Tag Archives: Sci-Fi

The Moonlit World by Edward Willett – a Review

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The Moonlit World by Edward Willett – a Review

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Description:

Fresh from their adventures in a world inspired by Jules Verne, Shawna Keys and Karl Yatsar find themselves in a world that mirrors much darker tales. Beneath a full moon that hangs motionless in the sky, they’re forced to flee terrifying creatures that can only be vampires…only to run straight into a pack of werewolves.

As the lycanthropes and undead battle, Karl is spirited away to the castle of the vampire queen. Meanwhile, Shawna finds short-lived refuge in a fortified village, where she learns that something has gone horribly wrong with the world in which she finds herself. Once, werewolves, vampires, and humans lived there harmoniously. Now every group is set against every other, and entire villages are being mysteriously emptied of people.

Somehow, Karl and Shawna must reunite, discover the mysteries of the Shaping of this strange world, and escape it for the next, without being sucked dry, devoured, or–worst of all–turned into creatures of the night themselves.

Beneath the frozen, gibbous moon, allies, enemies, surprises, adventures, and unsettling revelations await.

 

 

Review:

The Moonlit World by Edward Willett is the 3rd book in his Worldshapers series. Brief refresher:  Shawna Keys lives in a perfect world, one she shaped to fit her, and she doesn’t remember how she learned to shape worlds. But when the evil Adversary enters her world, and slowly begins to shape people to his needs, and not know Shawna.  Karl, who is sent to help Shawna understand her powers, convinces her she needs to leave her world behind, and find a way to defeat the Adversary. Together they enter other shaped worlds.

When we left off in the second book (Master of the World), Shawna Keys, our heroine, managed to fix and leave the Jules Verne shaped world and with Karl, enter a portal into a new unknown world.  Upon entering this world, they end up being chased by flying creatures (bats), which they suspect are vampires, and Karl ends up being captured by those vampires. Shawna manages to escape and runs to safety, only to end up in a small village of humans, run by a priest, who makes her go through tests to see if she is a vampire or a werewolf.   Karl is taken to the Vampire Queen Patricia, with the vampires believing Karl is a spy sent from the Werewolf Queen.

When Shawna manages to leave the village, she is captured by the werewolf pack, who is run by Queen Stephanie.   They too believe that Shawna is a spy sent by the vampire queen.  Shawna realizes all is not well in this world, as both Stephanie and Patricia, who were best friends, and were the shapers of this peaceful world, which has changed so much, that they are now enemies. 

Karl escapes and joins Shawna, as they try to find the reason for the world change and destruction to many.  They discover a rogue shaper, who viciously kidnaps the young humans for his benefit, and brings chaos to both the vampire and werewolf world. This is a difficult review to write, as there are so many details and characters, and to tell too much would ruin the storyline. I do love Shawna, as she is a great heroine.

What follows is an exciting adventure where Shawna with help from Karl, will learn more on how to use the powers she has to shape things on her own, and find a way to stop this rogue shaper.  There were some very good secondary characters from both the vampires and the werewolves, as well as the human Priest. The Moonlit World was a detailed, exciting, and entertaining story line. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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The Mother Code by Carole Stivers-a review

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The Mother Code by Carole Stivers-a review

 

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 25, 2020

The year is 2049. When a deadly non-viral agent intended for biowarfare spreads out of control, scientists must scramble to ensure the survival of the human race. They turn to their last resort, a plan to place genetically engineered children inside the cocoons of large-scale robots–to be incubated, birthed, and raised by machines. But there is yet one hope of preserving the human order–an intelligence programmed into these machines that renders each unique in its own right–the Mother Code. 



Kai is born in America’s desert southwest, his only companion his robot Mother, Rho-Z. Equipped with the knowledge and motivations of a human mother, Rho-Z raises Kai and teaches him how to survive. But as children like Kai come of age, their Mothers transform too–in ways that were never predicted. When government survivors decide that the Mothers must be destroyed, Kai must make a choice. Will he break the bond he shares with Rho-Z? Or will he fight to save the only parent he has ever known?

