Memory Blank is a science fiction mystery/thriller by John E. Stith. Cal Donely wakes up with most of his memories of the last twelve years gone and covered in blood. He knows he is on the orbital colony Daedalus, but doesn’t remember leaving Earth. His only companion is Vincent, his wise-cracking wristcomp. He quickly discovers that someone is after him. Will he get his memories back in time to discover what is going on and keep his family safe? The story started out a little slow, but did steadily pick up once it got going. The character development was good, but a few characters could have been fleshed out more. You could really feel Cal's desperation and confusion. I also would have liked to have seen a little more world building. The plot really kept me guessing. I spent a good portion of the book thinking that Cal might actually have been the bad guy. Unfortunately, the ending was little lackluster. I thought the confrontation on the shuttle would have made the more ...
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Book Review – Redshift Rendezvous by John E. Stith
Redshift Rendezvous is a science fiction novel by John E. Stith. The Redshift is a technologically advanced vessel capable of traversing the layers of hyperspace. A routine transport becomes derailed after a passenger is found dead and the ship is taken over by hijackers. The hijackers plan to use the ship to steal the wealth of a colony that’s location is only known to a few. Will the crew be able to stop them? The premise was very interesting and the book delivered lots of suspense and action. The characters were well developed and interesting, especially the main character Jason. His background made him a very sympathetic character...and a little intense at times. I would definitely be interested in reading a follow up story about him. The world building was also well done. You got lots of detail without it taking up entire chapters. There were a few spots in the plot that were a bit predictable, but there were more than enough twists to keep it interesting. The twist ...
Book Review – The Fallen Prince by Amalie Howard
The Fallen Prince by Amalie Howard is the second book in a YA sci-fi series The Riven Chronicles. Riven left her world and Caden behind to return to out in order hunt down her traitorous father, Danton, and bring him to justice. After a year, she is brought back to Neospes to help fend off a massive army of Reptiles that are systematically attacking the city. They are under the control of Cale, the fallen prince. Riven is tasked with finding a way to defeat the army, secure the aide of Avaria (a newly discovered city), and figure out what Danton is up too, all while there is another traitor in their mist working for the Reptiles. Will she be able to pull it all off? I had a little be harder time getting through this book than I did the first one. There is a lot going on all at once, and there are some very choppy parts in the narrative. The whole Sebba/Bass explanation was very confusing at first. They kept mentioning clones, so it was hard to tell if they were talking about ...
Book Review – The Almost Girl by Amalie Howard
The Almost Girl by Amalie Howard is the first book in a YA sci-fi series The Riven Chronicles. Riven is the Legion General of Neospes, a war ravaged & desolate planet in a parallel world to ours. As the right hand to Prince Cale, she had everything. However, in the midst of a political coup Riven flees to our world to find Cale’s brother, who was hidden away as a baby, and bring him back. Stuck in a world that she doesn’t understand, she must navigate high-school order to get close to her target, Caden, while dodging enemy forces and trying to discover who she really is. The story started out kind of rough plot-wise because you get dumped in the middle of the action without much background info on anything. As you get further into the book things start to become clearer, but it’s still a little hard to keep up with at times. The plot picks up once they return to Neospes, and the conclusion of the novel is great. For me, the characterization hurt the story. Riven is ...
Book Review – The Rampart Guards
The Rampart Guards is the debut urban fantasy series for young adults by Wendy Terrien. After the disappearance of his mother, Jason and his family move to a small town. After being attacked by strange flying creatures, he leans a big secret about his family: they protect the world from things like kappa, skyfish, and other cryptozoological creatures. He quickly finds himself in a life and death struggle as he’s thrown headlong in the middle of a brewing war. Not knowing who to trust and facing betrayal from an unexpected source, Jason must ultimately decide who lives and who dies. This is going to have a few spoilers. It was unavoidable, so I’ll notate where they start so you can skip over them. I thought that the story was very good. The characters were well rounded and likable. It was a little slow getting started, but picked up quickly. I wasn’t able to put it down, and read it in about a day and a half. I think that only thing I found that needed some work was the timeline. ...
Book Review – Sweetheart Deal by Linda Joffe Hull
Sweetheart Deal by Linda Joffe Hull is the third novel in the Mrs. Frugalicious Shopping Mystery series. Maddie Michaels and her family find themselves whisked off to a posh Mexican Resort for her reality tv show. Though the episode will focus on budget friendly destination weddings (her producer got a great deal on her wedding by agree to film there), they quickly find themselves in the middle of yet another murder mystery when the timeshare sales manager is found face down in one of the pools not too long after making a pass at Maddie. With thoughts of an Emmy-award winning episode on their mind, the products extend the trip and turn it into an investigation and have to qualms about involving the entire family. Was it really an accident or preplanned for the show? Maddie can’t help but begin to question the motives of everyone around her, from the producers to her all-but-ex husband, and fears that she is way on over her head. I haven’t read the first two books, so I was scared ...