Girl In The Woods Reviews: climate change adventure

Showing posts with label climate change adventure. Show all posts

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Blog Tour + Review: IRON PENDULUM by Megan Curd

Hi everyone!!! Today we're one of the tour stops for the Iron Pendulum blog tour! Read on for my full review of the book! Also there will be a giveaway at the end, giving away some delicious prices!

Title: Iron Pendulum (Periodic #2)
Author: Megan Curd
Release Date: 28th August 2014
Publisher: -
Find on: Goodreads

Quick Review: Six months ago, Avery thought the world ended outside Dome Four. Thought she was one of the few of her kind. Thought the war that brought the human race to the brink of extinction was over.

But six months can change everything.

After fighting to escape a tyranny she didn't even know existed, Avery has had to come to grips with all the secrets she's uncovered. But more secrets continue to come to light, revealing how little of her world she truly knew. When evidence starts to show that Dome Four might be under siege, Avery knows what she must do.

Returning to the dome she longed to escape is a challenge for Avery, but now she knows there’s corruption lurking in the shadows. A massive steam shortage leaves half the dome without power, and people are falling ill. Dying.

And they’re blaming Avery.

Six months can change everything. One more month could kill everyone. The clock is ticking.

Detailed Review: <<I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review>>

Iron Pendulum is the long-awaited sequel to Steel Lily. Yes, long-awaited, because I couldn't wait to see what Avery and her friends were going to do to help Dome Four and its inhabitants.

When I was reading, I found myself laughing and smiling one moment and panting the next, and then possibly crying.

The laughing part was mainly from Jaxon and his sharp tongue, as usual. The crying and panting? Well, there definitely wasn't anything funny.

I was ranting about Iron Pendulum to one of my blogger friends, Anna from Enchanted by YA. And this is what I told her.

IRON PENDULUM IS 10 TIMES BETTER THAN THE HUNGER GAMES.

Because if you compare it to The Hunger Games, come on. There is seriously no need to compare. Iron Pendulum was such a good book, and undoubtedly much better than its predecessor too.

Let me justify this statement.

So much betrayal. So much I think I almost died on the spot when I found out who the traitor was. And yes, when you find out who the traitor is, the twists will come. All at once. BOOM BOOM BOOM. Be ready.

And so much tragedy and pain as well. I really felt so much pain for Avery that I wanted to cry, because no fifteen year old, even one destined to be the hope of the people, should experience what she went through. Of course, the characters each had their own part to play in the book and I adored all of them. Even Riggs.

Except some, of course. Like Xander, for example.

And someone who you wouldn't expect to hate when you reach the end.

The story was perfect. I shall leave it at that. That sentence is enough to show what I thought about the book.

And don't worry about the action. There's action already waiting for you in the first chapter, and it builds up to one explosive climax at the end.

As well as one cliffhanger.

My pleasure for giving you this warning.

Brief Review: Iron Pendulum needs to be read by every single dystopian fan, because I believe that it really is the trademark of the dystopian genre. Not only did it speak of hope in its simple but beautiful writing, it spoke of love in its many forms, from family to friends. That, I believe is what every true dystopian book should have, besides an oppressed world searching for hope. Megan Curd did it right and I just want to thank her for writing this sequel so perfectly.

Final Rating: 5/5 (no questions about it! I'd give it a six if I could!) 'Totally Amazing!!!'

QUOTE:

Something Riggs said about trust struck a chord within me,

To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved--- George MacDonald

Your Reviewer:

Here's an excerpt that gets my adrenaline running! If you like it, I urge you to read the whole book! Hint: this happens in the first chapter.

“Jaxon…” I said, trailing off.

“Run.”

Alice’s voice rose in panic. “Jax, what do you mean—”

“When, in the history of the English language, has run ever meant anything other than run?” Jaxon’s every word was laced with tension.

And that’s when I heard them; the feral snarls of what used to be human beings echoing down the tunnel.

Ground Zeroes—or Zeroes, as we’d come to call them since meeting up with the Alliance—the burned army of Xander’s Resistance.

