by Sarah | Feb 13, 2015 | Books, Curiosity Quills, Reviews, Writing
| Amazon | BN | Curiosity Quills |
BLURB
New York City, 2025: Everything is changed. The city that never sleeps is now a land of death and decay. A rampant virus has taken over and the survivors have become carriers, quarantined from the rest of the world.
Twist and Dodger grew up in the streets, the sewers and underground tunnels – their playground. They aren’t heroes. They just like attention; and stealing meds from the rich and giving them to the poor is their golden ticket.
On their latest raid, they unknowingly steal a cure that puts them square between the ailing Emperor of Manhattan and the war hungry Governor of Brooklyn and forces them on a quest into the darkest shadows of their putrefying world.
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I was up and down on my rating of this one. The beginning was so slow I almost didn’t keep going on. I have 2 ereaders and bookshelves full of books that need read. Still, I pushed on and the action picked up, which made the reading go a lot faster.
The characters were ones I never really found myself pulling for or ‘liking’. They were products of their situation and I’m not sure I was supposed to ‘like’ them – but that did make it hard for me to rate it higher. In the end the pace of the story pulled me in and I did see character growth throughout the story.
The world building was good, and set the dark mood of the world they live in quite well. There were unbelievable parts of the dystopian world built, and the technique of everyone stays behind the fence because they’re told to was predictable. Still, I like how the city has fallen in disarray and the factions are separated.
The ending, while confusing, did draw me in and make me curious about the rest of the series, which a good series set up does. So in the end, I gave it three stars and will keep an eye on the rest of the series. Maybe my rating will change after that 😉
*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*
by Sarah | Jul 2, 2014 | Books, Curiosity Quills, Reviews, Writing
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Four and a Half Stars
Publication Date: July 15, 2014 – Buy Links Coming Soon
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Truth be told, when I first started reading, I didn’t think I would like the book. In the first few chapters, my attention wandered.
Then, BAM. I was hooked and couldn’t put the story down until I’d finished.
Emma is your average college student, a sort of awkward wallflower who started pretending she didn’t hear or see ghosts at a young age. The separation she felt from the rest of society because of a childhood event carried into her young adulthood. She’s shy and withdrawn and feels out of place with the friends her roommate hangs out with.
She’s dragged along to a frat party where she meets and gets a crush on a hot guy on campus, Matt. After a few more meetings disaster strikes, and Matt drowns in the river. Emma is blamed for his death by many on campus, including herself.
Overcome with guilt, Emma tries a spell, but fails to fulfill her end of it, and that’s when things get interesting.
We meet several new characters from that point on, and I fell in love with every single one of them. Sam was great, and Jake? Well, I fell in love with Jake right along with Emma as he proved to be more than he seemed at first. I was SO sad to see him go. The arrival of three men after that, took the take.
Added in the mix was a nosy cop that seemed to know too much…but Officer Walker became one of my favorite characters and I’m glad he’ll definitely be back in book 2.
I truly enjoyed watching Emma come into her own, grow a spine, and eventually figure out the answers she’d sought. The peace she, and the spirits she brought back, found was a welcome relief.
Overall, this was a great setup for a series, and I’m looking forward to book 2. I have a feeling Emma and Officer Walker are going to get into a whole new mess of trouble that’ll be fun to see resolved once again.
