The God Game, by Danny Tobey ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Contemporary Fiction, Physical Abuse, Politics, Social Issues, Substance Abuse, Techno-Thrillers, Theology, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 7th, 2020

496 Pages

Synopsis:

You are invited!

Come inside and play with G.O.D.

Bring your friends!

It’s fun!

But remember the rules. Win and ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE. Lose, you die!

With those words, Charlie and his friends enter the G.O.D. Game, a video game run by underground hackers and controlled by a mysterious AI that believes it’s God. Through their phone screens and high-tech glasses, the teens’ realities blur with a virtual world of creeping vines, smoldering torches, runes, glyphs, gods, and mythical creatures. When they accomplish a mission the game rewards them with expensive tech, revenge on high-school tormentors, and cash flowing from ATMs. Slaying a hydra and drawing a bloody pentagram as payment to a Greek god seems fun at first. Harmless even.

But then the threatening messages start. “Worship me. Obey me.” Complete a mission, however cruel, or the game reveals their secrets and crushes their dreams. Tasks that seemed harmless at first take on deadly consequences. Mysterious packages show up at their homes. Shadowy figures start following them, appearing around corners, attacking them in parking garages. Who else is playing this game and how far will they go to win?

And what of the game’s first promise: win, win big, lose, you die. Dying in a virtual world doesn’t mean you die in real life—does it?

As Charlie and his friends try to find a way out of the game, they realize they’ve been manipulated into a bigger web they can’t escape: an AI that learned its cruelty from watching us. God is always watching, and He says when the game is done.

The God Game, first caught my eye because of many early reviews comparing it to Stranger Things and Ready Player One. I personally think it bears more a resemblance to the latter rather than the former, but comparisons don’t really matter because what this IS, is a high octane crazy thrill ride that I found impossible to put down. I’m not exaggerating. I started this after supper Sunday night and wound up staying awake until almost 3:00 a.m. I kept telling myself “just one more chapter,” but nope. That didn’t work out.

Often times with books that have so much action, character development falls by the wayside. Not here though. There are quite a few characters in this story and you get almost all of their perspectives. This makes it so much easier to become emotionally invested in them. Every single one of them have things going on in their lives that will draw on your empathy, even the bullies. There are quite a few social themes that could be triggers for some readers. These include: death of a parent, death of a sibling, physical abuse, substance abuse, and bullying. There are scenes that are very dark, but they’re not overwhelming. Instead it made me understand how a “game” like this could appeal to so many.

The plot is creative and despite previous books like Ready Player One, manages to stand completely on its own. As I said, the pacing is just NUTS, and if you get this when it comes out in January, good luck putting it down once you’ve started reading!

The God Game is an intriguing and frightening look at the proliferation of AI in our society. It also explores theology, sociology, and politics as seen through the eyes of teenagers. It has so many anxiety-inducing twists that the only thing I could be sure of is to expect the unexpected, especially at the end. There are a couple of things that aren’t fully explained, but these are so minor (plus, given the lateness of the hour, I might have just missed them), that I’m not taking any points off. With the advances in AI technology, I’m not even going to say this is science fiction. Rather, it falls under the sub-genre of techno-thriller, so if you’re a fan of that, I highly recommend this. And, although this technically falls under the heading of YA, don’t let that stop you. Some of the perspectives are told from the adults in the story, so I can see this having wide appeal for teens and adults. Now who do I talk to about making this into a movie?

The Astounding Antagonists, by Rafael Chandler ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Action-Adventure, Adult Fiction, Diversity, Politics, Superheoes/Supervillains

 

Thanks to Shannon at Reads & Reels Blog Tours for providing an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

390 Pages

Synopsis: Dr. Agon, a megalomaniacal inventor with an arsenal of lethal gadgets. Motley, a wisecracking jewel thief with nothing left to lose. Chillpill, a cryogenic drug lord who just wants a normal life. Baelphegor, a demonic psychopath with an ugly score to settle.

