Maze Master: A Thriller, by Kathleen O’Neal Gear ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

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

Release Date: Available Now

352 Pages

Synopsis: LucentB is a retrovirus that’s inevitable, unstoppable, and utterly catastrophic for humanity. The US government believes the only person who can find the cure is the geneticist who tried to warn them and then disappeared: James Hakari. They assign the task of finding him to his former student Anna Asher, who in turn recruits paleographer and religious studies scholar Dr. Martin Nadai.

The brilliant but insane geneticist is leaving clues for Anna and Martin to follow, showing he’s truly earned his students’ nickname for him: the Maze Master. The search takes Anna and Martin around the world and into a warzone they never imagined.

Maze Master’s LucentB is based off of the real retrovirus HERV-K, which has caused several plagues over the past 75,000 years, almost wiping out the Neanderthals 50,000 years ago, and maybe 30,000 years ago. Modern geneticists consider HERV-K not to be extinct, but rather waiting for some trigger to come alive again.

With it scientific and archaeological authenticity and suspenseful clues, Maze Master will have readers rushing through its intricate maze to find out the fate of the world in this thrilling adventure.

I do like a good apocalyptic thriller and while Maze Master had a couple of issues, it was an engaging and quick read. 

While the premise isn’t exactly original, Gear proves why she’s a bestselling author by turning this into a thrilling treasure hunt. Clues are sprinkled throughout the tale and tantalizing secrets are revealed, but I was still kept guessing for most of the book. 

The biggest issue I had was with the characters. I found them dry and their personalities not developed enough. However, the mystery and action made this less of a problem than it ordinarily would have been. 

Overall, Maze Master is an exciting story that I think fans of Michael Crichton and Dan Brown will enjoy. As always, I’m looking forward to seeing what Kathleen O’Neal Gear comes up with next.

 

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Lifel1k3 (Lifelike #1), By Jay Kristoff ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: May 29th, 2018

416 Pages

Synopsis: On a floating junkyard beneath a radiation sky, a deadly secret lies buried in the scrap.

Eve isn’t looking for secrets—-she’s too busy looking over her shoulder. The robot gladiator she’s just spent six months building has been reduced to a smoking wreck, and the only thing keeping her Grandpa from the grave was the fistful of credits she just lost to the bookies. To top it off, she’s discovered she can destroy electronics with the power of her mind, and the puritanical Brotherhood are building a coffin her size. If she’s ever had a worse day, Eve can’t remember it.

But when Eve discovers the ruins of an android boy named Ezekiel in the scrap pile she calls home, her entire world comes crashing down. With her best friend Lemon Fresh and her robot conscience, Cricket, in tow, she and Ezekiel will trek across deserts of irradiated glass, infiltrating towering megacities and scour the graveyard of humanity’s greatest folly to save the ones Eve loves, and learn the dark secrets of her past.

Even if those secrets were better off staying buried.

I’ve read almost all of Jay Kristoff’s books and I’m happy to say that Lifel1k3 is his best yet! It’s original, creative, exciting, and is definitely going on my top ten list of favorite books of 2018.

The first few chapters are a little slow, but it doesn’t take long for the action to kick in. The characters are absolutely fantastic! While Eve is definitely the star as a badass fighter who’s suffering from PTSD due to a traumatic past, the others are equally interesting, especially her loyal BFF, Lemon Fresh, and Ezekiel who despite not being human, is head-over-heels in love with Eve. 

The world building is phenomenal and the plot has elements of Romeo and Juliet, Mad Max, and Terminator. I found it impossible to tear myself away and finished this in one day. The ending completely knocked my socks off and I can’t wait until the sequel comes out.

 

Night Fall (Secret Histories #12), by Simon R. Green ~ 5 ++++++++++ Stars!

Tags

Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Humor, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and Ace for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now 

464 Pages

Synopsis: From the New York bestselling author of Moonbreaker comes the epic final Secret Histories adventure, where the Droods will take on the most unexpected of enemies: the inhabitants of the Nightside.

The Droods are all about control, making people do what they’re told for the greater good. The Nightside is all about choice: good and bad and everything in between. The Droods want to make the world behave. The Nightside wants to party. They were never going to get along. 

