ARC REVIEW: Invictus by Ryan Graudin

Invictus
Author: Ryan Graudin
Genre: Science Fiction
Publication Date: September 26, 2017

My Ratings:
4/5 stars
PG-13 for some violence, made-up swear words, and a few non-graphic make out scenes.
Recommend to everyone. It's the kind of science fiction that will appeal to even non-science fiction readers.

Summary (via Goodreads):
Time flies when you're plundering history.
Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time-traveling Recorder from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in Rome in 95 AD, Far's birth defies the laws of nature. Exploring history himself is all he's ever wanted, and after failing his final time-traveling exam, Far takes a position commanding a ship with a crew of his friends as part of a black market operation to steal valuables from the past.
But during a heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Armed with knowledge that will bring Far's very existence into question, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to discover a frightening truth: History is not as steady as it seems.

The Review:

With backdrops of exotic locales, infamous historical settings, and swashbuckling adventures, Graudin gives us a gripping story with vibrant characters. Hint: Time travel is just the tip of the iceberg. Of course, I can't tell you how big that iceberg is without spoilers, but Graudin has managed to take a fairly standard concept and redefine it with her own flair.

I love this book. Set in 2371 AD (at least some of the time), Invictus shows us the future -and thank goodness it's not another hopeless, dystopian one. Instead we find a future Rome the capital of a time traveling society. Time travel is used only in the name of science and education and with every successful mission into the past comes 'a day in the life' style data streams of one era or another, edited and distributed to the clamoring public. Not only do we get a society fueled by time travel, but our main characters are TIME TRAVELING PIRATES!

Invictus centers on five main characters, which sounds like a lot and, honestly, in most other books would be too many focal characters. But within the folds of a fast-moving plot, Graudin manages to weave in enough time to flesh out each of these characters individually, familiarizing readers with their distinct personalities, quirks, and unique voices. And she does it all in less than 500 pages, without dropping any of the story's action or tension! This is not a skill to be taken lightly. (In fact, it is the complete lack of this in Star Wars: The Force Awakens that continues to grate me to this day. They should ask Graudin to proof The Last Jedi script before it's too late!)

This character work is FUNDAMENTAL because the story doesn't see any major developments or growth for most of them. Usually, this is a deal-breaker for me, BUT because Graudin gave me a front-row seat inside each of their heads, I completely understand these characters. This is very much a plot-oriented story, so the characters did not need major developments, but it is Graudin's ability to paint them so clear and vibrant that is truly satisfying.

Take Farway McCarthy, for example. Far is cocky, but this arrogance bemoaned by his crew mates doesn't wind up causing some catastrophe or heartache he has to mend or live with; instead it's used as one of his greatest strengths. The same is true for the rest of the characters. Priya, Eliot, Gram, Imogen -they might butt heads and bear the brunt of each other's flaws but they also know exactly who and what they can rely on when the tables turn. And while I love stories about people overcoming their weaknesses, I really enjoyed seeing this depiction focusing on the strengths of their flaws.

Eliot is probably my favorite character. She throws herself in with Far and his crew on less than amiable terms. She is the only person who's ever managed to best Far and everyone knows she has a hidden agenda. But what I like about her is the underlying Eliot we get to see -a bitter and desperate girl hiding enough pain to fill worlds- outside the facade she shows everyone else.

Time travel fiction is one of the hardest sub-genres to master (especially without half the community shouting 'That's not how time travel works!') but Graudin makes it look like child's play. She's managed to find a tightrope on the lines of popular schools of time travel thought and balanced right there between them. Plus, she writes the type of sci-fi I love -she cuts out the tech talk without sacrificing the big concepts. Everything is explained in layman's terms or by example, so even us less geeky nerds can still understand the science behind what's going on. ;)

This is the kind of science fiction that will appeal to everyone. Fast-paced and character driven, it's got a little bit of everything, and Graudin excels at penning this fantastic read that at once feels close and personal and far-reaching and mind blowing.

Be sure to grab Invictus when it hits shelves September 26.

And before you go, let's chat!

What's your favorite time travel story?

Personally, I'm horrid at picking one favorite, but I love Frequency, Timeline, Shadowed Glass by Charlie Pulsipher, and, of course, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L-Engle (though that's a different sort of time travel).

