This is a collection of three novellas that fit into the world of The Lorien Legacies.  As far as reading order, they all come between books one and two, although that's not how they fit chronologically.  But none of that matters.

 

They are great stories.  The first two give backstory on Numbers Six and Nine respectively.  We get to see a little of their lives before/during the murders of One, Two and Three.  We meet their Cêpans and see their lives before they are turned completely upside down.  The stories really make you empathize with the characters.  They only want a small semblance of normalcy, to be regular teenagers with friends, homework, and love interests.  Instead they are on constant guard for fear of discovery by Mogadorian scouts.  They are the only hope of stopping the Mogs from destroying Earth, and rebuilding their race, their planet. 

 

The stories are both exciting and sad.  They live nomadic lifestyles, moving from place to place, trying their best to blend in, to not stand out.  Hiding in plain sight, but not exactly living.  They are just existing, surviving.  Their Cêpans'  only ambition is to train and prepare heir young wards for the coming war.  You can see why the young Garde have their little rebellions.  It's understandable, but it's also their downfall.

 

The third story is a bit of a twist.  In this one we follow the only son of an important Mogadorian General.  Adamus, or Adam, has been taught his entire life to hate the Loriens because the Loriens hate him and would happily see him dead.  He has great hopes to follow in his father's footsteps and eventually be a major player in the conquering of earth.  He believes he will be in control of his own territory and eagerly awaits the day that the nine Lorien Garde are dead and the Mogadorians can proceed with their plan to take over the planet.

 

Until his father takes him on a mission to follow a lead on a Garde.  Seeing Number One murdered, stabbed in the back, unnerves Adam.  His father then volunteers him for an experiment that is supposed to help him see the memories of the slain Garde.  The hope is that they will gather important intel about the remaining Garde.  What happens is the already compromised Adam is trapped in Number One's mind along with the apparent consciousness of Number One.  She has full control and takes him on a tour of her life.  If he was unsure before...

 

Adam is trapped with One in her memories for three years and when he awakens, he is more than a little conflicted.  His best friend has taken his place as his father's son and has virtually become his rival.  He's weaker than ever, which is very bad for a Mog, especially one who is the offspring of the most prominent Mog general.  But also, One has stayed with him and he now has no desire to hunt down the remainder of the Garde, or conquer Earth.  But he definitely can't tell his father that!

 

For the next few years he tries to act the model Mog all the while, plotting escape, planning ways that the Earth armies could defeat the Mog armies.  He's too late to stop Two's death, and in trying to stop Three's, he outs himself to his rival as a traitor.  

 

The end is a bit of a cliff hanger and I have no clue which book/novella will pick this plot line up again.  UGH!!!

 

Very good read.

Into the final third of the book and we're being introduced to Mogadorians.  I think this is a ploy to get the reader to sympathize with them.  Perhaps seeing things from their point of view might give us pause.  Don't think it's gonna work...but we'll see...

Violet Souls is the first book in The Evoxian Legacies, which tells us about violet-eyed aliens living amongst the humans here on Earth. Bree is one such alien, although she doesn't know it. She has always felt differently to the others, but never knew why. She wears blue contact lenses to hide her violet eyes, as she was teased when she was younger. When she searches for more information on her birth parents, it opens up a whole new world of which she was unaware.

This started off really well, with plenty of action and build up to her actually finding out just who, or what, she is. Bree is a no-nonsense character, determined to do what is right by her daughter. I think the thing for me is that Bree was just too laid back! If I found out I was an alien from another world, which is dying, and I have a soul mate I chose when I was a baby, oh, and my talisman grants me a special power too. No matter how relaxed I tended to be in 'normal' life, I think I would still have some sort of panic attack over all of the above. Not Bree though, nope, not happening. You can throw what you want at this woman, and she won't even blink an eye. Torture? Boring. Death of an enemy turned friend to helped her? So yesterday. Daughter ageing quickly? It's fine. I liked Bree, I really did, but I found her emotions definitely needed broadening.

On the whole, this was a great start to the series, and an epic cast of supporting characters I would love to learn more about. There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow (unless you count the emotional distance). This IS the start of a new series, so be prepared for world and character building, which you always need. I can't wait to see where this series will go. Definitely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!

Dreamwalkers (The Oneiroi Legacies) (Vol...

*****I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*****

This book has a unique premise. Narciso di Angelo is a sixteen-year-old orphan boy that lives on the streets in Italy. He has a very interesting ability(s), when he lays down to sleep he does not do any dreaming of his own, he walks the dreams of others both sweet and nightmarish alike. He must see each through until the end where a doorway appears that leads out to the real world. He believes that he is the only one who can do such things and is extremely surprised to learn (the VERY hard way) that he is not alone in his abilities. Not only are there others that have been doing this for a lot longer than his 16 years but they are kick ass and slightly super hero(ish). He is told that they use their abilities to counter terrorists' nefarious deeds and to be forces of good in the world. Is this true? There are 2 factions of Dreamwalkers, is he even with the right group? What exactly are all of his abilities? How did he get these abilities and who were his parents? There are a few twists though most were regrettably foreseeable. The writing and world building were both good but if you're into stories that are wrapped up sparkly and neat, this is probably not for you. The premise is unique, the writing is decent, the plotline is good (though pretty predictable) BUT that ending... the end just drops off and there is no sugarcoating that cliffhanger... it's abrupt and it's critical!! I myself loathe cliffies, especially ones that have the story there one minute and after turning the page there is nothing but acknowledgments. Over all this was enjoyable, slightly sluggish in parts and then utterly baffeling when the end goes and leaves you high and dry at the alter... Swiping back and forth frantically trying to see if you mistakingly broke the book... NOPE... Fear not... It's written that way

Sage and Nick's relationship can be summed up with four words: " A baby changes everything." Cathy Thacker never shies away from the heavy emotional baggage that love entails, she tackles it head on. From broken hearts to shattered friends and well deserved second chances, Wanted: Texas Daddy spotlights it all. Building a future and co - parenting a child means facing some hard truths for these friends to lovers. It could mean the difference between losing a friendship or gaining a happily ever after. With Wanted: Texas Daddy, Ms. Thacker forces readers to dig deep in order to experience the full impact.

Copyright of Night Owl Reviews