H.A.L.F. The Deep Beneath by Natalie Wright

H.A.L.F. The Deep Beneath

Author:   Natalie Wright
Publisher:   Valknut Press
Release Date: January 7th, 2015

Source: Recieved from the author in exchange for an honest review.

H.A.L.F. 9 has taken his first breath of desert air and his first steps in the human world. Created to be a weapon, he proved too powerful for his makers and has lived a sedated life hidden from humans. But H.A.L.F. 9 has escaped the underground lab he called home, and the sedation has worn off. He has never been more alive. More powerful. Or more deadly.

Erika Holt longs to ride her motorcycle east until pavement meets shore. She bides her time until graduation when she’ll say adios to the trailer she shares with her alcoholic mother and memories of her dead father. But a typical night in the desert with friends thrusts Erika into a situation more dangerous than she ever imagined. 

Circumstances push the two together, and each must make a fateful choice. Will Erika help H.A.L.F. 9 despite her “don’t get involved” rule? And will H.A.L.F. 9 let Erika live even though he was trained to kill? 

The two may need to forget their rules and training and if either is to survive the dangers of the deep beneath them.

H.A.L.F. The Deep Beneath started out pretty promising. I was drawn in by the first few pages and had high hopes for the rest of the story. But somewhere within the first or second chapter it fizzled just a little bit, and I never did get back to that same excitement. While the writing wasn't bad, it never wowed me. I think the author has potential, but there was room for improvement.

One of the primary problems I think with that lack of "wow" factor was just the general plot. H.A.L.F. 9 is an alien who escaped from an underground lab, and runs into Erika. Then there is an attempt to get away without freaking out the rest of the world about the existence of extraterrestrials. Which in itself could be eventful, if it hadn't been a sort of overused theme. When you encounter something that feels common like that, you unfortunately land in the "been here, done this" category. 

There need to be something to set it apart. Maybe a character, maybe a twist. I'm not sure I found that in this book. 

Erika herself is pretty likable, as is our alien boy. But likable doesn't necessarily mean great. Erika is tough which is nice, but this instantaneous connection with H.A.L.F. 9 felt a little forced to me. H.A.L.F. 9 is well, an alien, so there is going to be a lack of connection there to begin with. 

Alien lands in foreign world, makes a ton of mistakes. Check. 

Actually a lot of things felt a little like a checklist. The plot felt predictable, despite some small moments when I thought it could be otherwise. Is it rude to say generic? Maybe? But really, I wanted something new here, like I hoped for in the beginning. I mean come on, girl offered tons of money to give birth to a baby which turns out to totally not be a normal baby! Where did that story go?

To sum it up, this was sort of your run of the mill, "conspiracy theories are totally the truth" alien story. I just feel like I've seen it handled in a much more creative manner to really applaud what I found in this book. I'm a Stargate fan, so I adore takes on aliens like The Asgards, where there is a little taste of existing conspiracies (Roswell Greys) while still having their own unique spin on it. I didn't get that same moment with H.A.L.F. We had the basic recipe: aliens caught, experiments, genetic research, whoops it's too powerful and escaped, enter love interest. By the hallway point, I really lost the motivation to pick up the book. It wasn't that it was terrible. I just didn't feel like I was really missing anything?

You know when you watch some T.V. shows, and you get distracted for a minute, come back, and you're okay with that. There's no desire to rewind to see what you missed. I never had that reaction to jump into this story and make sure I caught everything. If I have nothing else to read, yeah, it would take up the time. But would I run home to tell everyone to read it too? Sadly, I wouldn't. 

Natalie Wright has potential as a writer, but I'm not sure this story was the golden ticket to set her apart. 

Freak of Nature by Julia Crane

Freak of Nature

Author:   Julia Crane
Publisher:   Valknut Press
Release Date: February 2nd, 2013

Source: Free E-book off Amazon

Donate Body to Science. Check.
When seventeen-year-old Kaitlyn checked the box, she never suspected she’d have her life–and her body–stolen from her. She awakens one day in a secret laboratory to discover that her body is now half-robot and is forced to hide her own secret: that she still has human emotions and a human mind. If the scientists who made her find out, they’ll erase what remains of who she was.

Kaitlyn finds an unlikely ally in Lucas, a handsome, brilliant scientist who can’t get over the guilt he feels knowing she was once a vibrant, beautiful young woman. He never expected a science project to affect him the way she does. As he tries to help her rediscover her past, he finds himself falling for the brave girl struggling to find her place and acceptance between the human and computer worlds.

Freak of Nature is one of those books I liked in the beginning, then gradually lost interest in. A page turner until about the half-way point, I felt it was resolved a little early, then dragged into a stop. Most of the problems seemed to be due to plot choices, and while the writing wasn't bad, I felt like I could have just put it down halfway and felt satisfied. When the driving force, at least for me, was the romance, once that tension was released it just fell flat. The revelation of her past was sort of anti-climactic, and the conclusion felt a bit too easy. Overall, this was a book that needed a little re-arranging to maintain the easy nature it held in the opening. 

