Review: Marked by Sarah Fine

Marked by Sarah Fine
Published January 2015 by 47 North
Source: eGalley ARC from NetGalley

In a broken landscape carved by environmental collapse, Boston paramedic Cacia Ferry risks life and limb on the front lines of a fragile and dangerous city. What most don’t know—including her sexy new partner, Eli Margolis—is that while Cacy works to save lives, she has another job ferrying the dead to the Afterlife. Once humans are “Marked” by Fate, the powerful Ferrys are called to escort the vulnerable souls to either eternal bliss or unending fire and pain.

Unaware of Cacy’s other life, Eli finds himself as mesmerized by his fierce and beautiful partner as he is mistrustful of the influential Ferry clan led by the Charon—who happens to be Cacy’s father. Cacy, in turn, can no longer deny her intense attraction to the mysterious ex-Ranger with a haunted past. But just as their relationship heats up, an apparent hit takes the Charon before his time. Shaken to the core, Cacy pursues the rogue element who has seized the reins of Fate, only to discover that Eli has a devastating secret of his own. Not knowing whom to trust, what will Cacy have to sacrifice to protect Eli—and to make sure humanity’s future is secure?

My Thoughts

Boston paramedic Cacia Ferry takes on dangerous assignments in a broken and flooded city. Her co-workers don’t know that she, along with members of her family, are responsible for ferrying those who have died to the Afterlife.

Cacy's new partner, Eli Margolis, is intensely attracted to Cacy, but distrustful of her rich and powerful family. When Cacy's father is suddenly Marked and killed—perhaps before his time—Cacy is faced with the possibility that someone is subverting Fate and making a power play to usurp the powers of the Ferrys. And, it appears that Eli's sister, Galena, is the focus of the power struggle. Galena's biomedical research offers hope of new vaccines against the plagues devastating the city, but fewer deaths mean less income to the Kere who Mark the doomed and the Ferrys who transport their souls to their final destination.

I have to say that I enjoyed everything about Marked except the explicit lovemaking scenes. The plot is captivating and the characters are appealing. But I'm just not fond of such steamy scenes. I think the book could be just as good (if not better) if it was toned down a bit.

★★★☆☆

Note that I received a free copy of Marked from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Review: The Park Service

The Park Service by Ryan Winfield
Published October 2012 by Birch Paper Press
Source: Purchased from Amazon.com

What if the plan to save Earth includes the extinction of humankind?

Sometimes the best intentions ultimately lead to evil ends. That's what fifteen-year-old Aubrey VanHouten learns when he stumbles onto a post-apocalyptic paradise where the few remaining humans live on the run from deadly drones controlled by a mysterious Park Service. Beautifully written with challenging moral dilemmas and heart-melting friendships, The Park Service trilogy is an epic coming-of-age-story that will inspire and delight readers young and old.

My Thoughts

Over and over again, I kept seeing posts on Facebook about a new and outstanding trilogy. When I saw that the first book was on sale for 99 cents, I decided to give it a try. I'm rather glad that I did.

The Park Service offers an interesting look at a dystopian future. Fifteen-year-old Aubrey VanHouten is living in an underground bunker—the home of mankind after a devastating war made the surface of the earth uninhabitable. Or so everyone thinks. When Aubrey accidentally discovers that the surface is actually a pristine paradise, he is surprised to learn that there is a ruling power determined to keep people from bespoiling the planet again, treating the entire planet as a park to be preserved.

As mentioned in the online ads, this is the first book in a trilogy and after reading it, I would very much enjoy reading the rest of the series. Since all of the books in the trilogy are available through the Kindle Lending Library to Amazon Prime members, I might just borrow them rather than purchasing. A solid three stars—I enjoyed the book.

★★★☆☆

Sunday Summary: 29 March 2015

Where I've been reading

Another business trip this week—to Chicago. The corporate travel agent booked me through Charlotte, NC, which meant I had to leave DFW very early in the morning in order to get to Chicago by noon on Monday. But the weather didn't cooperate. Turns out that there was snow in Chicago and they had a major slow-down of traffic into Chicago, so I wound up sitting at the Charlotte airport for 6 hours before we were able to head to Chicago. Needless to say, I arrived in Chicago late in the afternoon—tired and a bit frazzled. BUT, I had lots of time to read while sitting in the airport as well as while in flight.