They’re the most dangerous supervillains on Earth, and they’re about to pull off the perfect crime. There’s just one catch: if they succeed, they might accidentally save the world.

From the skyscrapers of Apex City to the gates of Hell itself, the Antagonists are pursued by violent superheroes and billionaire vigilantes. But as loyalties are tested and old hatred are rekindled, the line between friend and foe begin to blur…

I absolutely loved Rafael Chandler’s slice and dice horror novel, Mask Beneath Her Face (2017), so when I saw that Shannon from Read & Reels was offering The Astounding Antagonists for review during the month of June, I immediately requested an ebook. 

This book was written in 2014 and is as exciting as the premise promises. It’s a nice twist where the superheroes have become villains, while the er, villains aren’t exactly perfect either, but wind up being more relatable and likable. I wish the mainly Caucasian superheroes were a little more well-rounded instead of all being selfish, self-involved, corrupt, petty, homicidal jerks, but the diversity of the Antagonists mostly made up for their lack of character development. Just about every minority and gender is represented with this group of reluctant protagonists. The dialogue between the characters is sharp and witty and I found myself laughing more than once. If I had to pick a favorite character, it would be Motley the witty, snarky jewel thief. For me, she was the heart and soul of the book. I absolutely loved her and found myself looking forward to her scenes.

The plot itself is clever and fun and provides enough twists that makes it stand apart from other books in this genre. It also covers many real world issues such as government corruption, illegal immigration, misogyny, abuse of women, pollution, internet spying, religious fanaticism, and other societal woes we’re discussing now on a daily basis. While I had absolutely no problem with the political side of this, I can see where more conservative readers might. 

The Astounding Antagonists is an enjoyable read, yet also has quite a bit of thought-provoking substance to it. It’s action-packed and brutal at times, yet imminently fun and I breezed through it in two days. If you enjoy this genre, I highly recommend it.

About the author:

By day, I write screenplays for video games. I wrote the stories and dialogue for Dark District, Final Eden, Gangstar Rio: City of Saints, MAG, Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation, Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour, Rainbow Six: Lockdown, and SOCOM 4. Thus far, I’ve worked as a scriptwriter and/or story designer for Gameloft, Kabam, Sony, and Ubisoft.

By night, I’m a novelist. I wrote The Astounding Antagonists, Dracula: The Modern Prometheus (written with Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker), Hexcommunicated, and Mask Beneath Her Face. I’m hard at work on my fifth novel.

In my spare time, I design tabletop role-playing games and sourcebooks, including Dread: The First Book of Pandemonium, Lusus Naturae, Night of the Slashers, No Salvation For Witches, Obscene Serpent Religion, Pandemonio, Spite: The Second Book of Pandemonio, The Starship From Hell, Teratic Tome, ViewScream, and World of the Lost.

I’ve also written nonfiction including Fundamentals of Game Development (written with Heather Chandler), The Game Writing Handbook (which was a finalist for the 2007 Game Developer Front Line Awards), and various articles for Gamasutra.com and Writers Digest.

I’m a gamer, a gorehound, a kaijuphile, and a metalhead.

Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn.

Website: http://www.rafaelchandler.com

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B001JRYYUA/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/797404.Rafael_Chandler

Rosemarked (Rosemarked #1), by Livia Blackburne ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Politics, Relationships, War, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 7th, 2017

400 Pages

Synopsis: A healer who cannot be healed…

When Zivah falls prey to the deadly rose plague, she knows it’s only a matter of time before she fully succumbs. Now she’s destined to live her last days in isolation, cut off from her people and unable to practice her art—until a threat to her village creates a need that only she can fill.

A soldier shattered by war…

Broken by torture at the hand of the Amparan Empire, Dineas thirsts for revenge against his captors. Now escaped and reunited with his tribe, he’ll do anything to free them from Amparan rule—even if it means undertaking a plan that risks not only his life but his very self.