In a future that could be our own, The Mother Code explores what truly makes us human–and the tenuous nature of the boundaries between us and the machines we create.

•••••••

REVIEW:THE MOTHER CODE by Carole Stivers is a sci-fi, futuristic, apocalyptic story line focusing on a biological weapon that spread out of control.

In the year 2049, the US military secretly deployed a weapon of biological warfare ( a synthetic nucleic acid nanostructure NAN) in a remote region of Afghanistan. Although immediately deemed a success, the virus quickly mutated, and with the help of mother nature, would eventually engulf the entire world. Knowing that the end of mankind was near, researchers, scientists and bio-engineers built and programmed fifty ‘Mothers’ to incubate and raise the only children expected to survive.

Told from several third person perspectives following three different time lines THE MOTHER CODE focuses on the possibility of a manmade cataclysmic virus; a biological weapon of war that once introduced is unable to be controlled. Years would pass wherein the US military and all of their power found themselves incapable of finding a vaccine, and in the ensuing time, would become the target of revenge. In an effort to ensure some of humanity survived, fifty embryos would be placed in robotic cocoons, where the implanted ‘Mother Code’ would ensure their survival at all costs. Ten years would pass, the children who thrived, along with their ‘Mothers’, would search for any remaining survivors, but in doing so would catch the attention of the few forsaken remnants of mankind, men and women who are hoping to bring home the children who survived.

THE MOTHER CODE is a haunting and thought provoking story of power and control; of possibilities and probabilities; of what ifs and whys; of motherhood, acceptance and love. The stupidity of man to presume he can control that which he does not know, and the betrayal by those in power believing they have the ability and authority to control the world. THE MOTHER CODE looks at what it is to be a mother; the evolution of technology and cybernetics; sentience, self awareness, consciousness; and the ability to evolve, accept, love and protect.

The story line is awash in technical jargon, military lingo, science fact and fiction, as well as futuristic terminology that may be overwhelming to some readers but such is the nature of science fiction and fantasy.

Released during the COVID19 pandemic, the story line may hit too close to home for more sensitive readers.

Copy supplied by the publisher

Reviewed by Sandy

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Blood World by Chris Mooney-dual review

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Blood World by Chris Mooney-dual review

 

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 18, 2020

A drug that makes the blood of carriers a fountain of youth, a psychopath who doesn’t care how many bodies he leaves in his wake, and an LAPD detective hopelessly compromised by a dark secret. Together, they’re an explosive mix that’s going to shatter the city of Los Angeles into a million corpuscles.

The most valuable commodity on earth is the blood of “carriers.” These young people hold within them a virtual fountain of youth. Those with the right genes produce blood that, when treated with a new wonder drug, cures disease, increases power, and makes the recipient a virtual superman.

It also makes the carriers targets. Blood farms filled with kidnapped children spring up around the country, and Los Angeles is at the center of this blood-dealing world. The police are overwhelmed.

Ellie Bautista became an LAPD officer specifically to fight this evil as a member of the Blood Squad, but she has been consistently denied a transfer to the prestigious unit–until the day she and her partner are ambushed during a routine stop. The resulting events plunge her into an undercover world more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.

A madman has found a way to increase the potency of the blood to levels previously unimagined. As he cuts a bloody swath through the already deadly world of blood cartels, Ellie is the only hope to stop him before the body count rises.

•••••••

Sandy’s REVIEW: BLOOD WORLD by Chris Mooney is an adult, sci-fi, futuristic thriller line focusing on the fight for control of the fountain of youth.