What I've been reading: Completed this week

Format: eBook
Source: purchased from Phoenix Pick, November 2014
Completed: 23 March

★★★☆☆

This third book of Haber's Fire in Winter series introduces the next generation of mutants. Alanna, daughter of Skerry and Narlydda and the twin sons of Melanie and Yosh are now young adults. The twins, Rick and Julian, are as unlike as can be. Julian has manifested mutant powers, particularly telepathy, while Rick is a null like his mother. Everything changes when Rick begins to develop mutant capabilities, unheard of for a null. Not only does he have multiple powers, they are extremely strong. Given that these powers came on very quickly, Rick has little opportunity to learn control. Complicating things is his attraction to Alanna and the opposition of her parents to their relationship.

Format: eBook
Source: purchased from Amazon, March 2010
Completed: 24 March

★★★☆☆

It's so much fun to return to a series after a long time. Sizzle is the eighth book in Julie Garwood's romantic suspense series starring members of the Buchanan family. The young men of this family have taken jobs in law enforcement. Each book introduces a new romantic entanglement, not only for the Buchanan men, but also for their sisters, brothers-in-law, close friends, or co-workers. Sizzle introduces Lyra Prescott, roommate with Sidney Buchanan, and FBI officer Sam Kincaid who is asked to guard Lyra when bad guys break into her apartment and hold Sidney captive. There's lots of danger and love blossoms—just what one expects from this series. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book.

Format: eGalley
Source: review ARC from NetGalley
Completed: 26 March

★★★☆☆

Sitting in my TBR backlog was a copy of Marked a new paranormal fantasy by Sarah Fine. Since I need to read and review both Marked and its sequel, I pulled this one out to read this week.

Boston paramedic Cacia Ferry takes on dangerous assignments in a broken and flooded city. Her co-workers don’t know that she has another job ferrying the dead to the Afterlife. Once humans are “Marked” by the Kere, servants of Fate, the powerful Ferrys are called to escort the vulnerable souls to Heaven or Hell.

Cacy's new partner, Eli Margolis, is intensely attracted to Cacy, but distrustful of her rich and powerful family. When Cacy's father is suddenly taken—perhaps before his time—Cacy is faced with the possibility that someone is subverting Fate and making a power play to usurp the powers of the Ferrys. And, it appears that Eli's sister, Galena, is the focus of the power struggle. Galena's biomedical research offers hope of new vaccines against the plagues devastating the city, but fewer deaths mean less income to the Kere who Mark the doomed and the Ferrys who transport their souls to their final destination.

I enjoyed this book except for the explicit sex scenes. The plot is interesting and the characters are appealing. But I'm just not fond of such steamy scenes. I think the book could be just as good (if not better) if it was toned down a bit.

Format: eBook
Source: gift from Kiri, October 2014
Completed: 28 March

★★★☆☆

Police chief Hayden Konig is a lucky man. He’s wealthy, he enjoys his work, he has a loving wife, good friends, and lives in the quaintest, most picturesque town in the North Carolina mountains. With all this going for him, you’d think he’d be satisfied. He’s not. He longs to be a writer, a hard-boiled, noir detective word-slinger worthy of the 1939 Underwood No. 5 sitting on his desk—a typewriter once owned by Raymond Chandler. You’d think a machine like this would help. It doesn’t.

Once again, Hayden Konig is challenged to solve a couple of murders while keeping everything on track in the town of St. Germaine and at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church where he serves as organist and choir director. In this episode, the body of a hitman is found floating in Lake Tannenbaum. Why was he in St. Germaine and did his partner do him in? Hayden has also had to bring in a relief organist after breaking his arm in a car accident. If it weren't for the annual Christmas parade and the upcoming holiday services, he might be downright discouraged.

The Organist Wore Pumps is a delightful addition to Mark Schweizer's Liturgical Mysteries. These books are so appealing for the pure awfulness of the secondary storyline—Konig's mysteries—and the zany adventures that everyone gets up to. It's a laugh every page or so.

What I've been reading: In progress

As expected, I'm still listening to The Secret History of the Mongol Queens. I listened to a couple of hours while driving from my house to my son's house on Saturday. I will be driving from Jackson, MS, to Birmingham, AL, on Wednesday and expect to listen to this book for the three and a half hours of that trip.