Sari took three steps back before turning on her heel. “I think we should go now.”

We backed up, trying to be as silent as possible in our exit. But then I stepped on the bones of a rat skeleton.

Echoes, then silence, and then it came.

Wild, livid, tortured growls, that shouldn’t come from any human being, rang through the tunnel. The cement shook, and I knew we were done for. There was nowhere to go; nowhere to hide.

LINKS:

Website: http://megancurd.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeganCurd

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/macdizzledoo/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4904383.Megan_Curd

IRON PENDULUM Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17984513-iron-pendulum

ABOUT MEGAN CURD

Megan Curd is a graduate of Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota. While having always enjoyed reading any books she could get her hands on, Megan didn’t begin writing until a friend encouraged her to do so while in college.

When not writing, Megan enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Photography, traveling and snowboarding are hobbies she loves, and she doesn’t turn down the opportunity to play xBox with her brother and friends when it presents itself.

Megan currently resides in Ohio with her husband and son, where she is trying to convert them into Buckeye fans.

This blog tour is hosted by:

8/30 Rafflecopter ($5 gift card to choice of Starbucks or iTunes + ecopy of Steel Lily):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ARC Review: Paradigm by Ceri A. Lowe

Title: Paradigm (Paradigm #1)
Author: Ceri A. Lowe
Release Date: 13th June 2014
Publisher: Bookouture
Find on: Goodreads

Quick Review: What if the end of the world was just the beginning?

Alice Davenport awakens from a fever to find her mother gone and the city she lives in ravaged by storms – with few survivors.

When Alice is finally rescued, she is taken to a huge underground bunker owned by the mysterious Paradigm Industries. As the storms worsen, the hatches close.

87 years later, amidst the ruins of London, the survivors of the Storms have reinvented society. The Model maintains a perfect balance – with inhabitants routinely frozen until they are needed by the Industry.

Fifteen-year-old Carter Warren knows his time has come. Awoken from the catacombs as a contender for the role of Controller General, it is his destiny to succeed – where his parents failed.

But Carter soon discovers that the world has changed, in ways that make him begin to question everything that he believes in. As Carter is forced to fight for those he loves and even for his life, it seems that the key to the future lies in the secrets of the past...

Detailed Review: *I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

How do I even start? This book was just soooo good!

Of course, I need to elaborate because many books I've read lately have been really good right?

Let us start with the concept. Think Divergent but without any factions. That's what this book is all about. It's also about a post-apocalyptic world, but the author decided to twist it slightly. She focused on two important times: when the apocalypse happened, and 87 years after the apocalypse.

I always thought the author's point had been to contrast between both times, but as I reached the ending, I realised it was way more than that, resulting in one huge twist, and yes, one huge cliffhanger.

Because Alice and Carter are connected in the most twisted and unimaginable way ever.

Because if Alice wasn't there during the Apocalypse happened, Carter wouldn't even exist.

That's enough said.

Then, there had to be the characters. We all know that characters are important in a book, and it wouldn't do to just have an awesome story with bad characters.

So, were they good?

Absolutely. They each stood out from each other, with something marking each one of them from the rest.

Main characters like Alice and Carter, were definitely heroes in their times. Alice was the first Scout to go out in the post-apocalyptic world. And Carter was the first to ever think out of the box and rescue his Community.

And with each hero, there has to be a villain.

The problem is, they don't appear at the very end. Another twist for you.

Those of you also looking out for romance, there is a little bit of it in both Alice and Carter's times, but they're not the heavy type.

But again, let's not focus on the romance. Let's just look at the story and characters.

What I found lacking was a just a little bit of originality. All I could think of was how similar Paradigm was with Divergent. Even the cover got me thinking, Divergent. I could almost feel that the very first ideas for this story stemmed from this famous post-apocalyptic book.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

However, despite that flaw, I urge you to read it, especially fans of Divergent, because I still liked it in the end.

Brief Review: I was definitely not disappointed in terms of the story and characters and twists. I just wished that a bit more original ideas went into it, although some ideas did seem fresh enough. Overall, I would say that Paradigm is a great debut for fans of dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels!

