Review: Blackout

Read if you like: queer main characters, high-stakes plots, tension and romanctic sci-fi.

Blackout | Kit Mallory

Series: Blackout

Genre: Young Adult Dystopia, Science Fiction
Released: May 8th 2018
Pages: 350
Format: Ebook
Source: Author

After the Board came to power the world changed the way a hunter stalks its prey: all paranoia and imagined flickers of shadow, so that while you were being torn to pieces you were still wondering whether you were overreacting.

For 16-year-old Skyler, fear is a way of life. For three years, since the Wall split the UK in two, her survival as an illegal Northern refugee in the South has been a perilous balancing act between staying in the shadows and clinging to her reputation as the South's best hacker.

Fellow refugee Mackenzie is a ghost from her past she'd rather ignore. But when their paths collide unexpectedly, Skyler sees an opportunity to exact revenge on the brutal regime that destroyed her home and family - even if it means she goes down with them.

Forced, with extreme reluctance, on the run together, Skyler and Mackenzie, along with enigmatic contract killer Angel, must find a way to outrun not only the Board and the South's most sadistic crime lord, but their own personal demons. If they can manage to not end up murdering each other in the process, that'll be a bonus.

But more is at stake than any of them realise. And Skyler, who has long believed she has nothing left to lose, is about to discover just how wrong she is.

Shortlisted for the 2016 Mslexia Children's Novel Award, Blackout is a story of resistance, friendship and survival.

I thought this was a stand alone and then THAT ENDING, so I'm pretty glad it's a series.

I started off not sure about this, but honestly I loved the characters quickly. Mackenzie is an utter sweetheart (protect him, my precious, anxious child) and I love how equally badass and vulnerable Skyler is. I'm still not sure about Angel, but I like her relationship with Skyler, and love the inclusion of a f/f romance. I LOVE the friendship between Mackenzie and Skyler, though. It's so dynamic and I honestly just want them to be besties.

As for the story, this is epically dystopian without being too overbearingly sci-fi (to be fair I love sci-fi so this wouldn't be an issue, but if you like your dystopia light, this book is for you!) The Board is a huge part of this book and influences everything directly, but the more urgent threat are criminals, thugs, and enforcers. In short, it's pretty damn exciting and thrilling and edge-of-your-seat stuff. I haven't read a dystopian book as good as this in years, and I can't wait to continue the series!

High-stakes, action-packed yet full of heart, emotion, and humanity. If you're looking for an original science fiction book, I can't recommend this enough!

4.5 stars

Review: Wolf Hollow

Read if you like: interesting worlds, stories with dystopia-survival elements, shifters and pack life.

Wolf Hollow | Nikki Jefford

Series: Wolf Hollow Shifters

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic
Released: October 23rd 2017
Pages: 415
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher

A REBELLIOUS OUTCAST

Cocky. Coy. Wolf shifter. Tabor is the hollow’s only half-breed, scorned and forbidden to use his powers. Constantly overlooked despite his strengths, Tabor believes Sasha is as shortsighted as the rest of the pack until she proves there’s more to her than a blindly obedient lapdog to the council.

A DUTIFUL PUREBLOOD

Spirited, stubborn, and deeply loyal, Sasha feels the pressure from her pack to claim another pureblood, yet no one is brazen enough to defy the elders and toy with her . . . no one besides a sexy, hotheaded half-breed.

AN ATTRACTION THAT THREATENS THE FUTURE OF THE PACK

Bewildered by the deceptively proud and surprisingly sensual Sasha, Tabor would risk everything to claim her. Despite her vanishing bloodline, Sasha can’t resist the charismatic half-breed even as predators threaten their pack and the elders pressure her to breed with a pureblood.

In a fantastical post-apocalyptic world, where only the strongest survive, sometimes trusting the heart is the bravest act of all.

Ehhh I did not love this.

The beginning was pretty promising, though it was weird how it set up Aden as love interest and Actual Love Interest (I LITERALLY just finished and I can't remember his name) as antagonist. Pretty jarring. I didn't mind Sasha but never connected to her, and it was odd how she went from super against Love Interest to jumping his bones. Plus there was a LOT of gratuitous sex, which would have been fine if I liked the characters. The story itself ... there were so many of plot points one after another but even with so much happening, the book dipped in the middle. I just got bored, which was sad because I thought I'd love this book.

I guess this book and I were just a bad match.