The Countertenor Wore Garlic is set ten months after the previous episode and it's Halloween. On the evening of the Halloween Carnival, a flashmob descends on St. Germaine. Hundreds of visitors are participating in the Zombie Walk. Police Chief Hayden Konig has his hands full solving a murder as well as coping with an interim priest at St. Barnabas and writing yet another dreadful noir mystery.

This Week on the Blog

All the books I've read this week have come from my TBR stack, as I am participating in the Take Control of your TBR Pile Challenge, hosted by Kimba at The Caffeinated Book Reviewer. The month is almost over and I've read 16 books so far. It's been fun to clear out some of the backlog, but I'm looking forward to the freedom to return to the library in a couple of days.

1. Stacking the Shelves (25)
2. Review: Shades of Earth

 

And, as usual, I'm linking up with The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on the blog, showcase books and things received. Share news about what is coming up on the blog for the week ahead.

Review: Shades of Earth

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis
Published January 2013 by publisher
Source: eBook gift from Lemonitsa

Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh—to build a home—on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience.

But this new Earth isn't the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? Godspeed's former passengers aren't alone on this planet. And if they're going to stay, they'll have to fight.

Amy and Elder must race to discover who—or what—else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. They will have to look inward to the very core of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed—friends, family, life on Earth—will have been for nothing.

My Thoughts

Shades of Earth is the concluding chapter of the Across the Universe trilogy by Beth Revis. In the first two books, we meet the two protagonists: Elder, the young leader of the approximately 2,000 ship-born residents of the spaceship Godspeed, and Amy, a teen who was cryogenically frozen to travel in the spaceship. The frozen passengers are military and scientific specialists who expect to be revived 300 years into their future when Godspeed reaches its destination, an earth-like planet circling the star Centauri.

Amy was violently awakened when someone tried to murder her along with all the other frozen passengers. At first she's told that the ship won't arrive at Centauri-Earth for another 100 years, but later learns that the ship has been in orbit around the planet for many, many years. The spaceship is aging and conditions are deterioration, but with the planet inhabited by monsters, the decision had been made to stay aboard the ship rather than attempt a landing. Finally, at the end of book two, Elder and Amy lead majority of the ship-born down to the planet, carrying the frozen with them.

Shades of Earth begins immediately after the events of A Million Suns, with the landing of a shuttle from Godspeed and the beginnings of a colony. Elder revives the frozen, which looks like it might be a mistake when they immediately arm themselves and start issuing orders to everyone else. Amy's father is the senior military official and while she is thrilled to have her parents back, he's not willing to listen to her or Elder—leading to major problems between the ship-born and the frozen. Yes, as the previous book told us, there are monsters on the planet. Everyone needs to work together to survive, but cooperation is jeopardized by the attitudes of the formerly frozen group. To say more would totally spoil the book.

After eagerly anticipating the release of this book, I finished it with mixed feelings. I enjoyed the story for the most part, but I was disappointed with the direction that Revis chose to take the story of the landing on Centauri-Earth. I felt that her treatment of the conflict between the frozen and the ship-born was too predictable. Three stars.

★★★☆☆

Stacking the Shelves (25)

In March, I'm participating in the Take Control of Your TBR Challenge and have been avoiding getting any new books. But, some have showed up in the mail in the past week or two. And, I do have to confess to spending a little bit of gift card money on books for my Kindle.

From BookCrossing friends:

I received Left Neglected from Lauren, having won it in the Best of 2014 Swap at BookObsessed. I'm particularly interested in this book since it covers brain trauma similar to that caused by a stroke.

“A vibrant mother in her thirties learns what matters most in life when a car crash leaves her with a traumatic brain disorder called ‘left neglect.’ Sarah miraculously manages every minute of her life like an air traffic controller. Until one fateful day, while driving to work and trying to make a phone call, she looks away from the road for one second too long. In the blink of an eye, all the rapidly moving parts of her jam-packed life come to a screeching halt.

“A traumatic brain injury completely erases the left side of her world, and for once, Sarah relinquishes control to those around her, including her formerly absent mother. Without the ability to even floss her own teeth, she struggles to find answers about her past and her uncertain future.”

Lauren also sent Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy to me after I won it in the Non-Fiction Swap at BookObsessed.

“Karen Abbott illuminates one of the most fascinating yet little known aspects of the Civil War: the stories of four courageous women—a socialite, a farmgirl, an abolitionist, and a widow—who were spies.”

