I recieved this in the mail today!
I won this from a Librarything.com early reviewers giveaway, from the August 2017 batch.
I’m excited to start reading it, and I really like the cover and the bookmark I got with it.
Has anyone read this before? If you have tell me if you liked it or not!
Unblinking by Kira Carter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis:
Everyone is watching.
Minka Stanis just wants to be left alone–impossible since the Eyes record and broadcast every moment of her day. Then a humiliating incident in the high school cafeteria makes her the laughingstock of her tower city, and life behind the glass walls becomes unbearable. When the intriguing new boy at school tells her about a place away from the gaze of the cameras, Minka plots her escape from the towers. But the Shuttered Lands are across the desert, and going there will mean leaving everything she’s ever known behind.
Fresh out of tower training, Zedd Fincher is settling into his dream job. When he gets assigned to edit Minka Stanis’s Stream footage, he spins her every misstep into a string of hit clips. As Minka’s fame grows, so do Zedd’s feelings for her. But a crisis at home brings the darker side of his work into focus. And Zedd soon learns editing other people’s lives has consequences.
As Minka is thrust unwillingly into the spotlight and Zedd’s life begins to unravel, only one thing is certain:
The Eyes are always watching.
My Review:
I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for a review.
First of all, I really like the cover. It’s the reason I clicked on it, and the description sounded like something I’d like so I requested it. I wasn’t sure what I was getting into at first, but I’m glad I read it.
The book begins with seventeen year old Minka agonizing over her latest embarrassing stunt at school, in the tower city she lives in. The “Eye”, what they call the security system built into every room captures every moment of ever life inside the walls of the city. It’s supposed to be for protection, but most of what is being sent to the editors of the footage is fodder for funny videos. You don’t have any privacy, and anything embarrassing you do at any time is filed and uploaded. This particular stunt was her tripping over her new skirt at school during lunch and falling into the lap of a very popular jock while simultaneously pulling her pants down.
Life in the future seems like its too good to be true, if you can put up with the cameras. Food is in cubes, everything you need is in your tower, and you’re safe from the dangerous lands beyond the city, which has really dangerous sandstorms. You’re most likely to get famous doing something embarrassing than doing something worth while. When you’re too sick or old you go to the Sanitarium, and you’re not seen again.
The second viewpoint is an eighteen ear old boy named Zedd. A newbie editor of the stream, who’s assignment is to watch Minka’s live feed for anything worthwhile, after her latest disaster in the cafeteria. He doesn’t love his job, but he loves the praise he gets from his workplace when his clips go viral. When a family emergency sends him spiraling, he’s not sure who to turn to and begins drinking.
Honestly when I started this book I felt a little too old to be reading it. The way the characters reacted to things seemed childish and I didn’t really relate to it. Everyone in the city was wrapped up in high school drama, even the adults, because of the stream. I didn’t really feel like I was going to like it until they start talking about the Shuttered Lands, the lands beyond the city. A new student, Ren, moved from there and has a lot of information about them, and Minka’s interested. The shuttered lands have no eyes, no camera’s to watch your every move and upload it for all to see. But they also don’t have readily available food, water, and shelter like the cities do. She wants out, but does she want out that bad?
Overall this book was good but not my new favourite. I will say that I liked it more as I progressed through it, and the characters developed nicely. Although I feel like this story has been done before, with the camera’s and the dystopia and the horribly ravaged planet, along with the scary controlling government, I liked the way this went and I’ll check out the next book in the series if given the chance. I don’t usually like rotating viewpoints but I liked being able to see two sides of this story. Check it out and see what you think.
Here’s a link for the book on amazon!
https://www.amazon.ca/Unblinking-Shut…
Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)
Children of Daedala by Caighlan Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis:
Six months alone in the labyrinth has made her strong. But the search for the exit means gambling on an old ‘friend’ and going against everything she’s been taught to survive. You know the labyrinth will have yet more horrors lurking in its depths. You’ve learned few people can be trusted. But freedom is tantalizingly close. Are you ready to take the risk?
My Review:
I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for a review.
