Lexicon by Max Barry

Title: Lexicon
Author: Max Barry
Genre: Thriller/Science Fiction/Fantasy

Maturity Rating: 13+
*Graphic scenes, but more than manageable for high level teen readers*
Overall Rating:

My Quickie Synopsis: Wil Jamieson finds himself in the center of a war that he cannot comprehend; there are people who can wield words as weapons, bending the world around them to their will. Caught in a tug of war between the two factions, Wil must fight to survive and uncover his hidden past before it's too late.

Enjoyment Factor: 

This is one of those books that grabs you by the collar on the very first page and dares you to look away. It's pretty balls-to-the-wall from the get go. It's uncomfortable. It's fantastic. It's bizarre. It's thought-provoking. There's a reason why the likes of TIME Magazine and NPR are shouting its high praises as one of the best reads from 2013. And yes, I know. It's 2014, but that doesn't make this book any less stellar. You know how in high school, or college (if you took certain liberal arts courses) you had to read books and write book reports? Yeah, this is a book that makes me want to write a book report. There's so much to discuss and I'm already having a hard time not jumping right into any highfalutin BS that you didn't come here to read. The premise is extraordinarily smart and edgy and it makes sense. Words have always held power, but their power is much more immediate and tangible in Mr. Barry's imagined world.

Start to think about why words, even images, affect you the way that they do.

But let's step aside from the intellectual side of Lexicon for a moment, shall we? I want to point out that Mr. Barry presents a highly entertaining read. You don't have to dig deeper to find the "greater meaning" of the book to enjoy it. It's an action-packed roller coaster ride of adventure and even if you only give it a surface read, it more than blows away most expectations for a good sci-fi thriller.

Technical Rating: 

Character Building:
I am not entirely certain how I feel about the main characters. I'm not sure whether my indecision is due to weak development, or just a general sense of unease about their attributes. That being said, the reason why I ultimately downgraded this particular rating had nothing to do with the protagonist(s) of the tale. The antagonist felt grossly glossed over. The announcement of the villain felt underwhelming in many ways, and truth be told, it detracted from the story.

Plot Strength:
For the most part (I'm talking a solid majority kind of part) I loved the plot. However, there are a lot of vague concepts that are never fully explained. I'm going to go ahead and say that the fuzzy "what the what?" feelings that Lexicon provides are purposeful; I think one of the main points to the tale is that you'll never fully understand every how or every why. Just like it's nearly impossible to wrap your mind around the why and the how of words affecting people the way that they do. Sure, you can give a technical explanation by going into the details of the brain and its mechanics, but after a certain level, you'll be left grasping at straws. Anyway, I'm starting to get into that highfalutin BS I promised I wouldn't get into, so let me just say why I didn't give this category a full star: the ending. It's such a cop-out! I actually felt a little shortchanged. Here I was, completely invested in what was going on, even though at times the story crumbled under its own weight. And then, BAM! A watered down ending that felt like Mr. Barry just wanted to be done with writing.

Sincerity:
Terrible ending aside, I think the sincerity was spot on. The way the plot was set up, I could see the events as having plausibility. And the characters felt like they belonged in that crazy world with their super secret war raging.

Editing/Writing:
I caught a couple of strange typos, but I'm going to chalk it up to E-book conversion. 
By the way, I haven't made any serious note about this, but I do generally read books in some kind of e-book format. At the moment it's just the more economically sound decision!

Pacing:
As I said before, Lexicon was a roller coaster ride, and the pacing reflected that. It picked up where it needed to and slowed down when it was appropriate for the tone of the events.

My Icing on Top:
So this review had been finished. And then it didn't save properly and I lost about half of it; I just can't catch a freaking break! I do feel slightly bad about getting back to re-writing it so long after the fact, but I owe you all quite a few reviews at this point! Anyway, go read Lexicon if you're looking for your summer fix. It's an intelligent story that will have you glued to the pages (or screen) until the very end. And if you're the type that likes to discuss the deeper meanings of books, hit me up! I'd love to discuss this with you :)

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

Happy reading!

