Book Review — Tiger Lily

Title:  Tiger Lily
Author:  Jodi Lynn Anderson
Genre:  YA fantasy
Pages:  Hardback, 292
Published:  July 3, 2012
Publisher:  Harper Teen
ISBN:  978-0-06-200325-6
Opening Lines:  "She stands on the cliffs, near the old crumbling stone house."

Rating:

"Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenager Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

"Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is face with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

"With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leader Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart."

~ Jacket copy

When this book was first announced, it caught my attention.  Who hasn't been captivated and enchanted by the story of Peter Pan, a boy who never grows up?  Even at a young age, Tiger Lily has always been an interesting character to me.  The idea of a book dedicated to the Native beauty was appealing.  Unfortunately, even though it sat on my wishlist for a long time, I had completely forgotten about it.

After being found under a tiger lily by the tribe's medicine man, Tiger Lily has always been viewed as an oddity by her tribe and with a little distrust.  She was always more independent and like the boys, strong, and brave.  However, after going against the tribe's council and helping a shipwrecked Englishman, Tiger Lily is forced to marry one man she hates, Giant.

On one of her respites from the village and the humiliation put upon her by her future mother-in-law, Tiger Lily stumbles into the infamous Peter Pan.  All over Neverland the boy and his band are feared and used as the boogeyman for little children.  However, something about Peter captures Tiger Lily right away, and she starts risking everything to spend just a few minutes with him and his Lost Boys.  Unfortunately, even though he professes his love for her, things change with the arrival of more English.  Tiger Lily is forced to choose between her tribe, loyalty to herself, and Peter.

For starters, the prologue blew me away!  It was magical, tragic, beautiful, and fully engrossing.  It pulled me in right from the beginning and made me desperate to understand Tiger Lily.  After reading it to my husband, I was not surprised to find him wiping away tears.  Unfortunately, even this amazing beginning had to end.

There were many things in the book that had me confused.  I couldn't understand why Peter, the Lost Boys, and the pirates aged.  The reader is told that previous missionaries that came to the island inevitably died of old age, and the island's inhabitants were terrified of it.  However, aside from assuming that the pirates would suffer the same fate, I really couldn't understand why people continued to age once reaching Neverland.  Thinking about it, I could only explain this away because they were not native to the island.  That being said, it was interesting to learn that the island natives would only age up to a certain point and stop.  However, that point was different for each person.

At some level, it kind of upset me that Wendy ended up on Neverland from an English ship.  Also, we never met her brothers.  She mentions them at one point, but they never joined in the adventures with the Lost Boys.

There were some interesting elements to the story, but I found it to drag.  Part way through the book, I found myself losing steam.  The prologue was so beautiful and astounding; however, the rest of the book, at many levels, fell short.  Further, even though the concept of Tinker Bell being the narrator was interesting, it was rather distracting at points.  I would have rather seen the author go a different route for narrator.

That being said, it honestly didn't bother me that Peter wasn't the innocent little boy with the thimble.  It felt as though the author was trying to make this story a little more realistic, especially with her explanation for the boys' flight.

Even though the dragging aspect of the book really made me wonder whether I made a right choice with this, near the end it totally redeemed itself!  I found my heart rending in two for Tiger Lily.  I even had to wipe away my own tears once I turned the final page.  It's issues aside, it was a beautiful and bittersweet story of young love, loyalty, and self discovery.   

Current Pages: 4352
Current Progress:

17/50 books

Book Review — Rosemary and Rue

Title:  Rosemary and Rue
Author:  Seanan McGuire
Genre:  Urban fantasy
Pages:  Paperback, 346
Published:  September 1, 2009
Publisher:  DAW
ISBN:  978-0-7564-0571-7
Opening Lines:  "The phone was ringing.  Again."

Rating

"October 'Toby' Daye, a changeling who is half human and half fae, has been an outsider from birth. After getting burned by both sides of her heritage, Toby has denied the Faerie world, retreating to a "normal" life. Unfortunately for her, the Faerie world has other ideas...