I absolutely loved the first book, and immediately after finishing that started on this one. The story begins six months after the last. The main character has been surviving on her own after her mentor died, and has adopted the nickname Fey Bell. Obviously she’s been doing something right if she’s survived this long. She’s discovered two more tribes of Icarii, who have been battling each other for who knows how long in the labyrinth. Fates is still active and although she hasn’t run into them since escaping their cruel plan to kill her, she’s worried she will one day. She still hasn’t found an exit.
After killing a group of screechers, she sees the last people she ever wanted to see again. The kids from Fates. They treated her terribly, and I wouldn’t doubt that they’d do it again. She saves them from the attack and they’re still unwilling to treat her any differently. She takes one of them hostage in exchange for someone of more value. They don’t cooperate and she ends up stuck with one of them under her wing who doesn’t want to do anything but make things more difficult for her.
This book, like the first one, is set in the labyrinth. It’s exciting and full of action. The characters have changed a lot, but they’re still the same people despite the time jump. She gets to know some of the other groups of people in the labyrinth that weren’t previously discovered, which is cool. It gives it another side to this massive labyrinth. They’re alive and kicking, they’re fighting each other, and she has to play into that to get what she needs, a friend, and a way out of this hell, hopefully.
Overall this book is everything I wanted it to be and more. I need to know what happens next! Some books lose quality throughout the series, but this hasn’t even a little bit. I loved every page and I wish I could read more but this one hasn’t even come out yet so I’ve got a bit of a wait ahead of me. I definitely recommend checking it out in addition to the first book because I want you to love it as much as I do.
Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)
Children of Icarus by Caighlan Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis:
It is Clara who is desperate to enter the labyrinth and it is Clara who is bright, strong, and fearless enough to take on any challenge. It is no surprise when she is chosen. But so is the girl who has always lived in her shadow. Together they enter. Within minutes, they are torn apart forever. Now the girl who has never left the city walls must fight to survive in a living nightmare, where one false turn with who to trust means a certain dead end.
My Review:
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.
From the moment I started this book, I was sucked in. The story is so interesting and unlike anything I’ve read lately. It begins by explaining about Icarus, how the gods told him he could get to their land by flying into the sun. How he tried, and fell back down to the earth. How Daedala found him and built him a tomb and a massive city over top of the tomb. How every year young people try to find the end of the labyrinth surrounding said tomb. And how if they make it to the end they’re supposedly allowed to enter the land of the angels, Alyssia. And that’s just the prologue.
Children between the ages of ten and sixteen are candidates for the labyrinth trial. Families send their chosen children out in hopes they’ll become angels. Little do they know what actually lies beyond the walls of the city. Clara is sixteen and so is the main character, who’s first person viewpoint is the story. At sixteen, this is their last chance to become Icarii. Whoever’s left behind gets to continue their lives in the city. Everyone lives in these massive sky scrapers, and most people don’t leave their own building, as everything they could possibly need is in it. They pray to Icarus and wish their children would be picked to go into the labyrinth.
All of the sudden you’re whisked out of your home and away from everything you’ve ever known. You’re almost non verbal, and have just followed your best friend around for your life so far. You’re put in the labyrinth. You don’t really know who you are yet, and you’re pushed into this scary place with other kids your age. You don’t know what the outcome will be, or even if what the adults told you was true. You don’t want to become an angel, let alone be in this labyrinth. Everything feels like a dream.
Except the angels are wrong. Everything is wrong. You wish you told your mom you didn’t want to go, but she seemed so proud that you were chosen. They’re grey and feathered and have giant talons. They’re grotesque and will kill you and eat you without a second thought. And now you’re running, hiding, trying to stay alive in this crazy world you live in, where everything is wrong and everyone lied. There are monsters and your fellow chosen Icarii are being slaughtered. And you still aren’t sure of yourself. You’re saved by a group of kids and taken to their safe house. You assume a new identity and slip into her life as quickly and quietly as possible, even though the girl is long gone and you’re not sure you should. And you survive, though it seems like it’s without purpose.
I didn’t want to put this book down for a single second. Can we just talk about how nice this hardcover is? It’s heavy and the pages are thick and it just seems really well made, and high quality. I’m impressed. The cover is eye catching and really nice, and unlike others, it’s printed underneath the dust cover on the actual book itself, which is really cool. The characters are so interesting and the world they’re placed in is so intricate I just want to read it forever.