“M.J. Holliday and her crew interrupt the frantic schedule of their reality TV show, Ghoul Getters, and hotfoot it to New Mexico, where a dreadful demon is waging tribal warfare. Sam Whitefeather—M.J.'s spirit guide—urgently needs her help to stop this evil spirit from wiping out the descendants of his tribe. It doesn't take a psychic to predict that M.J.'s going to have a devil of a time making New Mexico a demon-free zone.”

Ghoul Interrupted is the sixth book in Victoria Laurie's Ghost Hunter Mysteries. I selected this book from the Paranormal VBB at BookObsessed, where it had been offered by Wendy. I'm thrilled to receive it and look forward to reading it very soon.

Purchased (gift card):

I've read every Pern book that has been published and I'm about to start in on the fan fiction. However, I did take the opportunity to purchase an omnibus of the first three books in the series: Dragonflight, Dragonquest, and The White Dragon. I will have so much fun re-reading these books.

On recommendation of a friend, I picked up a copy of Deborah Lightfoot's The Warlock, first book in her Waterspell trilogy. “Drawn into the schemes of an angry wizard, Carin glimpses the place she once called home. It lies upon a shore that seems unreachable. To learn where she belongs and how to get there, the teenage traveler must decipher the words of an alien book, follow the clues in a bewitched poem, conjure a dragon from a pool of magic—and tread carefully around a seductive but volatile, emotionally scarred sorcerer who can't seem to decide whether to love her or kill her.” It all sounds good and I'm looking forward to reading this book.

How about you? Any new books? You're invited to tell us all about it by joining the fun at Stacking the Shelves. According to the reviewers at Tynga's Reviews who host the meme:

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Sunday Summary: 22 March 2015

Where I've been reading

No road trip, but I did return to Toronto this past week. That gave me time to read in the airports and during flights. I completed four books this week.

What I've been reading: Completed this week

Format: eBook
Source: freebie from Amazon
Completed: 15 March

★★★☆☆

The Devil's Grin, first book in the Anna Kronberg mystery series by Annellie Wendeberg, was a fascinating read. Dr. Anton Kronberg is the leading expert on infectious diseases in all of England. When Dr. Kronberg is called to investigate a case of cholera, he winds up crossing paths with Sherlock Holmes—who immediately discovers the doctor's secret. Dr. Kronberg is actually Anna Kronberg, who disguised herself as a man so that she could study medicine. Anna and Holmes join forces to stop a crime involving abduction and medical experimentation.

Format: eBook
Source: gift from Lemonitsa, Oct 2014
Completed: 20 March

★★★★☆

The Kris Longknife series is one that I started reading when the first books came out in 2004, but it's been 8 years since I read any of these military SF books. I had received two volumes as gifts in 2014, and targeted this series as one that I intend to finish in 2015.

In Kris Longknife: Intrepid, Kris is in charge of a scientific and exploration mission—looking for pirates along the way. And she finds them. Arriving at the planet Pandemonium, she finds two ships in orbit and an invasion force on the ground. Kris and her Marines join forces with the residents of the planet to drive the invaders away.

Format: eBook
Source: gift from Shaunesay, June 2014
Completed: 22 March

★★★★☆

Continuing the scientific and exploration mission from the previous episode, Kris comes face to face with an Iteeche envoy—the first contact between humans and Iteeche in the 80 years since a peace treaty was adopted. Demanding to speak with her grandfather, King Raymond I, the ambassador boards Kris's ship for a trip to Wardhaven, the capital planet of the United Sentients. A side trip to the planet Texarkana uncovers a band of dissidents determined to use force to bring about political change. Kris winds up in the middle.

Format: eBook
Source: purchased whenever
Completed: 22 March

★★★☆☆

What a delightful addition to the Elm Creek Quilts series. The Christmas Quilt is the 8th book in the series, but the story occurs shortly after the first book. Since I have been reading the books in order, it felt a little bit out of place—but it wasn't a big distraction.

It's the first Christmas after establishing the Elm Creek Quilt Camp and Sylvia Compson is planning on spending it alone. Sarah McClure is doing anything to avoid visiting her mother for the holidays. As they unpack Sylvia's Christmas decorations and the unfinished Christmas quilt, flashbacks to Sylvia's childhood and young adulthood fill in the story of the Elm Creek estate.