-K

The Atlantis Gene (The Origin Mystery #1) by A.G. Riddle

Title: The Atlantis Gene
Series: The Origin Mystery #1
Author: A.G. Riddle
Genre: Thriller/Science Fiction

Maturity Level: 13+
Some mildly graphic scenes of violence, but an okay read for an advanced teen reader
Overall Rating:

My Quickie Synopsis: The secrets of the origin of modern day humans are closer than ever to being revealed, but the world may be unprepared for the consequences of that knowledge. David Vale, an international intelligence agent, and Dr. Kate Warner, a lead genetic researcher, must pair up to defeat a centuries old organization before they doom humanity.

Enjoyment Factor:
I was teetering between the 2 star and 3 star mark, but I gave in to the three stars because this really is a very entertaining read. However, it's a very exhausting read. The chapters jump so fast back and forth to different locales and different characters that it'll make your head spin.

Trying to navigate the story was quite an undertaking!

It takes some getting used to, but it does make sense in terms of what Mr. Riddle presented as the plot line. I'm not entirely sure whether I want to read the second book, simply because The Atlantis Gene wiped me out. I feel tired after completing it, and I'm not sure how soon I want to zap my energy again.



Technical Rating:
Character Building:
The main heroes are explored adequately, but I think overall, character building came across as fragmented due to the constant shifting of focus. For a while, I didn't even have a clear image of what the main characters even looked like because they don't have memorable descriptions. It's not the worst offense in the world, but it is something that Mr. Riddle can address.

Plot Strength:
Again, the constant shifting is a problem here. The plot is fine, but it can be hard to follow at first because there's really no clear sense of what the story is actually about. You can't just pick up this story without reading the book cover first because it takes a while for the book to start coming together.

Sincerity:
The Atlantis Gene is a well thought out conspiracy theory story from an author who clearly did a lot of research. Some of the plot elements are a little far-fetched, but that's what you get with over-the-top super action-packed thrillers most of the time. But, everything is plausible within the world Mr. Riddle built.

Editing:
No one can fault Mr. Riddle when it comes to the editing of his grammatical structures, however, I think that editing should have included the flow of the overall story.

Pacing:
The pacing in the story is choppy at best. It strives to be so fast-paced, that at times the plot trips over itself.

My Icing on Top:
On the bright side, I think that the plot is intriguing enough, which in the end, counts for a lot. I'm not going to say that I think it's entirely original; conspiracies surrounding origin and the like have been around for quite some time, and I can't say that I'm entirely "WOW"ed by the theory presented. But I didn't drop the book. Mr. Riddle provides a story that is compelling in its own right and he does explore some thought-provoking aspects of humanity. This is his first book, so perhaps the story-line will come together more for him in his following books.

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

Happy reading!

-K

The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner #1) by James Dashner

Title: The Maze Runner
Series: The Maze Runner #1
Author: James Dashner
Genre: Young Adult/Dystopia/Science Fiction

Maturity Rating: 13+
*WARNING*: SOME POTENTIALLY NIGHTMARE-INDUCING ELEMENTS
Overall Rating:

My Quickie Synopsis: Thomas finds himself thrust into a group of all boys who, like himself, can't remember anything other than their first names. If that weren't terrifying enough, their group is enclosed by mountainous walls that lead into a labyrinth, which seems to have no rhyme or reason. Then the first girl ever arrives, signaling that things are about to change. And it may not be for the better.

Initial Rating:
My Initial Response: "The night is dark and full of terrors!" Isn't that from Game of Thrones? No matter; it suits this book perfectly. I started this series when I was craving something akin to The Hunger Games, and I was not disappointed. The Maze Runner is a highly imaginative tale that will keep you up at night with it's fast paced writing and gripping story. As a side note, when I was looking for the image of the book cover, I came across fan art of the Grievers (one of those terrors of the book); it was absolutely incredible how real the images were to me. It goes to show what great descriptions that Mr. Dashner provides, because the images that these artists rendered looked exactly like the ones that filled my head while I was reading the novel. Truly terrifying.

