After losing his twin brother in a car accident where he was driving, Marsh has completely lost himself in his grief. Obsessed with an old story from an even older neighbour who’s long gone, he finds himself constantly looking for the perfect spot for a “thin space”, or a place where he can cross over to the other side to talk to someone lost to the world. He just wants to talk to him one last time and make things ight. But after wandering around barefoot for months, it’s starting to get cold, and he’s starting to lost hope.
5/5 Stars 256 pages Published September 10th 2013 by Beyond Words/Simon Pulse
A wonderful and in depth story about a teenage boy trying to deal with a new world without his best friend, his grief, and also his flashbacks to the accident itself, I was instantly hooked. He feels like the accident was his fault, and he wants to be gone from the world. And I think that those are real things that people have to deal with. The only good thing in Marsh’s life now is his new friend Maddie, who’s running from her own past and home life, and who also wants nothing more than to help him and be around him, no matter what. And that just what he needs.
WHat was really great though, in my opinion, was the ending. Completely hit me out of the blue. It was something that I never expected, and added a new layer to just how amazing and unique of a story it really is. Great characters who grow throughout the story, just a really amazing plot, and perfectly written just how I personally like to read, this book is definitely one of my new favorites, and I can’t wait to get a physical copy for my collection. No matter what kind of genre of books you like, I think you should check out this book, and you would like it too!
4/5 Stars 292 pages Published April 26th 2018 by Sapphire Creek Press
Though I haven’t read very many books about parallel universes, the ones that I have read have been amazing, and that’s why I’m actively seeking them out for future reading. I did feel a little bit too old for this book due to how young the main character is, but honestly it wasn’t that big of a deal, and I still was able to enjoy it. I just thought that she was a bit bratty at times. Not a world with flashy portals to indicate the change, this book told the story of a teenage girl who’s mad at her family and runs away, and mysteriously finds herself in a completely different world when she decides to return home.
Morgan is a girl who never expected anything to change when she got home, yeah maybe everyone would be worried about her and angry with her for taking off overnight, but what she finds when she finally makes it back home is that someone else is living in her house, and they have no idea what she’s talking about when she asks about her family. And that’s a huge problem.
The world that she finds herself in is one where it’s illegal to be overweight, even by a few pounds. Everyone is obsessed with dieting, working out, and there’s even a mantra about how great it is to be skinny and how it helps the world, that they have to repeat every day before school starts. The craziest part, is that the government keeps track of everyone’s weight in their weekly weigh ins, on their home scales, and if they think that you’re getting too heavy then they whisk you away to a facility where you can lose weight. And you have to stay there for however long it takes, and the worst part of that is that your family has to pay for it, sacrificing their home and any luxuries they could afford to get you back to what is in their mind, the correct weight.
The writing in this book is very straightforward, first person, and tell rather than show. Which is something that usually isn’t my favourite, but I was fine with it in this. I really enjoyed reading it, and I would definitely check out the next book. I wish I could have seen more into the weight loss facilities, but I expect to learn more in future books. I really loved the forest parts, this was an easy to read book, easy to imagine, ,and I didn’t feel rushed reading it. It was a nice break from all the fast paced books I’ve been reading lately. I also really appreciated that it’s a great look into daily life for Morgan in this new world. I feel like she really grew and learned from her mistakes by the end of the book, and that’s something I love to see. I think it’s a very unique idea for a book, and it could be enjoyed by anyone aged twelve and up. Definitely check it out if you get the chance.
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Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well, and not stumbling upon any parallel universes!
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A breathtaking story of finding your own way despite abuse, religion, and frankly, just what everyone else is doing, Mercurial is truly unlike anything I’ve read lately. Set in a world where magic metal runs through people’s veins, very unlikely friendships and relationships bloom, and all of this wrapped together makes for an amazing book.
Following a boy named Tal, who’s sworn his life to protect a woman he despises for her violent and frankly just evil actions, The Destroyer herself, telling her own story after losing her memory in a disastrous train accident, and Tal’s sister Nyx, who’s fighting every day doing all she can after losing her brother to his oath, these characters are truly amazing in their own rights. Very different from anyone I’ve ever know, and gone through horrible traumas themselves, they really blossom in this book, and mixed together with the enchanting setting, I really couldn’t get enough of this story.