"The murder of Countess Evening Winterrose pulls Toby back into the fae world. Unable to resist Evening's dying curse, which binds her to investigate, Toby must resume her former position as knight errant and renew old alliances. As she steps back into fae society, dealing with a cast of characters not entirely good or evil, she realizes that more than her own life will be forfeited if she cannot find Evening's killer."

~ Goodreads

This book has caught my attention many times; however, I never got around to reading it.  After an author friend of mine kept pestering me about Discount Armageddon, I decided to finally sit down and read this book.  Since our local library and used bookstores do not have the other series, this seemed like a good alternative.  Unfortunately, even though I know we own a copy, we couldn't find it!  Thank you, library, for having it on their shelves!

After spending fourteen years trapped by a curse and losing everything that is important to her, October "Toby" Daye receives an unexpected call from Evening Winterrose.  Even though Evening had tried to reconnect her with the Faerie community and get her PI license reinstated, Toby has done everything she can to stay away from that life.  Now, when her own life is on the line, Evening binds Toby with a curse that forces her to find the killer or bear the same fate.

Thus begins Toby's return to her Fae heritage, her life as a PI, and gives her the ability to claim her own destiny.

The beginning of this book was simply amazing!  There was no way to anticipate what would happen and how it would completely shape the rest of the story.  Even while this beginning was well written and astounding, I felt that the story kind of went downhill from there.  At the get go, Toby seemed to be a fairly sympathetic character and one people could like.  After her fourteen year curse is lifted, she just kind of becomes an observer in her own life.  Granted, I could understand suffer a major amount of depression after what she went through; however, I felt as though she didn't fight to regain her old life.  I also couldn't fully understand why she just kind of ran away from everything.  Yes, she disappointed her liege lord; however, running away was an extremely childish response to me.  And, if you get right down to it, she wasn't responsible for what happened to her.

For the most part, I didn't like most of the characters in the book.  Even Toby, the main character, was fairly one sided and flat.  There were points when she went beyond one dimension; however, that isn't enough to redeem a character.  McGuire introduced some interesting characters in this story, but she didn't do too much with them.  I have to wonder whether they will have bigger roles in later books.

It was obvious that McGuire lives in San Francisco.  It has been over two decades since I was last there; however, she was able to fully access my old memories of the locale.  She did an amazing job fleshing out the setting and making it real for the reader.  I appreciated how she made the fog almost it's own character!

The different Fae mythologies all working together was really interesting.  Most authors tend to pick on mythology and stay with it; however, McGuire was able to put them together with relative ease.  That being said, the pronunciation guide is wrong on how to pronounce kitsune . . .

Part way through the book, I really started to lose steam.  The beginning was amazing, the middle was rather bland, and the end started to bring it back.  For me, this book felt as though it was written relatively early in McGuire's career.  It also reminded me of the Dresden Files.  If you can get through the slow parts, there are some neat elements to this book, some interesting characters, and promising to be a good series. 

Current Pages: 4060
Current Progress:

16/50 books

Author Interview — Joseph Spencer

Author Interview with Joseph Spencer

Favorite cuss word/phrase?
It's probably a tie between fucktard and assclown. They both get your scorn across nicely.

One thing that people would be surprised to know about you?
I once was robbed at gunpoint while working as a pizza delivery driver. Having a barrel of a gun a few inches from my face probably stands as the most terrifying experience I've had.

Guilty pleasure?
My wife makes monster cookie bars, which are pretty much the worst thing for your health you can ever eat. The pan has a full bag of M&Ms, peanut butter and lots of other ingredients which make your tummy happy and your doctor sad.

One book that everybody should read
I know most people go the classic book route, but since I'm an independent author hoping for readers to discover me I will mention a series of book others may not know about yet. I recently began reading Ian Tregillis' Milkweed Tryptych, a series which features an alternate history for World War II which includes bio-engineered Nazi soldiers and British warlocks. His books are Bitter Seeds and The Coldest War.

