Review: The Loop, by Jeremy Robert Johnson

 

Title: The Loop

Author: Jeremy Robert Johnson

Format: ebook

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "Stranger Things meets World War Z in this heart-racing conspiracy thriller as a lonely young woman teams up with a group of fellow outcasts to survive the night in a town overcome by a science experiment gone wrong.

Turner Falls is a small tourist town nestled in the hills of western Oregon, the kind of town you escape to for a vacation. When an inexplicable outbreak rapidly develops, this idyllic town becomes the epicenter of an epidemic of violence as the teenaged children of several executives from the local biotech firm become ill and aggressively murderous. Suddenly the town is on edge, and Lucy and her friends must do everything it takes just to fight through the night."

My Opinion: This story takes place over the course of one night, but I have to say, there is so much action packed into that single night you don't need any more time! Lucy goes out to a party with a couple of friends, more to keep busy and get out of the house than because she's excited about it, and all hell breaks loose. It turns out, the tissue from an alien species has been replicated and implanted into a group of kids in town and has had an unexpected side effect, to say the least. It's supposed to control them but instead turns them into little killing machines with a hive mind. The worst part, which is saying a lot due to the sheer number of awful things that happen on that fateful night, is that the kids need to kill to keep them calm, even while they are salivating over the violence they are inflicting! Crazy, I know! 

The book started out at a nice, normal pace, introducing the characters and giving their back stories, and then before you know it, it throws you headlong into the action, and doesn't take its foot off the brake for the rest of the book. Definitely a page turner, with an explosive conclusion.

As mentioned above, the pacing of the plot is very quick, making it near impossible to put the book down as you don't want to miss a thing. The characters are very well written and grow and develop throughout the book, especially our Lucy. I'm still amazed that all this happened in just one night! (Broken record, I know, but still ....)

In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and enthusiastically recommend it to anyone looking for a quirky, unique horror story, that moves at a fast pace without sacrificing character development. 

5/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Snow & Caramel: A Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Thriller, by Jay Kerk

 

Title: Snow & Caramel: A Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Thriller

Author: Jay Kerk

Format: ebook

Source: NetGalley

From NetGalley: "We stood against the big humans: the oppressors, the opponents, the enemies, the hated.

These were all names I had learned for them, and yet were they the right names? Experience screamed yes, logic screamed no, and I grappled with morality as I grappled with slavery, unable to tell what made a man and what made a monster. Where did we fit, we oppressed? 

Snow – white ice made in freezing clouds atop the world. I am Snow, and the world we live in has no place for snow, no place for me or my kind, save in labor and death. The radiation of the sun burns up the land and the bigger humans that stalk this Earth have claimed it for their own. They care nothing for us smaller folk. 

Caramel – soft, silky, sweet. Little Caramel, the sweetest of sisters. I would not allow the world to burn her as it burned her namesake. I would keep her safe and golden if it cost me everything. She was the only beauty left in life. 

In our reality, with force and a few coins, you had power of life and death over a creature of equal awareness and thought. How had it world come to this? How could any of us, especially those so small as we were, create cracks in which to sow the seeds of change? I did not know the answers, but when I stared across parched land, I knew that the cracks must be found, the seeds sown, or the world could never heal."

My Opinion: This story touched me on a visceral level because it dealt with oppression and discrimination, slavery and cruelty, but also hope and love, compassion and strength. It is set in a dystopian future where the "big humans" are able to buy and sell the smaller race of "humanoids." It throws the cruelty of the owners right in your face as they have complete control over this sweet brother and sister, and it shows how this cruelty is taught to the next generation. But it also shows the strength that Snow, as the older brother taking care of his young sister, has, and how he, in turn, is passing that on to her. 

I thought the writing was superb. I was drawn in immediately and became invested in the story from the get go. The characters were well written and the plot moved along at a very good pace. My only complaint is that the story was too brief, being a novella. I would love to read more.

I highly recommend this story to all lovers of dystopian, horror stories that deal with uncomfortable subject matter in a way that is extremely well written and moving. I look forward to reading other works by this talented author.