Thrust together on a high-stakes mission to spy on the capital, the two couldn’t be more different: Zivah, deeply committed to her vow of healing, and Dineas, yearning for vengeance. But as they grow closer, they must find common ground to protect those they love. And amidst the constant fear of discovery, the two grapple with a mutual attraction that could break both of their carefully guarded hearts.

I have to admit that I initially requested Rosemarked based almost solely on the cover art. You have to admit though, it really is gorgeous! The premise though also intrigued me. A young healer that catches an incurable disease and a man who has survived the disease, teaming up as spies to infiltrate the capital city of an empire who threatens both of their people. I just couldn’t resist!

This is definitely a character-driven story which is told alternately by Zivah and Dineas. They are both very complex characters, but Zivah stood out the most strongly for me. Knowing she wanted to be a healer from a very young age, she has only just attained her goal when she becomes sick. Living with this incurable disease transform her from this sweet, naive girl to someone with much more purpose in her life. She’s determined to not only find a cure, but to also protect her people from the ruthless Amparan Empire. 

Dineas has managed to survive not only the rose plague, but also torture at the hands of the Amparan military. In the beginning, he’s angry and bitter. He also suffers from what the reader would recognize as PTSD. But as the story unfolds, you get to see literally the type of man he would be if he hadn’t gone through the horrific trials he was forced into. Underneath his harsh exterior he’s kind and compassionate, and it’s because of this previously hidden nature, that he and Zivah start becoming more than friends. Their relationship slowly evolves throughout the story and is believable and engrossing. 

The world-building is fascinating, but I wish there had been a little more to it. As Zivah and Dineas spent part of the story traveling, I was hoping for a little more descriptive detail. I would have also liked more backstory as to what life was like before the rise of the Amparan Empire. What does make it more compelling  is that while this is a fantasy, there are some political aspects to the tale that are not dissimilar to our own world. 

The story itself was interesting, yet lacked any truly climactic moments until right near the conclusion, and those were somewhat predictable. However, I think because the story was relatively uncomplicated, that gave more time for character development which is so brilliantly done that in the end, I can’t complain too much.

Overall, I enjoyed Rosemarked, despite the few issues I had with it. I went back and forth between giving this a 3 1/2 star or 4 star rating, but Zivah and Dineas truly are so beautifully written, that they stand out from characters in other fantasy books. Livia Blackburne focuses a lot of her time on the human elements and personal growth of not only Zivah and Dineas, but some of the secondary characters as well. I’m interested in seeing how they continue to evolve in the next book. I’m also hoping there’s a little more action and suspense in the sequel. I highly recommend this to fans of politically-themed fantasy who love complex characters they can instantly connect with. 

The Empress ( The Diabolic #2), by S.J. Kincaid ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Politics, Religion, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Children for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 31st, 2017

320 Pages

Synopsis: It’s a new day in the Empire. Tyrus has ascended to the throne with Nemesis by his side and now they can find a new way forward—one where they don’t have to hide or scheme or kill. One where creatures like Nemesis will be given worth and recognition, where science and information can be shared with everyone, not just the elite.

But having power isn’t the same as keeping it, and change isn’t always welcome. The rolling class, the Grandiloquy, has held control over planets and systems for centuries—and they are plotting to stop this teenage Emperor and Nemesis, who is considered nothing more than a creature and certainly not worthy of being Empress. 

Nemesis will protect Tyrus at any cost. He is the love of her life, and they are partners in this new beginning. But she cannot protect him by being the killing machine she once was. She will have to prove the humanity that she’s found inside herself to the whole Empire—or she and Tyrus may lose more than just the throne. But if proving her humanity means that she and Tyrus must do inhuman things, is the fight worth the cost of winning it?

