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Waking up in strange places has become stock in trade for earthbound angel, Adriel. This time she has landed right in the middle of a crime scene where some guy who looks like a superhero wannabe gives her a hard time about her performance. The Powers That Be keep sending her on jobs without explanation and now she has to rescue her own guardian angel from the clutches of evil.-Via Goodreads

Another great adventure for Adriel and her friends, beginning with the very first page! First introduced in the excellent Psychic Seasons series, Adriel is adapting to a new existence on Earth, guiding guardian angels and combating darkness. When she lands in an alley right after a woman is killed, she has no choice but to team up with Leith, a man with apparent magical abilities who is bent on saving souls. Leith was a complex characters, I liked that you're never quite convinced that he is who he says he is. The three fairies were a hoot, and I loved the carnival between worlds! The gripping plot led up to a thrilling ending that kept me on the edge of my seat! I can't wait for the next book to come out to see what Adriel does next!

Combining action, mystery and a hint of romance into only 159 pages, Earthbound Wings is a satisfying read in a great series and I definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy a light mystery, captivating adventure and great characters.

Mari Shu, a factory drudge in the year 4000-something, must choose how to protect her sisters, her purity, and her own conscience in a bleak futuristic society that’s been polluted by smog, rampant commercialism, tacky jumpsuits, sexual perversions, unjust socioeconomics, interstellar travel, and inconsistent use of the Oxford comma.

In this first of many planned interactive adventures, Mari Shu’s decision to stick to Olde Earth opportunities, such as professional sexxoring, has deeper consequences than she could ever have dreamed possible.

Warning: Book contains offensive material. Buttloads of boatloads of offensive, vulgar, disrespectful, and possibly triggering material. Sexual, political, economic, racial, physical, typographical, religious—really, trying to hit all the big ones. Please make sure to sign your correct name to the hate mail so we can give proper credit in the follow-up volume entitled, “The Hate Mails to Mari Shu”.

Warning 2: What that means is this entire book is a spoof. A joke. A hoot. It wasn’t born out of hatred of any aspect of genre fiction and culture or even hatred of human beings but instead out of love, true love. No, seriously, quit laughing. Oh, wait, you’re supposed to laugh, because it’s parody

 

 

 

Review

 

This is  a farce which plays with all the science fiction romance tropes. I wanted it to work for me but comedy is very personal and this failed to tickle me.

 

It is free if you wish to check it out. 

I had wanted to read Earthbound from the moment I read the synopsis. I read Pike’s Wings a few years ago, and I really liked it. So I knew that I liked her work, and thought that she would do this story justice. And she did. It’s just not the story I thought it was.

 

I thought that Earthbound would be a sci-fi novel. The title, and the synopsis just screamed sci-fi to me. Before you think about reading it – Earthbound is most definitely NOT sci-fi. I’m not really sure which category it falls under. Paranormal? Fantasy? I put it under both. But I had to mention the fact that I spent the first 200 pages or so waiting for some science fiction action, and was disappointed when it didn’t arrive. But I guess, in part, that is my own fault, for assuming that it was indeed a sci-fi novel.

 

Apart from our rocky beginning and misjudgements, I liked Earthbound. I liked Tavia as a character, I liked her love interests. In fact, I really liked all the characters in Earthbound, and that is an extremely rare occurrence for me. I just think that Pike wrote all the characters clearly and well, and there was development for all of them. The one problem I did have with the characters was Benson. I thought that he accepted the predicament WAY too quickly. But, everything is revealed, and my annoyance disappeared along with this revelation.

 

Tavia was likeable for a few reasons. Unlike some ‘broken’ heroines I have read about recently, Tavia didn’t complain, or throw herself numerous pity parties. Yes, she was upset. Who wouldn’t be after the death of their parents? But she didn’t spend the entire novel raging at her aunt and uncle, didn’t spend the whole novel complaining about how bad her life is. She elicited the perfect measures of sadness and acceptance of what had happened to her. And she didn’t move on to quickly, either. I think Pike has done a really good job of writing a character that is flawed in the most even of ways. In Earthbound, we see Tavia grow from an unaware and seemingly normal eighteen year old girl, to a young woman who can fight her own battles, and can stand on her own two feet. I really like character development like this. It wasn’t dramatic; it was achieved over the course of the entire book, and at a good pace, too.

 

While I wasn’t in love with either of the love interests, I was intrigued. Especially by Quinn. Sure, I did guess the reveal about him (in part), but he was interesting nonetheless. And the description of him was just downright swoon-worthy. I REALLY cannot say much more about him without ruining the entire novel, so I shall move onto Benson. Benson was a really cute nerdy librarian boy that I thought was adorable. He was so willing to accept Tavia, and to help her. It was incredibly sweet. And that was why I was just internally (well maybe not so internally) raging at him when his reveal came upon me. I have my doubts and hopes, and I really hope that Tavia will just hear him out. PUHLEASE. Okay, now writing this review, perhaps I did love the love interests.