Kaitlyn and Lucas are likable enough, but the romance felt a little odd. Lucas seems to love her based on all the things he read about her, and how perfect she is now that's she's a robot. And I've never been a fan of the completely irresistibly beautiful girl. Of course she would be the one to turn into this robot, right? Now she's like, smart, beautiful, super-strong. And can put all men to shame. 

Not exactly relatable to the average person.

Kaitlyn is robotic, but still has these human thoughts and feelings. She can't feel pain, but she can still feel love, and she still feels pleasure. And no one knows she has feelings because she's hiding them, to maintain an element of humanity. She has this crush on the guy who treats her like a lab rat, and he has a crush back. It's kinda cute, but a little weird when you step back and look at it. Their eventual relationship makes it even weirder. It wasn't enough that she was perfect as a robot, but she was also perfect as a human too. and her heroic death felt really rushed and flat, as a side note. 

Oh, and the flashbacks, where she could see herself interacting with people? Pretty sure flashbacks are memories, so first perspective, you know? Definitely room for improvement. 

Clearly there were things that bugged me with this book. One of those "I'd rather be your beta than your reviewer" situations, sadly. It was nice for a quick airplane read, but it wasn't one of those "you have to read this!" stories. I'll pass on the sequel. 

Life Bank by Magus Tor

Life Bank

Author:   Magus Tor
Publisher:   Self-Published
Release Date: March 13th, 2014

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Daniel has no money. Daniel needs some money. Daniel will sell his soul to get it. 

A modern day version of The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Life Bank is a stunning novella from author Magus Tor. A fatalistic sense of doom will pull you through this thrilling new morality tale about the evils that come with taking too much unearned pleasure from life.

I got this book in exchange for an honest review, so I'm going to be pretty honest: the plot didn't feel as original as a lot of people made it out to be. The general concept was pretty interesting, don't get me wrong. That's what made me pick it up in the first place. You write your name in a book, withdraw money. Give a little of your life and problems are solved! But the general pursuit of money, falling short, money is never the answer thing? That's a moral that unfortunately felt a little predictable to me. 

When you pick up a book like this, I think you can sense the downward spiral about to happen. You already know he's going to somehow take more out than he bargains for. And a lot of the "twists" didn't feel like twists to me, but maybe because it always seems to happen in stories like this. It's the allure of stardom. You chase a pot of gold a start leaving behind what mattered. So those aspects weren't like "oooo ahhhh". 

I did like the writing though. It was a short story but the flow was nice. It was a decent reflective reminder to pay attention to the important things. But it still had some room to grow. 

Bulk Review Requests: It's Not Cool

It's time for a blunt service announcement

Authors, I know it gets really time consuming to inquire to a bunch of different reviewers. But this is just a casual warning in case you aren't aware: bulk review requests aren't cool. I don't mind if you're copying and pasting the same e-mail to me and a few other reviews. I appreciate it if you browse my blog and show you know a little about me before asking for me to read, but I know sometimes that's just not reasonable. But please, don't send a mass e-mail to me and 40 other reviewers. 

When I see an e-mail that starts with "Hey, I wanted to know if one of you would like to read my book", I am about 90% likely to just close the e-mail and walk away. Maybe it sounds cruel, but from my standpoint, why should I read a 300 page novel of yours to give you feedback when you can't take the time to e-mail me personally? And agents, you should know better! If you're representing an author, don't throw them under the bus by sending out a random press release to all active bloggers!

I've mentioned it in my review request tips before, but a reviewer is doing a lot for you as an author. I know sometimes people think we're getting a free book, we're more than compensated, but the internet is honestly full of free books. And I still buy plenty of books on the side. My reading list isn't shrinking anytime soon. And while a book may take 3 hours to read, a review can take another hour to write. That's time I'm not getting paid for. But I feel feedback is useful, so I set out to give as much as I can. Most of us review because we care about authors and we want to help. But starting out the relationship with a casual mass e-mail is a big no no. 

Are you going to send an e-mail to 30 colleges and say "Hey, your schools look cool, message me back if you think I'd be a good candidate?" Chances are, no. I can get 10 review requests in a single day. I'm not going to take them all, and chances are, if you bulk e-mail me, it's going to make that elimination process just a little bit easier. 

Send one e-mail at a time people. That is all. 

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

For Darkness Shows the Stars

Author:   Diana Peterfreund
Publisher:   Balzer + Bray
Release Date: July 12th, 2012

Source: Kindle Purchase

It's been several generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family's estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot's estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth--an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go.

But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret--one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she's faced with a choice: cling to what she's been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she's ever loved, even if she's lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, For Darkness Shows the Stars is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.

First and foremost: Slowest. Opening. Ever. 

Let me explain a little.

Despite my final rating and overall enjoyment of this piece, this was one of those stories that is so heavy in the beginning it was like a ball and chain around your ankle. No I haven't read Persuasion (maybe it could have helped?) But seriously, it was confusing and there were so many new elements and terms and it read like a crazy sad tragedy. And that tragedy element? Pretty sure it never went away. From an outsider perspective, never having read the inspiration, I just felt a bit caught up in the muck.