ARC REVIEW: The Supes by Matthew Pritt

The Supes
Author: Matthew Pritt
Publisher: Future House Publishing
Genre: YA/Superhero fiction
Pub date: April 10, 2017
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ratings:
3/5 stars
PG-13 for violence, including animal mauling. There wasn't much until the climax, but those last chapters were intense
Recommend to newcomers of the superhero fiction genre; fans of Sky High and other underdog stories

Summary:
Slip Stephenson has the lamest super power of all time. His father, a world renowned Super, can turn himself invisible, but Slip has never managed to do anything more than turn himself an underwhelming shade of black.
According to the rules of the School for Underage Power Enhancement and Refinement (SUPER), Slip has to pass his final test by the end of this year or he must give up his superpowered dreams and live as a regular civilian. He spends his senior year studying with five other nearly useless would-be Supers. Together, they must work as a team and overcome their watered-down powers if they want to make it in the world of superheroes.
As this ragtag group comes together, they notice that strange things are happening in the Super world. A mysterious villain has set up base next to Slip’s school, and famous and powerful Supers are turning evil. To protect the ones they love, Slip and his team must take matters into their own hands.
Can Slip and his newfound friends unravel the mystery? Will they be able to take on fully-powered supervillains? And will they be able to save the world?

The Review:

On the whole, The Supes is a fun story with some great quirks on the genre, despite characterization flaws.

While the basic plot is something we've seen before, The Supes has plenty of twists to keep things interesting -some predictable, some not. But what really takes the cake for me was Pritt's ability to come up with some pretty whacked out powers and I seriously respect how he well is able to use them in the story. Unlike Sky High, which serves as a decent peer story-wise, the 'lame' powers of Slip and his team don't come together just to solve the single problem/villain of the story. Instead, these Supers work on developing their powers into something that will be useful in the long run.

But can we talk about some of these ridiculous powers? Because I love them. So much. There's Sugar, the girl who can talk to squirrels; her father can turn into a squirrel, but her mother's human, so she wound up part squirrel. She has squirrel feet. And skin flaps under her arms, like a flying squirrel. Talk about inconvenient. Felicia is in a similar situation; she's almost human, expect for the gills. She can't breathe oxygen and is therefore water-bound and stuck with the unfortunate nickname 'Fish Tank'. Our main character Slip can't turn invisible like his dad (only black), but his brother might be worse off. He's got the turning invisible part down, but he can't see when he does.

Not only does Pritt saddle his characters with inconvenient and crazy-sauce abilities, but he uses them creatively and as great story devices. I feel like he was simultaneously poking good fun at the superhero genre and hitting it with a dose of reality that served the story well. Because if superheroes did exist, of course there would be some of these Supers stuck with in-between abilities. I think Pritt has found a clever niche in the genre.

My favorite power featured in this book has to be those of The Mind Writer, whose every word takes up permanent residence in the listener's brain. I love it because, on the surface, it didn't seem that impressive to me. To be completely honest, when this character was introduced, I thought it was kind of lame. But when that character pointed out that she had to watch every single word she ever said, because those words would never ever be forgotten, it exploded into one of the most interesting super powers I've seen. Plus, like so many of the other abilities, Pritt uses it to its greatest advantage.

My one great disappointment with this book was the amount of flat characters. I didn't feel like most of them stood very well on their own. Together, Slip and his six teammates have a great dynamic that capitalizes well on the underlying theme of teamwork, but on their own I didn't get a great sense of their personalities, aside from maybe Sugar and Hopper.

Slip especially lacked this needed depth and, for the main character, this was disappointing. I wanted a better sense of him because he had the potential of being a good character. I loved that everything goes wrong for him, but I wanted more depth from him to really feel the impact of it as a reader. So much of his story was told from an arm's length perspective, instead of the in-your-face, up close and personal depth I love, and I therefore had a hard time connecting with him. He's got plenty of good qualities and flaws -he's a nice guy, yet because of bad experiences has a tendency to expect the worst of people- but he lacks refined characterization to really bring him to life.

The Supes leaves a few things open-ended for a potential sequel, but it wraps up the story nicely so there are no gaps or cliffhangers.

Al a The Mind Writer, what is the most interesting down-side
of any super power you've seen?

ARC REVIEW: Gears of Revolution by J. Scott Savage (Mysteries of Cove #2)

Gears of Revolution

by J. Scott Savage

Mysteries of Cove #2

Shadow Mountain Publishing

YA/Fantasy
Available: September 20

Ratings
4/5 stars
PG for some fantasy violence
Recommend for anyone who likes steampunk or dragons or steampunk dragons

The Review

[There will be SPOILERS of the events from the first book, Fires of Invention.]

When last we left Cove, super-mechanics Trenton Coleman and Kallista Babbage showed their underground civilization that the outside world wasn't a poisonous death trap of technological pollution. They proved they had been lied to for years. They also proved that inventing wasn't a sin and that machines could be used for great and wondrous things. They learned the true name of Cove -Discovery, once a haven for scientists and inventors. They even killed the dragon that attacked their city.

Right.

DRAGONS EXIST.

That was the other little secret they uncovered.

Then they managed to kill the dragon that attacked their city.