Not only were the characters amazing and the setting amazing, but the actual plot of the story just drew me in immediately. It wasn’t boring for a second, and even in the downtimes where most of what was happening was talking, or a vision, or something like that, I was hooked. I finished this book in two days, and it’s just one of those stories where I wished I could read slower, because now it’s over way too soon and I’m left with a hole inside me where this book fits perfectly. The ending was not my favourite, but only because I wish there could have been more, but it was satisfying enough to not let it knock down my rating.
Overall, my favourite character was probably either The Destroyer herself, Helenia, or Tal, but because I can’t choose between them all, it’s impossible to pick one. All of these characters were very different from each other, but each brought very different and important things to the story and I’m very thankful for them. I would recommend this book to anyone who’s a full fledged fantasy addict, someone who likes stories with very light romance, but still packed full of action, or even someone just starting out in the fantasy genre. I think it’s perfect for anyone over the age of sixteen, because there are some graphically violent parts. But most of all, I think if anyone picked this beautiful book up with it’s beautiful cover, I think that they would enjoy it. Because I know I did, and I need it for my own collection.
5/5 Stars 368 pages Published March 30th 2021 by Wattpad Books
If I had to describe this book in just a few words, they would be an instant hit. With an amazing and super in depth storyline, it’s perfect for anyone fourteen years and up, and quickly became one of my new favourite books even at twenty four. It’s just one of those books where every time I thought the story was coming to a pause or a good place to end, it ended up just being the beginning. And I just couldn’t get enough of it.
Following a young girl named Marina from her viewpoint in first person, she’s about to start grade ten in a small town in the United States. But after losing her brother to a train accident three years ago, her and her parents lives have become very grim and depressing. Blaming her brother’s best friend, they despise him, and Marina lost her only friend because of it. And now she’s starting at a new school. Could things get any worse? She probably would say no, but this is just the beginning of a much bigger and almost unbelievable picture. That is, if she didn’t see it for herself she wouldn’t believe it.
Originally an army base, the school is a labyrinth of twists and turns, and after getting lost on her first day, she meets a senior named Brady. He’s a nice and very cute boy who genuinely just wants to help her out, and even though she doesn’t see him again for about six months after her first day, she can’t stop thinking about him. After all, everyone else that she grew up with acts like they don’t know her. But when she finally sees him again, he’s harbouring a deep secret and a mysteriously hysterical girl. And after following them to the train station where her brother lost his life, she learns that the secret really involves things that she could never imagine were real; parallel universes.
Not only is the army base turned high school confusing and filled with doors that have been bricked over, but living in it’s basement is an Annihilation-like spiral staircase. And at the bottom are three doors, one each for yesterday, today, and tomorrow. But only the today one is accessible. And when Marina goes inside it, she finds her brother in the flesh, happy and thriving. That can’t be right, though, can it? He died. Little did I know, that this was just barely grazing the surface of what was really going to happen in this book.
This book is insanely in depth for how many pages it is. Jam packed with rich backstory, the characters really seem like they could be real people, despite the obvious differences between our world and theirs. Addicting and mysterious, I was pulled in from the second I started it, and I didn’t want to put it down for a second. It’s amazing without gore or romance, and I think that’s something that’s difficult to do sometimes. A perfect story in my eyes, I would be delighted to get this as a present, and it would make a really great addition to my bookshelf, with it’s breathtaking cover. I think even if you’re not super big into scifi, this is a really great story, and everyone should check it out and give it a chance to unravel itself. Even half way through the book I was thinking, this could be the end, right? But it wasn’t there was more, and more, and more. I’ll definitely be thinking about it for a long time.
And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can here on Twitter!
Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well, and not accidentally stumbling upon any parallel universes.
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Looking for an insane story of the apocalypse due to a virus? Do you want to see kids really have to take things into their own hands in that kind of world? If so, this might be something you want to look into the next time you’re looking for a graphic novel to read. It really shows the gritty parts of a terrifying future fantasy, and that’s just what I love about reading comics. And who knows? You might too.