The story itself was really vague, and constantly kept you guessing (even if it wasn’t a sci-fi!), and I really liked that. There was one part that I REALLY DID NOT SEE COMING. AT ALL. And I love it when that happens. I am notorious for guessing plots early on, and then nothing is a surprise – but Earthbound surprised me. Plus points for that.

 

The pacing was really good. I liked it. A lot happened, but then not a lot happened – all at the same time. It’s the kind of pacing that I love to read about. It wasn’t so slow that I finished the book and felt like absolutely nothing had transpired, but it wasn’t so fast that it gave me whiplash, either. Pike has done an excellent job on the pacing in Earthbound, I must say.

 

Overall, I liked and enjoyed reading Earthbound, and will definitely be continuing the series. There are so many questions that I need answers to!

 

P.S. SO MUCH COVER LOVE. It's so gorgeous.

 

© 2014, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.

 

Your Turn: Have you ever been completely incorrect about a book's genre? How did that influence your enjoyment of the story?

This book was truly an adventure!

While it is absolutely a paranormal (vampire) romance, it reminded me of an epic fantasy adventure; being transported to a strange world with no shortage of unusual characters, magic and the ever-present threat of death.

I enjoyed reading Clare's character. She has a somewhat sarcastic sense of humor, which is right up my alley. Without spoiling anything, I almost felt like I was experiencing everything she was, both emotionally and physically, throughout the book.

Trevi was also interesting to read. He is a vampire unlike any other I have read before. In fact, the whole myth and superstition surrounding vampires is entirely different than what we know it to be.

While the ending wasn't really a cliffhanger, Maggie certainly left it wiiiiide open for the next book to pick up where this one left off. I have a feeling the next book will have us rethinking what we know of vampires and werewolves! Once the entire series is finished, I'm betting it's going to be one awesome read!

***A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review***

If love can survive death, are soul-mates eternal?

Eighteen-year-old Tavia is the only survivor of a plane crash that killed her parents. Grieving and lonely, she starts having strange visions; of a boy she's never met but feels compulsively drawn to. A boy who tells her to do things she never dreamed of.

Tavia begins to suspect that secrets are being kept from her, and that her kindly aunt and uncle know more than they are letting on. Was the plane crash really an accident? Or is Tavia part of something bigger than she ever imagined?

With only her instincts and long-time crush, Benson, to rely on, Tavia must decide where her destiny lies, and who with.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike has created a heart-stopping romance built on a love triangle like you've never seen before and filled with epic stakes and a centuries-long conspiracy. Give it to fans of Nightshade and Fallen.

 

 

"We're both dancing our routine of deception, and neither of us wants the other to find out. So we dance. We laugh. We smile."

I got an eARC of Earthbound, the first installment in a new series by Aprilynne Pike about a year or so ago and I just never got round to it until now. I hadn't read anything by Aprilynne Pike before this and has heard mixed things about her Wings series so didn't really know what to expect. All I knew was that I thought Earthbound sounded interesting. My response after reading? Oh. My. God! Why didn't I pick this up sooner? Why didn't I pick up anything by Aprilynne Pike sooner? I fell head over heels in love with this book.

Tavia's life has been uprooted. The lone survivor of a horrific plane crash she has lost everything. Her family, herself and even her brain function. Living with the mysterious aunt and uncle she has never met before Tavia doesn't know who to trust. When she starts seeing visions of a strange boy that she has unexplained intense feelings for Tavis must face some truths. Why is it she can do things nobody else can? Are those people really her family? Was the crash really an accident? Running away from home Tavia goes on a journey of discovery. To discover the secrets that everyone is keeping from her.

Earthbound is one of those gems of a book that you discover every once in a while and it blows you away. I have instantly become a fan of Aprilynne Pike. I was sucked in right from the start with her addictive storytelling skills and I couldn't put it down. I just needed to know what was going to happen with Tavis. Who was she? What is she and why does she keep seeing this strange boy? The fantastic thing about this book is that it's a journey of discovery and it doesn't bug you that you don't know what is going on because Tavia doesn't know what is going on and so you are on the journey with her to figure it out. It definitely holds your attention because you really want to find out the secrets.

The one negative thing I could say isn't really a negative thing. It has a love triangle. I have to admit I have a love-hate relationship with love triangles. I either love them or hate them. In this particular case I loved it and that is probably because it takes a back-burner to the more important storyline. There's a love triangle between this mysterious boy in her dreams and her best friend and confident Benson. I liked both of the guys and actually started to be suspicious of them both. The best thing is that the love triangle is also a suspicion triangle as either guy could actually be after Tavia for her powers. The most important part of the book and the main plot is finding out what Tavia is and discovernig the answers to all the questions. I love that the love triangle is just a sub-plot rather than the main plot.

I was really pleasantly surprised with Earthbound and I am dying to get my hands on the sequel Earthquake, that is due out in a couple of months. I will most definitely be checking out Aprilynne Pike's other works and I am most definitely a fan now. Earthbound surpassed all of my expectations and I am really looking forward to finding out what happens next.

"The chance to choose my own heart's desire and to be with the person I want is worth it."