After finishing The Diabolic last year which was supposed to be a standalone, I was one of the fans who clamored for a second book. And S.J. Kincaid listened and has made this a trilogy! So, YAY! However, as Shakespeare wrote, “the course of true love never did run smooth”, and is that ever the case here for our young lovers, Nemesis and Tyrus. By the time I reached the end of the book I think I went through half a box of Kleenex!

Before I forget, I need to mention, The Empress is not a book you can jump into without having read the previous book. There’s a lot of world-building and complicated politics and technology, so you’ll be completely lost if you try this without being caught up first.

Without giving away any spoilers, in the first book we were introduced to Nemesis, part of a genetically engineered human hybrid race, that thanks to their enhanced DNA, are incredibly strong. Each of them are bonded for life to one person with their sole purpose being to protect them. While fulfilling her duties protecting her charge, who also wound up becoming her friend, Nemesis uncovered a dangerous plot reaching the highest levels at the royal court, and by the end of the book had teamed up with Tyrus, a member of the royal family, previously thought to be mad.

This story picks up basically at the same point where things left off. Nemesis and Tyrus, now in love, want nothing more than to rule and protect their people. Unfortunately, an enemy who holds a deep grudge against Nemesis, as well as harboring political ambitions himself, betrays them and rips the two young lovers apart. There are still many scenes of them together, and despite the flaws each one has, they’re a couple you can’t help but desperately want a happy ending for. Tyrus brings out the more human aspects of Nemesis, and she curbs his more impulsive decisions. They work so well together, which makes what happens to them even more heartbreaking. 

There is even more world-building in this sequel and you get a lot more insight into the politics and religion that is part of this society. Because of this there were a few sections that were a little slower paced, but for the most part I didn’t find this to be a huge problem. The ending is an enormous cliffhanger which seriously has me wondering if and how there will be a happy ending in the final book.

The Empress is an emotional rollercoaster ride that evoked strong emotions in me because of all the heartbreak and betrayal. As horrible as that may sound, it’s proof of how connected I was to the characters. If you haven’t read either of these yet, just be warned that S. J. Kincaid isn’t a sunshine, rainbows, and puppies kind of author. You may want the plot to go in one direction, but be prepared to be disappointed and to have your heart ripped out and stomped on….multiple times! I HIGHLY recommend The Diabolic and The Empress to older teens and adults who love gripping science fiction mixed with sinister political plots, nefarious characters, and heartbreaking romance. I’m both eagerly anticipating and dreading the final book which is due out next year.

Hiding Behind Patriotism

Tags

Mr. Trump, Politics, United States

Members of the New England Patriots kneel during the national anthem Sunday. Photo: Billie Weiss/Getty Images

Well, once again the covfefe has hit the fan, courtesy of Mr. Trump, our fearless leader. All of you have seen and heard by now his staunch defense of the national anthem and his urging of sports team owners to fire any player who takes a knee while the anthem is playing. But here’s the thing. Have you all noticed a pattern emerging in Mr. Trump’s more outrageous and divisive words and actions? Every single time he creates a controversy there are other things going on. If he’s a master of anything, it’s manipulation and misdirection. So, whatever could he trying to deflect attention from this time?

1. The imminent demise of the Republicans’ second attempt, since Mr. Trump took office, to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Mr. Trump has been cajoling and threatening Congress to give him any kind of legislation to sign, no matter how many millions of people lose their insurance, yet once again it looks like this will be an epic fail. (Fingers crossed)

2. The the war of words between Mr. Trump and Kim Jong Un of North Korea. His unhinged insults and cavalier threats to annihilate another country which has over 25 million people, plays well with his base, but not the majority of Americans. 

3. The candidate he’s supporting, Luther Strange, in Alabama’s Senate primary is poised to lose tomorrow which will be quite the embarrassment to Mr. Trump.

4. There’s been a lot of new revelations in the past week regarding the Russia investigation, including the fact that Russian operatives used ads (at last count 3,000) on Facebook to exploit the racial divisions in the U.S. There’s also been new allegations against Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager. 

