"Playground" by Richard Powers

Playground by Richard Powers is a wild one to say the least.  A number of storylines ran throughout the whole book.  The best one was about a young boy who loved to plop and play board games.  Other parts made little to no sense.  I would not recommend this one.  (Gerard's review, 3.5 stars)

To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Puzzle Master" by Danielle Trussoni

In The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni, Mike Brink, because of a football head injury, can solve puzzles at an alarming rate.  Jess Prell is in prison and she has a secret no one has been able to solve.  Mike is asked to try.  For the most part, this book was good; however, the last quarter it seemed that the author did not know how to end it.  Due to that, I give it 4 stars.  It was not as good as I expected.  (Gerard's review)

To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Little Eyes" by Smanta Schweblin is a Strange One!

1.    

In Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin people buy a Kentuki to keep them company.  It’s like a robot pet, but not all of them follow the wishes of their owners.  I thought this was pretty good.  It went to different people so I never knew what was going to happen next.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars)

To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Upgrade" by Blake Crouch

In Upgrade by Blake Crouch, Logan is feeling really good.  He sees things in sharper focus and he cannot pinpoint what it is.  Truth is, he has been upgraded for a purpose.  Other people are dying at an alarming rate!  What is going on?  Can Logan stop it?  I thought this book was really good, especially parts 2 and 3; and Logan was a great character!  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Anyone" by Charles Soule

In Anyone by Charles Soule, Gabby White is a scientist.  She is being funded but the money is pretty close to running out.  She needs to come up with something life changing.  Can she do it?  And, if she does, can she trust the people funding her to do the right thing?  I thought this book was very good.  It's just wild enough to keep me engaged throughout.  The story flowed along well and had good action!  Loved how it ended!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars) 

Teaser from page 15:  It felt like a video game, like a first-person video game, like Skyrim.  That was her only basis for comparison.  She was looking out through Paul's eyes, but she wasn't Paul.  She was still Gabrielle.  She hoped.

To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Recursion" by Blake Crouch is Wild!

Recursion by Blake Crouch is quite a book!  Imagine living in a world where people have vivid memories of something except those memories are false!  How does one figure out which memories are true?  It is enough to drive people mad.  This is a wild book to say the least. To me, this book started out slow, but when I got into it, I can see why it was one of the most popular books of 2019!  The two main characters are Barry, a cop, and Helena Smith, a neuroscientist.  The second half of this book is filled with action that more than makes up for the start.
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Teaser from page 151:  "If memory is unreliable, if the past and the present can simply change without warning, then fact and truth will cease to exist.  How do we live in a world like that?  This is why we're seeing an epidemic of suicides."

To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Nyxia Uprising" by Scott Reintgen (Last in the Series)

Nyxia Uprising by Scott Reintgen is the amazing final book in the science fiction Nyxia series. I loved it and what a page turner it is once you get into it. It took me a little while to reconnect with the characters because it’s been such a long time since I finished the previous book. It is chock full of adventure, suspense, heartbreak, and tender moments. Some characters die in it that was sad; however, that just made it more believable. There is some humor in this one but not as much as in the others. It is truly an awesome book about working together to accomplish great things. I loved this series—it is my favorite science fiction series! (Karen’s review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 74: “Fear does nothing. Don’t spend time on it. Fight instead. Lead. When all of this ends, we’ll kiss our men and go home and live like queens.”


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Wildcard" by Marie Lu

Wildcard by Marie Lu is the follow up to Warcross.  Emike was able to escape from being killed in the Warcross games.  Now that she knows what hideo is up to, can she put a stop to it?  I enjoyed this book.  Emike is a wonderful character and there was plenty of action to be had.  The middle sort of dragged but the last part of the book more than made up for it!  It's not as good as Warcross, but readable to be sure.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 18:  He pauses to look back at us.  "Okay with what?  That we're all sitting here, talking about the technicalities of how Emi should throw herself into a situation that might kill her?"

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Nyxia" by Scott Reintgen is First in this Sci-Fi Series

Nyxia by Scott Reintgen reminded me a lot of Ender's Game which I loved!  A group of teens are chosen by Babel Communications to train to travel to Eden, an inhabited planet, to mine an amazing new mineral called Nyxia.  If they are chosen, they will be paid lots more money in addition to what they got just for signing the contract.  Out of ten trying out from around the world, only the top eight will be able to actually go on the mission.  All have hard luck stories and are from poor families so the money is a great incentive.  Emmett, the narrator of the story and one of the recruits, is from Detroit and really wants to go bad to help his parents.  Can he make it without sacrificing his morals?