Now, Kallista is determined to find her father, the eccentric and brilliant inventor Leo Babbage, who escaped the city and left another puzzle of clues behind for her to follow. With Trenton's help, they follow Leo's path aboard their majestic mechanical dragon Ladon to a far off city called 'Seattle', dodging dragons of the scales and blood variety along the way.

You're sold on this already, aren't you? I don't blame you. I love, love, LOVE this premise so. freaking. much.

While just as much of an adventure as Fires of Invention, the intrigue for Gears of Revolution really kicked it up a notch. Plus, Savage delves even deeper into the 'steampunk' culture with the introduction of the Whipjacks -technological superior social outcasts with fantastic accents and slang- and their charismatic leader, the 'dimber damber' Cochrane. (Oh yep. Loving it.)

And once again, Savage regales us with new inventions and throws in some political and social discord for Trenton and Kallista to contend with -because obviously dragons aren't enough of a challenge for them. Gears also takes the world on a darker turn, because the city Trenton and Kallista find next is more brutal, more savage. (No pun intended*) This Seattle has a survival-of-the-fittest mentality unseen in the peaceful Discovery and it's interesting watching Kallista and Trenton deal with this unpleasant jolt of reality. It adds a new angle for them and I like the affect it has on their characters, coming from a city where everyone has enough to eat to seeing a place where some have to resort to desperate methods just to keep from starving.

Kallista and Trenton are still awkwardly adorable, since they both relate far better to machines than people (especially each other). They are learning to interact better (which, again, is adorable) but they still need some work on their dealings with others. Which is part of the fun!

Kallista comes a little into her own in this sequel. Up to now, she has been dutifully following the clues left behind by her father, but I like that we see a touch of perhaps not exactly resentment, but the idea that these games her father loved to play aren't exactly her cup of tea. I like seeing this side of Kallista and I'm excited to see where it takes her from here.

One thing I mentioned specifically in my review for Fires of Invention was the portrayal of Trenton's mother, who disapproves of the machines Trenton loves so much, and of the complicated relationship between them, and I have to say, I love it even more in the sequel. Since they reached a better understanding of each other last book, Savage successfully starts deepening their relationship and I love watching every minute -even though there aren't very many! (Next book, maybe. Next book...)

Fires floored me with the reveal of dragons, and Gears wowed me with the further depth of this world. Whereas Discovery had hidden away from the reality of dragons, the city built from the remains of Seattle designed a religion around them. (Whoa is right.) The Order of the Beast is exactly what it sounds like. The core of the religion is a worship of the 'holy beasts' and its role in society is basically the peace they claim to have brokered with the dragons.

I would have loved to see The Order of the Beast explored more within the story; I'm a worldbuilding nerd like that. We do get one of these 'Red Robes' as a prominent character and I devoured the tidbits of this whacked out religion he fed us. He also raised some very interesting -and uncomfortable- questions about the nature of dragons. And Kallista is uncovering questions about the dragons on her own. The deeper Savage takes us into his world, the deeper we see the story go and I love this progression!

There a couple of great new characters in this book. Aside from the aforementioned Cochrane, head of the motley eccentric Whipjacks, we also get Ander -a member of the dragon-worshiping Order of the Beast who has questionable motives- and Plucky -a young Whipjack with awesome mechanical leg braces who has questionable motives. You might be sensing a theme here.

But even with all this fantastic new content, one of my very favorite moments in this book actually involves old faces, specifically Mr. Darrow and his son, Angus. It's not much of a spoiler. So I'm going to tell you about it.

As you might recall, Angus isn't much of a fan of Trenton and Kallista. He's actually a bit of a bully, just like his father. Angus has always intrigued me, though, and he's one of the characters who really stuck in the back of my mind. There is a moment in Gears when Trenton finds his path blocked by Mr. Darrow and this happens:

"You're a coward and a fool," Trenton yelled as he ran past. "And one day, your son is going to realize it."

Remember that Trenton isn't much of a people person; I don't feel like this line is spoken out of spite or even that Trenton is lashing out. This is just the truth as Trenton sees it.

So why am I so hung up on this? It's a tiny moment. A single line. It's never addressed again and, to be honest, Angus and his father are barely in this story, so it's not that important in the grand scheme of things. But I'm really excited to see the aftermath of this single line. Because it makes me realize WHY I'm so interested in Angus Darrow. This kid has a great core. He has good instincts and qualities -like wanting to protect his people at all costs and vehemently opposing any threat- he just has a bad example in his bully father and has been taught too many lies.

What Trenton says here is painfully true. It's exactly why I'm chomping the bit for book 3. Because some day Angus IS going to realize it and that might very well be the day a Great Character is born. That's a day I want to see.