2 stars

DNF Review: Red Witch

Crow Moon: Red Witch | Anna McKerrow

Published by: Quercus Children's Books, March 10th 2016

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Post-Apocalyptic

Pages: 416

Format: Ebook

Source: Quercus

Seventeen, heartbroken, powerful; Melz has run away from home, run away from the safety of the Greenworld. In the cities of the Redworld, Melz discovers she's special, desired. And not just for her magical talents. When Melz meets the young but influential Bran, their attraction is instant and electric. In the Redworld, with Bran by her side, unrestrained by the customs of her former life, Melz knows she can reach her true potential. But the world Bran wants to give Melz is ravaged by war and violence. Oil is running out, and people will do anything to gain control of the remaining resources. Melz may be more powerful than ever, but even great power can be a curse when used against you. 

THIS BOOK DROVE ME MAD.

From the accent and dialogue - someone from Yorkshire constantly saying 'Aye', one young woman from York IN A POST-APOCALYPTIC/MODERN WORLD saying 'ow do flower?' and 'nice ta meet thee' when I've never met anyone here who said flower as a pet name in MY LIFE and thee in a contemporary setting?????- to the romance. 

Okay, the romance, I don't know if this book is building up to something epic because I'm too irritated to finish, but ... Bran is manipulative, secretive, and there's something about him that has red flashing lights going off and mental voices screaming DANGER, AXE MURDERER. If it ends with Melz hitting him with a cricket bat because he assaults her, fine, I see the signs and that was well foreshadowed. Otherwise? Run!

I liked Melz way more than Danny though, but where romance is involved she's just as naive. She might have seemed savvy and aware of Bran's creepiness in parts but others ... she lets him touch her, feels sparks and connections with him, etc.

Just, nah. This book is 100% not for me. Maybe if you're not from Yorkshire, it won't do your head in quite as much. Bran probably will though.

DNF at page 160

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The Fire Sermon (DNF Review)

The Fire Sermon: The Fire Sermon | Francesca Haig

Published by: Gallery Books, March 10th 2015

Genre: Adult, Dystopia, Post-Apocalptic

Pages: 284

Format: Ebook

Source: Gallery Books, via Netgalley

The Hunger Games meets Cormac McCarthy's The Road in this richly imagined first novel in a new postapocalyptic trilogy by award-winning poet Francesca Haig.

Four hundred years in the future, the Earth has turned primitive following a nuclear fire that laid waste to civilization and nature. Though the radiation fallout has ended, for some unknowable reason every person is born with a twin. Of each pair one is an Alpha - physically perfect in every way - and the other an Omega burdened with deformity, small or large.

With the Council ruling an apartheid-like society, Omegas are branded and ostracized while the Alphas have gathered the world's sparse resources for themselves. Though proclaiming their superiority, for all their effort Alphas cannot escape one harsh fact: Whenever one twin dies, so does the other. Cass is a rare Omega, one burdened with psychic foresight. While her twin, Zach, gains power on the Alpha Council, she dares to dream the most dangerous dream of all: equality. For daring to envision a world in which Alphas and Omegas live side by side as equals, both the Council and the Resistance have her in their sights.

I've been reading this book a full week. I'm at 50%. And I swear nothing has happened yet. There was a slight burst of plot when the main character rescued a guy from a tank in a laboratory, and while that sounds pretty exciting and cool (it was!) NOTHING ELSE HAS HAPPENED. They've walked, and walked, and stopped for a bit in a town where they made food and sat around and did nothing then started walking again. I'm halfway through the book and literally nothing is happening, so I don't see the point of continuing. I could carry on reading and all the plot might happen in the next 10%. Or I could read until the end and still nothing will have happened. There's a bit of hinting about a rebellion, but that's non-existent at this point. The dystopia of it all has essentially dropped off. It's become just everyday life and walking, which is not something I want to read about.

Slow and bland, and I didn't like how the "bad" and "infected" twins were all disabled. Way to be insulting.

(Sidenote: WHAT IS WITH THE UK COVER? Because of that I thought this was early YA, almost middle grade???????? The cover is so juvenile, not adult at all.)

DNF at 50%

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5 Mini reviews (Jan-March)

A Heart For Copper | Sharon Lynn Fisher

Published by: Silkwords, June 6th 2014

Genre: Steampunk, Fantasy

Pages: 67

Format: Ebook

Source: Silkwords, via Netgalley

An automaton created by an inventor's son, Copper has finally been given a heart by her young master. Her choice of whether to keep the key or give it to him will determine what happens next in this "pick your path" steampunk fairy tale. 

