Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

(Amazon affiliate link)

I have to write this while everything is still fresh. I'm going to tell you right here, right now that this book is absolutely freaking amazing! It blew my mind. So much so that I'm having a hard time forming coherent sentences. I've sat here already for at least five minutes trying to think of something besides, "OMG" and saying "It's so amazing!" again. This is a review. I have to be somewhat intelligent, right?

I had received a digital ARC of Illuminae from Netgalley a few weeks before the publish date. I tried to read it on my e-reader, but the format didn't translate well and I had a really hard time reading it. This was because of the app that I had to use to read the ARC, which was DRM protected. The app did not do well with the format of the book. PLEASE don't let this stop you from buying this digitally if that's how you want to read it. I didn't get a Kindle copy, or similar format. I think this format would be great on Kindle or Nook, etc.

I probably read about 40 to 50 pages into the ARC before I just decided to buy the book when it came out and write a review then. I really liked what I did read, so I was so very excited to get the book. I'm so glad I bought it too. The cover art is beautiful. The dust jacket is this weirdly semi-transparent plastic that allows you to see peeks of what is underneath it. Then, on the actual book itself, is a bunch of writing. All over the place. Excerpts, sort of, from the book. But nothing spoiler-y.

You open it up and are greeted with a beautiful black and white image of space. Take time to admire these gorgeous details. Seriously. Then jump right into the story. If you like sci-fi and like YA, you will love this. Going into this, I honestly didn't really know what it was about. It's kind of a survival story, with romance and a sickness that causes people to become something that I find so much more terrifying than the idea of zombies.

There were at least three different incidents when I said to myself (or maybe out loud, I can't remember), "No way!" My lovely brain always seem to try to think of every possible outcome to a story. So many times I am not surprised by endings or plot twists. I hate that sometimes because I love surprises! However, I never hold it against a book if I predict something that happens in the story. Unless it is horribly obvious. This book though. Oh man! It got me good.

I don't want to go into too much detail on what the book is about. I don't know about you, but I like to go into books blind, or mostly blind. Illuminae's two main characters are Ezra and Kady. They used to date, but broke up the day the BeiTech attacks. Beitech is a rival corporation to the corporation that is mining on the planet they live on. They escape with the aid of 3 ships in the area. One ship from BeiTech is left to pursue them. Two of the three ships that are fleeing are not equipped for battle and the one that is has extensive damage from the fight. The artificial intelligence on board the damaged ship, AIDAN, was also damaged during the fight, which creates other problems.  The rest of the story is trying to survive by fleeing the warship and also trying to survive the illness.

Illuminae can be brutal and intense, which were not things I was expecting. Yet, it also gave me chills in some parts. It's a great story all around and I highly, highly recommend it! Not surprisingly, I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars!

Have you read Illuminae yet? If so, what did you think of it? Have you read any books by any of the authors (Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman)? Let me know in the comments below! I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time,

Jenell

Chaotic Goddess Swapoween 2015 Unboxing!!

I wanted to share this here too! I had so much fun with this!

Cover Reveal & Giveaway! The Darkest Torment by Gena Showalter

Get ready for the 12th and most epic book in the Lords of the Underworld series yet, THE DARKEST TORMENT, available May 31, 2016! I think we can all agree on one thing: #BadenIsHot!

Click HERE to read a note from Gena on why she chose to write about Baden.

Here is your first glimpse at what THE DARKEST TORMENT is all about:

New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter returns with her most explosive Lords of the Underworld tale to date, about a fierce warrior on the brink of sanity who will stop at nothing to claim the exquisite human with the power to soothe the beast inside him... 

Driven to his death by the demon of Distrust, Baden spent centuries in purgatory. Now he's back, but at what cost? Bound to the king of the underworld, an even darker force, he's unable to withstand the touch of another...and he's quickly devolving into a heartless assassin with an uncontrollable temper. Things only get worse when a mission goes awry and he finds himself saddled with a bride—just not his own.  

Famed dog trainer Katarina Joelle is forced to marry a monster to protect her loved ones. When she's taken hostage by the ruthless, beautiful Baden immediately after the ceremony, she's plunged into a war between two evils—with a protector more dangerous than the monsters he hunts. They are meant to be enemies, but neither can resist the passion burning between them...and all too soon the biggest threat is to her heart.
But as Baden slips deeper into the abyss, she'll have to teach him to love...or lose him forever. 

And now for the amazing cover...

Title: The Darkest Torment
Series: Lords of the Underworld, #12
Author: Gena Showalter
On-sale date: May 31, 2016
Publisher: HQN Books
Pages: 448
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Price: $26.99 U.S. / $29.99 CAN.
ISBN: 9780373779741

Find it: AMAZON | INDIEBOUND | GOODREADS

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The Giveaway

There is an amazing blitz-wide giveaway, courtesy of the publisher, for...

• A complete set of all 11 books in the Lords of the Underworld series to ONE winner - US/Canada.

***Giveaway ends Sunday, October 25th at 11:59 p.m. ET. Prize will be sent by the publisher.***

Enter in the Rafflecopter below...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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About Gena Showalter

Photo by Debbie Bunch Photography 

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the spellbinding Lords of the Underworld and Angels of the Dark series, two young adult series--Everlife and the White Rabbit Chronicles--and the highly addictive Original Heartbreakers series.  In addition to being a National Reader's Choice and two time RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan (Red Hot Read) and Seventeen magazine, she's appeared on Nightline and been mentioned in Orange is the New Black--if you ask her about it, she'll talk for hours…hours!  Her books have been translated in multiple languages.