For centuries, ancient Pacts have kept the Droods out of the Nightside, but now the Droods see the Nightside as a threat to the whole world. They march into the long night, in their armour, to put it under their control. All too soon, the two sides are at war. It’s Eddie Drood and Molly Metcalf against John Taylor and Shotgun Suzie. The Drood Sarjeant-at-Arms and their Armourer against Dead Boy and Razor Eddie. More groups join in: the London Knights, the Ghost Finders, the Spawn of Frankenstein, Shadows Fall, and the Soulhunters. Science and magic are running wild, there’s blood running in the gutters, and the bodies are piling up.

Is anyone going to get out of this alive?

I have such mixed feelings about Night Fall. On the one hand (as you can probably tell by my rating), I absolutely LOVED it! On the other hand, this concludes not only the Secret Histories series, but also Simon Green’s Nightside and Ghost Finders series. So if you’re a fan of the author as I am, this is like the literary equivalent of Armageddon!

*Sniff.* Okay. I shall endeavor to pull myself together. As with the other Secret Histories books I’ve reviewed I need to warn interested parties that you need to read these books in order. If you don’t you’ll wind up helplessly confused. Eddie Drood is like a science fiction/fantasy/comic book version of James Bond. His alias is actually “Shaman Bond” and the previous titles are all clever plays on Ian Fleming’s books, ie:  The Man With the Golden Torc; Daemons Are Forever; The Spy Who Haunted Me… Well, you get the idea. While Eddie physically appears so ordinary as to melt into a crowd, you do not want to get on his bad side, especially when he’s accompanied by his former archenemy, now lover, the wild witch Molly Metcalf. Together they make a most formidable team which is a good thing as in this epic finale they face off against their Nightside counterparts, John Taylor (former private investigator, now the “Overseer” of the Nightside known as Walker) and his frightening wife, Shotgun Suzie (also known as Suzie Shooter and “Oh Christ, it’s her! Run!”) 

Without revealing any spoilers, let me just say that this is a non-stop thrill ride from beginning to end. Well known characters from all three series make welcome appearances and enjoyable new ones are introduced as well. The battles between the Droods and the citizens of the Nightside are bloody and epic, and leave many fan favorites dead. Underlying the story is the theme of how war can so quickly spiral out of control and leave a multitude of casualties of good people on both sides in its wake. By the end of the book loose ends from all three series are neatly tied up, which will leave fans shell-shocked but satisfied.

While I’m upset that two of my favorite series have come to an end, Night Fall is a spectacular finale. In my humble opinion, Simon Green is one of the most brilliant science fiction/fantasy authors out there, and if you’re a fan of these genres but haven’t tried any of his books you’re missing out. I don’t know what’s next for this gifted writer, but I do know I’ll be one of the first in line waiting for it. For now, please excuse me while I grieve.

 

 

Go Home, Afton (Afton Morrison, Book 1), By Brent Jones ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mental Illness, Mystery, Sexual Assault, Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and Brent Jones for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: June 25th, 2018

156 Pages

Synopsis: We all wear masks, and Afton Morrison is no exception.

A small-town librarian with a dark side, Afton,twenty-six, has suppressed violent impulses her entire adult life. Impulses that demand she commit murder.

Blending her urges with reason, Afton stalks a known sexual predator, intending to kill him. But her plan, inspired by true crime and hatched with meticulous care, is interrupted by a mysterious figure from her past. A dangerous man that lurks in the shadows, watching, threatening to turn the huntress into the hunted.

Go Home, Afton is the first of four parts in a new serial thriller by author Brent Jones. Packed with grit and action, The Afton Morrison Series delves into a world of moral ambiguity, delivering audiences an unlikely heroine in the form of a disturbed vigilante murderess.

Have you ever read a book and thought that the author seemed to write it specifically for you? That’s exactly how I felt after finishing Go Home, Afton. I first saw this reviewed on Nicole’s fantastic blog—The Bookworm Drinketh. If you’d like to check out her review, please visit: https://thebookwormdrinketh.com/2018/06/19/go-home-afton-by-brent-jones/ After reading her review I had an inkling I was going to enjoy it, but little did I know how much!

Afton is a complicated character. She’s definitely suffering from multiple mental illnesses including dissociative identity disorder, which stem from a certain incident in her past, but she stubbornly fights against her murderous impulses, before finally deciding to kill only those who deserve it. She has an alter she talks to who represents the truly violent side of her. Their snappy dialogue is one of the best parts of the book. I emphasized with Afton in a few ways, particularly her dislike of the some of the mothers who bring their children to storyhour. She isn’t a sociable individual, but she has a brother who she’s close to and reluctantly forms a bond with her young, teenage library aide, Kim. While Afton has selected her first victim, a sexual predator who has been charged several times with sexual assault yet remains free, things don’t go the way she wants them to. Adding to her troubles is the mysterious and sinister “Man in the Shadows” who seems to be stalking her. This first novella ends in a cliffhanger, but thankfully the 2nd book will be available 8/7/18.