So, Angus:

I loved how Savage ended this book. It's an epic finale and I cannot wait to get my hands on book 3. Gears of Revolution, with its new setting, new characters, and whole plethora of dragons has been a blast. But it's also a build up. The deeper we dive into the world of this series, the closer we get to the really meaty question, and it is waiting for the answer to that that has me on the edge of my seat.

Overall, it's a fantastic continuation to the series and even more fascinating than its predecessor. The whole time I was reading this, my big recurring thought was: I can't wait to see how that unfold next time!

Oh, right. Did I mention that blessedly beautiful AIRSHIP?

An ARC of this ebook was provided courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review

*Okay. Pun totally intended.

BOOK TOUR | REVIEW | Trix & the Faerie Queen by Alethea Kontis (Books of Arilland #6)

On Tour with Prism Book Tours.

Hello, everybody! I'm happy to be the next stop on this fantastic blog tour. Enjoy your visit! ^_^

Trix and the Faerie Queen
(Books of Arilland #6)
by Alethea Kontis

YA Fantasy

Paperback & ebook, 210 Pages
March 28th 2016

Join Trix Woodcutter on an epic new animal-filled adventure!

Fey magic and animal magic: that troublemaking imp Trix Woodcutter has both, if not the ability to use them to their full potential. While traveling with his companion—the golden girl Lizinia—to see the King of Eagles, Trix is sent a vision of the Faerie Queen, who is in desperate need of his help. An evil sorceress has stormed Faerie and trapped all the fey magic under the Hill, leaving the Faerie Queen powerless! Trix’s talent for communicating with animals is desperately needed…but before he braves the wild world of Faerie he must arm himself, with nothing less than the bow and arrows of a god.

With the help of his gilded companion, her ghost-cat godfather, a blind brownie and a sister or two, the Boy Who Talks to Animals must befriend a mischievous leprechaun, best a wolf, and journey into the depths of Faerie to restore order and free the fey magic before the imbalance destroys the world.

Trix and the Faerie Queen is second in The Trix Adventures and sixth in the Books of Arilland.

Fans of the Woodcutter Sisters: Desperate to know what happened to Saturday and Peregrine after they found Trix at the end of HERO? Here’s your chance!

Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble

Amanda's Review
4/5 stars

Buckle up, because everything in Arilland is about to intensify.


Though not a long story, Trix & the Faerie Queen packs a powerful punch. It doesn't slow its pace for a moment as our lovable scamp Trix and his golden companion Lizinia fall into one scrape after another. We get the chance to reunite with some familiar faces, and to put faces with a few of the names we've heard about. And we finally get to go to Faerie. *squee!*

Again and again, I talk about what an intricate and beautiful world Alethea has made from classic fairy tales, mythology, folklore, and the magic of her own imagination, and the deeper I dive into this series, the more astounded by its depth and magnitude I become. Trix & the Faerie Queen especially has wrapped itself in the eerie cloak of traditional European folklore and I love the additional flavor it adds to the entire ensemble.


I do love that Lizinia is a worthy companion for Trix; not only a suitable mix of the qualities of his six sisters, she also boasts an adventurous streak as strong as Trix's. She is a proper match for him, in wit and mischief both, and I love watching them develop and interact. She can hold her own, sometimes better than he can, and I can't wait to see what happens with them next.

Hero and Dearest have hinted and alluded to a grander story coming our way, and it is Trix & the Faerie Queen that has the honor of weaving these threads into the beginning of what will doubtless be a masterful tapestry. With the ending I am left with here, waiting even until fall for Alethea's next book seems far too long a wait.

Other Books in the Series

Alethea Kontis is a princess, author, fairy godmother, and geek. Her bestselling Books of Arilland fairytale series won two Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Awards (Enchanted and Tales of Arilland), and was twice nominated for the Andre Norton Award. Alethea also penned the AlphaOops picture books, The Wonderland Alphabet, Diary of a Mad Scientist Garden Gnome, Beauty & Dynamite, The Dark-Hunter Companion (w/Sherrilyn Kenyon), and a myriad of poems, essays, and short stories. Princess Alethea lives and writes on the Space Coast of Florida with her teddy bear, Charlie. You can find her on her YouTube channel, all the social media, and at www.aletheakontis.com.

Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│YouTube

Tour Schedule

April 2nd: Launch

April 3rd: Rockin' Book Reviews & Wishful Endings

April 4th: Brooke Blogs & Zerina Blossom's Books

April 5th: deal sharing aunt & Goddess Librarian

April 6th: Becky on Books & Colorimetry

April 7th: Mel's Shelves, A Backwards Story, & Amanda K Thompson

April 8th: Grand Finale

Tour Giveaway

3 copies of Trixter and Trix and the Faerie Queen (signed copies if US, ebooks if INT)
Ends April 15th

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REVIEW & Giveaway: Light Runner by Philip Brown

Light Runner
by Philip Brown
YA/SciFi
Strange Fiction Press
3.5/5 stars

Many thanks to Strange Fiction Press and Philip Brown for providing both review and giveaway copies of this book.