The Grievers are way too creepy for their own good

Terrifying or not though, I could not put this book down. I remember talking to my boyfriend about it as I read it (a very bad habit of mine), and he was just as enthralled by the story as I was. And that was from my rambling second-hand account! The one reason why I can't give this a full five stars is because of how detached everything seems at times. There's a disconnect between the story and the readers due to a culmination of flat points.
I wasn't entirely sure where they were going with the overall plot because some of the mystery elements were a little dragged out; but, I can't say that I was surprised by the ending epilogue. Call me a cynic or just a generally desensitized person, but I could see this plot line playing out in an alternate future.

Technical Rating:
Character Building:
You know that board on Craigslist about missed connections? For some reason, that's all that comes to mind when trying to think of an adequate way to talk about Mr. Dashner's character building. There was a lot of initial spark, but the story sometimes had a way of trampling on character development. The plot had to move on, so some relationships ended up a bit neglected. At the very least, the foundation for the main characters was set.

Plot Strength:
The more that I consider the plot, the more that I realize that there were times when it was inconsistent. As you're reading it, it's easy to chalk up any plot holes as actual plot devices to keep you reading. After all, there is an air of mystery surrounding The Maze Runner. So what if a few things don't completely add up? In addition, this is a part of a trilogy, and some authors are known to throw in a lot of red herrings until the very end of the series. But, it can't be denied that this plot could have been a lot stronger if it made a bit more sense overall.

Sincerity:
Again, the lower rating is because of some of the flat spots within the writing. It's hard for me to elaborate on this without giving away anything, but suffice it to say, Mr. Dashner has the potential to improve this area in his next books.

Editing:
I didn't find any editing problems in The Maze Runner. I didn't particularly always like the new slang that Mr. Dashner came up with, but it works in terms of the setting that he built.

Pacing:
The Maze Runner probably would have benefited from slowing down slightly. Just as I stated with character building, sometimes it felt like Mr. Dashner was simply in a hurry to move the plot forward at certain times, and other elements of the story suffered. A mistake that I'm beginning to see for a lot of authors is the idea that a story has to be the same pace at all times; it doesn't. In that sense, I'd compare a story to that of a musical selection; not all music carries the same tempo throughout, and usually those are the most compelling pieces of art.

My Icing on Top:
If you're just catching on to the wave of The Maze Runner, you have impeccable timing! This series is set to be made into movies, the first of which is set to release in September, 2014. I sincerely hope that it sees better success than some of the other flops that have hit the screens lately, like Beautiful Creatures and The Mortal Instruments. Movies aside, however, I think that this series is worth looking into if you like the dystopian, young adult genre. I recommend it even more so to those who are tired of insta-love syndromes and overbearing romantic notions that saturate the young adult market at the moment. Just my two cents!

Before I sign off, I'd like to point out that I am having issues giving technical ratings without spoiling the story! I guarantee it will be something I'll be able to better address, however, when I have my website up and running.

Until then, happy reading!

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

-K

Darkness Falls (Reveler #1) by Erin Kellison

Title: Darkness Falls
Series: Reveler #1
Author: Erin Kellison
Genre: Adult/Urban Fantasy/Romance/Science Fiction

Age Recommendation: 17+
*WARNING*: VERY GRAPHIC SCENES
Overall Rating:

My Quickie Synopsis: Lucid dreams are now all the rage, but Jordan Lane isn't convinced that it deserves the hype. She is eventually cornered by her sister into trying lucid dreaming at a host party, where she meets the handsome and mysterious Malcolm Rook. Together they find pleasure beyond their wildest dreams, but also find terror rooted deeply within the shadows of their nightmares.