5/5 Stars 152 pages Published March 23rd 2021 by Image Comics
This book follows a family, a single dad and his two kids. After losing their mother to a virus that sweeps the world and creates a kind of chaos that destroys society as we know it, they’re forced to leave their home, sacrifice their pet, and really fend for themselves not only out in the wilderness, but in a chaotic village full of nasty people. Willing to do what they need to survive, they also end up picking up a baby along the way, and then eventually more people. It really shows the hard parts of life, like trying to live again after losing someone that means so much to you.
I loved this story from the moment I picked it up, and honestly, I knew that I would. I’m just addicted to these kinds of post apocalyptic stories, they’re so interesting and exciting to me. Yes, some parts were hard to read and hurt my heart, but I pushed through and came out clean on the other side. The art work was also a very nice addition, and really matched the story, in my opinion. I couldn’t ask for anything more from it, and I can’t wait to see what happens after this book. It really captured everything perfectly.
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Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well, and reading awesome books like this one.
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Before I say anything, I just need to talk about the art for this book, because it’s just so adorable and somehow fits so well with the dark story that the plot holds, I wish I had it on my walls. It’s unlike anything I’ve read lately, and I really just can’t get enough about it. Following a group of young people in a zombie apocalypse, this one’s a little different, seeing as the zombies are attracted to sugar and food instead of human flesh. That’s not going to stop the last living people though, some have turned to cannibalism. This was a book I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
5/5 Stars 80 pages Published January 20th 2021 by Europe Comics
A family, and a group of kids with their back up against the wall, fighting for every day. That’s what this book is about. Just trying to survive. And that’s what makes a great zombie book. It’s also about a boy with powers, and a girl who’s trying to keep her family together. The worst part is yet to come though, because when an eerie green storm takes over their city, that’s when the creatures come out. Trapped out in the storm surrounded by monsters, the small group of children are forced to fight their way back to their base, and make it to safety.
This book was everything I wanted it to be and more! With the art and the unique story, I was sucked in from the very beginning, and I loved how detailed everything was. I didn’t feel like I was missing anything at all, and I would love to have a copy for my bookshelf and comic collection. I really liked that all the characters were so different and had their own struggles and still their stories tied together really nicely. I can’t wait to check out the next volume!
Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and staying safe from zombies, and monsters, and scary green storms!
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5/5 Stars 400 Pages Published January 19th 2021 (first published January 1st 2014) Published by Wattpad Books
Okay, this book had crazy The Hunger Games vibes for me. Not exactly sure what it was, whether it was the apocalyptic world with the dystopia running things from a far away land, the weird leaders of the Famoux group that pick and prod at everything they can and rage when things aren’t perfect, or just the overall way the story was told, but let me tell you I loved every minute of it. Is this going to be a series? I can’t get enough! I need more, like, immediately. And I think you would too, if you liked books like that.
Emilee has always been different. In a world where every new generation of kids starting at the beginning of the year have a different eye colour to mark how old they are, she was born with her mom’s eyes, an icy blue, instead of the generational flat grey. Sure, that may not make a big difference for her world in theory, but for the bullies at school, they’ve made a life out of not only tormenting her over it, but also abusing her and occasionally even throwing her in the creek. She thinks life can’t get any worse, until one day her mom, the only person who sticks up for her, seems to have run away. And she doesn’t have anyone to comfort her anymore. Her world has crumbled, and so has the rest of her family.
After having to cancel her life plans to move away, her sister hates her. Her brother doesn’t really care about her, and her father is absolutely destroyed. He doesn’t even leave his bed for work anymore. But just when she thinks there’s nothing left to look forward to in life, a new group of Famoux are revealed, and Emilee can’t get enough. The Famoux are the top tier of celebrities, always followed around by paparazzi, never getting a minute to themselves, especially when once a month for two days, the darkening happens. That’s a phenomenon when something takes over the skies, and doesn’t let any light through at all. But that’s when the fishbowl happens, when the Famoux are put in a glass house for everyone to watch in person and on broadcast 24/7, like the most intrusive kind of reality tv show.