This book had my interest right from page one and kept it all the way through.  I loved the adventure, the competition, getting to know all the contestants and the drama of the dynamics among the characters.  Emmett is a good guy but wasn't the best at challenges.  I liked the twists throughout the book and the surprises Babel created.  The only thing I didn't care for was when the one character who I liked very much got killed.  I thought the challenges were fun and interesting!  If you like competition, lots of interaction among competitors and science fiction, I would highly recommend this book!  I can't wait to read book 2 in this series!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)


Teaser from page 51:  "I know you'd be a good person to team up with, Kaya, but why would you want to team up with me?  I'm in ninth place."
 
Gerard's review:
Nyxia by Scott Reintgen is told by Emmett.  He is one of ten young people picked for a very special assignment!  He has a chance to go on a hidden planet.  Besides that, a huge money payout will be rewarded also!  But only eight will get to go.  Let the games begin!

This book is sort of a mix of Hunger Games and Divergent minus all the killing.  I thought it was interesting how the ten players interacted with each other.  Emmett is a good guy and I was rooting for him.  Could have used more action in my opinion; however, it picked up in that at the end.  I enjoyed it enough to read book 2 in this series.
(4 stars)



Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Future Lost" by Elizabeth Briggs

Future Lost by Elizabeth Briggs is the third book in the Future Shock trilogy.  Elena and Adam must stop a virus from getting out so back to the future they go!  I thought the first two books were really good but couldn't really get into this one.  It felt a little too predictable.  The writing was okay, it just did not flow well for me.
(Gerard's review, 3 stars)

Teaser from page 13:  That calm intelligence I love has been replaced by a wild look, both determined and manic, and I don't know how I didn't see it before.  Genicote has become an obsession for him, and developing it has become his addiction.

Karen's review:
I tried to read this one, but started it and just lost interest practically right off the bat.  I liked the first two, but that was enough for me.  I gave up on this pretty quick, maybe just because it has been so long since I read the second book.  Anyhow, I didn't want to read this because I had others that interested me more.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Genesis" by Brendan Reichs

Genesis by Brendan Reichs is the second book in the Nemesis series.  As in the first book, the story is told by Noah and Min.  They are trying to find out what comes next in "The Program" and what the guardian has in store for them.  I thought this book was just as good, if not better, than the first.  There is good action and a good twist near the end.  Too bad I have to wait until spring of 2019 for book 3!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 3:  I'd been murdered over and over back in the real world, never knowing why, wracked by the pain and humiliation of thinking I was crazy.  But I'd had it all wrong.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"A War of Gifts" by Orson Scott Card

A War of Gifts by Orson Scott Card is a very short story about Zech who gets drafted to battle school against his will. He has an extraordinary memory, has the whole King James version of the bible memorized. He is the son of a minister who abuses him. At battle school, he just wants to go home and refuses to do any practice fighting at all. This was disappointing; was not interesting to me at all because it put Christians in a bad light. There was a big issue made about whether Santa Claus was a custom or some kind of religious practice and I didn’t care for this one at all. Ender Wiggin had a very small part in this. (Karen's review, 1 star)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Thunderhead" by Neal Shusterman

Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman is the followup to Scythe.  I found this book very different from Scythe.  Rowan and Citra are in this book too, but there are a lot of new characters that have big roles.  Thunderhead has a ton of surprises which I enjoyed.  I never knew what was coming next!  The parts that Rowan and Citra were in were the parts I enjoyed most though.  I liked the first book in this series better, but this one is okay.

Teaser from page 29:  "But allowing the . . . the condemned . . . to choose their own method?  It's positively barbaric!" Scythe Truman shouted.
(Gerard's review, 3.5 stars)

Karen's Review:
Thunderhead is the second book in the Arc of a Scythe series. I was really looking forward to this book because I loved the first one, but was somewhat disappointed in it because of the slow pace. I expected to understand the Thunderhead better, but unfortunately, I am just as confused about it as I was in the first book. This book follows the separate lives of Rowan and Citra (Scythe Anastasia). This book also has a big surprise that I did not like at all! This book has lots of action near the end, including a very interesting concave and ends on a cliff hanger, of course.

This book gets better as it goes along but I really did not like the ending or the big surprise. I still like Scythe Anastasia and Rowan in this book and kept hoping that somehow Scythe Faraday would be able to fix everything but that didn’t happen. Scythe Curie is very cool in this book too, I liked Greyson Tolliver as well, and think that somehow, maybe he’ll become a scythe in the next book. His relationship with the Thunderhead was confusing to me, but hopefully it will all clear up in the next book. The Thunderhead seems to be kind of an artificial god with some limits. I am ready to see what happens in the next book of this series!
(4 stars)

SPOILERS (stop here if you have not yet read this book):
Did not like that Goddard was rescued by Rand and given a new body attached to his head—made no sense!