5. Remember Mr. Trump railing about Hillary Clinton’s use of private email servers for government business? Well, yesterday Politico reported that there’s now a bipartisan congressional investigation into Jared Kushner’s occasional use of a private email account to conduct government business. And it seems like he’s not the only one. Senior aides such as Economic Advisor Gary Cohn, Ivanka Trump, former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon have all used personal devices and email accounts for official business. 

6. Mr. Trump’s travel ban 2.0 was rolled out Sunday with surprisingly little fanfare. With this new version entry into the country by foreign nationals from Chad, Syria, Libya, Iran, North Korea and Somalia, will for the most part be suspended. Iraqi nationals are to undergo intensive screening. This will take effect October 18.

I have a short wishlist of things I’d love to see Mr. Trump doing instead of cynically using patriotism to attack sports players 1st amendment rights and further dividing the country. I know this is futile, but I can dream.

1. Stop insulting the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un and engaging in what amounts to a childish schoolyard taunting match. It’s not only embarrassing, it’s bringing us to the brink of war. Let the diplomats who know what they’re doing, try to find some sort of compromise.

2. Instead of remaining on your determined path to annihilate President Obama’s legacy, learn from this latest healthcare debacle. Echo Senator John McCain’s call for bipartisan teamwork to fix the parts of the Affordable Care Act that aren’t working.

3. Stop denying that there was Russian interference in our election. At this point, you’re just embarrassing yourself. There is no “deep state” conspiracy to overturn the legitimacy of your presidency. Let Robert Mueller and the Senate committees who are investigating do their job instead of attacking them and crying “fake news!” all the time. If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.

4. Puerto Rico needs you. After being devastated by Hurricane Maria, our fellow Americans need to know they’re not being forgotten. With 16 dead so far, no electricity, running water, fuel, or cell phone service, they are in dire straits, yet until singer Marc Anthony called you out on Twitter today, you’ve remained silent about their suffering. Right now you need to be “Comforter-in-Chief” and that includes not sending out tweets like today, finally acknowledging the work that needs to be done, while at the same time bringing up Puerto Rico’s debt to “Wall Street and the banks”. 

5. Stop using divisive rhetoric with racist undertones to tear apart our country just so you can rally your base which is filled with white supremacists. And, when you do make comments like you did this weekend and after Charlottesville, stop denying that these involve race. You’re fooling no one. Not even your supporters.

6. No more cries of “fake news” every time there’s a report that you don’t like. Yes, the media needs to be held accountable for truthfulness, but to accuse them of things like not showing your crowd sizes is ridiculous. Your continual heated attacks on them are also dangerous. It was bad enough when MSNBC’s Katy Tur, a well respected journalist had to be escorted from one of your campaign rallies last summer when the crowd of your supporters turned on her after you pointed her out, and called her a liar and a third rate reporter. Your attacks on journalists have only gotten worse and I am truly afraid that one of your less mentally stable supporters is going take things too far someday as a result of your words.

I have quite a few other wishes as well, including one involving time travel, but it’s getting late and I’m giving myself a headache. So I’m going to end this post by again sharing what sends me to my Happy Place.

C’mon! It just never gets old, does it?!

A Historic Day

Tags

Hillary Clinton, Politics, United States

Nearly a century after the 19th Amendment was passed, giving women the right to vote here in the U.S., Hillary Rodham Clinton has officially become the first woman nominated by a major political party, for President! I realize what a polarizing figure she is. I myself was a Bernie supporter, but no matter your views of her, I think we can all agree this is a momentous day!

On The Lighter Side

Tags

Donald Trump, Hulk, Humor, Politics

C’mon. Admit it. A lot of you would pay to see this!

