In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justine and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are fathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

I, like many others, love Mead’s YA series Vampire Academy and Bloodlines. So when I heard about her new series, The Age of X, I couldn’t wait to read it, and luckily I didn’t have to.

Now I have not read any of Mead’s adult fiction before but this series thus far is a bit different from her young reader works – it still contains Mead’s trademark humor, morally questionable and attractive characters, but there is a lack of supernaturals compared to all of her other series. Don’t get me wrong, despite this fact and the average review, I am still intrigued by the plot, characters and mythological tie – that I believe this series still holds potential and will definitely be delving into the pages of the next installment of this series.

In this first book of the Age of X series, you’ll find probably Mead’s most ambitious book yet, with its intense world, it was very well thought out and detailed. But as wonderful as the world was, Gameboard of the Gods was a bit complicated, and a little bit drawn out, but the plot was also original and interesting. I struggled a little  bit in the middle, but I never wanted to stop reading. The mystery of the story, and the questions it arose kept me captivated. Then the last 50 pages or so made the whole story worthwhile, and made me want to know what happens to Justin and Mae.

Speaking of these two characters, they are interesting in their own ways. Justin is a bit of a smartass,l but the kind that you can’t help but like. While Mae is a kickass Praetorian soldier, (has an implant that makes them near super human), but she is really emotionally cut off because of their personalities and past personal experiences, these two have a love/hate relationship, but sadly to me it felt a bit lacking especially compared to those found in Mead’s other books. This could possibly change in the books to come though.

I did highly enjoy the parts of the book that involved the Gods and/or their powers. It made me want to know what they are up to, and why they chose Justin and Mae (especially the ending). So despite this books flaws, I enjoyed it and look forward to the next installment to find out what the Gods have in store for Justin and Mae next!

This is normally $12.99.  (*gulp* IKR?)  I almost keeled over & kicked myself for missing it @ NetGalley last Fall.

Erotic (and I mean *erotic*) HR which, from brief skim of reviews, includes m/f, m/m, and m/m/f.  Apparently, there's a love triangle but it seems unconventional so I'm all curious. :)

If you're already familiar with Kate Pearce (especially her House of Pleasures series), then you'll be fine.  If not, then proceed with caution. *grins*

www.amazon.com/Sinners-Club-ebook/dp/B00DV1ITB2/

 

 

Runes Series #1 @ $.99

Runes Series #2 @ $2.99

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Doctor Sleep (The Shinning #2)
Stephan King
Paranormal Horror
Published: 2013
Publisher: Scribner
4.5/5 stars

                On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless – mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs but as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death.
                Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant “shining” power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.”
                Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen that reignites Dan’s own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra’s soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of devoted readers of The Shinning and satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King Canon.

                                           ­­­­­_________________

                Doctor Sleep is a great work of fiction, Stephan King did a fantastic job bringing to life the rest of Danny Torrance’s reality. How he develops and who he becomes, how his past circumstances helped and hindered him in his development in his formative years and how that crossed over into adult hood where he was a struggling alcoholic was all very believable and made perfect sense.   One thing of note, this is not a sequel in the traditional sense and in my opinion it comes across as more of a companion novel which made this all the more fun to read.
                Dan Torrance’s character was soft, gentle, but he was also hard, and kept to himself. It was interesting to read how he would spiral, then build himself back up again only to spiral out of control once again. I was definitely happy when he finally got sober and was very happy to see that he stayed sober throughout the novel. I was disappointed however that Dan lost some of his ability in regards to his supernatural powers and was happy to find that eventually they came back. It was surprising to me that as a main character that Dan wasn’t the strongest character however, I believe that made the story more engaging and believable.
                Doctor Sleep wasn’t as scary as ‘The Shinning’ and I found ‘The True Knot’ not nearly as scary as I had been hoping they would be. Beyond the odd scene here of there, the focus on their power and what they were was more lackluster than I would have hoped. They weren’t nearly as scary as the cover flap would have led me to believe. I was hoping for more of a ‘coven’ feel in terms of their group but they seemed a little disorderly and for some reason I kept imagining them as people with poor hygiene and broken down RVs although it was clear that wasn’t what they were like.
                I found Abra’s character engaging, she was spunky and head strong. She is a twelve year old girl with terrifyingly strong powers and she was aware of them. She also struggles with trying to be normal in a world where she can never be just like everyone else. She’s unique, talented and beautiful and stronger than anyone else in this universe that Stephan King has created with ‘Doctor Sleep and the Shinning’. I found it refreshing however that she had flaws because as we all know a perfect character isn’t interesting to read at all. Characters need strengths and weaknesses to make them relatable and more realized.
                Over all, I really enjoyed Doctor Sleep. It was a fantastic addition to my Stephan King collection and I’m very much looking forward to all of the books that he writes in the future though I am not sure if I’ll ever anticipate a book the way I anticipated ‘Doctor Sleep’.
                Doctor Sleep was a great way to start my October reading month.
                If you’ve read Doctor Sleep what did you think of it? Or perhaps if you’re not interested in reading Doctor Sleep why not?  Interested in what you all are thinking!

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
April Genevieve Tucholke
Paranormal, YA
Published: 2013
Publisher: Dial
5/5

                Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guest house behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard.
                Is River just a crooked-something liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more?
                Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery… who makes you want to kiss back.
                Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight and that’s just how River likes it.

                Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a captivating gothic paranormal romance, set in a sleepy town full of interesting, lively characters with bizarre names. With a gorgeous cover and captivating blurb it would be hard to pass by this delicious book without the urge to pick it up.
                Like with most wildly popular books there are two sides. There are those who are going to love the book, there are those who are going to severely dislike the book. As with everything else in life, there is no such thing as a perfect book. They’re all flawed because we are all flawed and no one ever will be able to please everyone.
                For me personally this book had a lot of elements that make an engaging, enjoyable young adult novel. I’ve noticed recently that Young Adult fiction isn’t often doing it for me, the more I pick up the more I am putting down and I’m okay with that, fiction tastes change as you change and what you liked last month or last year doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy it in this moment.
                I wouldn’t say that Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is necessarily a case of insta-love as I’m often not a fan of those, but at the same time realise that insta-love does happen, in real life and in fiction. I knew that my Husband was the one within a week of dating him. It happens and when magic, and paranormal elements are involved I’m more likely to go with the flow of the story than stand there and judge it. I thought that April did a great job with the paranormal, fantasy elements of the book and that she wrote a story line that was both believable in their universe and a joy to read.
                Between the Devil and the Deep Blue sea was very fast paced and I really wish it were double the size, largely in part of the fact that I didn’t want it to end so quickly and because I felt that the story could have used more back story, more pages of explanations and more time to develop the plot and the twists. This is the first book in either a trilogy or a series so I’m willing to let that go and allow myself to be filled with anticipation for the next books.
                This story is not complicated, it’s simple, it’s dark at times and light in other times and though a few questionable things happened I still felt myself suckered into it enough to sit down for 2.3-3 hours and finish the whole book in the same sitting despite having a super serious lack of free time right now.
                What Story have you read where those who read it either strongly enjoy or dislike the novel? How did you feel about the story in particular?