Top three items on your bucket list?
1) Attend the clinching game of the Chicago Cubs' World Series championship
2) See the pyramids of Egypt, and visit Italy and Greece
3) Finish my planned Sons of Darkness and Sons of Light series of books - it may span 14 novels

Top three books on your TBR pile?
1) Charlaine Harris' Dead Ever After - comes out in May; I'm hoping Sookie ends up with Sam.
2) F. Scott Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby - shame on me for not reading it yet; I want to read it before I go watch the movie.
3) Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl - heard great things from friends

What movie are you looking forward to this year?
I'm eagerly awaiting The Great Gatsby and The Mortal Instruments City of Bones. Leonardo DiCaprio normally churns out great stuff, and I like the highly stylized trailers for The Great Gatsby. My wife and I have both enjoyed Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments YA series, so it'll be fun to see if the movie matches up with our imagination.

Best advice you were ever given about writing?
Write every day. You lose momentum and get into bad habits every day that you don't write.

Favorite place and/or setting when you write?
My favorite place is in my living room recliner with my feet up and my Toshiba laptop in my lap.

Is it better to write in complete silence or with music/TV going in the background?
I can't write with distractions. I am much better in silence. As I write, my books are playing out viscerally in my head. If I watch or listen to anything, it clouds my thinking.

If you had a theme song, what would it be?
Lynard Skynard's Simple Man. I will let the lyrics speak for me.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be starting first baseman for the World Series champion Chicago Cubs.

Favorite quote?
To plagiarize George R.R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice series, a favorite of mine - "Winter is coming." I think there is something to be said for living like each day could be your last, and unfortunately the Starks have to live that way for a reason.

What movie could you watch over and over again?
I'm a huge Batman dork, so I've watched Dark Knight a bazillion times because Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker blows me away.

Renting a movie or going to the theatre?
There's nothing like going out to see a movie on the big screen with all of the sound effects rumbling around you.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
I'd probably sail around the world with Captain Jack Sparrow on the Black Pearl. I'd be the reason all the rum was gone.

Favorite superhero?
Batman. I'm sure my wife wouldn't mind if I looked more like Christian Bale, either.

What superpower would you have?
I'd want the ability to manipulate time. That way, I could freeze it so I could stay home from work and write my novels.

Craziest story idea?
I'd say my novel Grim is out there. He's a possessed serial killer seeking vengeance against violent criminals to free their souls from spiritual limbo.

What was your scariest moment? 
Other than the robbery I mentioned earlier, I had a car wreck during a downpour which reduced visibility to a few feet. The other car hydroplaned into my lane and nearly caused a head-on collision. I ended up steering my car on two wheels to the shoulder on the opposite side of the road.

What has been your biggest challenge when it comes to writing?
I work a demanding job at an understaffed 9-1-1 center, so making time to write is difficult.

If you could have a first edition, signed copy of any book, what would it be?
I'd have to say Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet. I'm a huge Sherlock Holmes fan.

What is your favorite restaurant? What is the dish you order the most?
My wife and I went to The Melting Pot on a trip to Phoenix. It's expensive, but the fondue is fantastic.

If you could live in any time period, which would you live in?
I've always been fascinated with ancient civilizations in Egypt and Greece, but honestly the standard of life is so high nowadays I think I'm too spoiled to live in another time.

When it's New Year's, do you make New Year Resolutions and actually commit to them?
No. I don't need a special day on the calendar to make goals for myself. I try to do that all year long.

Are there times where you wish to go back in time and redo or fix something you regret?
If I could go back, I'd do it to see dead family or friends one more time. I think we all have things we regret, but like all of the morality tales about this there's always the chance you could make things worse.

Do you find yourself singing or humming to yourself sometimes?
I sing to myself in the car all the time. Also, my wife hates the McDonald's fish Mcbites song in the TV commercial,so I sing to make her eyes roll.

Ever wanted to learn a foreign language?
Definitely. My wife and honeymooned in Paris last September, and we studied with Rosetta Stone to learn some French. We didn't learn enough in time to help much, but it was still fun.

Which horror movie scared you the most? If any?
When I was a kid, the TV movie for Stephen King's It terrified me to the point I couldn't sleep. I hate psychological horror, especially the stuff which involves things one person sees that the rest of the world doesn't. It makes you think like that could happen to you, and everybody else would think you're nuts.

What shows did you watch when you were a child?
My favorite cartoons were Scooby Doo, He-Man, G.I. Joe and Transformers. As I got a little older, I loved watching Cheers, Night Court, The Cosby Show, Quantum Leap and Friends.