Concentr8 ~ By William Sutcliffe – 2.0 Stars

Tags

ADD, ADHD, Dystopian Fiction, Pharmaceutical Industry, Politics, Poverty, YA Fiction

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Childrens for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 19th, 2016

Synopsis:

In a future London, Concentr8 is a prescription drug intended to help kids with ADD. Soon every troubled teen is on it. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Keep the undesirable elements in line. Keep people like us safe from people like them. What’s good for society is good for everyone. Troy, Demi, Lee, Karen, and Blaze have been taking Concentr8 for as long as they can remember. They’re not exactly a gang, but Blaze is their leader, and Troy has always been his quiet, thoughtful sidekick–the only one Blaze really trusts. They’re not looking for trouble, but one hot summer day, when riots break out across the city, they find it. What makes five kids pick a man seemingly at random–a nobody, he works in the housing department, doesn’t even have a good phone–hold a knife to his side, take him to a warehouse and chain him to a radiator? They’ve got a hostage, but don’t really know what they want, or why they’ve done it. And across the course of five tense days, with a journalist, a floppy-haired mayor, a police negotiator, and the sinister face of the pharmaceutical industry, they–and we– begin to understand why…This is a book about how we label children. It’s about how kids get lost and failed by the system. It’s about how politicians manipulate them. Gripping and controversial reading for fans of Marjorie Blackman and Patrick Ness.

When I was in college I wrote a paper for one of my psychology classes on how well drugs like Adderall and Ritalin really worked on kids, if the side effects were worth it, and was it being over-prescribed. So, when I saw Concentr8 offered on NetGalley my interest was immediately piqued. I regretfully have to say that while the book is based on an interesting and timely premise, I had to force myself to finish it and I honestly don’t think this will appeal to teens or adults.

The biggest problem is the way the chapters are written. They’re all told in the first person by the teens, their captive, the negotiator, the mayor and a journalist who is covering the story. There were way too many viewpoints and it made it impossible to emphasize with any of the characters. You’re never with any of them long enough to become emotionally invested. In addition, the kids all sound alike and I found myself frequently going back to the beginning of a chapter to remind myself whose narrative I was actually reading. Making matters worse is the lack of punctuation which was so prevalent that it distracted from the story. There also seemed to be missing words at the ends of sentences which made things even more disjointed and confusing. The characters themselves, except for the captive and the journalist, are so one-dimensional and unlikable that they’re caricatures of the people they’re supposed to represent. And finally, at the beginning of each chapter are short passages from actual scholarly articles and books, which I found interesting, but I can’t see teens feeling the same. To be perfectly honest, by the time I slogged through the story, I found myself wondering if anyone had bothered to edit it.

I debated whether to give this 1 or 2 stars. I’ve gone with the higher rating because I did find the premise intriguing. At just over 250 pages it’s a fairly short read and the chapters themselves are quite brief. It’s supposed to be set sometime in the near future, but there aren’t really any science fiction elements in it. There also aren’t many YA books out there on this topic, and it does lend itself to some much needed discussion about this subject. Ultimately though, Concentr8 just wasn’t for me. 

The Fixer (The Fixer #1) ~ by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Alzheimer's Disease, Conspiracies, Family Relationships, Friendship, Mystery, Politics, YA Fiction

 I received this e-Arc from NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis ~ Sixteen-year-old Tess Kendrick has spent her entire life on her grandfather’s Montana ranch. But when her estranged sister Ivy uproots her to D.C., Tess is thrown into a world that revolves around politics and power, where she unwittingly becomes a fixer for the high school set, fixing teens’ problems the way her sister fixes their parents’ problems. 

And when a conspiracy surfaces that involves the family member of one of Tess’s classmates, love triangles and unbelievable family secrets come to light and life gets even more interesting–and complicated–for Tess.