What I've been reading: In progress

I'm really enjoying listening to The Secret History of the Mongol Queens, subtitled “How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire”. Last year, I listened to Jack Weatherford's first book on Genghis Khan and enjoyed it so much that I was glad to discover this second book focusing on the female descendents of Genghis Khan. I've completed about 2 of the 10 hours and look forward to more time listening to this book.

This third book of Haber's Fire in Winter series introduces the next generation of mutants. Alanna, daughter of Skerry and Narlydda and the twin sons of Melanie and Yosh are now young adults. The twins, Rick and Julian, are as unlike as can be. Julian has manifested mutant powers, particularly telepathy, while Rick is a null like his mother. Both are trying to understand how they fit into the mutant community. Then everything changes when Rick begins to develop mutant capabilities, unheard of for a null. Not only does he have multiple powers, they are extremely strong. And, developing these as an adult means that he doesn't get the gradual introduction and training given to mutant children. It's a recipe for disaster.

This Week on the Blog

Unfortunately, it was an extremely busy week and I wound up writing no new posts. I had hoped to get a few reviews written and uploaded, but it just didn't happen. I am, however, continuing to select books to read from my TBR stack, as I am participating in the Take Control of your TBR Pile Challenge, hosted by Kimba at The Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

 

And, as usual, I'm linking up with The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on the blog, showcase books and things received. Share news about what is coming up on the blog for the week ahead.

Sunday Summary: 15 March 2015

As I stated last week, we took a short road trip this week. Road trips mean several days in the car with limited distractions. No television and limited access to the Internet via the smart phones. I will admit to napping in the car, but I also read a lot this week, finishing another six books from my TBR stack. (After all, I'm dedicating the month of March to the Take Control of your TBR Pile Challenge.)

Where I've been reading

For the first time in a long time, I've been reading entirely in Texas. For our mini-vacation, we drove from our home near Dallas to the McDonald Observatory near Fort Davis, TX. By Wednesday morning, we were both feeling under the weather, so we headed right back home. So, though we didn't do as much sight-seeing as we had intended and never got down to Big Bend National Park, I did have four long days in the car to read and read.

What I've been reading: Completed this week

Format: eBook
Source: gift from Kiri
Completed: 8 March

★★★☆☆

In The Diva Wore Diamonds Hayden Konig, police chief and organist, is actually an aspiring mystery writer. While he is a very good police chief and excellent organist, he writes atrocious noir mysteries. He's also a great practical joker: premiering a “newly discovered” cantata by Purcell with the Children's Choir. There's murder and mayhem afoot in this seventh volume in Mark Schweizer's Liturgical Mysteries.

Format: eBook
Source: gift from Lemonitsa
Completed: 9 March

★★★☆☆

Shades of Earth is the concluding chapter of the Across the Universe trilogy by Beth Revis. After eagerly anticipating the release of this book, I finished it with mixed feelings. I enjoyed the story for the most part, but I was disappointed with the direction that Revis chose to take the story of the landing on Centauri-Earth. I felt that her treatment of the conflict between the “frozen” and the ship-born was too predictable. Look for a full review later this week.

Format: eBook
Source: purchased from Phoenix Pick
Completed: 9 March

★★★☆☆

Loved the book. Hate the cover. Karen Haber's Fire in Winter series has recently been released in eBook format by Phoenix Pick. They wound up with new covers which are just horrible. But back to the story. In The Mutant Prime, a young mutant with extra strong powers has come forward proclaiming his intent to take over the leadership of the mutant community. Needless to say, that doesn't sit well with the current leaders.

Format: eBook
Source: purchased from Amazon.com
Completed: 11 March

★★★☆☆

The Park Service offers an interesting look at a dystopian future. Fifteen-year-old Aubrey VanHouten is living in an underground bunker—the home of mankind after a devastating war made the surface of the earth uninhabitable. Or so everyone thinks. When Aubrey accidentally discovers that the surface is actually a pristine paradise, he is surprised to learn that there is a ruling power determined to keep people from bespoiling the planet again, treating the entire planet as a park to be preserved.

Format: eGalley
Source: review ARC from NetGalley
Completed: 12 March

★★★☆☆

Like the first book in this series, Jack Staples and the City of Shadows follows Jack and Alexia as the struggle heats up between the Assassin and the forces of the Author. Alexia is lured to the City of Shadows where the Assassin slowly whittles away at her perceptions; bringing her closer and closer to joining him. Supported by Arthur, Mrs. Dumphrey, and others of the Awakened, Jack and Alexia must struggle to save the world.