Strangest food you've eaten?
I became fond of eating bison meat when I lived in Colorado. It's lean, full of protein and tastes great.

Most embarrassing moment?
In sixth grade, I had first-period gym class. After I showered, I got dressed and went to my next class. I didn't realize until I sat down at my desk that the pockets of my flight pants were on the outside. I'd put my pants on inside out and wondered around the halls with them that way. Fortunately, people thought I was trying to be like the rappers Criss Cross.

Console or PC gaming?
I prefer console. I don't game that much, but I occasionally play Madden, Batman Arkham Asylum or Guitar Hero on Xbox.

Any tattoos?
I have a tattoo of a Joker on the upper part of my right arm. It's a sinister looking Joker that doesn't look anything like the ones from Batman. I guess I just liked having a symbol of my mischevious nature on my arm.

Grim Excerpt

Adam heard a few sounds of Velcro peeling from its straps. Suddenly, Black Mask shed the mystery and ambiguity of his head gear. He became another mystery altogether. What happened to this guy? He looked like he’d seen hell, escaped, and doctored his face to give everyone else on Earth a preview.

Black Mask obviously suffered from rosacea because his skin was inflamed, swollen, and the angriest shade of red Adam had ever seen. A jagged circular scar similar to a clock face ran from Black Mask’s forehead down his cheeks to his chin. A vertical scar ran straight down the middle of his forehead and along the bridge of his nose. Two horizontal scars extended from the side of his nose and curved upward toward the temples. Two additional scars extended outward at angles from just under his nose, across his lips and ended on either side of his chin. All of the scars connected to the outer circular one like spokes to resemble a starfish shape. Adam struggled not to have any reaction, but failed to keep the corner of his mouth from inching up into a grimace.

Black Mask smirked and put his right hand up to his face. He pretended to be admiring himself in the mirror. “It’s okay, Detective. Your reaction is fairly common and a lot more subdued than most. Of course, I bet you’ve seen a lot of horrors in your line of work.

“So, you want to know the tale of Heath Grim, do you?”

Zombie Ha-Ha

I think this every time I am running on the treadmill!  Remember, the number one rule of the zombie apocalypse is CARDIO! 

Book Review — The Talisman

Title:  The Talisman
Authors:  Stephen King & Peter Straub
Genre:  Fantasy, horror, coming-of-age
Published:  November 8, 1984
Publisher:  Viking

Rating

"Jack Sawyer, twelve years old, is about to begin a most fantastic journey, an exalting, terrifying quest for the mystical Talisman—the only thing that can save Jack’s dying mother. But to reach his goal, Jack must make his way not only across the breadth of the United States but also through the wondrous and menacing parallel world of the Territories.

"In the Territories, Jack finds another realm, where the air is so sweet and clear a man can smell a radish being pulled from the ground a mile away—and a life can be snuffed out instantly in the continuing struggle between good and evil. Here Jack discovers “Twinners,” reflections of the people he knows on earth—most notably Queen Laura, the Twinner of Jack’s own imperiled mother. As Jack “flips” between worlds, making his way westward toward the redemptive Talisman, a sequence of heart-stopping encounters challenges him at every step."

~ Amazon

As with a lot of the books I end up reading, my brother has been pestering me to read this one for quite a long time.  Considering that it is a lengthy book, I never got around to it.  However, after some though and coercion from my dad, audio book sounded like a good solution.  Running on the treadmill goes by a lot faster when you have a book read to you.  In addition, it makes shovel god-awful amounts of snow off your a driveway and walk that much easier.  And, with length in mind, the audio book was over twenty-four hours!  Eep!

After his father's untimely death, Jack Sawyer's mother, Lily, uproots him from California and settles in Arcadia Beach, New Hampshire.  Since his mother is a famous Hollywood actress and rather unobservant, Jack is left to his own devices most days.  However, while this may seem like a carefree existence, Jack discovers that his mother is dying from cancer.  In a desperate effort to save her, he learns of an object called the Talisman that will cure her.