Told from third person perspective BLOOD WORLD follows several paths including that of LAPD police officer Ellie Bautista. Desperate to secure a position on the Blood Squad, Ellie goes undercover in an effort to ferret out the people responsible for a series of kidnappings and missing persons known as carriers, people who carried the fountain of youth in their blood. A play for power and control of the blood carriers finds several powerful men vying for the top position in the world of illegal blood trade, and the use of specific drugs known to enhance the benefits of the blood’s use. As Ellie begins to work with some of the men responsible for the local blood farms, a fight for control turns into an all out war where the price for endless youth is indeed high.

BLOOD WORLD is a futuristic story line set in California, the playground of the rich and famous where eternal youth is a commodity very few have the money to pay. The discovery of the fountain of youth has provoked a hunger for power, the power to control the ultimate prize.

Chris Mooney pulls the reader into a what if story line. What are you willing to do? What are you willing to pay? Will you sell your soul to eternal youth? An edgy and dramatic story line; a thought provoking and intriguing tale of desperation, power and control.

______________

Barb’s REVIEW:
Blood World by Chris Mooney is a standalone Sci-Fi thriller.  I did not know what to expect, as this was a different kind of story line, but once you get past the beginning, as we learn the world building and characters, this caught my attention.

In this world, blood is a commodity, especially in the young, who are carriers. Their blood is able to produce drugs that have amazing results; curing disease, improve aging by years, increases power, improved body functions, etc.  The blood farms hold the kidnapped young carrier children, who supply the blood to those who will pay an exorbitant amount.

We meet our heroine, Ellie Bautista, an LAPD police officer, who happens to be checking a possible drug site, when they are ambushed, and her partner is killed.   Ellie talks to the police chief, desperately asking to be on the ‘blood team” investigations.  With an ulterior motive, Ellie has wanted to be on this team, because she is trying to find her twin brother, who was kidnapped years before at the age of six. Because of her knowledge of the blood drugs, and is a good cop, she is asked to go undercover, which she accepts.

Sebastian Kane is one of the leaders of the “blood world”, and he claims he treats the carriers with care.  He trusts no one but his close associates, such as Frank.  When Ellie goes undercover working for Anton, another leader, she is eventually transferred to Sebastian’s team, working mostly for Frank.  This plunges her into a dangerous world that puts her life in constant danger, especially as they keep a close eye on her. 

Sebastian has his hands full, as a war between him and his step son Paul, escalates into a full blown out, wild nonstop action filled escapade.  For every step Sebastian makes, he is stymied with losing most of his people, as Paul, who is evil and a sociopath, is one step ahead.  At this point, Ellie begins to work closer with Sebastian, since most of his people have left or are gone.  She learns though Sebastian is one of the bad guys, he insists he treats people good, and when he learns his ex is now in danger from Paul, who kidnaps the ex’s daughter, who turns out to be his.  This will push Sebastian to the max to find her, and Ellie determined to find her brother, goes along with him.  All hell will break out with so much violence and everyone in danger.  I can’t tell too much more, as you need to read this book to find out who if any survive.

I loved Ellie, who was a great heroine, and though under close watch, her expertise helped her survive the many situations she was in.  Blood World was a different kind of story, which was intense, violent and dark; and very well written by Chris Mooney.

Copies provided by Publisher

 

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Sentinel ( Shadowborn Rebellion #2) by Cyndi Friberg-a review

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SENTINEL (Shadowborn Rebellion #2) by Cyndi Friberg

 

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 18, 2020

Determined to spend some time alone with the feisty human he wants as his mate, Salvo Xett invites Natalie Marino to Ghost City. He’s afraid she will find the abject poverty shocking after the relative luxury of the other villages, but he must know her reaction before he claims her. Ghost City is his home. His mate must be able to see beyond the scorched ruins to the forgotten people desperately needing their help.

No sooner do Salvo and Natalie arrive in Ghost City than they are asked to rescue a kidnapped child. Their investigation takes them on an inadvertent tour through the seediest parts of town. Natalie is horrified yet filled with compassion and determination. Her intense attraction to Salvo might have brought her to Ghost City, but a burning need to help the “urbanites” convinces her to stay. Pleased by her reaction to the conflict, Salvo is even more convinced that he has found his soulmate and will stop at nothing to claim her as his own.