I cannot recommend Go Home, Afton highly enough. It’s a refreshingly original thriller that I breezed through in a couple of hours. Afton is a snarky anti-hero that readers will find themselves emphasizing with and liking. And for a novella, it’s remarkable how much detail the author includes. I do warn you that while it’s not graphic, the story centers around sexual assault which could be a trigger for some. This is a fantastic start to this series and I can’t wait to pick up Book 2, See You Soon, Afton.

The Crooked Staircase (Jane Hawk #3), By Dean Koontz ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

512 Pages

Synopsis: “I could be dead tomorrow. Or something worse than dead.”

Jane Hawk knows she may be living on borrowed time. But as long as she’s breathing, she’ll never cease her one-woman war against the terrifying conspiracy that threatens the freedom—-and free will—-of millions. Battling the strange epidemic of murder-suicides that claimed Jane’s husband, and is escalating across the country, has made the rogue FBI agent a wanted fugitive, relentlessly hunted not only by the government but the secret cabal behind the plot. Deploying every resource their malign nexus of power and technology commands, Jane’s enemies are determined to see her dead…or make her wish she was.

Jane’s ruthless pursuers can’t stop her from drawing a bead on her prey: a cunning man with connections in high places, a twisted soul of unspeakable depths with an army of professional killers on call. Propelled by her righteous fury and implacable insistence on justice, Jane will make her way from Southern California to the snow-swept slopes of Lake Tahoe to confront head-on the lethal forces arrayed against her. But nothing can prepare her for the chilling truth that awaits her when she descends the crooked staircase to the dark and dreadful place where her long nightmare was born.

Like the first two books in Koontz’s Jane Hawk series, The Crooked Staircase is a wild ride from start to finish. For a quick recap: A sinister and secret organization calling themselves the “Techno Arcadians” are planning on reshaping society to their liking through the use of nanotechnology. They are implanting nanos into the brains of certain people who they feel, according to their computer’s algorithm, will “turn society in the wrong direction.” Once the nanos are in place the Arcadians use them to control the “adjusted” person. Some, they have commit suicide, usually taking other people with them. Others are enslaved and either forced into sexual slavery or made to serve the organization in various functions. Jane’s husband, a former soldier, was one of their victims and as Jane, an FBI agent, began investigating his suicide, she discovered the horrifying plot. Now she’s been publicly discredited and after some horrifying threats, has been forced to place her young son in hiding with close friends, she’s now determined to bring the Arcadians down. 

Before reading this series, you have to accept that reality gets skewed at times, particularly in regards to Jane. While this isn’t a fantasy and she doesn’t possess superpowers, given the sheer number of people she’s going up against, there’s no way she wouldn’t have gotten caught by now. The Arcadians have infiltrated virtually every segment of society, including law enforcement, the government, and the media. While she’s had several close calls, she somehow manages to not only escape but also to take out a few Arcadians as well. But Jane is such a phenomenal character, you really don’t mind suspending disbelief. The secondary characters, whether they be allies or villains, are always interesting and well rounded. In this installment, I was surprised that there were a few moments where I actually felt sorry for the main antagonist because of his backstory.

As with the previous books, this ends with a cliffhanger, but it seemed a little too abrupt especially given that what happens hits so close to home for Jane and her son. At the end there is the option of reading the first few chapters of the next book, The Forbidden Door, which is due out in October, but I personally don’t like reading excerpts in advance, so I’m just going to have to suffer until October. 

I highly recommend The Crooked Staircase to readers who love strong female characters and high octane thrillers. If you haven’t read the previous two books though you might wind up a bit muddled, so you should definitely check those out first.

 

Hold Back the Dark (Bishop/Special Crimes Unit #18), by Kay Hooper ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal, Suspense, Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: April 3rd, 2018

352 Pages

Synopsis: Madness has taken hold of Prosperity, North Carolina. Residents are killing each other, as if in a dream, and waking up with no memory of the monstrous acts they’ve committed—-or why. As the death toll climbs, the local sheriff’s department is further rocked by a murder carried out by their own. Deputy Katie Cole knows that whatever monster is afoot is beyond her scope…

The Special Crimes Unit is called in for their specific brand of investigation. It will take all their training, all their experience, and every extra sense they can call on to get to the bottom of things in Prosperity. And as a dark pattern begins to emerge, even the most experienced and hardened SCU agents have to wonder if this is beyond their understanding.