Overall I think this is probably one of the most exciting books I’ve read lately and I can’t wait to start the next one. Definitely check it out if you get the chance, you won’t regret it!
Here’s a link to the book on amazon.
https://www.amazon.ca/Children-Icarus…
Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis:
Despite what his brother—and sponsor—thinks, nineteen year-old Tate Bertram isn’t an addict. He has the 30-day chip to prove it. But when his father learns Tate’s been running an illegal card room out of a friend’s dorm to pay off old gambling debts, Tate is cut off. With his family no longer talking to him, his aunt Nora offers him a chance to intern for her political campaign. Juggling school with the intense internship, Tate finds himself buying scratch-off lottery tickets to take the edge off.
Tate is surprised to find the beautiful and calculating Alex Wolf—his first crush and the girl who taught him how to gamble—volunteering with Nora’s campaign, too. Soon, Tate is more drawn to Alex than ever. Her mind games stick in his head, but her vulnerable, softer side gets into his heart. But as tensions rise along the campaign trail, Tate is forced to question whether he’s really addiction-free, after all.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS meets ROUNDERS in this high stakes tale of the cost of winning and the price of redemption.
My Review:
I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for a review.
First off, let me say how much I love the characters. The main character in this book, Tate, has changed so much even through the first book. I’m really glad I got to know him in this way. The setting is a bit more plain that other books I’ve been reading lately, but it’s exciting and really a breathe of fresh air. I absolutely loved this book.
Unlike “Seeking Mansfield”, the main character is Tate, rather than switching viewpoints between his brother and adopted sister. As the eldest brother of the family, he struggles with life because of his full blown gambling addiction. He tends to stay away from anyone he cares about because he doesn’t want to hurt them. It’s not that he doesn’t care about them, quite the opposite actually. He just feels it’s safer for them if he keeps his distance, especially after his incident in the last book. I was sucked into the story from the very beginning and didn’t want to put it down for a second, even after finishing the other book and immediately moving onto this one.
Although the two books aren’t directly connected story wise, many characters from the other story are in this. It gives you a chance to get to know them from a different point of view and really just gives you more time to love them. They fight against themselves for various reasons every day and seem very realistic, although they’ve been through some tough times, seem to handle themselves pretty well. Tate is the one character I wished I got to know better, and this book gives you exactly that. He’s a really cool person and uses a lot of the skills he learned from gambling in his everyday life, which gives him kind of a new outlook on things.
Although gambling makes him feel lighter than air, just being around the chips, the money, and the smell of the cards makes him feel good. He denies any help he can get although he knows he needs it. In the book he tries helping out his aunt Nora in her campaign, and meets some people he would rather stay away from, from his past. Honestly most of the book is Tate’s downward spiral, but everything that happens just makes you want to read more into it, and you just know he’ll figure everything out by the end.
Like I said earlier, I absolutely love this book and although I picked it mostly for the description and the amazing eye catching cover, I’m glad I got the chance to read it. You don’t have to read “Seeking Mansfield”, although this book is kind of a follow up, you wouldn’t be lost just reading this book by itself. Definitely check it out if you get the chance!
Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)
Seeking Mansfield by Kate Watson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Finley Price has perfected two things: how to direct a world-class production, and how to fly way, way under the radar. The only person who ever seems to notice Finley is her best friend, the Bertram’s son Oliver. If she could just take Oliver’s constant encouragement to heart and step out of the shadows, she’d finally chase her dream of joining the prestigious Mansfield Theater.
When teen movie stars Emma and Harlan Crawford move next door to the Bertram’s, they immediately set their sights on Oliver and his cunning sister, Juliette, shaking up Finley and Oliver’s stable friendship. As Emma and Oliver grow closer, Harlan finds his attention shifting from Juliette to the quiet, enigmatic, and thoroughly unimpressed Finley. Out of boredom, Harlan decides to make her fall in love with him. Problem is, the harder he seeks to win her, the harder he falls for her.
But Finley doesn’t want to be won, and she doesn’t want to see Oliver with anyone else. To claim Oliver’s heart—and keep her own—she’ll have to find the courage to do what she fears most: step into the spotlight.