••••••

REVIEW: SENTINEL is the second instalment in Cyndi Friberg’s adult SHADOWBORN REBELLION erotic, sci-fi fantasy series- a spin off from the author’s Outcast series, which in turn is a spin-off from Battle born, which is a spin-off from the Shadow Assassins series ;). This is Sentinel Sarronti Salvo Xett, and human chef Natalie Marino’s story line. SENTINEL can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series in order for backstory and cohesion as there is a continuing premise throughout, and each additional story builds upon the one before.

SOME BACKGROUND: The humanoid aliens known as Rodytes needed a home and settled on two uninhabited planets but to their shock a race of elf-like creatures, known as the Sarronti, live underground away from the light. Without any available mates, the male only Rodytes sent teams of Outcasts to kidnap or persuade any and all human females from Earth in an attempt to repopulate and find mates for their struggling males but procreation came at a price including the need for genetically matched DNA, a mutual metamorphosis, and magical intervention. A test for compatibility is filed and there may be as many as five males matched to a single female DNA. Thirty percent of the females returned back to Earth, and the struggling males begin vying for the female’s affections. Outcasts are battle born-their mothers were Bilarrian prisoners forced to breed, with their Rodyte captors, in the hopes of restoring magic to the Rodyte people. To complicate matters, the planet they now inhabit hides a secret deep beneath the planet’s surface, an elven like being known as the Sarronti, who must live underground to avoid exposure to the sun’s damaging rays.

Told from several third person perspectives including Salvo and Natalie, SENTINEL follows several paths including the building relationship between Sentinel Salvo Xett, and human chef Natalie Marino, and the murderous attack in Ghost City. Ghost City is a city of mutants whose exposure to the sun’s dangerous rays has created an above world of creatures never to be accepted by ‘normal’ society (think Total Recall and the mutant inhabitants of Mars). On the hunt for a missing child, Natalie and Salvo will begin an investigation into a murder for hire where ‘weapons of unknown origin’ have wreaked havoc on their intended victims in an effort to confuse the people investigating the crime. A plot to kidnap Sarronti General Malik’s mate Kara, along with imprisonment of a powerful sorcerer by Sarronti rebels finds Salvo and Malik on the offensive when Natalie and Kara are used as bait to determine who is responsible for the prelude to war. What ensues is the quick building romance and relationship between Natalie and Salvo, as our couple work behind the scenes in an effort to prevent further damage.

The relationship between Natalie and Salvo is one of immediate attraction. Salvo has wanted our heroine from the first time they met but Salvo believed that Natalie was attracted to someone else. In an effort to ‘get to know’ our heroine, Salvo invites Natalie to Ghost City wherein our couple will soon discover their mutual attraction leads to a bonding as mates. The $ex scenes are passionate and intimate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

SENTINEL is a story of betrayal and vengeance; power and control; discrimination and rebellion. A ‘Total Recall’ esque world of mutants and orphans rejected by ‘normal’ society, SENTINEL reveals the heart breaking and painful discrimination, and segregation of those Sarronti mutated by radiation. The premise is intriguing and sensitive; the romance is fated and spicy; the characters are colorful, energetic, powerful but tragic. Saying that, the abrupt ending is a little disconcerting-a happily ever after –for now type scenario wherein nothing has yet to be revealed, divulged or clarified. And the cover…speechless~

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one SLAYER

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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Bishop to Queen by Lexy Wolfe-a review

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Bishop to Queen by Lexy Wolfe-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release date July 23, 2020

Will synthetic intelligence evolve to reflect the best or worst of their creators?