But something’s happening to them, too. After finding one of them dead at the bottom of the stairs, rumour start to churn about if the show killed her off for views, if they were getting a little stagnant, and they wanted to liven up the ratings a bit. And after a fight with her family, Emilee is determined on getting some air when she finds herself not only at the fishbowl with the rest of the crowd, but also with her bullies who are planning on tying her up in a basement and leaving her there for the duration of the darkening. But the person in charge of the Famoux finds her and offers her a different kind of lifestyle. To become one of them. And of course, Emilee takes it. That’s when Emeray is born, but what’s going on behind the scenes of the group is unlike anything she could have imagined.
This book was amazing, start to finish. I couldn’t put it down once I started, but that was fine because I really didn’t want to. Despite being so famous and rich, most of the characters seemed really down to earth, even in the worst of times. They do what they have to do to survive. But what I loved learning about the most, was their apocalyptic world. I actually would have liked to get to know it a little more than we did, but It’s enough, especially if there’s more coming in the future. I will say though, that most of the actual action in the plot happened in the last 10% of the book, which isn’t ideal for me, but I still loved it. I was just a little stressed with the race against the clock kind of situation and felt like things could have been explained more than they were. That being said, I think this is one of my new favourite books! If you’re a fan of post apocalypse, dystopia, celebrity drama and The Hunger Games, I really think you’ll like this book too.
And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can here!
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Something I have never really explored before is the world of the Assassins Creed books. As a huge fan of the games, though I haven’t played the last three that have come out, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this story, because I just thought there’s no way I couldn’t like it, right? It’s part of the franchise! I have to love it. And even though it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, I did thoroughly enjoy it. A mighty tale of Vikings, war, and of course the wins and losses of life, I couldn’t get enough.
3/5 Stars 448 pages Published March 2nd 2021 by Aconyte
Following a man named Geirmund, I really feel like we get to see him grow throughout the years depicted in this story, first as a young man, and by the end he’s a strong and charismatic warrior. He knows what he wants, and even though it may be difficult or scary to get it, he’s willing to put everything he has up to fate, and power through it. Whatever happens at the end is meant to happen, and he’s perfectly fine with that. He’s very brave, I guess is what I’m trying to say here. Beginning with a battle between a pack of wolves with his twin brother, he’s determined to bring him home to heal after being badly wounded. Though many people judge him for saving his twin’s life, he knows it was the right thing to do, and he’s not going to feel bad about that. That being said, however, he wants a different life for himself than his father, and he’s willing to give up everything he knows to get that life.
I really loved the lore that was put into this book, though I didn’t know about hardly any of it, I liked getting to know even a sneak peek about it. That being said, I did have quite a lot of difficulty with the words I didn’t recognize. I felt like I couldn’t fully immerse myself into the book because of that, but it was still an epic read. It was full of blood and battles and bravery. What more could you ask for from a book about Vikings? I feel proud to have known Geirmund even just for this book, and I’m sure it’s something I’ll think about for a while after finishing it. I also really enjoyed the mix of worlds, Pagan and Christian, and learning the differences. I thought that the characters were really lifelike, though old world, and the environment they lived in was very easy to imagine, which is something I always appreciate. I had a hard time picturing the characters, however.
Overall, I did enjoy this book. I’m able to look past the things that I didn’t love about it, because I did have a good time reading it. I’m just saying that if you’re not completely versed in Viking history and culture that things might be a little confusing for you, like they were for me. If you’re looking for an epic tale of a man’s life from son to warrior king, than this is something you should check out. Just don’t expect it to be like a typical Assassin’s creed game, with the sneaking around and the wrist blade and the missing finger, and most of all with the aliens. This is just an epic tale of Vikings battling and looting and killing, and taking over new areas by whatever means necessary.
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Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and feeling as strong as the people in this book!
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3/5 Stars 304 pages Published February 16th 2021 by Dundurn Press
An engaging book about gun violence, what to do when you lose a parent, and moving to a new town while facing community service charges, Nothing But Life is a really unique take on a very serious topic. Following a young boy as he tries to live with life after a horrific trauma, it really shows what a roller coaster it can be. But in the end, he may not completely move on, but he’s at least made a couple friends and maybe bloomed a small romance, and that’s something to be proud of.
