Stephanie's books

Clockwork Angel
Eragon
City of Bones
Twilight
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Golden Compass
Night World, No. 2
Thirst No. 2: Phantom, Evil Thirst, and Creatures of Forever
Thirst No. 3: The Eternal Dawn
The Iron Daughter
The Iron King
Nightshade
Divergent
A Discovery of Witches
A Great and Terrible Beauty
The Hunger Games
The Host
City of Glass
Memoirs of a Geisha
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo


Stephanie's favorite books »

Wednesday 15 July 2015

Read to Review- Saving Raine (The Drone Wars #1)



Title: Saving Raine
Author: Frederick Lee Brooke
Series: The Drone Wars book 1
Rating: 5/5




Synopsis:
"Matt, Raine went to California because her parents thought it was safe. It’s not. You’ve got to get her out as soon as possible. She could die, Matt."

When 19-year-old Matt Carney gets a cryptic message from his father telling him to go to California and save his girlfriend, Raine, he doesn't hesitate—he grabs his AK-47, revs up his blue pickup, and gets ready to make the 2,300-mile roadtrip.

But cross-country travel in 2021 isn't easy—or, sometimes, even possible. The U.S. has become a near-military state: 17,000 checkpoints severely restrict interstate movement, Predator drones target innocent civilians without cause, and explosions rock cities daily. Matt and his stepbrother, Benjy, face deadly attacks from a corrupt government, ruthless local law enforcement, and bloodthirsty terrorist groups as they embark on their trek. They're about to find out that their trip is much more than a private journey, and their success could change the face of the country—forever.

Can Matt and Benjy outrun the drone missiles raining down on their heads? Can they avoid assassination by government officials hell-bent on taking over what little is left of the country? Can they outsmart the deadly schemes set in motion against them?

Break the rules.
Save the girl.
He only gets one chance before she's gone forever.


My Review:

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
This is a crazy dystopian world with a corrupt government all but controlled by the military and using technology to spy on people and control them. With the world in shambles Matt's trip to save his girlfriend Raine is full of explosions, gun fights and a lot of secret help along the way.
I liked Matt right away and getting a look into the insanity he suffered at home and then a cryptic message from his father really pulled me into the story and had me hooked and rooting for him. I liked how his journey across the dangerous country brought him some answers and I can't wait to continue the series because with all the drama and answers there were also a lot more questions raised and I am excited to see the fight continue.
At first I was a little bothered by what I called the side stories, mostly because I just wanted to follow Matt on his journey but they all ended up being WAY more important than I could have ever realized and looking back at the story as a whole they made the story much more well rounded and I love how perfectly the author weaved them together in surprising ways.
I almost always enjoy a corrupt power to fight against and I do enjoy this struggle but what I love most is that there is not really just one bad guy htere are a bunch of evil groups in this world and soem are not always what they seem everything is so intense and teisted that the only thing I know for sure is that I am on Matt's side and rooting for him to discover the truth and maybe find some peace, but the action and espionage are so good that I'm enjoying the crazy ride and I can't wait to see who ends up on top.


Book three of the series is out today (July 15,2015) so get started on this series if you haven't already now is the perfect time! and if you have started the series then get the final book and find out how it all ends!

Friday 10 July 2015

Read to Review- Of Royal Descent (The Doyle Hawthorne series 1)



Title: Of Royal Descent 
Author: Ember Shane
Series: The Doyle Hawthorne series book 1
Rating: 3/5



Synopsis:
They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. But sometimes, under extreme circumstances, it's exactly that which kills you that makes you stronger. And faster. And a member to a new, elite race of zombies.

Armed with a current address for his biological grandfather and a slightly unusual, yet loyal best friend, Doyle Hawthorne sets out to discover the truth about his past. But answers don't come easily, and the closer Doyle arrives to his destination, the more confusing things become. Disturbing alterations to his physical appearance as well as to his personality flicker on and off as Doyle searches for a logical explanation.

Despite the increasing severity of these uncontrolled flare-ups, Doyle is determined to keep his first date with Addy - a beautiful, young woman he has met upon his arrival into town. After narrowly subduing his raging impulses, Doyle quickly decides not even death itself can keep him from her. Unfortunately, he is about to test that theory.

Once initiated, nothing can alter the process of shading - the term given to the three distinct phases of becoming a higher classification of zombie, commonly referred to as "royals". Doyle must learn to control his tendency toward violence as well as his newfound royal powers if there is any chance of protecting those he loves from a mad scientist, the government, the colony of royals, and most importantly... himself.


My Review:

*I won a paperback copy of this book from goodreads first reads*
This book took me a long time to get into and a long time to finish and I think it was the over descriptive parts about Dylan getting ready, it is a huge pet peeve of mine and a book turn off of mine, I know people have to get ready for the day that is a given but please don't spend a bunch of pages on it when exciting and informational things could be happening instead. Despite the slow start and the fact that is felt like it took forever for the story to get going, it did get interesting and I did find myself engaged as soon as the Zombie Gene was introduced I thought that was an interesting idea and I would really like to learn more about that aspect of the story. I'm not a fan of insta love and this book hard one but I guess they were pretty cute so I will get over it.
I wish there were not so many unanswered questions by the end of this book it was a pretty long book and I thought I would get more but I guess I will just have to read book 2 to get the answers I seek.