Will she join his family in their English country manor, where she'll be forced to consider the question of whether she's really human? Or will she search out the quirky alchemist responsible for giving her life? Will her master hold onto her heart, or will she be tempted by the charms of an automaton man?

This little book was a cute, steampunk tale. I liked the premise of the story, and the choose your own adventure format of the book, even if I did get mightily confused at first. It's easy to follow the progression of the story and fun to choose the outcome, to decide which choices the character makes.

I feel that the choices I made resulted in a much shorter story than the other choices would have made, but I'm pleased with the tale. I would love for it to continue, and for Copper's story to be explored more, since the end is left wide open. The one thing I didn't like was that there was a romance element between the MC and her 'master'. As usual, I hate this term and this trope, but I loved there was an alternate option, with a pretty cute boy who was more like Copper than her master. The brevity of the story didn't allow for much, if any, character development, and I didn't understand or connect with any of the characters but I suspect I would have if it were longer. The same goes for the world building - it was impressive for such a short story, but I needed more.

All in all, a unique steampunk tale in which a clockwork girl learns to make human choices - I wish it was longer!!

These are the choices I made

I keep the key.

Stay with Hephaesta and Silk.

Characters ★★★☆☆

Setting/world building ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★★☆☆

Periwinkle Cove | Cassandra Pierce

Published by: Less Than Three Press, March 18th 2015

Genre: Adult, Paranormal, LGBT, Mermaids

Pages: /

Format: Ebook

Source: Less Than Three Press, via Netgalley

One year ago Darcy's lover, Gail, died in a mysterious accident at a seaside cottage. When Darcy learns that she has only three months to live, she decides it's time to return to the cottage, both to ready it for sale and to prepare for her own end.

Instead, she finds herself attempting to discover what really happened to Gail. Assisting her in the quest is Livia, a mysterious new acquaintance with a peculiar connection to the sea who claims she also may know a way to save Darcy's life...

Had high hopes for this book, since it's a f/f romance and features mermaids, but the execution let it down. From the first page I wasn't completely sure I liked it, and by halfway through I knew I didn't. The main character falls into insta-love with a woman in one conversation (she mentions the love interest understanding her in a way no one else ever did), something I expect from some YA but not adult fiction, and I could tell it wasn't going anywhere I wanted to read. 

DNF at 48%

Bone Gap | Laura Ruby

Published by: Balzer + Bray, March 3rd 2015

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Pages: 369

Format: Ebook

Source: Balzer + Bray, via Edelweiss

Everyone knows Bone Gap is full of gaps—gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren’t surprised. After all, it wasn’t the first time that someone had slipped away and left Finn and Sean O’Sullivan on their own. Just a few years before, their mother had high-tailed it to Oregon for a brand new guy, a brand new life. That’s just how things go, the people said. Who are you going to blame?

Finn knows that’s not what happened with Roza. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember. But the searches turned up nothing, and no one believes him anymore. Not even Sean, who has more reason to find Roza than anyone, and every reason to blame Finn for letting her go.

As we follow the stories of Finn, Roza, and the people of Bone Gap—their melancholy pasts, their terrifying presents, their uncertain futures—acclaimed author Laura Ruby weaves a heartbreaking tale of love and loss, magic and mystery, regret and forgiveness—a story about how the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are.

Everything about this book suggests I would love it. It doesn't hesitate to explore important topics like race and feminism. It's magical realism. Everyone and their dog rates it. But I just can't get into it. I've read, over the course of three months, 22% and I cannot get into it. I can't connect with the main character, can't figure out what the plot is, and I don't have a shred of interest in what happens - which I should have by this point. The only part I liked was one scene from another characters POV but I haven't heard from her since. I've tried around six times to read more than a few percent at a time but it's just not for me right now. I'm sad to say I can't finish this, but hopefully a few years from now I'll try it again and adore it. We'll see.

DNF at 22%

Toxic Love | Jax Garren

Published by: Silkwords, June 22nd 2014

Genre: Adult, Post-Apocalyptic

Pages: 187

Format: Ebook

Source: Silkwords, via Netgalley

A mutation allows Chloe to breathe the poisoned air of post-atoxalyptic USA. GenFriends promises her a life of luxury and ease … as soon as she picks a man to start making babies with. 