For being a book about a girl who finds a mystical healing bracelet, Light Runner turned out to be very down to earth and contemporary. I have to say, I really, really liked that. Philip Brown does a great job keeping the story grounded in our world and our reality. So much so that I could see something like this showing up on the news or in a Twitter feed.

The way Brown relates the story, interspersing Dara's memories of life before and skipping through months at a time by relaying only the information we need, gets across a sense of where Dara is, mentally and emotionally. I sensed her longing and nostalgia even while time blurred as she struggles to survive, one day at a time.

The story is well-told for the most part, with decent writing. There's an interesting mix of styles that lands Light Runner somewhere between light literary fiction and straight up YA which, if you were wondering, worked pretty well. There is some philosophical postulating, but it isn't heavily leaned on, and it's generally related in the personal musings of either our main character Dara or the antagonist Gunarik.

 

Some aspects of the plot felt a little convenient or illogical, but on the whole, it's an interesting story, and Dara -tough and determined- is totally believable and easy to relate to. She has a satisfactory development from uncertain, irresponsible teen to competent and -in a way- wise. I really liked where Brown leaves her at the end of this story -wise enough to understand what's next, but still at heart a teenage girl with a renewed appreciation of home and family. She learns a lot about herself and gains a lot of confidence, but I really felt like she learned wisdom along with it.

The villain in Gunarik is a little harder to pin down, which, again, fit really well with the story. There are many aspects of his character, the conflict Dara finds herself caught in, and the bracelet itself that are left intentionally unexplained or unexplored. There is enough information given for the reader's satisfaction as far as Dara's story, but there are definitely things left open for a sequel. It seemed appropriate that the origins of the conflict -like the bracelet itself- have an aura of the unexplained about it. We learn what drives Gunarik, a good mix of villain bitterness and genuine emotional damage, but the history of a lot of the fallout Dara deals with is hidden behind a shroud.

There was one big thing about the story I didn't like and that was the portrayal of the police. Understanding that Dara is evading the police because they consider her a person of interest in a homicide, it makes sense that she isn't going to be filled with confidence at their ability to help or their desire to believe her unbelievable tale. This would have been fine, but this unfavorable light is carried past Dara's perspective and into an observation throughout the book, with any number of encounters with individual police characters, who are depicted as being fairly callous and treating people's grief or shock as just another day at the office, and finally with the reveal that one of the character's back stories was greatly affected by an abusive cop. All together, it left a bad taste in my mouth.

I'd recommend this for ages 14+, just because there is violence, mentions of sexual abuse, and a scene where someone does try to take advantage of Dara, though nothing actually happens.

Light Runner ends abruptly (again, sequel material) but leaves us with an interesting kind of question as to the purpose of the bracelet. I'll be interested, down the road, to learn what the answer was, but at the same time, leaving this question for us at the end fit really well with the tone of the book. This is one of the elements that lends to a more literary feel for the whole story. It gives us a sense of ambiguity, without withholding the information we really, really want. Instead of feeding us questions about the possibly supernatural origins or purpose of the bracelet, Brown instead centers the story around the fact that Dara is a teenage girl, alone, uncertain, and searching desperately for her father. We are so caught up in Dara's personal stakes that we don't necessarily care about whether the bracelet has a higher purpose -we just accept that the bracelet is. For me, the way Brown managed to pull off this sleight of hand was one of the most interesting aspects of the story.

So there's my review. Now, who's ready for a chance to win a copy of Light Runner?

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Don't miss Philip Brown's guest post Becoming the Hero of Your Own Story

REVIEW: Fires of Invention by J. Scott Savage (Mysteries of Cove #1)

Fires of Invention
Mysteries of Cove #1
by J. Scott Savage
Shadow Mountain Publishing
YA
4/5 stars

I want to thank Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC.

A major thing I love about this book is that there is definitely the feel of a dystopian or post-apocalyptic society here, but it isn't depressing. I'm very tired of the no-hope, doomed-civilization worlds. With Fires of Invention, there's a fun, playful essence to the story that's infectious. It's just a group of people who decided to hole themselves up in a mountain because overuse of technology poisoned the air outside and that's just their life. It's a (mostly) normal little society -no Hunger Games, no aptitude test, just good old fashioned job placement. 

But back to that 'holed themselves up in the mountain' thing. I was a little wary at first when the characters talked about how the sky was poisoned by too much technology because I didn't want to be beat over the head with environmental strong-arm tactics and that wasn't the intent at all. Imagine my joy to find that this is straight up, really truly, an actual plot device to further the story. Because of this outside sky poisoning, inside Cove 'inventing' and being 'creative' are the worst crimes comprehensible.