Ravenhawk, Cybercorps Corporations rogue synthetic creation, and Viktor Chernovich, a renegade pure human, have joined a secret society known as Caïssa’s Gambit to fight corrupt corporations and a government corrupted by those corporations to protect society from collapse. But another threat, once considered a mere philosophical possibility, lurks behind it all that if mishandled, could spell the end of both human and synthetic futures

•••••••

REVIEW:BISHOP TO QUEEN is the second instalment in Lexy Wolfe’s sci-fi, futuristic, dystopian series focusing on cyborg Ravenhawk, and human Viktor Chernovich as they traverse a world of artificial intelligence. BISHOP TO QUEEN should not be read as a stand alone. I recommend reading RAVENHAWK (book one) first for back story, history and cohesion.

Told from third person perspective BISHOP TO QUEEN is a story line divided into two parts. Part one focuses on a scrappy Russian thief named Viktor Chernovich, as he is saved from execution, and forced to be the companion to Rebeka, an assassin and pilot whose reputation as a killer has preceded her introduction to Viktor Chernovich. But Rebeka has made an enemy of the man in charge, and her life is no longer hers to control.

Part two follows Viktor as he becomes part of a secret society known as Caissa’s Gambit to fight both government and corporate corruption at Cybercorp as the leaders continue to destroy the people he loves. As one of the few remaining pure humans, Viktor’s rogue family of cyborgs (cybernetic organisms), synths (synthetics), VI (virtual intelligence) and AI (artificial intelligence) protect our hero as he navigates a world that is becoming increasingly hostile, leading to war between man and machine. As the AI/VI/Cyborg and Synths slowly become self aware and sentient, the humans are determined to destroy the machines of which they built.

Ravenhawk is a cyborg whose backstory is told in book one RAVENHAWK, a story that focuses on Raven’s developing self awareness, and the small remaining human connection she has to the outside world. A powerful cybernetic organism whose majority make up is synthetic, Raven struggles with what was, and what is. Having spent her earlier existence ‘collecting and preserving data’ for Cybercorp, Raven battles with the memories of the atrocities she was commanded to do.

Lexy Wolfe has built a detailed and complex world of what ifs- a world that continues to see discrimination and segregation; specieism and bigotry; inequality, intolerance, destruction and fear. A philosophical and sociological tale of man and machine; of culture, change, relationships, interactions and values. The corrupted bureaucrats and government regulatory systems force the resistors, the rogues and the gangs to take back what was once theirs including their freedom and right to survive.

For followers of science fiction or fans of movies and television shows there are numerous similarities and the familiarity of Blade Runner, The Matrix, Star Trek, I Robot, and William Gibson’s Neuromancer-the book on which The Matrix was based. A gritty , intriguing and thought provoking premise BISHOP TO QUEEN is a dramatic and tragic tale of a society destroyed by power and control, that ends on a slight cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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Dragon Unleashed by Grace Draven – a Review

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Dragon Unleashed by Grace Draven – a Review

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Description:
Magic is outlawed in the Krael Empire and punishable by death. Born with the gift of earth magic, the free trader Halani keeps her dangerous secret closely guarded. When her uncle buys a mysterious artifact, a piece of bone belonging to a long-dead draga, Halani knows it’s far more than what it seems.

Dragas haven’t been seen for more than a century, and most believe them extinct. They’re wrong. Dragas still walk among the denizens of the Empire, disguised as humans. Malachus is a draga living on borrowed time. The magic that has protected him will soon turn on him–unless he finds a key part of his heritage. He has tracked it to a group of free traders, among them a grave-robbing earth witch who fascinates him as much as she frustrates him with her many secrets.

Unbeknownst to both, the Empire’s twisted empress searches for a draga of her own, to capture and kill as a trophy. As Malachus the hunter becomes the hunted, Halani must risk herself and all she loves to save him from the Empire’s machinations and his own lethal birthright.