Format: audiobook
Source: purchased from Audible.com
Completed: 11 March

★★★★☆

Another outstanding installment in the Peter Pan prequels by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. In this installment, Peter is kidnapped by Lord Ombra and taken to the land of Rundoon, ruled by the evil King Zarboff. Back on Mollusk Island, the Mollusks have been taken prisoner by the Scorpions and are being forced to toil in the mines. A small group of Captain Hook's band of pirates, led by young Shining Pearl in an attempt to rout the Scorpions from the island. Peter and the Secret of Rundoon has lots of action and reveals much of the back story of Peter, the Starcatchers, St. Norbert's home for Wayward Boys, the land of Rundoon, Lord Ombra, and the pirates. It is a fitting conclusion to the trilogy (though there is now a fourth book in the series).

What I've been reading: In progress

I've really been enjoying The Devil's Grin, first book in the Anna Kronberg mystery series by Annellie Wendeberg. I picked this up as a freebie from Amazon and have gone ahead and purchased the omnibus of the first three books. In order go pursue a medical career, Anna Kronberg disguised herself as a man and became licensed as a physician. At the beginning of The Devil's Grin Dr. Anton Kronberg is the leading expert on infectious diseases in all of England. Dr. Kronberg is called to investigate a case of cholera and winds up crossing paths with Sherlock Holmes—who immediately discovers the doctor's secret. Both join forces to stop a crime involving abduction and medical experimentation.

The other book “in progress” is Kris Longknife: Intrepid, the sixth book in Mike Shepherd's outstanding series of military science fiction. Kris Longknife (yes, one of “those” Longknifes) is an officer in the Wardhaven space navy as well as granddaughter of the king. She finally has her own command and is leading a science team and looking out for pirates along the way. When they encounter a planet which is being assaulted by a rogue force, she joins with the ill-equipped residents of the planet to force the bad guys to leave.

This Week on the Blog

Between traveling and then falling ill at the end of the week, there were very few updates to the blog. I hope to get more written in the next week or two. I'm sitting on top of several reviews and probably need to take a look at my progress toward various challenges.

1. Review: Jack Staples

Coming Up

Throughout the month of March, I am participating in the Take Control of your TBR Pile Challenge, hosted by Kimba at The Caffeinated Book Reviewer. Joining with about 100 other readers, I'm working to clear out some of the backlog of TBR books on my Kindle and bookshelves. I had planned to use this weekend as a special focus on the TBR books through the TBR Read-a-Thon. But by the time Friday arrived, I really was unwell and just not up to getting much reading done.

 

And, as usual, I'm linking up with The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on the blog, showcase books and things received. Share news about what is coming up on the blog for the week ahead.

Review: Jack Staples

Jack Staples and the Ring of Time by Mark Batterson & Joel N. Clark
Published September 2014 by David C. Cook
Source: eGalley ARC from NetGalley

Eleven-year-old Jack's ordinary life is upended when mysterious creatures attack his hometown and he is whisked into a fantastical adventure filled with danger at every turn.

Jack learns that most live in a shadow of the world, their vision blinded by invisible scales that have covered human eyes since the beginning of time. But the Awakened experience the world as it truly is, where war rages between good and evil—and Jack is at the heart of it. The Awakened are searching for The Child of Prophesy who will both save the world and destroy it. When Jack joins in their epic battle he must learn to trust his friends and face his fears if he is to make his life count.

Jack Staples and the City of Shadows by Mark Batterson & Joel N. Clark
Published January 2015 by David C. Cook
Source: eGalley ARC from NetGalley

The Assassin is closing in. Just as Jack and his friend Alexia discover what it means to be the Chosen Ones, they each face the test of a lifetime. For Jack it is a question of trust; for Alexia, of loyalty. Everything rests on their making the right choices, and on the completion of their missions. The Assassin is determined they will fail, and that they will either join him or be destroyed. It will take all the Author’s forces, the special gifts they each have, and the help of their friends Arthur and Mrs. Dumphrey to overcome. But when the enemy makes a key move, and an important quest proves difficult, the prophecy that they will both destroy and save the world seems further from coming true than ever before.