Of course our main character rather excels at that. Trenton is a mechanic who wants nothing more than to improve the poor, often ill-maintained machinery their society runs on and, while he doesn't want to be a cursed Inventor, sometimes he just can't help but see a better way to do things. Throw in Kallista Babbage, daughter of an Inventor and murderer, on the hunt for her father's last invention and -yeah, I call that a party.

The story unfolds at a good pace, giving us a mystery within the first few chapters to keep our attention until things really start to unfold. For this reason, this book could be easily handed to a middle grade or YA reader and I doubt they would even notice. Coupled with the great characters and the fantastic if eerie underground steampunk setting, this one's a win.
 
Both of our main characters understand machines and blueprints far better than they do people and emotions, which means the awkward interactions (<3 <3 <3!!) are frequent, endearing, and great points of character and relationship development.

Speaking of relationships...
 
One thing I really admired is that, in the story, Trenton and his mother don't get along very well. Savage handled it so well because -despite Trenton's frustration and anger with his mother, how he makes her stew and stings her with barbed comments in his anger- Savage never makes his mother the bad guy. Trenton's angry with her, he's hurt by her actions, and he doesn't understand why she's trying to ruin his dreams. He certainly doesn't like her for a good portion of the book, but despite all that I never felt that she was truly villainized and I have immense respect for Savage for that, especially since this is a children's book.

But that's not the only tricky parent/child relationship Savage handles and the second one is much subtler. Leo Babbage is hinted to be much like Trenton in the respect that he understands mechanics much more than people and we see how this affected Kallista's upbringing and personality, and how it affects her relationship with Trenton. We don't see too much on the actual relationship between father and daughter, but I'm hoping we get more flashbacks/details in the sequel. *crosses fingers*

Minor characters are given good depth alongside our heroes and, even better, roles to play in the story's conclusion. I love it when that happens.
The one exception for this was Clyde who, admittedly, didn't have a whole lot to offer in the climax. I don't even know what he would have done. I just liked the character and wanted to see him involved. The fact that he didn't isn't bad for the story, but it does mean that I will be watching out for Clyde's role in future books because he'll have to do something important eventually.

Oh, right. Did I mention that huge mechanical, FIRE-BREATHING dragon? Each chapter is headed by an illustration of this steampunk awesomeness, as it is being built one gear and mechanism at a time. But what's it doing in the story? Dude, you have to find that out for yourself!

Have you read Fires of Invention?
If not, what book are you enjoying right now? 

Cover Reveal: The Undead Road by David Powers King & Zombify Me! Contest

Have you ever wanted to be a zombie? Well here's your chance.

To celebrate the cover reveal of his upcoming book, My Zombie Summer: Part One: The Undead Road (which looks absolutely fantastic, FYI), David Powers King is offering up a once-in-a-lifetime-chance to fulfill those flesh-eating dreams go down in history as a zombie for all the world to see in the pages of his next novel, My Zombie Summer: Part Two.

 

Title: The Undead Road: My Zombie Summer: Part 1

Publisher: CreateSpace / Dashboard Books

Ebook Release: January 1st, 2016

Paperback: January 26th, 2016

Cover by Steven Novak

Nothing brings the family together like a zombie apocalypse …

Fifteen-year-old Jeremy Barnes would rather watch a zombie movie than shoot a real one, but he has no choice if his family wants to survive the end of the world. Their plan? Drive across the infected United States to a cabin in the Colorado Rockies without a scratch, but their trip takes a complicated detour in the middle of Nebraska when they find Kaylynn, a girl who can handle a baseball bat better than Jeremy can hold a .45 Berretta. And when they stumble into a sanctuary, Jeremy soon learns that Kaylynn is stronger than she looks—a deadly secret lies inside her.

After the radio picks up a distress call from Kansas City about a possible cure, Jeremy’s parents go with a team to investigate. They never return. The only way to find their parents is for Jeremy and his sister Jewel to rely on a dangerous girl who might just turn on them at any moment.

A while ago, David invited the blogosphere to let him turn one unfortunate lucky contestant into a zombie for The Undead Road. The winner was Ilima Todd, who is now the awesome author of Remake. The next installment of My Zombie Summer is underway, and David wants to do this contest again. Want to be in a zombie book? Not only is this your chance, but it is your choice!

Between now and next Wednesday, send an email to dpowersking [at] gmail [dot] com, with the subject line: Zombify Me! Contest. In your email, David wants you to tell him three things:

1: The name you will be identified as (example: your first name).
2: A description of yourself—the more detailed you are, the better.
3: How would you like the survivors to put you out of your misery?

