Wow | Books: The Cheapest Vacation You Can Buy

{May 2, 2014} {ARC Review} After the End by Amy Plum

From Goodreads: She’s searching for answers to her past. They’re hunting her to save their future.

World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They’ve survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she’s trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

__________________________________________________________________________

I didn’t have access to the internet when I started reading this novel on my Kindle, so I couldn’t refresh my memory about the synopsis before I plunged in. But truth be told, I actually think not knowing the synopsis made After the End even more interesting for me because early on, when the truth hit about WWIII for Juneau and Miles, I was shocked and totally riveted to the spot. It’s always fun to go into a book without knowing the premise, and generally I am always surprised by what I learn along the way, having no expectations going in, and so I feel like I should do it more often, especially after absolutely falling in love with this novel.
I will admit that the first chapter didn’t reel me in right away. I wasn’t sure what was going on, and this is why people write a synopsis for books in the first place—to give a little background. Juneau’s story was a bit interesting, but not riveting, and I was definitely thinking Hunger Games throughout that first chapter, but then Miles came on the scene and changed everything for me. I can’t express how exciting it is to figure something out before a character does; to have an “aha” moment before the entire picture becomes clear, but as Miles’ story began to evolve, I definitely had a moment where everything suddenly clicked and I was hooked, line and sinker.

If you haven’t read the synopsis above as of yet, well, I’m about to ruin it for you. The whole idea of a society gone into hiding after WWIII, only for the truth to come out that there never was a WWIII, well… genius. Just. Genius.

Can you imagine finding out that the entire world you know and understand, or thought you knew and understood, was a lie? That everyone, mentors and parents included, have lied to you since birth? It’s mind boggling, yet this is exactly what Juneau experiences as her world deteriorates around her. Thrust into the unknown, a world she was taught to fear, she must trust the most unlikely allies in order to find her family, and it’s definitely a bumpy and intense ride the entire way.

Filled with elements of the paranormal, Plum’s latest novel is epically fun. I especially love that it’s told from two different viewpoints, allowing readers inside the minds of both Juneau and Miles as they make decisions and choices that could ultimately end with their death if they aren’t careful—but to not take risks means ultimate failure and the death of others. Locked between a rock and a hard place, unsure just how much trust to put in the other, both Juneau and Miles have many choices to make, and lots of growing up to do. Five amazing stars.

In exchange for an honest review, has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its release on May 6, 2014.

Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble

{April 5, 2014} {Review} The Savage Protector by Tamara Rose Blodgett (Savage #5)

From Goodreads: Queen Clara has chosen her future king but as the Wedded Joining draws nearer, the Kingdom of Kentucky’s sphere continues to degrade. Relations with the outside are non-existent and the beleaguered people housed within the confines of the kingdom will soon be loosed to join the fragment.

Calia and Evie join forces to escape the plan that Edwin has for Calia’s future. Frantic to locate the women, Maddoc, Jonathan, Philip and Daniel join forces to cinch the net of safety around the pair before it’s too late.

Calia doesn’t long for a future where a male is the answer. However, when biology and destiny collide, she will find the choice that she wants the least, may be the correct one.

Will Calia be allowed to remain true to herself by protecting those she has vowed to defend? Can she overcome her past and be healed by the love of her one, true soulmate?
________________________________________________________

This is another beautiful novel written by the ever talented Tamara Rose Blodgett. Her ability to captivate readers with not only her storyline, but also her imagery, characterization, and intense action sequence always makes her novels a joy to read, and The Savage Protector is no different.

I was drawn into this fifth novel in the series from the very first page, and as Blodgett continues the perilous story of Princess Clara, the band, the spheres, and the fragment, I was riveted to the spot. I absolutely adore the writing in this series. A bit archaic in nature, this world Blodgett has created is beyond amazing, and she designs it perfectly, from the clothes and character mentalities to the language and mannerism, it flows off the page in perfection.

And the imagery? Wow. I don’t usually reflect on the writing in novels–I usually am too wrapped up in the story itself, but in Blodgett’s novels, her writing flows so beautifully that it’s impossible not to notice, and on many an occasion it brought me up short, going back and rereading the beautiful imagery Blodgett presents, even in the more dire of situations within the text.

“The mans flesh opened like a terrible flower in full bloom, blood pouring from the petals.”

“Though the temperature was not truly freezing, the bite of winter was evident everywhere, with small patches of the previous week’s snow surrounding stranded islands of blond prairie grass.”

It is just beautiful, and this, mixed with the heart-pounding sequence of events, is definitely a must read.

I also love the way Blodgett intertwines her story, shifting between character viewpoints throughout the novel. Though the entire novel reads in third person, events unfold simultaneously, which creates the need to follow different characters on their perilous adventures throughout the story, bringing each separate entity back to the main story and intertwining them perfectly. While this is indeed the fifth novel in this amazing series, and I do suggest reading these novels in order, all the novels in the Savage series read as beautifully as this, and I highly suggest you start from the beginning if you have not already done so. Five stars.

I received this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.