I’ve been an avid of this series since the first book, Stealing Shadows was released in 2000 and one of the main reasons is because every time I pick up a new book in the series, I feel like I’m meeting up with old friends. Hold Back the Dark was no different. Although it seemed a little slower for things to start this time, that may have been because somehow I missed the two previous books. It didn’t take long for me to get sucked right back in to this dangerous world with the elite Special Crimes Unit and they’re civilian counterpart, Haven. The story is told in the third person by several agents, but this works really well as they’re all working the same case, and it actually lets you get to know them more. The only other criticism I have is that I thought the ending came together a little too quickly, but it tied up all the loose ends and set things up nicely for the next book.

The Bishop/Special Crime series is another one of my favorites and Hold Back the Dark did not disappoint. Although it’s a long running series, you could technically read this as a stand-alone. Kay Hooper always thoughtfully provides at the end of each book a list of the agents and what their psychic powers are and which books they’ve appeared in thus far. She also provides a glossary of the powers themselves. However, if you have time, I suggest you go back to the beginning because you’ll get to know each agent so much more personally and that truly adds to the overall mythology arc of the series, which, while it has a multilayered storyline and is action packed, is also very much character driven. I highly recommend Hold Back the Dark and the previous books to readers who love police procedurals, thrillers and suspense, with the occasional romance thrown in, and plenty of exciting paranormal powers.

Best Seller, by Susan May ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Book Publishing, Supernatural, Thriller

I’d like to thank Susan May for sending me an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

462 Pages

Synopsis: JEALOUSY IS A GREEN-EYED MONSTER AND HIS NAME IS WILLIAM BARNES.

A girl with power over luck. An obsessed author consumed with envy. Two nemeses drawn down a path from which only one will return.

After witnessing her mother’s brutal murder, ten-year-old Nem’s life seems destined for tragedy. Then she discovers an old journal which holds an incredible secret. Nem now possesses the ability to control the fortunes of others. It is said that luck is probability taken personally, and she’s about to get personal with her own brand of justice.

Decades later, the literary world hails William Barnes’ debut as a masterpiece. His best seller success, though, doesn’t survive his next two books. Readers abandon him, his publisher cancels his contract, and his agent isn’t returning his calls. 

Meanwhile his undeserving protégé, Orelia Mason, enjoys a meteoric rise in the charts, coinciding suspiciously with his fall. So William embarks on a plan to win back the life he’s certain she’s stolen. If people die along the way, well that’s their problem. He’ll discover though, that’s battling fate when luck is not on your side can be a deadly game. 

This is A Star is Born meets A Portrait of Dorian Gray and the consequences are not pretty. In fact they’re darn well bloody.

From the internationally best selling author readers call the new Stephen King, comes a dark and twisted tale of jealousy, revenge, and a very special power.

I first saw Best Seller reviewed over on Carrie’s blog at http://carriesbookreviews.com After reading her 5 star, stellar review, I knew I had to try to get my hands on this, and at her suggestion, reached out to the author on Goodreads. I was thrilled when Susan May graciously sent me an ebook and I’m even more delighted to say that the book is everything that Carrie said it was.

The story alternates between Nem’s and William’s POVs, and while right up until the halfway point, I had pretty much made up my mind who was the protagonist and who was the antagonist, everything wound up being completely upended much to my surprise.

The plot itself is creatively ingenious and manages to perfectly meld the real world difficulties of becoming a bestselling author (and remaining one), with a fantastic supernatural addition. Thanks to plenty of twists and turns which happen right up until the shocking end, the pace was breathtakingly fast which had me finishing the almost 500 page book in two sittings. 

Best Seller is a fun and exciting read from beginning to end, and I HIGHLY recommend it! This is the first book I’ve read by Susan May, but it certainly won’t be my last!

Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava Quartet #1), By Roshani Chokshi ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Diversity, Hindu Mythology, Humor, Middle Grade Fiction, Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and Rick Riordan Presents/Disney Hyperion for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

368 Pages

Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she’ll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur?