Four casualties contestants will be chosen on Wednesday, November 25th. The most inventive or interesting entry will be zombified! The other three who are unlucky fortunate enough to survive will be given special honors. Winners will be announced on December 2nd on David’s blog.

Prizes? The winner will be zombified in the pages of My Zombie Summer: Part Two, receive a signed proof of the novel (when it’s ready), and a $20 Barnes and Noble gift card. The runner ups will receive a free ebook of The Undead Road for their Kindle (other platforms TBA).

Thank you for participating, and good luck!

About the Author:

David Powers King was born in beautiful downtown Burbank, California where his love for film inspired him to be a writer. He is the co-author of the YA fantasy novel WOVEN, published by Scholastic. An avid fan of science fiction and fantasy, David also has a soft spot for zombies and the paranormal. He currently lives deep in the mountain West with his wife and three children.

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REVIEW: Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs & Tracy Deebs

Powerless
by Tera Lynn Childs & Tracy Deebs
YA/Superhero Fiction
4 stars

I'm warning you right now. Powerless is not a standalone novel. I didn't realize this until about twenty pages from the end when I realized there was nowhere near enough time to wrap everything up.

It was not pretty.

Powerless was part of my attempt to read more superhero fiction this summer, in keeping with the ALA's Summer Reading theme for the year. This wasn't originally on my list, I just came across it one day at work and thought, what the heck?

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Powerless. It falls more into the realm of traditional YA, which I don't really read, because it deals a lot with teenage angst and romance drama, and I have come to realize that I don't enjoy those kinds of books very much. Powerless also had other elements that I generally don't like in books -the heroine falls for a bad boy, which I am very picky about, and there was quite a bit of swearing.

The reason I couldn't put this book down was mostly the characters, but also the way the authors play with the concept of good and evil -or, more accurately, heroes and villains.

Kenna Swift, our heroine, is feisty, stubborn, smart, and capable. She also happens to be powerless in a world filled with superheroes and villains. Despite her willingness and ability to stand up for herself, she is thought weak and fragile, not only by her powered peers, but by her own mother. It was both Kenna's frustration by this constant underestimation, her determination to rise above it, and her awesome sass that kept me turning the pages. She is fantastic.
 

The story jumps right into the thick of things when three villains break into the super secret superhero lab where Kenna is working late. All alone. And what does she do? She grabs the nearest weapon and tries to fight them off.

This attack leads Kenna to question everything she thinks she knows about heroes and villains, and it will send her into a most unlikely partnership. This was the second big thing that drew me into the story. Kenna is constantly plagued by the question of what makes a hero, and what makes a villain? In this world, the authors have chosen at least so far not to offer explanation on the origin of powers. The only thing we do know is that when a person's power manifests, a tattoo appears under either ear -one to brand a hero, the other a villain. This raises some marvelously juicy questions about a person's actions and morals, and I can't wait to see how the authors handle this down the road.
All of the characters in Powerless are really interesting, though my favorite might be Kenna's technopathic and incredibly paranoid ex-boyfriend.

Back to the bad boy romance. I dislike this type of romance because I hate it when girls are handed these sugar-coated fictional relationships that are unhealthy or unrealistic. Powerless handles this well by not making Kenna naive or deluding herself. Even as she's falling for the bad boy, she knows it's a bad idea. She doesn't just fall for the guy without thinking of the consequences. She also falls for him, not the idea of him, and it's the good in him that she likes, not the bad. She recognizes the bad as bad, and that's a huge win here. There's also the fact that the bad boy respects her. They fight and argue a lot, but as equals, and the moment anyone undervalues Kenna, this guy sets them straight. If there's a way to do a bad boy romance right, this is pretty darn close.

Probably the biggest drawback of this book for me was the swearing, but it never really felt excessive, which is saying something considering it had a lot more than I usually put up with. But its use felt natural, rather than excessive, the other factors of the book made it worthwhile.

So basically we have a strong and sassy heroine, superheroes and villains, treachery, lies, a constantly evolving story line, and a superhero who wears Superman pajamas. Seriously.

Spelled Spotlight Tour & Gift Basket Giveaway

Psst! If you're looking for the winners of the REVELATION and THE FANGS OF BLOODHAVEN giveaways, click here!

Spelled

by Betsy Schow

Sourcebooks Fire

Pub date: June 2, 2015


Hey all! Amanda here, and today I have the great pleasure to help feature Spelled in its spotlight tour! I recently finished this book, and it's hilarious. But don't just take my word for it...