My Review:
I received a copy of this from the publisher in exchange for a review.
First off, I really like the cover on this book. It’s really bright and eye catching. The book begins with Fin(ley), a sixteen year old girl, filling out her Mansfield theatre application. She lives with her godparents and their son, Oliver, the other point of view in the story. Her father, a celebrity and actor passed away, and her horrible mother is in jail. She feels like she owes her new family her life for helping her get away from the abuse of her mother.
Fin is a huge movie buff and loves plays. She’s easily abused by people and doesn’t really stand up for herself, though she should. You really get to know her really well and the characters in the book seem like they could be real people. Although they live next to celebrities, Harlan and Emma, they face their problems like real people would. I really enjoyed reading this book and devoured it in one night.
Honestly this book is amazing. As soon as I started reading it I knew I’d like it and I couldn’t put it down. It follows the characters as they live their lives and spread their wings. They really change throughout the book and I’m happy for them, even though they’re not real. The story is a breathe of fresh air compared to the other books I’ve been reading lately and I’m glad I got the chance to read it. It takes turns I never expected and I definitely recommend it.
Here’s a link to the authors twitter, and another link to amazon where you can purchase the book.
https://twitter.com/katewatsonya
https://www.amazon.ca/Seeking-Mansfie…
Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)
Saven Deception by Siobhan Davis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis:
A girl with a hidden past. An alien prince. Their unlikely attraction could save two worlds… or doom them all…
Sadie Owens desperately needed a do-over. When she’s chosen for a six-month residency in a government-run undersea city, she willingly drops everything to participate. After all, the experiment could be a huge step forward for her overcrowded planet and her life. She also doesn’t mind living next door to a hot alien with ocean-blue eyes…
Logan Chandler has kept a lot of secrets for his species. If humans knew the real reason the Saven were on Earth, then their coexistence would be anything but peaceful. But he can’t help falling for the different and beautiful Sadie. Unfortunately, protecting the girl of his destiny could destroy his own kind…
As Logan gives Sadie mixed signals, the mystery of the Saven starts to unravel.
When she finally understands what’s at stake, is it too late for Sadie to save her heart and the human race?
Saven Deception is the first book in a pulse-pounding YA sci-fi romance series. If you like mind-bending paranormal mysteries, swoon-worthy love stories, and sexy aliens, then you’ll love Siobhan Davis’ out-of-this-world tale.
My Review:
I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for a review.
The book begins with Nextgen psychologist award winner Dr. Evana Taylor being stopped on her way out of work to her car by a bright light and being pulled upwards by a bright light. She’s been abducted by aliens, and they want to use her skills to teach them how to behave and integrate themselves into the human population.
Now you know how much I love books about aliens, and this book sucked me in the second I started reading it. The aliens are unique and although we don’t get to see them out of their human form, I’m sure they’re super interesting looking. I haven’t read anything like this book lately, and although I liked the authors other book “True Calling” better, this was still a good read.
The main character is Sadie, who’s sixteen and has a problem discussing her feelings, a lifetime of keeping her mouth shut has taught her to ignore them. She works a full time job and dropped out of school at thirteen to help support her family. The world she lives in is a sort of dystopia, where people are in a good safe place but still separated by money. Her family seems like they wished she was never born, as a year after she was there was a law put out that you weren’t allowed to have more children. She never would have been born. Her family sees her as a disgrace and someone who really shouldn’t be alive. But when she gets picked for “The Experimento”, she gets to live in an underwater city away from her family that hates her so much. She makes new friends and even maybe a boyfriend she thinks, and life is good. For now.
I really enjoyed reading the story, it took turns I never expected, and the characters seemed realistic in the way they responded to the problems that came their way. Although the description flat out tells you that Logan is an alien prince, it doesn’t actually tell you in the story until almost 70% of the way through the book. I wouldn’t have guessed if I hadn’t though, hey, wasn’t this book supposed to be about aliens? And re-read the description half way through. It took a while to get through, but I’m glad I got to read it. Check it out if you haven’t already!
Here’s a link to the authors twitter and another link to amazon where you can purchase the book.
https://twitter.com/siobhandavis
https://www.amazon.ca/Saven-Deception…
Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)
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