My Thoughts

I found Jack Staples and the Ring of Time and Jack Staples and the City of Shadows on the Read Now list at NetGalley and it looked like an interesting YA fantasy. I quickly read through the first book in a single day as we were driving from the Dallas area to Las Vegas. What a lovely fantasy for teens!

Jack Staples has been leading an ordinary life when he is thrown into extraordinary circumstances. As mysterious creatures attack his village, Jack discovers that he is no ordinary boy. Most people can only see a shadow of the world, their vision blinded by invisible scales that cover their eyes. While some people (the Awakened) have had the scales fall away, Jack was born without scales—able to see reality all of his life. In fact, Jack is the “Child of Prophecy” who is destined to battle the Assassin and save the world. Or he is destined to join forces with the Assassin and destroy the world. The Prophecy isn't clear.

But wait! There's another “Child of Prophecy”—Alexia was also born without scales. Together they must fight against the Assassin, with help from Jack's friends and more of the Awakened.

These two books delivered a fun story filled with interesting characters and non-stop adventure. Neither book contains a real conclusion. A battle is over, but you know you need to read the next book to see what happens next. Fortunately, the last book in the trilogy is due out in June. I hope to read it soon so as to have a sense of completion. And besides—if it's anything like the first two books, it will be an outstanding story to conclude the epic struggle between good and evil.

★★★☆☆

Note that I received free copies of Jack Staples and the Ring of Time and Jack Staples and City of Shadows from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Sunday Summary: 8 March 2015

After spending two weeks attending conferences—first in Las Vegas and then in Seattle—I am finally back home. I don't plan to stay here, though. I have a week's vacation from work and plan to do a little bit of sightseeing right here in Texas.

Where I've been reading

This past week was spent in Seattle, attending the Spring conference of SHARE, a technical organization made up of users of IBM's largest enterprise servers. Friday evening, I flew home to Texas and Saturday was a day of total goofing off. I alternated reading and catching up on missed TV shows.

What I've been reading: Completed this week

Format: eBook
Source: borrowed from Denton Public Library via Overdrive
Completed: 3 March

★★★★☆

Graduation Day is the third and final book of The Testing Trilogy by Joelle Charbonneau. Set in a dystopian future where a series of wars have devastated the world, leaders of the new United Commonwealth have instituted a cruel competition as a means of identifying leadership potential in young students. Survivors of The Testing have their memories wiped and gain admission to The University. But Cia's memories returned. She and her friends are determined that they will be the last to go through The Testing.

First book completed in March's Take Control of Your TBR Pile challenge.

Format: eBook
Source: purchased in August 2008
Completed: 7 March

★★★★☆ One of the first eBooks I bought was The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi. It's the second book set in the universe first introduced in The Old Man's War. I have no explanation for why it has sat unread for over 6 years, but I rectified that this week. As I had expected 'way back when I bought the book, I simply loved the story. Scalzi's use of consciousness transfer has set up an intriguing look at the military and space exploration.

Jared Direc, like all members of the Special Forces, is born in an adult body, but with no real consciousness. An implanted "BrainPal" provides context for all experiences, helping the newly created brain lay down memories and experiences. Jared, however, is unlike other Special Forces in that prior to his awakening (birth?), scientists had attempted to insert the recorded consciousness of a rogue scientist. The attempt failed, so Jared is sent off to training with the other newly born soldiers. Almost a year later, the latent memories start appearing and Jared is faced the challenge of whether he can remain himself or whether he will disappear underneath the personality of the imprinted consciousness.

I will be recording this book as part of both the Take Control of Your TBR Challenge and the 42 Science Fiction Challenge.

What I've been reading: In progress

All week long, I was able to listen to at least a half hour of Peter and the Secret of Rundoon in the car as I commuted from my hotel to the location of the SHARE conference. It's the third book in the Peter series by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson and the story is getting better and better. There are about 2 and 3/4 hours of listening left, and then I'll probably start right in with the fourth and final book of the series.

On my Kindle, I'm reading The Diva Wore Diamonds, the seventh in Mark Schweizer's Liturgical Mysteries. Hayden Konig, police chief and organist, is actually an aspiring mystery writer. His idol is Raymond Chandler and he purchases Chandler memorabilia as inspiration. In fact, he types out his very bad stories on an Underwood typewriter that once belonged to the famous author. In his everyday life, Konig has to solve zany mysteries as well as conduct choir rehearsals.