Final Rating: 4.5/5 'Really Liked It!'

QUOTE:

Your Reviewer:

ARC Review: From The Indie Side by ...

Title: From The Indie Side

Author(s): Michael Bunker, Sara Foster, Hugh Howey, Peter Cawdron, Jason Gurley, Ernie Lindsey, Kate Danley, Mel Hearse, Susan May, Anne Frasier, Kev Heritage and Brian Spangler

Release Date: 1st February 2014

Publisher: From The Indie Side Publishing

Find on: Goodreads

Quick Review: "From the Indie Side" is an exciting global anthology of short stories from award-winning independent authors. Including a wonderful story and foreword by HUGH HOWEY, New York Times bestselling author of Wool.

"When I read indie fiction, authenticity oozes from the page. Sample some unique and talented voices... sit back and enjoy the ride." Hugh Howey

"...it is a great book. It is one that you will want laying in the stack next to your bed or chair or sofa or desk - wherever you read - because you will want to read it over and over throughout the years." Michael Bunker, bestselling Amazon author of Wick and Kindle Worlds bestsellers.

Love, Loss, Courage, Hubris, REBELLION.

A man who remembers the future and a veteran haunted by his past. A witch ignorant of her powers and a vampire achingly aware of his emptiness. An unmaimed man, a cursed queen, a troubled marriage, a family just trying to survive.

From an abandoned convent to a Martian classroom, an open-mic reading to a New Mexico mountaintop, these fantastical and imaginative tales will take you on a journey through impossible worlds, all-too-possible futures, and disquieting glimpses into the other side of reality.

Detailed Review: < ARC review received from the author(s) themselves >

I think the book was newly established form factor and I would say it would intrigue, inspire and puzzle many people who has read these stories. It's very interesting because I have read quite a few books similar to this type of form. Therefore I find this book and its stories are quite exciting.

THE WINTER LANDS by Jason Gurley; A story about great courage and commitment. It's about a man who is called Jonathan Froestt; he lives a simple life in a small retirement apartment and he owns a small bookstore that is about to be demolished. During his lifetime, he has dedicated all his resources into developing a book.

Jason Gurley (the author) has written such a significant and touching story that made me feel puzzled. It's probably because of the story within the story; a simple paradox that was effective enough to get me thinking.

However the saddest part that I found while reading this book was that in the end of the story, he never gets to publish the book and gets driven in a ambulance. Well, you could only guess what happens next...

GOING GRAY by Brian Spangler; I found the second story intriguing and it showed me we can't control nature. The story is kinda plain however it developed a show of emotions and created an atmosphere about how technology can destroy or save us.

Brian Spangler (author)'s style of writing is very in-depth and mysterious. It makes the readers wonder what comes next. I like how in the end they left a character called Emily and her brother in the shopping mall and leaving a cliffhanger. It definitely creates this situation about a sudden pause between the story and its writer.

QUEEN JOANNA by Kate Danley; The style of Kate Danley's (author's) story was written with this dark and murky kind of atmosphere. The era of the story is set during the historical time of englishmen and their suits. The story mentioned about Bloody Queen Mary where she returns as a spirit to haunt Joanna.

The story was quite dark and had this fearful atmosphere here and there. It made me think about the characters as demented souls. They were created deeply in thought. Completely devoid of love and fearful of death, Danley (author) actually had me interested with the cunning story.

MOUTH BREATHERS by Hugh Howey; The scene is set where there is boy named Cort and he is from earth. One day he had to go to mars to live there. There is no explanation why he had to go there and it starts from some random day. However on that random day he meets a girl who i suspect he now likes.

Hugh Howey has written this in such a boring manner (SORRY) it basically talks about this boy in a school in mars that falls for this girl while he was playing with robots? Then he is in a car where he is talking to his mother that constantly checks on him throughout the day. I'm very sorry but this story had no purpose and lead to nowhere. It's interesting in the fact that it was set on mars and he explained how he had to breath but if it was set on theoretical earth it would just be any other day. Needs improvement.