After attacking his school bully, Wendell or Dills as he prefers is faced with a summer of community service in the park picking up garbage, with a seemingly strange groundskeeper, a very pretty girl who lives near by and doesn’t quite fit in with everyone, and a struggling home life with his traumatized mom, her sister, and their mother. But things are worse than they seem. They’ve moved because his step father did something horrific, went into his school with a gun and created a mass murder before trying to take his own life. He’s seen a lot for his age, and he’s just trying to move past it, but things are more complicated with that, especially when he’s not ready to face what’s really happened. But that’s when he starts hearing his step father’s voice in his head asking him to come and visit him.
It tortures him to hear him. Once his role model, he’s conflicted with his feelings for him. After all, he’s been his dad his whole life, but he can’t face what he’s done or really accept it at all for that matter. But he has to, because there’s nothing anyone can do about it except for that. He tries to ignore his feelings for most of the book, but eventually his new friend and aunt convince him that he does need to face him, and he needs to go and visit his step dad in the hospital. But again, things aren’t so simple.
This is a story of facing the hard things in life, because though it’s very difficult to do that, it’s something that needs to be done. And that there is actually life after a horrible trauma. I think that for what it is, it’s a really good book, even though it was very stressful to read at times. The characters are very lifelike and face challenges that could happen in our world, especially the emotional aspect of things. And the world they live in isn’t any different from our own. I think that they’re very strong for the age that they are, and overall it was a good book to read, but I wasn’t very satisfied with the ending. I recommend it if you’re looking for something a little different than your usual genre, or just want to get a little more insight to a very horrific topic. But be aware, that I was stressed out reading it, and you might be too.
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5/5 Stars 255 pages Published February 9th 2021 by Black Spot Books
I have to say before anything else, that this book was so intricate and amazing, and I really didn’t expect it. I definitely thought it would be a good one, a wild ride, but I really just didn’t know what exactly I was getting myself into when I started it. And I’m so thankful I got the chance to read it. This haunting book is something I feel like I will think about for a solid amount of time now that I’ve finished it. It’s horrific and fantastic, but in none of the usual ways. And I’ll explain why.
Following a pair of sisters in 2025 and also in 2026, one ten years older named Doris, and Thea, who jokingly says she was almost named the accident. Their lives are drastically different. Both traumatized by their abusive mother, someone who was obsessed with the image that she presented to the people around her, but not really caring what it took to get to that perfect image, including violence against the two. This lead them to live completely different lives, Doris living with her husband and suffering for her independence after a debilitating car accident, and Thea, an addict living anywhere she can. Everything changes however, when the flood comes. And with it brings the Posies.
The story rotates between two chapters of before, and two after the flood. It shows both sisters lives, and through these chapters we really get to know each character very intimately and deeply. Easily these two and their mother could be very real people, and there’s no problem believing that. Mixed into that is this fantastically scary world filled with water and death and basically just Thea, or better known as Sestra after the flood, doing what she has to, to survive. This book does an amazing job of describing exactly what it would be like to have to live in the middle of an ocean with no land in sight, and especially no food or water. Starving and dying of thirst, Sestra finds herself on a boat with a man she doesn’t know named Rob, as the two struggle to survive. That’s just the beginning though. Because the Posies are always underneath the surface, just waiting for something to come by. Massive octopus like creatures, they can easily take boats down and crush whatever they can grab a hold of with their tentacles.
I had a really good time reading this book. As horrific as some of the chapters were, and they really made me scared for them sometimes, I think it did it’s job, and it did it well. This is what I want from a book like this. And I can guarantee that it’ll be something you’re thinking about for a long time after you’ve set it back on your shelf. I think it’s even something I could read again and again, and I very rarely say that. I’d love to have a copy for my own shelf. The breathtaking cover reveals little about what is actually inside the book, and I just really love everything about it. Definitely check it out if you get the chance.
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radioactive book reviews 