Initial Rating:

My Initial Response: Again, this comes from the anthology that I've been reading over the past week. It's called Dark and Deadly: Eight Paranormal Bad Boys of Romance. Click the link to buy it from Amazon; it's still only $0.99, so it's quite the steal! Anyway, this was a nice surprise. This is the first time I've read anything by Ms. Kellison and I enjoyed all eight chapters of Darkness Falls. Yep, you read that right. It's only eight chapters, but quite a bit can happen in such a short span! This is the main reason why I have to say hats off to Ms. Kellison. Somehow she built a complete world, full of rich characters and an intriguing plot line, within a few keystrokes (or penstrokes, if you will). Not an easy feat, by any means!

What I imagine the Reve island to feel like. So peaceful!

One of the other reasons why I'm rating this as a four is because she actually left me wanting for more. As I've said before, I don't like novellas; they are generally lacking in multiple areas that are important to me. But! I am slowly warming up to the idea of reading more novellas, and Darkness Falls has a lot to do with that. The first thing I did after I finished reading it was to check to see if the next book was already out. Color me surprised when I found out that it didn't center on Malcolm and Jordan. Very disappointed! However, upon checking again just now (just to make sure!), it looks like all information about the story has been pulled, so who knows what's in store. If you do end up purchasing the anthology, there is a snippet from the supposed next book Lay Me Down, and you'll see what I mean about it being centered on other characters.

Technical Rating: 

Character Building: 
It's interesting to me that Ms. Kellison was able to build her characters so well in such a short span when other established authors struggle to give life to their characters with twice, three times, four times, the span of what Ms. Kellison used. Not only do you connect with her main characters, but you develop a connection to some of the supporting characters as well.

Plot Strength:
There are a couple of glaring holes that cannot be ignored; however, a lot of them have to do with the overall series' plot from what I understand, so my assumption is that they will be answered as Ms. Kellison moves through the series. But, the ending was extraordinarily abrupt, and not in a good, "edge of your seat," what-a-cliffhanger sort of way.

Sincerity:
The only thing that really threw me was how quickly Jordan accepted everything. It makes sense if you think about it overly much, but I think that in this case, it was only done to save page space. Other than that, the world feels genuine and the plot seems organic.

Editing:
Full star!

Pacing:
This novella is very fast-paced, but it has to be for the amount of material that it covers. It works well with the plot though, because it makes it an action-packed thriller of sorts. Would I necessarily say that this fits in the thriller genre? Not so much. But, it is a thrilling read!

My Icing on Top:
I like this author! It actually had story to it and it wasn't just about the romance. Actually, even if you took the romance angle out of it, it would still be a highly entertaining read. There's really only one scene of steaminess, and it doesn't take up 75% of the book. Sorry, I'm still disappointed about the last couple of romp-fest novellas I forced down. I would love it if Ms. Kellison took these ideas and expanded them into a full-length novel, but as it stands now I think she's going to stick with a novella series. Only time will tell, though! If you're looking for a romance story but want something that has a well-thought out plot that doesn't heavily rely on the romance, pick up Darkness Falls!

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

Happy reading!

-K

World After (Penryn & the End of Days #2) by Susan Ee

Title: World After
Series: Penryn & the End of Days #2
Author: Susan Ee
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal/Young Adult/Romance/Science Fiction

Maturity Rating: 13+
Initial Rating: 3/5
Technical Rating: 4/5

My Quickie Synopsis: Penryn finally has the family back together again, but things go awry when Paige slips away after a terrible massacre at their new home base. Penryn and her mother, desperate to not lose Paige again, attempt to find her, but find trouble instead.
Raffe isn't having much luck of his own, as he tries to recover his wings and exact revenge on the angels that took them.

My Initial Response: It's always bad when you attempt to write a synopsis and you struggle to articulate the point of the book. And then, when you come up with something that sounds right, it mimics the point of the first book of the series. What is that all about? I wanted to rate this book higher, if only because the writing seems to have slightly improved. Apparently, this book is longer than the first one, but I actually didn't take issue with finishing it. It's still choppy in its structure sometimes, but it was bearable. So that must count for something, right?

Really? The same basic plot twice?