Don’t think either Rand nor Goddard were smart enough to know how to mess up things that brought down Endura. Thought it was interesting though how Rand told Rowan to leave the island ASAP because if Goddard lost, things would even be worse! She must have been in on the whole plan.

Really hated that Scythe Curie did not get to be the High Blade.

How is anyone going to find Rowan and Anastasia to bring them back to life? Even if the vault is discovered, how would anyone get it opened?

I also hate that Goddard is going to go back and get to be the High Blade now that Scythe Curie is dead.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"UnSouled" (Book 3 in Unwind Series) by Neal Shusterman (UPDATED)

UnSouled is book 3 in the Unwind series.  Conner and Lev are on the run and new characters are introduced.  There is plenty of action for sure!  I enjoyed the characters of Cam, Risa and Starkey in this book.  One more book to go to finish this exciting series.
(Gerard's Review, 5 stars)

Karen's review 12/8/17, 5 stars:
Unsouled by Neal Shusterman (book 3 in the Unwind series) is fantastic! There is so much action and interaction among very cool characters that makes it go very fast. There are so many different parts to this novel that my mind is spinning! Connor and Lev are on their way to Ohio to find Sonia for answers to help end unwinding, but get in an accident. Cam, the rewind, escapes from Roberta to go find Risa but finds Conner instead. Meanwhile, Starky and his storks take over more harvest camps and Hayden was one scheduled to be rewound. Once he is freed, he becomes part of Starky’s gang even though he does not agree with Starky’s methods and tries to get Bam as an ally. Archer holds Cam hostage but when the Juvie authorities hunt down Conner, Archer’s sister, Grace, helps him escape in genius fashion. Grace appears to be kind of off, but is an amazing strategist and a great character who sees what most people do not.

Teaser from pg. 64: “You’re crazy! Why would I do that?” “Because,” says Grace, “if you don’t keep this secret, everyone in Heartsdale is gonna know you were outsmarted by dumb old Grace Skinner, and you’ll be a laughingstock till the cows come home, and they ain’t comin’ home anytime soon!”

This book was so good I hated to see it end and can’t wait to read the next one. I love that there are such interesting characters and how they interact with each other. This book has a lot of humor in it as well. I especially liked how Archer fooled the parts pirate, taking him on a wild goose chase in the opposite direction of where Conner was headed. My favorite character is . . . . Grace! She is awesome! This is one thrilling series for sure!



See our reviews of other books in this series:  Book 2 - UnWholly Book 1 - Unwind

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"This Mortal Coil" by Emily Suvada

In This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada, Catarina is very good at what she does.  In her world, people can recode their DNA allowing them to change their bodies any way they want, but she can hack into again.  Her father and best friend are on the run.  They must find a way to end the plague or all is lost!

Teaser from page 21:  "I know that, but you can't come, darling.  It's not safe."

This book was a bit too hi-tech for my taste.  The story line was good enough, just did not feel a connection to the characters.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Scythe" (Arc of a Scythe #1) by Neal Shusterman Was Even Better Than We Expected

In Scythe by Neal Shusterman, there is no war, no disease, and nobody goes hungry in the world.  The only problem is overpopulation!  That is where being a scythe comes into play.  You fix that problem.  Citra and Rowan are both picked to try to be a scythe, but do not want any part of it!  However, to decline is not in their best interest.

This book was way better than I thought it would be.  Citra and Rowan are both really good.  The story flows well and the twists and turns are well done to say the least!  Do not miss this one--it's a must read!  I look forward to book 2.
(Gerard's review 10/30/17, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 29:  But a perfect world needs no improvement.  Like most everything else we do, education, from grade school through the highest of universities, is just a way to keep us busy.

We both also liked Unwind by this author too and also recommend that one.


(Karen's review, 5 stars:  LOVED THIS BOOK!  SO GLAD I READ IT!)
Scythe by Neal Shusterman is about a utopia future where humanity has overcome disease, aging, crime, and natural death.  Government has been replaced with the Thunderhead that makes sure everyone in the world has what they need.  It watches everything that happens and stores people's memories.  (Anyway, guess we'll find out more about the Thunderhead in book two.)  People can still get hurt, but what normally would kill someone like falling 12 stories from a window now makes them "deadish."  They can be taken to a revival center where they get good as new in just 2-3 days and get delicious ice cream when they wake up.  Since there is a problem of overpopulation, a special group called Scythes do the service of "gleaning" people on a random basis.  Gleaning is just a nice word for legalized killing.  The Scythdom have their own set of laws they must follow.  When Citra and Rowan are chosen by Scythe Faraday to become his apprentices on the road to becoming a scythe, both reluctantly accept for different reasons.  Scythes have power not only to take life, but also to grant immunity from being gleaned to people and Scythe's families have immunity as long as the Scythe lives.