 

 

Review:

Dragon Unleashed by Grace Draven is the second book in her Fallen Empire series.  In Dragon Unleashed, the heroes of this story are different than the first book, though in the same world; though we did meet our heroine, Halani, in the first book.  Halani is a healer, as well as having earth magic, which she needs to keep secret, as magic is forbidden.  Halani lives in a trading camp, with her mother, uncle and others she has been with for many years. 

Malachus, our hero, is a draga, desperate to find a mother bone that will allow him to shift to his dragon; if he cannot find the bone, he will die.  Malachus has been hunting for this bone for a long time, and when he arrives by the trading camp, he senses the artifact is close.  He has a vision of Halani and when he sees her by the caravan, he also meets her mother, befriending and charming both of them.  But later that evening, he is attacked by those who have stolen the bone, and it is Halini who will come to his rescue and nurse him back to health. 

Malachus stays in their camp while he recuperates, and in a short time, both Halini and Malachus feel a strong attraction to each other.   They both try to just to be friends, as there is no future, since he will leave as soon as he is better.   Malachus feelings continue to grow, but he discovers the group steals from graves to help make ends meet, and at first, he is very angry, knowing that Halani kept this secret.   But before he could leave, word comes that Asil, Halani’s mother has been kidnapped, and together Malachus and Halani will head to Krael, where the evil Empress Dalvila resides.  It is here that Malachus will come close to his mother bone; will he survive the evil Empress?

The first 1/3 or so of the book was a bit slow, but it picked up and the last 2/3 was a wild, action-packed, exciting adventure.  Malachus was a great hero, not only strong, tough, but very tender with Halani, and made friends with the other men in the camp.  I loved Halani, as she made a great heroine, being a healer, and her earth magic made her great.  I really loved them both together.   Will Malachus leave or find a way to stay with Halani?

I loved how when things were bleak, and the Empress was set on destroying both of them, Halani utilized her powers to try and save Malachus; she really was amazing.  Malachus was also a great hero, as he suffered horrible cruelty as a captive of the Empire. Dragon  Unleashed was an  excellently written fantasy that  had  a bit of everything from wonderful heroes, romance, danger, cruelty, great characters and an exciting adventure all the way through; especially the last 1/3 of the book; not to mention the delightful end.  If you enjoy fantasy, I suggest you start with Dragon Unleashed.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth – a Review

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Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth – a Review

 

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Description:
A decade ago near Chicago, five teenagers defeated the otherworldly enemy known as the Dark One, whose reign of terror brought widespread destruction and death. The seemingly un-extraordinary teens—Sloane, Matt, Ines, Albie, and Esther—had been brought together by a clandestine government agency because one of them was fated to be the “Chosen One,” prophesized to save the world. With the goal achieved, humankind celebrated the victors and began to mourn their lost loved ones.

Ten years later, though the champions remain celebrities, the world has moved forward and a whole, younger generation doesn’t seem to recall the days of endless fear. But Sloane remembers. It’s impossible for her to forget when the paparazzi haunt her every step just as the Dark One still haunts her dreams. Unlike everyone else, she hasn’t moved on; she’s adrift—no direction, no goals, no purpose. On the eve of the Ten Year Celebration of Peace, a new trauma hits the Chosen: the death of one of their own. And when they gather for the funeral at the enshrined site of their triumph, they discover to their horror that the Dark One’s reign never really ended.

 

 

Review:

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth is the first book in her The Chosen Ones series.  Having just finished reading the book, I was happy about how it all ended; thinking it read very well as a standalone; however now I see it is a series, which I will be reading, but I am curious how Roth will continue.

We meet our 5 heroes, who 10 years earlier, were the Chosen Ones who as teenagers, defeated an evil enemy called the ‘Dark One’,  terrorizing the world with death and destruction.  They were idolized by the world, and now they gather for the 10th anniversary celebration of when they saved the world.  Matt was always considered the leader, with Sloane, Albie, Esther and Ines as part of the team. Part 1 of the book revolves around how all 5 are coping, with each reacting differently.  Matt and Esther enjoy the accolades and are happy in the social media world.  Albie has PSTD and has a hard time, and Ines tries to keep her life private. The story centers mostly on Sloane, as she still suffers from panic attacks from when she had been captured by the Dark One, but though she comes across as angry and sarcastic, she is a tough, smart and independent badass. 