You know in love stories where your like, pretty sure it'll all work out? There was a point I just stopped rooting for it during this novel. It was like, depressing! There was so much woe I just wanted to read something happier...I felt like I should be coaching Elliott. "Hey, this guy is a jerk, move on! He came back and treated you like garbage and you never did anything to him!" I stayed in the story for the minor plot elements, but I honestly lost my love of Kai. I didn't feel like he ever made up for how he treated everyone. To be frank, he was an ass!

And you know, I can't make it without a spoiler, so here it is. Spoiler spoiler spoiler. When he flirts with Olivia, then is like "oh, I may have done that to make you jealous, and then she like, fell off a cliff and all and thankfully she fell for Donovan so i didn't have to deal with it."

Whhhaaaatttt?

Okay, not word for word but that's totally how it came across for me. Then it's like, "run away with me!"

No.

This story is just a little messed up. Just a little.

So calming down. Let's talk about the good. The sort of dystopia here was sort of fun once you get into it. Kinda interesting society kind of redeveloping after almost wiping humans off the planet. Making new inventions, trying not to, you know, mess everything up again. Elliott's struggles felt very human, and other than the Kai thing, I liked her.

But man. Someone needed to kick him. Hard.


That is all.

Alienated by Melissa Landers

Alienated

Author:   Melissa Landers
Publisher:   Disney Hyperion
Release Date: February 4th, 2014

Source: Audible Audiobook

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them. 

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class. 

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

Sci-fi romance is one of those genres that can quickly go from cool to cheesy. Alienated managed to exceed my expectations though. By starting 2 years after the initial alien arrival, we get what could be be described as an intergalactic exchange program with some romance thrown in. An independent main character with a less than perfect love interest made this one of my favorite reads of the summer.

One of the best things about Alienated is the characters. Cara is a strong willed teenager, valedictorian, but she's worked hard to get where she is. When she's chosen for an exchange program, she jumps in with both feet and fights to make the most of it. I love Cara because she doesn't back down. She stands by Aelyx even before feelings develop, and everyone is against her. It's more than just a career opportunity, it's fighting for something she believes in. 

I also like Aelyx because he isn't perfect. While he's attractive, a large portion of the local population hates him. Cara is protecting him in many ways, trying to make him comfortable. Meanwhile, he only has the interests of his own planet in mind. I think this book did a great job of balancing Cara and Aelyx. Neither is completely put together or flawless. They both mess up, but they build a relationship together as time goes. It's a slow process, and much more satisfying than fast paced romance novels I've read before. 

The plot itself is also interesting. The humans really are screwing things up, and the dystopia twist is fun. But the L’eihrs are also hiding things. I like that the L’eihrs are human in many ways and relatable, but there planet is still unique in it's own ways. There's a sense of culture and identity developed by the author. 

It's hard to comment too much on the end of the story, because...spoilers. But I will say, I am looking forward to the sequel. As much as I hate when sequels separate the two primary love interests, I do want to see how it all works out in the end.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl

Author:  Rainbow Rowell
Publisher:   St. Martin's Press
Release Date: September 10th, 2013

Source: Audible Audiobook

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Full disclosure: I listened to this book in audio book format, which may have had some impact on how much I enjoyed it. While I liked the story, the audio book makes it feel super melancholy the whole time. If you read this, I really don't recommend listening to it. 

Overall, I liked Fangirl. Cath is socially awkward, and a little relatable if you're a nerd. Her terror of getting to know people and new situations may be a bit extreme, but I like her family and the people around her. I usually don't enjoy stories that turn main characters into writers, so that was one thing, (I think it ends up being a little cliche. Thankfully, this one didn't do the whole "the story I was writing in that class was this one!" thing) Levi was really likable, and I was satisfied with the ending. 

And her dad. I loved her dad. Seriously, her dad is like one of the best people in the book. 

There were some things I didn't completely enjoy, however. 

First, I really didn't get the constant descriptions of eyebrows and hairlines. Seriously, I just don't stare at guys eyebrows and find them attractive. I guess that made Cath unique, but it made me feel really disconnected to her at points. And I know it's a romance, but it also gets repetitive when we hear descriptions of guys over and over again. I get he has hair that sticks up. That gets redundant, especially in the audio book. 

Second, I felt like the Simon Snow segments seemed a bit disjointed from the rest of the story. They didn't always feel like they were feeding into the rest of the book. It was like Simon Snow was spontaneously sprinkled along. I like when excerpts or quotes have something to do with the chapter. Maybe I was missing something, but it didn't always feel that way in this story. 

I also don't get why you would reference Harry Potter in a book that's supposed to be replacing Harry Potter with Simon Snow. Side point, but it was irritating. It took away from the story.

Last, the plot. I didn't really feel like there was one large driving force in this book. There was sister stuff, and mom stuff, and class stuff, and boy stuff, but I could never tell when it was all going to tie itself up. Was the main conflict the writing assignment? The boy? Her relationship with Wren? It didn't feel like it was about being a fangirl. More like just being socially awkward. The book sort of floated along at some points. I just wanted something more concrete to carry me to the end.

Good story, but still room for improvement for me.