SilkWords LLC is the go-to source for interactive women’s fiction. Blurring the line between fiction and gaming, SilkWords.com offers high quality romance and erotica that allows individual readers to choose how stories proceed. Two formats are available: branched fiction ("pick your path") and linear stories that are produced with reader participation. Future phases will focus on development of a SilkWords community by adding more levels of interactivity for both authors and readers. SilkWords is a place for smart, busy, adventurous women to unwind and have fun. To learn more about our unique reading experience, visit www.silkwords.com.

I was hoping this would be a great little story, like A Heart For Copper, but I didn't enjoy it. I didn't connect to the main character, wasn't such a fan of the post-apocalyptic setting (since very little history was actually explained), and the romance just didn't feel right from the get go. I started to get the sense that it was more an erotic story with hints of apocalypse than the other way around, as I'd assumed. Possibly the cover should have tipped me off, but I was optimistic. Wish I liked this, but couldn't.

DNF

Lois Lane: A Real Work of Art | Gwenda Bond

Published by: Capstone, March 4th 2015

Genre: YA, Mystery

Pages: 17

Format: Ebook

Source: Capstone, via Netgalley

In high school art class, Lois Lane demonstrates her undeniable talent . . . but not for painting.

This is an official teaser short story for the young adult novel LOIS LANE: FALLOUT that takes place before Lois moves to Metropolis.

This short story is jam packed with personality, energy, and enthusiasm. I absolutely LOVED it! I wouldn't have thought it possible to get such a strong sense of Lois in these few pages but Gwenda Bond proved me wrong. This is such a fun little tale and gives the perfect insight into Lois's initiative and detective skills, and I for one cannot wait to get my hands on Lois Lane: Fallout.

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world building ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★★★☆

King of Ash and Bone (Review)

Shattered Realms: King of Ash and Bone | Melissa Wright

Published: February 2nd 2015

Genre: Adult, Paranormal, Post-Apocalyptic

Pages: 217 (from Amazon)

Format: Ebook

Source: Purchased

When flying monsters break through the veil into her world, Mackenzie Scott has nothing left to lose. Her brother has been marked, her future has vanished, and all that remains is a desperate need for revenge. After discovering the breach the creatures used as a gateway, Mackenzie devises a plan to stop them, whatever the cost.


When she finds an injured stranger in the street, he just might be the key she needs to succeed. What Mackenzie doesn't know is that this stranger isn't the helpless boy he appears to be. He's one of the monsters. And he's got plans of his own.


Thrown into a dying city in another realm, Mackenzie is powerless to get back. With the gateway closing, time is not on her side. But the stranger is, and if they can escape execution, this girl and her monster might be able to save both their worlds.

I've made no secret of the fact that I adored the Descendants series, so when I saw Melissa Wright had just released a new book I didn't hesitate in grabbing it and reading ASAP. I love the way she writes, and especially how she writes action and romance.

I'll start by saying I didn't love this as much as the Descendants series, but that was purely a personal thing. I didn't fall as hard for the characters, and I'm a character driven reader. Now that's said, let's talk about all the things I did love:

Mackenzie, the MC of this series, is another determined, take-no-crap female and she's awesome. She'll go to any length for her brother and I really liked that about her. I also liked how when she found herself in another (mirror?) world, she freaked out. A lot. She went quiet and withdrawn, and eventually she pulled herself out of it and got shit done. I love my badass ladies who aren't afraid to show emotions or break down. Hunter, too, I loved, but I never loved him. I admired him, sure, and liked a lot about him, but he didn't have a spark for me. Still, I enjoyed reading about him, and especially learning about his world and his place in the realm of monsters.

I liked a bunch of other things about this - how we're thrown into the action from the start, the wreckage Earth has become, the introduction to a creepy ruling force in the other world, the perfect mix of post-apocalyptic and fantasy, and the prospect of a human girl becoming queen of a dying world of inhumans. I did miss a lot of world-building, though, and didn't quite understand or visualise the dying lands as well as I'd have liked, and crossing through the gateway confused me at times; I couldn't understand what was happening. But I overlooked these things for the great plot and writing.

King of Ash and Bone is a unique blend of portal fantasy and post-apocalyptic Earth. Instantly compelling. I have a hunch I'll like book two much more than this, and I can't wait to read it!

Characters ★★★☆☆

Setting/world building ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★★★☆