Sci-Fi/Fantasy/New Adult Novel published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (07/05/14)

 

Summary:

“The line between enemy and ally wasn’t a line at all; it was a fuzzy, ever-shifting radius of complexity and situational dependency. (Page 34).

In this final installment in the Evolution Series, Candace must once again be strong in her convictions and in her abilities and relationships to get through tough times and save the day. She was kidnapped at the end of Book Two and now is imprisoned in enemy territory. Not everything she has been told about Hex and Dr. Ferdinand are true, but is everything she knows and has been told about the ANGEL project and the SAGES true as well? It will take Candace all her strength to fight this one last battle and to figure out who the enemy really is.

 

Keywords:

Genetic Manipulation, Superheroes, Comic Books, Books, Tough, instability, romance, love, hormones, leader, kick-butt female, sex, fighting, training, good guys, testing, banter

My Review:

I love it when a third book in a trilogy comes with enough resolution to leave the reader satisfied with the overall story, but also contains its own plot within the grander plot. Huchton delivers on both fronts. There was a grand climax and a thorough resolution with a surprise ending that, when looking back, was all but inevitable due to events in this third book.

Huchton’s plot throughout this series was a bit lumpy in pace in that the first book was like a standalone novel and the second novel continued many subplots, but the overarching series plot was introduced indirectly in the second book and fully revealed in this final book. The big picture was at last revealed in the final book and leaves both Candace and the reader wondering what is the truth and who is the enemy?

Questions of morals and enemy lines blurring make for the most interesting plot complications in the Evolution Series, and especially in this third book.

The relationship between Jackson and Candace takes a deep hit and the emotional suspense is so hard to take. Huchton really knows how to write a heart throbbing romance with deeply emotional characters who really feel for each other and their love is palpable and rich.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. on July 5th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

 

Links for more information:

Starla Huchton’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: Evolution: SAGE (The Evolution Series Book 2) by S.A. Huchton

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Evolution: SAGE (The Evolution Series Book 2) by S.A. Huchton

A Sci-Fi/Fantasy/New Adult Novel published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (05/04/14)

 

Summary:

“If you don’t give people a chance to be better, they never will be.” (Page 375).

Evolution Sage picks up right where Evolution Angel leaves off, with a depressed and devastated Candace for what happened and what she did to Adrian. For weeks she gives up on everything, purposeless and wracked with guilt. It isn’t until Jackson makes a comment to her about moving on or giving up and she is given a new purpose by the facility that she is finally ready to move ahead with her life. A new threat lies on the horizon and this enemy has been around for a long time, just now making their move. It is up to the ANGELS to get ready for this new, stronger enemy and they will turn to a higher level of experimentation to improve their already super hero super powers, but what will the consequences be this time?

 

Keywords:

Genetic Manipulation, Superheroes, Comic Books, Books, Tough, instability, romance, love, hormones, leader, kick-butt female, sex, fighting, training, good guys, testing, banter, Hard Decisions

My Review:

The more I read, the more I fall in love with the characters. I absolutely adore and look up to Candace. She’s not afraid to say that she’s wrong or being too anything: too hard, too harsh, or too emotional. She has the ability to self-analyze and adapt. She harnesses her ability and hones her skills, discovers new things about herself and her abilities. When SAGE begins, a new level of herself is opened up and she explores even more new possibilities for her weapon even as she’s haunted by the power she used on Adrian in Evolution Angel.

Jackson. Swoon. He was the bad boy attitude problem, snarky comment, easily angered boy from Evolution Angel. Now that Adrian is no longer in the picture he gets to have his day. All along I’m sure Starla had great plans for Jackson, she was just biding her time and building him up as a person. Jackson is the real romantic fantasy. He is flawed and angry. He has a past that is terrible and hangs over his personality. He cares for Candace, but tries to hide his feelings for her. He is rude at times, but is extremely polite when he needs to be a gentleman. He is also insanely good looking and every time Candace gets too close to him,  she can feel him and knows that she wants him.

