Dark Energy

Dark Energy by Robison Wells
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Parental guide: Minor swearing, some violence, nothing explicit.

Holy moly, this book was SO GOOD. It’s a fairly quickly read, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Alice is one of the best protagonists that I’ve read about in a loooong time, and I felt that the author did a fantastic job of writing from a female perspective. Also? I loved the fact that she had such a great relationship with her father. I feel like too many times in YA literature, the parents are either absent for one reason or another, or they’re portrayed as idiots. All parents were teenagers at one point in time or another, so it’s not entirely unreasonable to assume that some of them remember what it’s like. Alice’s father was a good mixture of protective and supportive, which made their interactions that much more fun.

Anyway, if you’re in the mood for a quick sci-fi, give this one a chance. I’m off to go check out some of the author’s other books now, don’t mind me.

The Eye of Minds

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

James Dashner is rapidly becoming another favorite author of mine. I’m currently in the middle of the Maze Runner series, and it’s been awesome so far. While part of the reason I enjoy Dashner’s writing so much is because of the fast pace, I felt at first this book was a tad rushed towards the beginning. But looking back on it now, I realize there was kind of a reason for that.

It was a major thrill-ride once it really got going and had some definite creep factors once they were on The Path. There were some really good spine-tingling moments that made me want to snuggle under a blanket a little. Particularly the hallway with the undead people. Creepy.

And then the ending. Omigosh, THE ENDING.

I shan’t spoil anything for anyone else, but basically the last half of the book made it go from pretty cool to HOLY WOW. If you enjoy futuristic gamer books, this one is a winner for sure. Can’t wait to get my hands on book two.

Kindle Countdown Deal

The downside to being sick is that…well, you’re sick. The bright side (if you’re an author) is that you have lots of time to write and edit and review. So, whilst I was hacking up a lung this last week, I prepared for a promotion on book one. Prince of Light is available in e-book format for just $.99 for the next two days! Price goes up from there to $1.99, so grab it while it’s still cheap.

Check it out!

I’m so excited to share Evanthe’s story, and I’m really pounding away at book two. Believe me, the extra time for rewrites will make it a much better story in the long run. (Oh, Plot Holes, how I despise thee…)

Just to get you a little more excited, I’ve got another character profile. Even though it’s been, like, forever since I posted one. You were just chomping at the bit, right?

Character Profile #3:

Tak Sakaguchi as Yashamaru in Shinobi. I tried to find a better pic, but Google can only take you so far, I guess.

Name: Delanor
Age: Unknown, but has served Prince Celestyn for nearly three centuries.
Gender: Male
Physical Appearance: 5’ 11”, 170 lbs. Shoulder-length, straight black hair, golden eyes, gray-blue skin.
Family: Unknown at this point.
History: Was rescued in by Prince Celestyn when he was very young. He was discovered alone in a village, where he was horribly abused because they feared his powers. He has kept to himself for many centuries, until the arrival of Evanthe made him discover a first real friend.
Any nicknames? The members of the Revenant often refer to him as “Snake-mage” because of his unique features and abilities.
What kind of personality does this character have? He’s an introvert, but very loyal. He is devoted to Prince Celestyn, especially since the death of Prince Vladmyr. Not even his feelings for Evanthe can make him sway from his vow to serve.
Likes: Enjoys training for battle and reading/studying.
Dislikes: Confined spaces.
Greatest fear? That Prince Celestyn might be killed in the same brutal fashion as his brother. A servant with no master has no real home.
Favorite Color(s): Doesn’t have a particular favorite, though his robes are usually dark shades of green, blue and red.
Strengths: Is actually a brilliant tactician when it comes to battle strategy. Is capable of controlling all of the elements and is a master of hand-to-hand combat. Also deadly fighting with a staff.
Weaknesses: He doesn’t allow himself to open up to others. While that has saved him some heartache, it has given him a lifetime of loneliness as well. Evanthe is the first person that he’s ever trusted, apart from Prince Celestyn.
What actor could you picture playing this character? It may come as another surprise to people but I always pictured Delanor with Asian features. I could always imagine Tak Sakaguchi (a Japanese martial artist and actor) playing the part of Delanor, especially after I saw him in the movie Shinobi. With that costume and hair, he could be Delanor easily.

Insurgent

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Boy, this book just jumped in right from the get-go. I can see why some people didn’t like it as well as the first. I even had a hard time remembering who was who, and I was fortunate enough to go pretty much straight from book one to book two. If it had been a year or so in between the two, like it was for some of my friends, it would’ve been a lot harder for me to get back into. That being said, I did appreciate that the author just picked up right where she left off.

The writing was still intense, though it didn’t pack quite the same punch that the first one did. There were a few times in this book that I really wanted to shake Tris out of her funk, but given what she’d experienced, it did seem a realistic reaction. It was just hard to see Tobias endure as much as he did, knowing how he cared for her. She seemed far more selfish in this book, which made it hard to empathize with at times.

Still, the storyline was awesome and the plot has really taken a new turn. I am still eagerly awaiting book three in the series.