I was very intrigued by this book.  It is well written and very thought provoking with several twists tossed in that really shocked me!  I loved this book so much, I think I will actually re-read it just to make sure I didn't miss anything.  Citra and Rowan come from very different backgrounds but are both smart, moral and find themselves in difficult situations.  I also liked all the humor, some of which made me actually laugh out loud, and really cool things in this book like being able to "turn the corner" and go back to being any age you want, having years named after animals, and having healing nanites so wounds can heal themselves.  I highly recommend this to older teens or adults who like thought provoking books about the future.  This is one of my top 2 favorites of the year, the other being Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst.  


SPOILER ALERT - STOP HERE IF YOU HAVEN'T YET READ THIS BOOK.  IF YOU HAVE, I'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS ON THESE QUESTIONS:

(1)  Exactly how did Scythe Faraday fake his own death and how did Scythe Curie know about it?

(2)  Why did Citra's fingers turn really cold when Scythe Faraday let her try on his ring, but when Scythe Goddard gave his ring to Rowan to take over giving immunity to the loved ones of those they gleaned, nothing happened.  Nor did anything happen when Rowan put it on after decapitating Scythe Goddard (which I really liked by the way).  I thought it was funny he put it in the dirty water bowl at the monastery.

(3)  I thought the ending was fantastic and was so happy it didn't end with a cliffhanger as to which one was chosen or stop before knowing if the winner gleaned the loser.  What did you think about the ending?

"Sparks of Light" by Janet B. Taylor

Sparks of Light by Janet B. Taylor is the sequel to Into the Dim.  The mission is different but it gets off to the same slow start.  The trip back in time is to New York City during the Victorian era so I was thinking, how much trouble could they get into there.  Well, Hope manages to get locked up in a mental institution along with Doug!  The timeslippers have a much bigger part in this book.

Teaser from page 364:

I was nobody's physical threat.  My normal means of causing people injury generally involved me tripping and falling on them.

I liked Into the Dim better than this one because I really didn't have a good understanding of what exactly their mission was in this and really didn't care.  I was interested to see how Hope and Doug would get out of their predicament.  The thing I did like most about this one was the development of Bran and Collum's friendship.  I got a bit confused on a couple of the characters and was glad when I finished it.  I still liked Hope's sarcasm and one again, she proved to be very brave and useful.  If there is more to this series, I do not intend to read it.
(Karen's review, 2 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Into the Dim" by Janet B. Taylor - Husband and Wife Agree on this one!

Into the Dim is about Hope Walton, a home-schooled girl from a small town, who travels back in time to bring back her mother from the 12th century who she thought was dead, but who just traveled back in time!  This book is a wild one!  She meets Bran Cameron on the moors of Scotland while visiting her aunt, and then finds out he traveled back in time too to the same place she did!

This started out slow and was a bit silly and confusing for the first 100 pages or so.  I considered giving up on it but I am glad I stuck with it and gave it a chance.  This is a very entertaining read with Hope's sarcasm and wit and a roller coaster ride of ups and downs.  Just when it seems their plans are going well, they find themselves in danger and situations that seem hopeless, until they get some help from unexpected sources.  This is the first book of the series and I look forward to starting the sequel tomorrow.
(Karen's review, 9/2/17, 4 stars)

Gerard's review (5+ stars, 9/6/17):
Hope Walton is at her mom's funeral and if that isn't bad enough, now her dad wants to send her to Scotland to live with an aunt she never met while he goes on vacation with another woman!  When Hope gets to Scotland, she finds some news that will send her on the adventure of her life!  

Teaser from page 42:  My jeans wicked up the frigid water as I splashed through the shallows toward him.  His head lay cocked at an angle that hid his face.

The start of this book was kind of slow and I had a hard time getting into it; however, then it came into focus and I really enjoyed it a lot!  The main characters are really good and east to root for!  There is good action that kept me engaged with a good ending that made me look forward to book, Sparks of Light!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Roar" by Emma Clayton (Science Fiction Juvenile)

In The Roar by Emma Clayton,  Mika lives in a safe spot of London, away from the plague land.  He has lived there ever since his twin sister was taken away.  Mika is sure that Ellie is alive and knows secrets that he does not.  Now the government has a new program for children.  Will it help Mika find Ellie? 

The pace of this book was sort of slow at first, but picked up halfway through.  The ending really sets up what should be a good book 2!
(Gerard's review, 4.5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Dogs of War" by Jonathan Maberry

In Dogs of War by Jonathan Maberry, a radical scientist has come up with a plan that will cause havoc on earth.  Billions will die and there is not too much that can be done to stop it!  The technology is that good.  Joe Ledger and a rebuilt department of military sciences are all that is left to stop this from happening!   Plenty of action makes this book zoom right along!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!