Setting out from New Hampshire, Jack travels across the country and through the parallel universe of the Territories.  He is helped along the way by Speedy Parker, an old friend, and Wolf, a werewolf.  Through his adventures, Jack learns his connection to the Territories, the dangerous game someone close to him is playing, and the role he must take in relation to both worlds.

Wow, I wasn't even sure what to expect when I started this book.  At some level, due to the age of the character, I figured it would be a coming of age story.  And, given the type of genre these authors write, it made sense that it would be a little more unusual and strange.  That being said, wow . . . This book is extremely hard to describe, it has multiple levels of complexity running through it, hard choices, and so on.  Yes, it does have all the elements of a coming-of-age story; however, it goes deeper and takes a grittier and darker approach.

The characters and settings in this book were amazing, vivid, and detailed!  At times, I was left wondering whether the Territories actually existed.  The authors did a wonderful job making everything tangible and real.  The imagery of the people flying off of the tower, the Blasted Lands, and the vines wrapping around Jack's legs will stay with me forever.  Further, even the minor characters were fully developed.  The old trainer operator—I think his name was Anders—felt as though he was an old and established character.  I liked how each of the twinners would appear in both worlds.  When Jack happens across Snowball outside the mall, I was surprised at his real identity.

The narrative styling and audio book narrator gave them book a magical quality.  Granted, it was very, very dark and brutal at times.  Something about Jack's youth, the way he saw things, the Talisman, and flipping between lands really made it feel as though it was a fairy tale.  And, if it is one, it is definitely in the same vein as the old and grisly ones.

Even though there were times when the book felt daunting due to the length, there was never a dull moment!  Near the end of his time at the Sunlight Gardner Home, I almost had to stop running on the treadmill to cry!  The book really pulls on your heart strings.  The story was amazing, the setting beautiful, and the characters masterfully crafted.  Even with the fairy tale elements, this book is not for the faint of heart.

Current Pages: 3714
Current Progress:

15/50 books

Theme Song Saturday

Welcome to Theme Song Saturdays, a new weekly meme, hosted by yours truly, in which we share our love of music and books! Since I love books and music, this meme is for fun to try to incorporate those two loves! Whenever I read a book, a certain song -- kind of like a soundtrack or theme song -- plays through my head.

Want to know how to play? Head over to the Theme Song Saturday introduction post to read the rules and get the code.

Here's my song this week:

Live and Let Die cover by Guns 'n Roses reminds me of the waning of Jack's childhood on his quest to find the Talisman.  Even though he sees magical things, the weight of the world, his mother's life, and huge adult issues are placed on his shoulders. 

What's yours?  Leave a link in the comments to your post ^_^

Book Review — The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Title:  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Author:  L. Frank Baum
Genre:  Fantasy
Pages:  Hardback, 185
Published:  This edition was published in 1963
Publisher:  Grosset & Dunlap Publishers
ISBN:  0-448-05470-1
Opening Lines:  "Dorothy lives in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer's wife."

Rating

"Join Dorothy Gale, Toto, and all of her friends as they explore the incredible land of Oz. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is American's most enduring fairy tale. From the moment Dorothy puts on the silver slippers (changed to ruby slippers by MGM to take advantage of their new advance in movie making: color) until the moment she clicks her heels and returns home to Kansas you will be swept away and captivated by her extraordinary story."

~ Goodreads

After watching Oz the Great and Powerful, I decided it was finally time for me to sit down and read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  Having grown up watching the Judy Garland movie, I felt I was pretty familiar with the book.  However, I was wrong.

When a tornado tears through the Kansas prairie and picks up Dorothy's house, the young girl is transported to the land of Oz.  After landing on the Wicked Witch of the East, Dorothy's greatest desire is to find a way back to her Aunt and Uncle.  However, the Good Witch of the North can only give her a kiss of protection and send her to ask the Wizard of Oz for help.  Thus begins Dorothy's adventure to the Emerald City, friendships with unlikely friends, the destruction of another wicked witch, and her way home.

To be honest, part of me felt that this book was not originally intended for children.  The whole reason behind the Tin Woodman being tin was rather gruesome, the issues surrounding Oz, and other things, really made me feel that a lot of these elements were not meant for a younger audience.  Further, Baum's political commentary would be completely lost of children.  That being said, I can see why this book has appealed to several generations of children and continues to be a classic.