One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru’s doorstep and catch her in a lie. They don’t believe her claim that the museum’s Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. ‘Just a quick light,’ Aru thinks. Then she can get herself out of this mess and never ever fib again. 

But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it’s up to Aru to save them.

The only way to stop the demon is to find the reincarnations of the five legendary Pandava brothers, protagonists of the Hindu epic poem, ‘Mahabharata,’ and journey through the Kingdom of Death. But how is one girl in Spider-Man pajamas supposed to do all that?

Aru Shah and the End of Time is a phenomenal beginning to this new middle-grade series by YA author Roshani Chokshi (The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes). A fantasy based on Hindu mythology, the two main characters, Aru and Mini, are completely relatable and despite their vulnerabilities, wind up putting the “Grrrr” in girl power. The story is beautifully told and is fantastically diverse. It also has all the thrilling action, adventure, and laugh-out-loud humor that Rick Riordan is himself famous for.

This is the first book in the new Rick Riordan Presents imprint which empowers other authors to write stories inspired by mythology and folklore of their own heritage. Roshani has three more books planned for the Pandava Quartet, which I can’t wait for. Sadly the next book, Aru Shah and the Song of Death doesn’t come out until next April so I’m going to be on pins and needles waiting for that. However, as part of this new venture put together by “Uncle Rick”, J.C. Cervantes’ book, Storm Runner, which is a contemporary mystery based around Mayan mythology is coming out in September. And in January 2019, Dragon Pearl, by Yoon Ha Lee goes on sale. This is said to combine Korean mythology and space opera! To say I’m excited about this new imprint, doesn’t quite do my feelings justice. These are the kinds of books that if I was still a children’s librarian, I’d be pushing them into the hands of every middle-schooler who walked through the door!

Project Pandora (Assassin Fall #1) by Aden Polydoros ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, YA Fiction

Tbanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

372 Pages

Synopsis: Tyler Bennett trusts no one. Just another foster kid bounced from home to home, he’s learned that lesson the hard way. But when strange things start happening—waking up with bloody knuckles and no memory of the night before or the burner phone he can’t let out of his sight—Tyler starts to wonder if he can even trust himself.

Even stranger, the girl he’s falling for has a burner phone just like his. Finding out what’s happening only leads to more questions…questions that could get them both killed. It’s not like someone’s kidnapping teens lost in the system and brainwashing them to be assassins or anything, right? And what happens to rogue assets who defy control?

In a race against the clock, they’ll have to uncover the truth behind Project Pandora and take it down—before they’re reactivated. Good thing the program spent millions training them to kick ass…

Project Pandora is the exciting and promising beginning to the Assassin Fall series, and I easily breezed through it in two sittings. It took me a few chapters to acclimate myself because not only are there several characters, when they’re under the influence of the sinister society who has brainwashed them, they’re known by Greek code names. But this is a fairly minor complaint, because from the first page, I was immediately sucked in. What I appreciated most of all is that all the action took nothing away from the characters themselves. The ending is a cliffhanger so I’m definitely looking forward to the sequel, Project Prometheus which is due out sometime this year. 

 

Genesis (Project Nemesis #2), by Brendan Reichs ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Science Fiction, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to Edelweiss and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Release Date: Available Now

512 Pages

Synopsis: Noah Livingston knows he is destined to survive.

The 64 members of Fire Lake’s sophomore class are trapped in a place where morals have no meaning, and zero rules apply. But Noah’s deaths have trained him—-hardened him—-to lead the strongest into the future…whatever that may be. And at any cost. 

Min Wilder knows that survival alone isn’t enough.

Trapped in a violent world where brute force passes for leadership, it’s tempting to lay back and let everyone else fight it out. But Min’s instincts rebel against allowing others to decide who lives and who dies. She’s ready to fight for what she believes in. And against whomever might stand in her way.

I don’t always find a sequel that’s even better than the first book in a series, but that’s what happened here. Genesis picks up exactly where Nemesis left off, and even though I read the previous book over a year ago, I had no problem jumping right back in. Adapting to this new cruel and brutal world they’ve been thrust into, it was mesmerizing watching how the various characters continued to evolve and cope, especially Min and Noah. The world-building and story is intense and I was on the edge of my seat from the first chapter. The book is over 500 pages, but I finished it in two days because I just couldn’t put it down. The ending was exciting, although almost a little too neat, but it perfectly wraps things up for the next book, which I’m eagerly anticipating.