THE MAN WITH TWO LEGS by Ernie Lindsey; The Man With Two Legs was by far the most action-packed story and one of the most interesting story in this book. I've read this short story twice- because sometimes I didn't get where the story was going but it was one of the best page turners in my case. It made me think; this story, how being whole and perfect makes people with less envy. There was one major part of the story that made absolutely no sense and was not explained:

Why did this government take away a leg? For every single citizen?

Other than that everything was very good, I liked how the daughter of the head of security would destroy and plant a bomb in the main building and when Rowan turned sides; that really surprised me in every imaginable way because I saw Rowan as that saviour, the man who was the guardian angel of the chosen one or something of the sort. Overall in the end when the daughter (Meredith) of the head of security went to visit Cray (Main Character) and showed him her scars, it felt weird i didn't know if she wither hated the real world or loved it. She got scars and a destroyed ear yet she seemed so calm. Thats what i loved about this story. It leaves the wondering to you.

CIPHER by Sara Foster; Cipher is an amazing story about courage, innocence and stupidity. I loved it. Even if it somewhat made no sense that there was some random ex-military guy who had access to a bomb large and destructive enough to cause an EMP attack. A bomb that large is on the scale of a nuclear bomb. Thats the only thing that was weird about this story, but putting aside that fact, the story might have been somewhat possible. Everything explained itself and everything came up to par with my standards. When she traveled to her dad's house though and she couldn't find her way back? That was really dumb of her. But it is a story and as a story, i loved it. simply not possible but as a story, one of the best.

MADE OF STARS by Anne Fraiser; This is the most beautiful short-story I have ever read in my entire life. Stories like this have been attempted before but this is by far the best I've read, never has such a story been incorporated into such a short story. Most stories that go along these lines usually are in books a thousand pages long. The fall, the chase, the heartache. How she describes what happens is so touching, it made me tear up. It talks about an immortal who has alove story with a mortal. I rarely like these kind of stories but this story really made me wonder whether in real life, is it possible? Everyday in our lives we past strangers who we feel we know and we sometimes feel what Lila has felt. A story like this can change a person, show them an insight into such a deep and meaningful subject.

The story is so fragile yet it can create a sense of pity for the immortal how he tries to love her but cannot, watch how she grows old and such. I don't want to destroy the story or spoil it. Pick up the book and read it. It may break you or make you.

GYRE ~ WITCHERY by Kev Heritage; This story will intrigue you. At first i thought it was going to be some common story about the future and blah bla bla, but instead what i got was something much more different. I got a story that talked about what if the human race evolved into something so much more, something that alienated humankind and changed us. People usually associate the future to be full of technical advances, a perfect society that overpopulates and cannot sustain itself. Well, This story fits the fact that it is really over populated until they take over other galaxies. However it seems as if technology has maybe moved backwards for humans. Interesting. find his writing extremely effective and definitely good. The story is good and you should pick up the book to read this short story yourself. I don't think my words could describe the originality of this piece. So common but yet the way he wrote it made it uncommon. Something more special.

THE WAR VETERAN by Susan May; She never explained whether it was real. It was so unbelievably cool the way she described it. Susan May of course. She's one of the best writers in this book. Not the best but one of them. I loved this story, it made me feel that people can have courage, that cowards can change, even i can change. Never have i ever felt such an experience of war but this story was so immersive, i could feel the main character talking to me, it was an unrealistically amazing moment. The exhilaration and the emotions. The ending. All of it came toghether so well when the veteran sees the person and finally is able to hear what he really said. This story could be one of the best in the book. Just with the emotional wreckage war can display.

THE GREATER GOOD by Mel Hearse; This story is extremely hard to describe using my own words. Its so good, I don't really know how to explain it. The piece should be judged as you, as the reader should well, read it for yourself because reading this story will decide and help you understand. It's something that can't be told but can be read and experienced for yourself.

I guess the story had felt fundamentally fulfilling that you gotta read it for yourself!