While reading this book, I kept thinking that our current generation of children would not even survive Oz.  Dorothy, who is probably younger than ten, knows enough to conserve food, thinks logically about things, locks her house, and is extremely polite.  To me, that was completely astounding and wonderful.  I wonder what's happened to the current generation . . .

Even though this book is a classic, it really did not appeal to me.  The story very episodic and simplistic.  However, if I had read this book as a child, it might have held a lot more magic.  As it was, I found myself enjoying the movie more than the book.  The movie made some of the characters more loveable.  For example, the Scarecrow was a completely unlikeable and unsympathetic character.  Before receiving his brains from the Wizard, he was bossy, demanding, and a good foreman.  After getting the brains, he became more aloof and refused to talk to his friends because he was too smart.  What?!

It is interesting that this book is still poignant for our current political climate.  That being said, I generally did not love this book.  It was meh.  Honestly, everybody should read this book.  It's a classic, an interesting story, and a good look at the issues plaguing the nation at the time.

Current Pages: 3714
Current Progress:

14/50 books

Book Review — The Tomb

Title:  The Tomb
Author:  F. Paul Wilson
Genre:  Horror
Pages:  Paperback, 404
Published:  November 1984
Publisher:  A Berkley Book
ISBN:  0-425-07295-9
Opening Lines:  "Repairman Jack awoke with light in his eyes, white noise in his ears, and an ache in his back."

Rating

"Halfway around the world an evil is emerging from eons of darkness.

"Hungry for human flesh, released to hunt by a demonic power beyond time, beyond reason, beyond even memory.

"Sent to America to fulfill a curse that will seal the fate of a family, a man and the woman he loves, in an unsuspecting city."

~ Jacket copy

When my mother and I were visiting my aunt, we made our customary trip to the local used bookstore.  My mother was talking about a series that my brother had gotten her reading.  However, due to some of the subject matter later in the series, she decided to stop read it.  This, of course, piqued my interested.  Since we were in the used bookstore, I looked up the series and found the first book.  Luckily, I was able to find The Tomb sitting on the shelf at the bookstore!

Even though the whole concept behind the Repairman Jack series was interesting and I love a good horror story, this book ended up sitting on my shelf for a year or so.  Just recently, a lovely author friend of mine reminded me about it by mentioning the newest book in the series.  After reading her e-mail, I jumped off of the couch, ran over to the bookshelf, dusted off the book, and started reading.  However, the reading has been slow going because of life . . .

Repairman Jack is a "fix-it" man.  When there is a problem you cannot fix, you call him.  Getting his name from a contact in the UN, Kusum, an Indian delegate, calls Jack to help him retrieve his grandmother's stolen necklace.  After being rolled by a guy in the alley, Kusum's grandmother is left on the edge of death.  Before he death, he would like her to be reunited with the necklace, a family heirloom.  At the same time, Jack's ex-girlfriend asks him to help find her missing aunt.

Taking on both jobs sends Jack on a weird adventure which spans time, continents, and myth.  He must face internal and external demons in order to figure out these cases.

Unfortunately, it took me awhile to get through this book.  That being said, it was fairly engaging and quite interesting.  I found Jack to be an extremely interesting character, and I would love to know more about his back story.  To keep off of the grid, he turns all of his money into gold and tapes it up in the wall.  Further, even though he is extremely paranoid, he has funny and cute little quirks that make him three dimensional.

For the most part, I found the secondary characters felt a little one-sided.  Gia felt like the typical jilted lover, Kolabati was pretty predictable, Vicky was a stereotype, and so on.  However, even though she wasn't in the book for very long, Nellie was a neat character.  Further, Abe was a little more fleshed out and added an interesting element.

I loved the nature of villain's motivation.  The historical back story, the religious issues involved, and so on, were simply amazing and well done.  The author also has a wonderful grasp of karma and the Vedic religion.  The rakoshi were strange and disturbing monsters, and the twist was unexpected!  However, I wish they were fleshed out a bit more.  I assume that the author wanted them to stay somewhat vague and mysterious.  Unfortunately, in some ways, it kind of worked against him.