This Week on the Blog

I was able to give the blog some more attention this past week. I had a couple of items written in advance and scheduled to be posted.

1. Review: How to Fly with Broken Wings
2. Take Control Challenge; starting position
3. TBR Read-a-Thon
4. February Wrap-up

Coming Up

Today, hubby and I head out on a mini-vacation. We are planning on driving over to the Big Bend area of Texas. One place we particularly want to visit is the McDonald Observatory. And I'm curious to experience the Marfa Lights, seemingly sourceless lights dancing on the horizon southeast of town.

During the month of March, I will be participating in the Take Control of your TBR Pile Challenge, hosted by Kimba at The Caffeinated Book Reviewer. Joining with about 100 other readers, I'll be working to clear out the backlog of TBR books on my Kindle and bookshelves. It's proving hard to stay away from the library and the NetGalley web site, but I really do want to spend time reading from the books already on hand.

 

And, as usual, I'm linking up with The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on the blog, showcase books and things received. Share news about what is coming up on the blog for the week ahead.

February Wrap-up

In February, I completed 19 books which contained a total of 4421 pages. With a yearly goal of 200 books and 50,000 pages, that puts me right on schedule for the number of books, and almost 500 hundred pages ahead.

Now some statistics. Of the 19 books which I read, 17 were electronic books, and the other two were audio books. In February, I read no conventionally printed books.

One book was a fantasy novel for young adults, while eight were adventure/mystery books for mid-grade kids. I read four mystery novels, two paranormal or urban fiction books, one fantasy novel, and one romance. Two of the 19 books were advance reader copies from NetGalley.

Budget-wise, I did very well. I only bought two books selling for under $1 each, it was a net cost of $0.00 since I was spending only gift-card credit.

In progress toward challenges, I have borrowed 21 library books toward a goal of 50.

I did complete another book toward the Eclectic Reader Challenge. Longitude by Dava Sobel counts as a microhistory.

I wrote no new reviews for the 42 Science Fiction Challenge. I still need to write a review of the book I read at the end of January and I'm now reading yet another SF novel.

Progress toward all the reading challenges I have taken on this year is being recorded on my 2015 Challenges page.

Thanks to Mary Ann at Scrappystickyinkymess for the calendar graphic used in this post. Check her blog for other freebies.

TBR Read-a-Thon

In addition to the month-long Take Control of Your TBR Pile challenge, Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer is hosting a mini read-a-thon in the middle of March. The idea is to read and listen to books in your TBR pile. All book must have been published prior to March 1, 2015. This will be very low-key and offer a small participant prize. And, you can participate in the read-a-thon even if you're not doing the month-long challenge.

I'm a sucker for a read-a-thon, so I'm linking up and joining in the fun! Kimberly sets up interaction via Twitter, so be sure and follow using hashtag #TBRreadathon.

Take Control Challenge; starting position

It's March and that means its time for the Take Control of Your TBR Pile challenge. This event is a month long challenge sponsored by Kimberly at Caffenated Book Reviewer. The rules are simple. For the month of March I'm going to ditch the ARCs and library books and focus on reading books in my TBR pile.

Kimberly has organized a group of readers and book bloggers who are all accepting the challenge in March. She's keeping everyone engaged with a Twitter Party, a Read-a-Thon, and a big Give-Away. There's still time to sign up if you'd like to join us.

My Goals

A week or so ago, I made a list of the electronic books that I want to read during the challenge. Many of the unread books were purchased a long time ago, others were gifts from family and friends. (I'm not going to feel obligated to read any of the freebies which I have picked up in the seven years since I bought my first Kindle.) The oldest purchased eBook that I have not read is The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi. I purchased it in August of 2008 and I have no explanation for why I have never gotten around to reading it. I plan to correct that this month. Other books I want to read are The Diva Wore Diamonds by Mark Schweizer, The Devil's Grin by Annellie Wendeberg, Shades of Earth by Beth Revis, and Kris Longknife: Intrepid by Mike Shepherd. When I get back home from this trip, I plan to pick out three to five paper books from the TBRs cluttering up my house. I'll post about those in a week or so.

Right now I'm reading Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau. It's one I targeted for the Take Control challenge, but I started it late in the afternoon of February 28. I don't know if it's going to count for the challenge or not. It really doesn't matter since I'm accomplishing my goal of clearing this book off the TBR stack.