Turns out, I still only felt the mildest twinge of interest for this book. Why, you ask? Well, nothing really happens in the story. You get a little bit of background on Raffe, and you find out what happened to Paige and even uncover what Uriel is trying to do. But by the end of the book, it doesn't feel like there was any stride forward within the overall plot. All the information that was provided simply creates a better foundation, but it doesn't magically create the house as well. The series darn well should be called "The Hunt for Paige and Raffe's Wings" because that's all there is to it at the moment. The main characters are so focused on those elements alone, that everything else might as well be window dressing. Locusts? Yeah, they are bothersome, but I need to get to Paige. Angels seeking an Apocalypse? Oh, that is worrisome, but I need to get my wings. It was fine for the first book, but to rehash the same thing in the second book makes the series start to feel repetitive. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how hooked you are), the next book isn't slated to drop until 2015, so that gives me plenty of time to possibly let the series grow on me. I wouldn't hold my breath though.

Character Building: 1/1
I'm glad that we got a little more insight into Raffe's character. I'm also glad that there was a little bit of growth in the relationship between Penryn and Raffe. However, right now, my favorite character is Paige. Ms. Ee is taking her in quite an interesting direction, and I hope that her character is explored more in the coming book. Overall, I'm not sure if the character building evolved as much as I would have liked, but it was still on par with what she created in the last book, so a full point for that!

Plot Strength: 0.5/1
There is a very rude part of me that wants to give this a big fat zero. But, I'm not without heart. I think that Ms. Ee used this book as a means of creating some of the foundation that she probably should have had for the first book. But nothing really happens in the story. It seems like an updated re-run of the first story. You learn some tidbits here and there, but it doesn't lead up to anything, really. The ending was middling to fair. There was a big, heavy, action-filled moment and then...nothing?! It fades off abruptly and that's it. That's the end. It's definitely weaker than the ending of the first book in the series.

Sincerity: 0.5/1
There was some improvement here! I started caring just the slightest as to what was happening to the characters and what was going to happen next. The story felt a bit more genuine and the writing came together a bit better than it did with the last book. However, it still needs polish.

Editing: 1/1
Nothing really to add here; the editing was fine.

Pacing: 1/1
I felt a bit more locked into the story and it never felt like the pacing was lagging behind. If anything, perhaps there were times when the pace was a little too fast for the story; but, just as with Angelfall, these flaws didn't detract from the story overall.

My Icing on Top:
It seems like Ms. Ee is getting a better grasp on her writing style, but I think that her plot could use some work. If the Paige/wings plot somehow repeats itself in the next book, I just might lose my mind. Well, at the very least, I'd be hesitant to complete the series. I really am rooting for the series to get better, because it does have the potential. Part of me is glad that the third book in the series doesn't come out for a while, because I really don't want to be disappointed again so soon. Is that mean of me? Yeah, probably. But I have to have a healthy does of skepticism in with my optimism :) If you've already read Angelfall, you might as well continue on with World After. It isn't necessarily better, but it isn't worse either. If you haven't started the series at all yet, you may just want to let this sit on the back burner for a while until the majority of the books are out. Just my two cents!

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

Happy reading!

-K

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee

Title: Angelfall
Series: Penryn & the End of Days #1
Author: Susan Ee
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal/Young Adult/Science Fiction

Maturity Rating: 13+
Initial Rating: 3/5
Technical Rating: 4/5

My Quickie Synopsis: Angels have descended upon Earth and they aren't particularly friendly. When Penryn's sister is snatched away by the winged predators, she makes an unlikely alliance with Raffe, an angel who brutally had his wings removed. Together the pair trek to the nearest angels' home base; Raffe goes with the hope of saving his wings while Penryn simply wants to rescue her sister. But the journey is rife with danger at every turn, with unimaginable horrors terrorizing the streets. Even if she makes it to the stronghold, there's no guarantee that Penryn will ever see her sister again; but, in a world full of desolation and darkness, it's a chance she has to take.

My Initial Response: I struggled to finish this book. Everything about the story screams that it's something that I should love, so I feel bad for not adoring it. everything, or some of the plot elements, but something about it was really off-putting.