Before the celebration, they government calls them in to review a possible new weapon, which will cause one of the 5 to kill himself.  At the funeral ceremony, everything changes, as Matt, Esther and Sloane are pulled into another parallel universe, which is the start of Part 2.  The three of them learn that they have been chosen to help this universe fight off another evil villain, and unless they find a way to kill him, they will never return home to their own universe.  In this world, which is a little similar to their own, but filled with magic.  The leaders of this new universe are desperate for help, and work on training them on using magical siphons to enhance their powers, to enable them to be ready when they need to fight the new Dark One.

Part 2 ups the ante, with more excitement, new characters, parallel dimension and a different enemy, who has built an army of walking dead.  Whereas, Matt and Esther relish learning how to use the magic, Sloane tends to be on her own, learning everything about this world; she has never been happy, and comes across as secretive and impulsive. But when push comes to shove, she will be the one who will do anything to protect her friends, and she makes a horrifying discovery that totally changes the game.  I really did like Mox, someone she meets at a museum and a bar, as well as his friend, Ziva.  

In Part 3, Sloane will step up to discover the truth, and use her own unused powers to stop and fight the Dark One, as we raced to the wild climax in the last 1/3 of the book.  Roth does pull a few surprise twists. Extremely exciting, intense, action filled, with us holding our breaths, as we discover who the real culprit is.   I cannot tell too much more, as it would be spoilers and ruin it for you. 

Chosen Ones was very well written by Veronica Roth, which had a satisfying ending. The world building in this multidimensional world was very good; as well as exciting and actually a fun read. Now that I know there is going to be another book, I look forward to see what Roth has in store for us. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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Sleepwater Static by Kathrin Hutson – a Review

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Sleepwater Static by Kathrin Hutson – a Review

 

Sleepwater Static
Blue Helix series – Book 2
Release Date: May 26, 2020

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Description:
They say home is where the heart is. Now that Sleepwater’s on the run, home is just another place to hide.

Wyoming’s Sleepwater chapter is on the run, hunted for their ability to spin a beat. With little time to mourn the members they’ve lost, Bernadette Manney takes the group to the one place she swore she’d never see again: the cabin in Hollywood, South Carolina. It’s remote enough to lay low and catch a break, but not for long.

Their beats are condemned as mutations, radical terrorist tactics, and felonies punishable both by and outside the law. Bernadette thought Sleepwater would be safe here, but returning to her Southern roots unleashes more demons than she left behind. Her past, her love, and even her own flesh and blood won’t let her move on through a venomous society intent on rooting out her people. Now, to bring a mother’s first child safely into an unsafe world, Bernadette must face her own shame from before Sleepwater itself was born. But redemption and forgiveness may be too much to ask, and it may just be too late.

 

Review: 

Sleepwater Static by Kathrin Hutson is the second book in her Blue Helix series. We met Bernadette in the last book, she’s one of the original members of the group. They are now on the run, the government want them, the public don’t understand them, and they don’t understand what’s going on themselves.  You don’t need to read the first book, but it does help. There is lots going on in the first book that will put stuff into perspective. 

Again this book jumps from past to present, this time showing us Bernadette’s story, I liked the messages from her friend, it actually filled in a few questions, without going into too much detail. We get the why she left South Carolina, what her ability or “beat” is and why she is the way she is……

It’s been six months since the last book. They are on the run from the government facility that captured a few of them. The Doctor that captured them did something to them, something terrible and half of the group will never be the same again. Sadness fills the air, losing friends that feel like family hurts them all. But Bernadette has a job to do, she needs to get them to safety, her family cabin seems like the best option. 