The relationship between Jackson and Candace gets its day in book two of the Evolution Series and it’s a wonder to behold. Starla built up this relationship from the first time they saw each other, when they hated one another. “I’ve hated you for a long time. I hated you for making me want someone. I hated you for being with Adrian. I hated you for what you dissolved into after he was gone. I couldn’t stand it, Candace. No one thought I was worth helping, and I believed it. And then you helped me, for no other reason except that you could. You caught me in almost every lie I’ve ever told you. You challenge everything I say. You took everything I thought was true and turned it upside down.” (Pages 249-250).

Jackson and Candace are so emotionally charged when they’re together, so destructive, so powerful, and I could go on and on. The best romances are the ones that happen within a story that already has a powerful plot.

Starla has built a powerful, mesmerizing plot full of characters that are emotionally appealing and fascinating to watch. Candace is tough and rational, but also very prone to feeling sad or weak when everything is against her. She is so real, even as she can control a person through her connection to the water in their veins. I love how she stands by her convictions and sticks to her morals when making decisions and weighing the pros and cons before making a tough decision.
My only critique for this book was that the ending is abrupt and right in the middle of action. Thank goodness book three is already available.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. on May 4th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

 

Links for more information:

Starla Huchton’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: Evolution: Angel (The Evolution) (Volume 1) by S.A. Huchton

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Evolution: Angel (The Evolution) (Volume 1) by S.A. Huchton

A Sci-Fi/Fantasy/New Adult Novel published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (02/25/14)

 

Summary:

“Knowing what came with great power and experiencing that weight was so vastly different you couldn’t even see the other side of the chasm between them. (Page 241).”

From the very first moment that Candace Bristol and her cousin Gabe saw the ANGELs in action, they knew they wanted to join the project and become two of the world’s superheroes. Fast forward four years when Gabe is already in training and Candace has just sent in her application. Not everyone gets accepted and not everyone can make it because it takes special genetics and a special comportment to be able to make it as an ANGEL.

When Candace is accepted, she is elated and she knows that there will be more going on than she has researched about the ANGELs. When she gets to the training grounds she is overwhelmed by some of the aspects of the project, but she steps up as a leader.

 

Keywords:

Genetic Manipulation, Superheroes, Comic Books, Books, Tough, instability, romance, love, hormones, leader, kick-butt female, sex, fighting, training, good guys, testing, banter

My Review:

Every girl wants a comic book hero to look up to and wish to have their powers. What we get are an assortment of men with superpowers and women who look pretty in skintight clothes with lame powers. What Huchton does in her superhero series is give us a real kick-butt female with real superpowers. Huchton has diverse characters that look and act different and have unique personalities.

Candace is a strong Alpha personality. She’s very curious, very go getter, very nothing gets in her way. She’s an open, up front person who does what she wants to do, says what she thinks, and doesn’t let anyone get her down. She is already a super hero inside. She sees the good in people and makes sure they don’t get away with their nonsense when they’re up to no good.

Adrian is the unassuming librarian with the sexy baritone voice. There was something in his past that gives him a chip on his shoulder and he has trouble thinking he is worth the love and effort of others.

Gabe is Candace’s older cousin and comic relief in the story. They continuously banter and at first Gabe tries to look out for her, but she is too independent and stubborn to let that fly. She would rather fall on her own, then be helped along.

Jackson is the troubled bad boy with an attitude problem. Does he secretly have a thing for Candace? Not going to tell you! “I think he could possibly be motivated to work with others on a team. While he’s abrasive and not a little trying on my patience, I don’t think he’s unsympathetic to others and he knows not to cross certain boundaries. If he’s here at all, it’s because it was his choice, isn’t it?”) (Page 86).

There’s also Ella, Candace’s friend and fellow trainee, True from the first wave of ANGELS, and Hector, etc. There was such a range of characters to get to know and love.

I thought the raging hormones bit was overplayed, but it did add a sense of hilarity, brusqueness, and urgency to the ANGEL’s actions.

The ending was so emotional and so devastating and left me itching for book two. Starla Huchton is a genius and a beautiful story-crafter and this series is a great one to read.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. on Feburary 25th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 5.00

 

Links for more information:

Starla Huchton’s Website

Goodreads