REDOUBT by Michael Bunker; This was a short story, straight to the point but effective in english. I actually found this a tad bit boring, honestly I kept feeling like something was supposed to happen but nothing really did. It was a page turner, no doubt but i feel there was too much suspense until it felt saturized, by the end when they parted, I didn't feel much for this story.

THE MAN WHO REMEMBERED TODAY by Peter Cawdron; When people say "let's save the best for last" I do believe that phrase works here. This was the best short story in the book, hands down. I loved it so much I read it a countless amount of times hoping for it never to stop. This is the ultimate story I've ever read. Never missing out and providing the reader the amount of excitement he needs. THIS CANNOT BE REVIEWED. It's honestly one of the best short stories out there.

Brief Review: Pick the book up! It has the most diverse collection of short indie stories! It's a collection about beauty, love, darkness and destruction that combines into a anthology of priceless pieces.

Final Rating: 4/5 "Liked it!"

QUOTE:

'It is only in the world of objects that we have time and space and selves.'

~ T. S. Elliot

ARC Review: Blue Into The Rip by Kev Heritage

Title: Blue Into The Rip
Author: Kev Heritage
Buy Link:

SCROLL DOWN For LINKS

Length: 76,000 words
Release Date: 5th November 2013

Quick Review:

Blue didn’t want to be in the future

...they didn’t want him there either.

A Rip in the fabric of time, a far-flung globally warmed future, a flooded Earth and the only remainder of civilisation - a militaristic organisation living underneath ‘Desert Amazon’…

Getting back home to rescue his little sister Annie was the only thing that mattered to messed up, mixed race teenager, Blue (named after his stupid, googly blue eyes) - and that was the problem – home was over four hundred years in the past.

Ripped forwards in time from his odd hippy parents, their peculiar house and his lonely school life, Blue had only one thing on his mind: return. But how does a lowly cadet in a militaristic Academy living in a globally warmed post-apocalyptic future achieve such a goal, especially with the distractions of girls, pilot training, spacewalks and his almost constant unpopularity?

The more Blue found out about this flooded, gung-ho annoying future, about himself - who and what he was (was he even human?) - and the equally disturbing and shocking truth about his ‘parents’ - the more he realised getting home was the only solution. Wasn’t it?

If Blue knew one thing, it was that he would at least try.

Detailed Review: << review copy received from the author himself >>

I really LOVE this book!

It was an amazing read and Kev Heritage's writing is superb and unique. When I read this book, I was totally blown away from the first line till the end. The story is about a boy called John"Blue"Smith who is a gangly, big blue-eyed teen who has hippy-terrorist parents and a cute little sister called Annie, who gets pulled into a time rip where he ends up in the future. There he learns about militarism and the meaning of true friendship.

I really enjoyed this book. Heritage's writing is full of potential and notable and I really love the characters' sarcasm. The story was really funny and so were the characters, however there were times when the story became quite serious but there's always this sarcastic atmosphere oozing from the plot.

I guess, that's why it kept me reading and on the edge of my seat whenever a new chapter arrives on the next page. There were these twists which kept me confused too! Since the story was written in different peoples' POVs (though most of the time it's Blue) I was pulled here and there through the story because sometimes the story went back to the past, then the future and then to the present so it kinda went here and there.

But...

What can I say? Heritage's style of writing is inventive and original, I feel that if you ever read this or give it a chance, you'll not regret it!

BLUE; personally, I think he's such a stuck up kid sometimes and other times he's a total nice guy. But other times? He worries too much but he has a hilarious personality and yet an attitude you may find annoying (you'll get over it soon, eventually).

I definitely recommend this book to sci-fi adventure readers!!! It's a book you don't want to miss :)

Don't forget to check out the second instalment, BLUE INTO THE PLANET!

Brief Review: Blue Into The Rip is a futuristic dystopian world set in the future with creatures from space, a militarised setting and a boy who just wants to go home, that will start an adventure of a lifetime. Kev Heritage's writing is detailed and competent as well as exciting. This will definitely catch the attention of sci-fi fanatic readers!

My Rating: 5/5 "Totally Amazing!"