Advance Praise for Spelled

“A cute adventure with romance set in a world full of fairy-tale mash-ups. Readers will love Dorthea’s evolution from spoiled princess to strong, confident heroine… For Oz fans, this work is a great clean-read alternative to Danielle Paige’s Dorothy Must Die.” -School Library Journal

“This wickedly funny, fast-paced adventure has it all: brains, courage, and heart. (Plus a kickin’ pair of heels.) .” --Jen Calonita, author of The Secrets of My Hollywood Life and Fairy Tale Reform School series

“Fairy tale survival rule #1, do NOT read this book late at night. You will wake up your entire family with loud laughter. Fairy tale survival rule #2, if you love the Wizard of Oz, clever fairy tale mash-ups, and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing what will happen until the very end, you MUST read Spelled.” --J Scott Savage, award winning author of Farworld, Case File 13, and the Mysteries of Cove series.

“A hilarious and snarky reimagining of the world of Oz, along with many other fairy tales injected throughout, "Spelled" is one fabulous read…Kick off those silver slippers and tuck in with this wonderful tale!” —Senator Sipes, Lil Book Bug (Palmdale, CA)

Book Info:

Talk about unhappily ever after. Dorthea is completely princed out. Sure being the crown princess of Emerald has its perks—like Glenda Original ball gowns and Hans Christian Louboutin heels. But a forced marriage to the not-so-charming prince Kato is so not what Dorthea had in mind for her enchanted future.

Trying to fix her prince problem by wishing on a (cursed) star royally backfires, leaving Dorthea with hair made up of emerald flames and the kingdom in chaos. Her parents and everyone she loves are stuck in some place called “Kansas.” Now it’s up to Dorthea and her pixed-off prince to find the mysterious Wizard of Oz and undo the curse…before it releases the wickedest witch of all and spells The End for the world of Story.

Amazon | B&N | BAM | !ndigo | IndieBound | Kindle |  Nook

About the author:

Betsy Schow is the author of the memoir Finished Being Fat, and has been featured on The Today Show and in The Wall Street Journal. She lives in Utah, but travels the country with Color Me Rad 5k, and partners with nonprofits to teach kids creative thinking and how to reach their goals.

Website| Twitter

Excerpt from Spelled:

Most of the crowd had dispersed. The final few stragglers looked at me with the all ­too-common look of fear mixed with trepidation. Pix ’em. They were just servants. It wasn’t like their opinion mattered.

Only one remained, watching me with open curiosity. He looked to be in his late teens or was magically enhanced to appear so. He could have been a hundred for all I knew. I’d never seen him before in my life. He was handsome enough, for a commoner, even in his worn leather pants and cracked work boots. A foreigner, his hair was unruly and dark auburn, which complemented his tanned but dirt-smudged complexion, though the tall, dark stranger vibe was ruined by his piercing pale blue eyes.
  
Well, I’d had enough of being a sideshow for the day. “If you’re the new gardener, the hedges are overgrown and in need of a trim.” I pointed in the direction of my father. “While you’re there, you can help the king with the wisps.”

The young man’s expression clouded over, but he didn’t move.

I stamped my foot and pointed more forcefully. “Off with you. Courtyard’s that way. Be sure to clean those awful boots before coming back in.”

“Someone told me I’d find a princess of great worth here. One with the strength to be the hero this realm needs.” He stared at me with those unsettling blue eyes. They were cold, like ice water—made me shiver from head to toe. Then his gaze seemed to search even deeper. Finally, he looked through me, like I was nothing. 

In brisk steps, he strode across the marble to the courtyard. But before crossing the threshold, he turned back to glare at me with his lip curled ever so slightly. “It seems she was mistaken.” 

Just like that, I had been sifted, weighed, and found wanting.

I felt my own lip curl in response. How rude! Who the Grimm was this peasant to judge me? I was wearing a Glenda original. Original! Not some fairy-godmother knockoff worn by those servant girls turned royal. I was a crown princess, for the love of fairy, and no one dismissed me.

Before I could put the boy in his place—down in the dirt, where he belonged—a clatter came from behind, making me nearly jump out of my shoes. I checked and was relieved that Sterling had simply dropped his sword. By the time I looked back, the gardener was gone. 

After stowing his blade, Sterling held up his shield, not in defense of the entrance but so he could look at his reflection. “Clearly he’s blind and doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” 

I didn’t ask for Sterling’s opinion, but it made me feel better. 

Until he opened his mouth again.

“Worth, pffft. I mean, look around at all the jewels. Your palace has everything you could ever want. Honestly, I don’t know what you’re fussing about. Why would anyone want to leave?” 

Because a cage is still a cage, no matter how big or glittering the bars are. 

And I would find a way free, no matter the cost.

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Thanks for stopping by! I'll get a review of Spelled up next month, but for now, know it's worth looking into. If you're looking for the winners of the REVELATION and THE FANGS OF BLOODHAVEN giveaways, click here!