This book was a good mystery and had elements of a classic boogeyman horror story.  I think this was a good start to the Repairman Jack series, and it looks like it could turn into something brilliant!  Even though it took be awhile to read it, the pacing was well done, the storyline had twists and turns, and Jack was a well written character.  All in all, this was a fun and enjoyable read.

Current Pages: 3529
Current Progress:

13/50 books

Promo Blitz — After the Ending

After the Ending

Lindsey Fairleigh and Lindsey Pogue

Sci-Fi / Dystopian

Date Published: 2/22/13

Add to Goodreads

The Virus spread. Billions died. The Ending began. We may have survived the apocalypse, but the Virus changed us.

When people started getting sick, “they” thought it was just the flu. My roommate, my boyfriend, my family…they’re all gone now. I got sick too. I should have died with them—with the rest of the world—but I didn’t. I thought witnessing the human population almost disappear off the face of the earth was the craziest thing I’d ever experience. I was so wrong. My name is Dani O’Connor, I’m twenty-six-years-old, and I survived The Ending.

The Virus changed everything. The world I knew is gone, and life is backwards. We’ve all had to start over. I’ve been stripped of my home, my dreams…all that is me. I’m someone else now— broken and changed. Other survivors’ memories and emotions haunt me. They invade my mind until I can no longer separate them from my own. I won’t let them consume me. I can’t. My name is Zoe Cartwright, I’m twenty-six-years-old, and I survived The Ending.

We’ve been inseparable for most of our lives, and now our friendship is all we have left. The aftermath of the Virus has stranded us on opposite sides of the United States. Trusting strangers, making sacrifices, killing—we’ll do anything to reach one another. Fear and pain may be unavoidable, but we’re strong…we’re survivors. But to continue surviving in this unfamiliar world plagued by Crazies and strange new abilities, we have to adapt. We have to evolve.

EXCERPT

Looking around apprehensively, I made my way toward the convenience store in hopes of finding a bathroom. The vacant world around me was eerily silent. All I could hear was the creaking of a giant wooden billboard being assaulted by the wind. How long has it been since anyone was here? Through the dark windows I saw a bathroom sign that looked promising, but I couldn’t bring myself to enter. I wonder if it’s safe…

As I stood outside of the store, I noticed a newspaper box still filled with papers. I leaned closer. The headline read, BILLIONS DEAD, and the paper was dated December 9, right before everything had started to shut down. I inserted a quarter and snatched out a paper. Scanning its contents, my mouth grew dry and my body stiffened.

…the H1N1/12 pandemic…

…looting and riotous outbreaks everywhere…

…end of civilization as we know it…

…survivors losing their minds…

…governments can’t control…

…the Apocalypse…

The newspaper slipped from between my fingers. Frozen in place, I was suffocated by the reality of our situation.

This isn’t going away.

The world ended. Thinking of the strange feelings I’d been experiencing, I once again questioned my own sanity. My thoughts were too loud to silence. My heart thudded, and I couldn’t swallow the lump in my throat. Looking out into the abandoned world around me, I realized how alone we really were. I bent down to reclaim the paper and turned on my heels to head back toward the truck, completely awestruck as the words I’d read replayed in my mind. Each was a reminder that the only world I’d ever known had ended.

Author Bio:

Lindsey Fairleigh lives her life with one foot in a book—as long as that book transports her to a magical world or bends the rules of science. Her novels, from post-apocalyptic to time travel and historical fantasy, always offer up a hearty dose of unreality, along with plenty of adventure and romance. When she’s not working on her next novel, Lindsey spends her time reading and trying out new recipes in the kitchen. She lives in the Napa Valley with her loving husband and confused cats.

Lindsey Pogue has always been a little creative. As a child she established a bug hospital on her elementary school soccer field, compiled books of collages as a teenager, and as an adult, expresses herself through writing. Her novels are inspired by her observations of the world around her—whether she’s traveling, people watching, or hiking. When not plotting her next storyline or dreaming up new, brooding characters, Lindsey’s wrapped in blankets watching her favorite action flicks or going on road trips with her own leading man.

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