5/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Hag-Seed (Hogarth Shakespeare), by Margaret Atwood

Title: Hag-Seed (Hogarth Shakespeare)

Author: Margaret Atwood

Format: ebook

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "When Felix is deposed as artistic director of the Makeshiweg Theatre Festival by his devious assistant and longtime enemy, his production of The Tempest is canceled and he is heartbroken. Reduced to a life of exile in rural southern Ontario—accompanied only by his fantasy daughter, Miranda, who died twelve years ago—Felix devises a plan for retribution.

Eventually he takes a job teaching Literacy Through Theatre to the prisoners at the nearby Burgess Correctional Institution, and is making a modest success of it when an auspicious star places his enemies within his reach. With the help of their own interpretations, digital effects, and the talents of a professional actress and choreographer, the Burgess Correctional Players prepare to video their Tempest. Not surprisingly, they view Caliban as the character with whom they have the most in common. However, Felix has another twist in mind, and his enemies are about to find themselves taking part in an interactive and illusion-ridden version of The Tempest that will change their lives forever. But how will Felix deal with his invisible Miranda’s decision to take a part in the play?"

My Opinion: This is a contemporary retelling of "The Tempest" and I have to say, it made the original Tempest much easier for me to understand. There was a lot of nuance that I missed when reading the original, which was, admittedly, quite a while ago. 

Felix has been removed from his position as artistic director of the Makeshweg Theatre Festival after being stabbed in the back by his assistant, and decides to in essence remove himself from the world. It is not only the pain of this particular betrayal that causes this self exile - Felix ix also mourning the death of his daughter, Miranda, who died when she was still a toddler. Felix spends quite a bit of his time alone, plotting revenge against those who wronged him, and is finally able to enact said revenge in a very unique way. 

I loved the way Ms. Atwood wove a story of revenge and vindication into a play within a play. Felix takes a job at a prison teaching Literacy through Theatre to the prisoners by having them put on Shakespeare's plays, with their own twists thrown in. When he hears that the very men who betrayed him years ago will be visitors at the prison to see his latest endeavor, he decides that The Tempest would be just the play to allow him to exact his revenge. 

I thought the flow was very smooth throughout the story. The characters were very well developed and fleshed out. The plot was interesting and the pace was quick.

I thoroughly enjoyed Hag-Seed and always love reading anything by Margaret Atwood. I'm giving this book 5/5 stars and enthusiastically recommend it. 

I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Secret Magic (Evie Everyday Witch #1), by Elena Paige

Title: Secret Magic (Evie Everyday Witch #1)
Author: Elena Paige
Format: ebook
Source: BookSirens

From Goodreads: "Funny magical adventure series perfect for kids ages 7 and up

My name is Evie Everyday and I’m a witch. But all I’ve ever wanted is to be a Lamron. That’s the word normal spelled backward. Anyways, now I have the chance to go to a regular school and be a regular girl I’ll do whatever it takes to fit in.

Fitting in is easy. All I have to do is:

Keep my magic a secret Swap my favorite colorful clothes for boring black ones Suck up to scary Mrs. Rogers, the school principal Keep my pet cat, bat and corncob from causing any trouble And stay away from Izzy. She’s all colorful and funny and awesome…. and not helpful for fitting in.

But when everything starts to go wrong, there’s only one way to save my new school… use magic. And only one person who can help me… Izzy!

Evie Everyday Witch is a series of chapter books that kids and parents will love. Ideal for reluctant readers. Evie's quirky, funny personality will sweep kids off their feet, and get them reading again!"

My Opinion:  Evie is a witch who wants more than anything to be normal, which to her means dressing normal, having normal friends, and by all means, acting normal. She really, really wants to go to a normal school instead of the school for witches that she attends, and against all odds, she gets her parents to agree to this!! She shows up her first day dressed in her most colorful outfit, but she quickly realizes that the other kids are all dressed in black, with one exception, a girl by the name of Izzy. While Evie secretly admires the way Izzy acts and dresses, she decides that to be "normal" she can't hang out with or  be friends with Izzy. As Evie does her best to fit in, she realizes that it's not as easy as she thought it would be to change everything that makes her, her.