Something is definitely suspicious here

 And for those who claim that this is a romance book?<rant> Get over yourselves, please. There are maybe two hints of romance going on here and that's it. I can understand that perhaps that's where the series is heading, but it's not there yet! So stop putting this as a romance! If a guy simply looks at you or even hugs you, it does NOT mean he wants to love you forever and ever. That being said, yes, I know, the ending. But come on! It's not a romance, it simply has the slightest bud of one. <end rant> When I started this book, I made the mistake that I always make; I didn't check to see how many books were in the series or if they were all out yet. If there's one thing that can kill a series for me, it's having to wait overly long for the conclusion. Don't get me wrong, though; I started Harry Potter in the 5th grade and stuck it out until I was a senior in High School. Reading like that can be a very frustrating commitment. At best, you can't get the story out of your head and you crave the next book until it's released. At worst, you slowly start forgetting the story, and by the time the book comes out, you're not sure if you care enough to finish it. For each series that falls into the former, there are about a dozen more that fall into the latter. Is it unfair to an author who had a pretty good story going? Absolutely. It's why I try not to read a series until it's finished. My point here is that because I'm already squarely on the fence with the series, I'm not sure I'll finish it in the long run. And that kind of makes me sad. Overall, Ms. Ee is set to release five books in this series, with two of them already out. The third book is slated to drop in 2015. So just keep that in mind!

There's just something so incredibly dry with the writing that I couldn't read more than a few chapters at a time before focusing my attention elsewhere. I'm not sure if it was the tense that it was written in (first-person present), or the clinical descriptions of

Character Building: 1/1
It's kind of hard to believe that Penryn is only 17 years old. She makes references to high school a couple of times, but other than that, she just doesn't seem that young. I'm going to go ahead and say that it's because of how she grew up, but don't be surprised if you catch yourself thinking that she's older. Honestly, I can't say for sure if Ms. Ee did this on purpose or not though, so I'm not going to knock it. Raffe is an interesting character as well. It's a little difficult to get a proper read on him, but that's only because the book is written in Penryn's voice. Not much you can do there except to learn about him through her eyes. There is a veil of mystery surrounding almost all of the characters, but in this case, I don't think it's a sign of weak character building.

Plot Strength: 0.5/1
Ah, the plot. I know that Ms. Ee has a full series to build up, and I understand that it's normal to not have everything laid out in black and white in the first book. However, almost nothing is said about what exactly happened during the first six weeks of the apocalypse and it leaves you feeling slightly detached from the story. And it's not just that; there's a great majority of background information that's left out. When you build such a complex setting and pair it with an intricate plot, you've got to give it a stable foundation to stand on. A good background is usually a part of that foundation. And then there's the ending. If you read it, you'll understand. Something there just didn't add up.

Sincerity: 0.5/1
My main problem with this book is how flat the writing was at times. There are a lot of exciting scenes, but I never felt as if I was on the edge of my seat. The descriptions, although well-articulated, felt lukewarm. The disconnect comes from Ms. Ee doing a great deal of telling instead of showing. It's such a fine line to walk, but it can affect the feel of the entire book.

Editing: 1/1
The editing was great-nothing out of the ordinary.

Pacing: 1/1
I do think that at times the story was dragged out. But only in a select few spots. Overall it wasn't bad. The pacing was appropriate for the plot.

My Icing on Top:
My sincerest hope is that the series will evolve with each new book. The story line could be incredible, the characters have raw potential and the author seems to have the ability to give me one of my favorite series of all time, but it all just needs a little bit more push to it. It may just be that I should re-read it at some point in the future; there has to be a good reason why a great majority of reviews (especially from some of my most trusted sources) are so overwhelmingly ecstatic. But for now, if you're looking for a new angel series to start, I would suggest reading The Premonition series by Amy Bartol first. I am head over heels in love with this lady and her books, and her foray into the genre feels a lot more genuine than Angelfall. But, if you can handle intense first-person present writing, and love angel stories anyway, go ahead and give this a try. I'm not making any promises, but considering the rave reviews, chances are you'll like it.

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

Happy reading!

-Keana