The Fixer has been described as a mashup of Scandal and Veronica Mars and after reading it I have to agree. Tess has lost both her parents so she’s been raised by her grandfather. When it’s discovered he’s suffering from Alzheimer’s, her older sister Ivy swoops in and brings her to live in D.C. The sisters have never been close and there’s a lot of emotional baggage between them. On her very first day of school, Tess unintentionally becomes a Fixer. It’s not something she wants. Indeed, she does everything she can to stay away from other people’s problems, but somehow trouble finds her anyway. When the grandfather of a classmate dies unexpectedly, Tess is reluctantly talked into investigating, and to her surprise, she discovers that there is something sinister going on which involves some highly placed people in the government. 

I know I mention plot twists quite frequently, but there’s nothing like them when they’re done well. This book is basically one enormous plot twist! Just when I thought I had the villain, motive, etc. figured out, the story would go in a completely different direction. Jennifer Lynn Barnes does a fantastic job piling on the surprises. And the peek into politics and all the attached power plays, backstabbing, and hidden secrets is delicious.

Tess is a fantastic heroine. She’s smart, loyal, and passionate about what she believes in. She also has a sassy sense of humor which is quite enjoyable. That’s not to say she doesn’t make mistakes, especially when it comes to her sister Ivy. After their parents died, Tess wanted nothing more than to be with her sister, but despite promising they’d be together, Ivy mysteriously changes her mind. Because of this there’s a layer of suspicion and distrust between the two sisters that winds up putting both their lives in danger.

The secondary characters are equally important. Tess wouldn’t be successful in her endeavours without her Scooby gang of Vivvie, Henry and Asher. They all have their strengths which compliment Tess’s and the solving of this mystery takes all of them working together. Despite the book’s description, there is no love triangle, at least none that involve Tess. There’s actually no romance at all, which with everything going on in the story, I think was a wise decision on the part of the author. I honestly think it would have been a distraction.

The ending neatly ties everything up, yet makes it apparent that this is going to be a series. Because of the way the characters are written, I definitely want to read more about them. No, The Fixer doesn’t feature the most realistic plot or characters, but it’s so much fun you just have to leave your scepticism at the door. 

The President’s Shadow (The Culper Ring Bk. 3) ~ by Brad Meltzer 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, American History, Mystery, Politics, Thriller

  I received this ebook from NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

~ It seems as though Beecher White has a perfectly ordinary job working for the National Archives in Washington D.C. He has a much more secretive role however, that only a few know about. Beecher is a member of the Culper Ring, a 200-year old spy organization founded by none other than George Washington. One of their main functions is to protect the Presidency at all costs. When the First Lady stumbles across a buried severed arm, the President and his team turn to Beecher for help. It’s soon evident though that the arm and it’s enclosed message isn’t for the President, but for Beecher himself.

When I first requested this from NetGalley I didn’t realize that it was the 3rd book in a series, but despite some references to events in the previous two books, I was able to follow along.

The action begins immediately with the discovery of the severed arm in a small garden adjacent to the White House. As Beecher begins investigating, he discovers that what ever is going on, it’s tied to the mystery of his father’s death, and a long-held, closely guarded conspiracy. From there, you’re taken through twists and turns involving the President, the FBI, and the military. The story switches back and forth from the present day, to when Beecher’s father was in the military, but I was never left feeling confused. Linking both timelines is the deranged murderer who no one seems to be able to catch.

Beecher is a likeable character who, because of the events which took place in the previous two books, shoulders a lot of responsibility for someone only in his twenties. He’s a little too trusting, but he’s determined to uncover the truth. The problem is, it’s difficult to know who to trust in this thriller, as everyone seems to have their own hidden agendas, from the President, to Beecher’s childhood friend. This makes you root even more for Beecher, as he desperately tries to uncover a conspiracy hidden for over two decades, and protect the people he cares about. 

Overall, I found The President’s Shadow to be an exciting, if at times, convoluted mix of history, politics, and good old-fashioned thriller. It’s left me wanting to read the first two books while awaiting the next book in the series.

                         

       Culper Ring Bk. 1                                             Culper Ring Bk. 2