I thought this was a very cute book with a great message. The pacing was quick and the book was very easy to read, and Evie really great into herself over the course of the story.

I think this is a great MG book, full of magic, which would appeal to younger readers that like fantasy, or to introduce them to this genre. 

I'm giving this book 5/5 stars.

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Review: The Magicians Convention, by Elena Paige

Title: The Magicians Convention
Author:  Elena Paige
Format: ebook
Source: BookSirens

From Goodreads: In a world of mages and illusionists, one orphan must find the magic within himself to save the ones he loves . . .

Twelve-year-old Toby would give anything to see his parents one last time. But since they died tragically ten years ago, he knows it’s an impossible wish. Raised by his grandfather, who’s a little too protective, Toby yearns for adventure. So when he wakes up one morning and realizes his grandfather is missing, he follows the clues that will lead to his rescue. Toby is soon engulfed in a secret world of magic and illusion.

In this unfamiliar world, Toby is joined by two new friends: Wesa, a runaway mage, and Thatch, a security boy who’d give anything to practice magic. The three friends are instructed to find a magical hat before an evil magician gets his hands on it first.

Failing will mean the deaths of those they love and create a dangerous divide in the world of magic.

The Magicians Convention is the spellbinding first book in a trilogy of middle-grade fantasy novels.

My Opinion: Toby, a 12 year old boy who is being raised by his over-protective grandpa, wishes for excitement, for an adventure, and whether good or bad, he gets his wish. One otherwise ordinary day, he is looking out his window when he sees a long line of people, dressed very strangely, queued up outside a neighbor's door, waiting to enter. He calls his grandpa up to witness this strange occurrence, but his grandpa thinks he's making it up because he, himself, sees nothing. And thus begins the very adventure he was wishing for.

This is the first book in a new series, but there is a prequel that I recommend you read before starting this one. You could definitely read The Magician's Convention without reading the prequel, and would understand it completely, but the prequel sets the tone and gives a bit of background that makes it easier to understand just what is happening and who some of the characters are.

As for the characters, they are written very, very well, in my opinion. The back story of each of them is written seamlessly into the story line, and they are able to grow and learn as the story progresses. The plot is easily followed but not predictable, and the pacing of the story is just right.

I like to review MG books because I have a seventh grader who doesn't mind my picking his brain to get an idea of what works in a story and what doesn't, and I can report that he gave this book 2 thumbs up and said that he really enjoyed reading it and is looking forward to reading the next book in the series, which was my opinion, as well.

In summary, I am giving this book 5/5 stars, and can enthusiastically recommend it for fans of all ages who could use a little bit of magic in their lives.

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Review: The Day I Died (Apocalypse Cycle), by Aya Knight

Title: The Day I Died (Apocalypse Cycle)
Author: Aya Knight
Format: ebook
Source: BookSirens

From Goodreads: "Oshin Fletcher lives by three rules: obey authority, don’t draw unnecessary attention to yourself, and above all else, never leave the city walls.

Some say that rules are meant to be broken. For Oshin, her world shattered on the day she was betrayed. A secret meeting leads her beyond the safety of her city. Lured by the ignorance that comes with being lonely and hopeful, Oshin was about to discover just how severe consequences could be. Lost and alone, she waited; no one came. But they did. The infected, the decaying, the undead.

Oshin wakes to find herself in an abandoned house, deep within the forest. Her body was changing, her desire to feed, uncontrollable. She was a marionette—her hunger, the puppeteer. She pivots on a line between life and death. They say the undead are mindless, but Oshin was very much aware. She sets out in an unknown world where the worst evils aren’t the undead, but humanity itself. With only days before the effects of the disease take hold and decay sets in, Oshin must race to find a way back home for a cure. She soon discovers that home is not everything she thought it to be. Dark secrets have been in play since the moment she was born.
An emotionally intense zombie survival story."

My Opinion:  I was really excited to read this book - a book told from a thinking zombie's view? I was all over it! I like reading books that turn preconceived notions about a subject on their head, and this book certainly did this. 