I have to admit I did like the first book better. But this one had its own good points. You expect a main character to be young, well Bernadette isn’t, she’s not a young woman, she’s not even middle aged, she’s an elderly woman with arthritis!!! 

She’s seen a lot in her time, a bully for a father, a jealous sister, a club owner who took advantage of her gift, friends who turned on her. But the turning point was when she turned her gift on her daughter!! She couldn’t take the guilt, and so Bernadette ran, and never stopped running. She’s collected strangers along the way, turning them into a family of sorts. We also catch up with a few old friends from the previous book, and a few surprises along the way. 

I really like Bernadette, she’s a very complex character, a hard life made easier with a few wonderful years, then given a second chance with her new family. She also comes into contact with her old family, how will she react with that? 

The ending definitely ended a little abrupt, so I’m hoping it’s not the end. 

Description:
They say the pen is mightier than the sword. In Sleepwater’s world, words are literally more powerful than bullets.

Leo could always make people believe anything she says—really believe. When her chest burns and the words come from her mouth, her targets’ eyes glaze over, they forget their own thoughts, and they’ll do anything she says. It’s what keeps her alive after being on the run and living on the streets for years. But after using it on her girlfriend and her dad’s drug dealer, it’s
also what got her here on the streets in the first place.

Then Sleepwater finds her. When Leo discovers there are others out there with similar powers, scattered across the country, she can’t say no to the underground organization. After all, what’s a little sit-down with the only people who may ever understand her? What she doesn’t expect is to be thrust into Sleepwater’s guerrilla war, hunted by government agencies, and used as a weapon. Worse than that, she might be more valuable not for what she can do but for who she was before they found her.

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Review:  Sleepwater Beat by Katrin Hutson is the 1st book in her Blue Helix series.  Leo can persuade people to see things her way, convince others they didn’t see it, or that they imagined it a different way. Living on the streets has taught her a few things, suspicion is one of them. So when a random man takes her in, she readily accepted the offer. (I was surprised she wasn’t more resistant, but could a spinner be making her mind up?).

To be honest, I think Leo was looking for a connection, maybe even someone to care about her. And when she gets a job spinning stories and illusions, Leo thinks she’s found a home…..

We do jump from past to present a lot, and it does take a little getting used to. But persevere, it’s well worth the read. I think it’s more of a thriller, the other “beat spinners” are hiding something, so it makes me wonder what they are really planning. They seem to know more about Leo than they are letting on.

The way I see the beat spinners are a type of hypnosis, the suggestion is in their voice, they can weave you into the story, so you think you are there. This reminds me of  the X-Men, people that are different from humans, in hiding from the rest of the world, scared to show their true selves. (But it didn’t use to be like that, now it’s illegal). But they also need to hide, wealthy people want them as “pets”, to show their abilities in clubs and private homes, the spinners are forming resistance groups, targeting drugs companies (this is one of the reasons why Leo leaves home) there are a few surprises that kept me reading. The ending didn’t stop on a cliffhanger, but it does leave a few unanswered questions.

The story is dark, Leo has had many knock backs in her life, her mother abandoning her, her father dying of an overdose, living on the streets. So I did understand where she was coming from, always wary, always angry. Sleepwater gave her another chance at a normal life, but she had to earn her way in, and I did find that a little hard going (it seemed as the rest of the group were always laughing behind her back). But there is something going on in the background, I get a feeling that the death of her father, the drug he was using and the Sleepwater beat spinners are all connected. You’ll have to read the book to see if I’m right?

I liked how all the people seemed to be lost, and Karl and Bernadette were bringing them all together. Each person had a different ability, no one seems immune. The voice seeps inside your soul and the mind brings it into focus. I think this borders on adult rather than young adult. There are a few moments in the book I felt aren’t suitable for the market it’s aimed for.

But I did enjoy it, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

 

Reviewed by Julie B

Copies upplied for review

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