The story begins with a girl named Oshin who has always followed the rules, but she is getting a bit bored with this. Enter Codah, a very cute boy who Oshin has had a crush on for quite some time. When he finally notices her and asks her to meet him outside the walls of their compound, she can't go fast enough. The problem here is that the world outside the walls is crawling with the undead, which is why the biggest rule for the compound is Do Not Go Outside the Walls!! But teenage girls aren't known for using common sense when it comes to teenage boys, so Oshin talks herself into believing that nothing bad will happen if she just goes out for a short while. As expected, she was wrong. She does get to meet another boy, Bastion, along with sister, Lace. They are already "undead," but like Oshin, they are still able to think for themselves (although the underlying hunger is always there, and the stiffness of the body setting in already lets them know that they are only days away from turning full on undead).

I think the basis of this story can be summed up with this one sentence from the book's synopsis: "They say the undead are mindless, but Oshin was very much aware." What a novel approach! I think the bones of this story are very good, but there were a few things that kept me from giving this book 5 stars. 

First, Oshin goes beyond the walls of their compound because a boy who has never looked at her twice told her he wanted her to! I know teenage girls aren't always the smartest when it comes to boys, but this didn't make much sense because all her life it was pounded into her head that you don't go beyond the walls! I was also confused by the term "undead". Oshin kept referring to herself, Bastion and Lace as "undead" but then she would talk about holding her breath or her heart beating. Just a bit confusing. 

There were also some pacing problems and other inconsistencies, but the twists and turns in the story kept me reading, and overall this was a very compelling look at what goes on in the minds of aware zombies.

In summary, I love this take on the zombie genre, and all of the twists and turns the plot takes along the way. That's why I am giving it an enthusiastic 4/5 stars.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Review: Hoods: The Beginning (Hoods #1), by David Niall Wilson

Title: Hoods: The Beginning (Hoods #1)
Author: David Niall Wilson
Format: ebook
Source: BookSirens

From Goodreads:  San Valencez is a city with many levels. Near the barrio, on the south side of town, gangs rule the streets, and those that don’t find a way out tend to be sucked into the shadows and consumed. Not far away, near the border between the bad side of town and civilization, there are those standing up to the shadows. They aren’t superheroes, exactly, but they aren’t regular kids either. They have abilities, intelligence, strength, skill—and a desire to see their city become a better place.

Four teenagers, Weaver, Cami, Shooter and Combo, come together with a mutual desire to make things better, to help those who need it and punish those who deserve it. When Shooter’s old friend Mikey approaches them, concerned over his brother Dale’s connections with a gang called Los Escorpiones, they organize and become something stronger than their separate parts. The city is in danger from a threat it doesn’t even know exists. All that stands in the way of disaster is a group of “Hoods.”

My Opinion: San Valencez is a tough place to live, so having friends, your own squad, is highly recommended, especially if you have to go out at night. Our four young heroes-to-be are pretty much loners, until a chance encounter in a dark alley brings two of them together. Bobby and Eddie both have enhanced abilities, and, unknown to them, they are caught on video by a classmate of theirs by the name of Luisa, code name Weaver. Weaver and Cami (another classmate named Lisa) have already been working together to help clean up their city, but they are not getting as far as they would like, so when Weaver sees what Bobby and Eddie can do, she knows instinctively that she needs to recruit them to join her cause. The boys agree that someone has to take on the gangs and other bad elements in their neighborhood, so they join forces with Weaver and Cami, and get their own code names, Shooter and Combo. They have to keep their identities secret because it would be very dangerous if anyone found out who they were.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The setting was described in such detail that I could feel the gritty darkness of it slipping into my mind as I read. The four kids who headline this book were well fleshed out and easy to like. You get to know them through their back stories and family history, which was written into the story very naturally.

I thought the plot flowed along at a good pace, which made the book very easy to read. It was a quick read because of this.

In summary, I enjoyed this book very much and enthusiastically recommend it to lovers of MG/YA fantasy stories. I give it 5/5 stars.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.