She’s hard at work on her next novel, a tale featuring an alpha male with a dark side and the strong woman who brings him to his knees. You can learn more about Gena, her menagerie of rescue dogs, and all her upcoming books at genashowalter.com or Facebook.com/genashowalterfan.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS

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Other Books in the Lords of the Underworld series

The series on GOODREADS

• THE DARKEST NIGHT (Lords of the Underworld #1) - GOODREADS
• THE DARKEST KISS (Lords of the Underworld #2) - GOODREADS
• THE DARKEST PLEASURE (Lords of the Underworld #3) - GOODREADS
• THE DARKEST WHISPER (Lords of the Underworld #4) - GOODREADS
• THE DARKEST PASSION (Lords of the Underworld #5) - GOODREADS
• THE DARKEST LIE (Lords of the Underworld #6) - GOODREADS
• THE DARKEST SECRET (Lords of the Underworld #7) - GOODREADS
• THE DARKEST SURRENDER (Lords of the Underworld #8) - GOODREADS
• THE DARKEST SEDUCTION (Lords of the Underworld #9) - GOODREADS
• THE DARKEST CRAVING (Lords of the Underworld #10) - GOODREADS
• THE DARKEST TOUCH (Lords of the Underworld #11) - GOODREADS

*BookBear Presents* The Whisper King by Wil Radcliffe: A Review

I have had the privilege to work with BookBear on the upcoming book tour for a novel by Wil Radcliffe, "The Whisper King." I am very excited about this! My first book tour and I also get to promote the work of an independent author!

Synopsis: 

There is a monster sleeping deep inside of you, and The Whisper King is coming to wake it up…and rip it out!

My name is David Kinder. And this is my story... every goddamn bloodstained word of it.

About 25 years ago when I was six my parents died in a car crash. I was bounced around a few state homes until they finally settled me at Meripitt Hill, an orphanage just outside of Lansing, Michigan. It was there that the shadows started visiting me. Not normal shadows. These shadows moved on their own accord, and whispered strange, alien things to me. Scared the piss out of me.

Wasn’t until Donna Elizondo moved to Meripitt Hill that my life started to actually become bearable. She became my best friend. Taught me to love music and to dance. That kept the shadows away. That kept me safe.

That year we were an epic story of two. We danced. We laughed. Hell, I suspect I was falling in love with her, if kids could really know what love is.

But then she was taken away from me. Adopted.

That’s when the shadows returned for me. That’s when they took me to the Shadow Mountains to serve the Whisper King.

For 25 years I learned how to fight. How to kill. I even learned how to transform myself into a Cuthach…a monster. There were thousands of us being trained there. Thousands of us learning to reach deep inside and unleash the monsters in our guts. 

When a spot opened in the Whisper King’s elite guard, the Silent Heart, I was chosen to fill it. But first I had to take one final test. A test that would determine once and for all if I was destined to be man or monster.

My Review:

I don't know about you, but the synopsis had my very intrigued right off the bat! When I was asked by BookBear if I was interested in being a part of this tour, I read the synopsis and very quickly said yes! BookBear provided me with a copy of The Whisper King, and so it began.

The story is told from David Kinder's perspective. It's him as the narrator, telling you the story of his life and follows him from the time he is 6 years old, all the way to adulthood. The first part of the book is setting up for when the main character, David Kinder, ends up with the Whisper King. It's his time at the orphanage, how the Whisper King gets to him, and a character, Donna, who plays a huge part in his life, despite only being in the book briefly.

I feel like there is a lot that happens in this book, especially for a book that is 240 pages long. I was very impressed with Wil Radcliffe's writing style. The beginning part about the childhood felt a little long. At the same time, though, I couldn't make any suggestions on how it could be done differently. The childhood section is pretty important for the rest of the story. After that part is over and David is with the Whisper King in his realm, the story speeds up considerably. Not that the childhood section was slow. It just seemed to last longer than the rest of the story. I wasn't bored by any means during any part of this book.

I believe this book is considered dark  fantasy. And for good reason, as it can be violent and brutal, as well as some other adult content. As you can imagine, there is also swearing. This doesn't bother me much, except it did a little in this book. That is only because David swears like a sailor from the very beginning of the book. When you see who is role model is, you kind of understand why. However, it's always hard for me to accept a child that age using such language! I sound old when I say that...

The world that Radcliffe creates in this story is so different. There's the world we live in, and then there is the Whisper King's realm. The Whisper King's realm is dark and intense. If it isn't what Hell is like, it's got to be pretty close. I certainly wouldn't want to live there!

Overall I thought this was a great book. Wil Radcliffe did a fantastic job with his world, his characters, and his story. I gave this book 4 out 5 stars!

Until next time,

Jenell

Q&A with Wil Radcliffe

In honor if Wil Radcliffe's new book tour for his novel, The Whisper King, here is a brief Q&A!

Do you have a specific writing style? 

Most of my early writing was in third person. With the Whisper King books I’ve found first person much more rewarding. I really wanted to explore the psyche and motivation for my lead character, David Kinder. It’s a lot of fun writing in David’s voice. He’s much more open and freer than I am.

I like using humor in my writing as well. I grew up watching Monty Python and reading Douglas Adams. I feel Noggle Stones in particular follows that style of humor.

I see the Whisper King as a grittier kind of humor. More American stand-up comedian than British satire. Guess I owe a lot of that to South Park and Cracked.com

How did you come up with the title? 

The Whisper King was originally a super hero I created for a role-playing game I used to play. The name just came to me one day. I liked how mysterious and eerie it sounded.

When it came time to name the antagonist for David Kinder’s story, I remembered that super hero. I liked the name so much that I made it the title of the entire series.

What are you working on at the minute?

I’m currently polishing the final draft of the second Whisper King book. And I’m gathering notes and pecking away at the first few chapters of the third and final Whisper King book.

What’s is your book about?  

The Whisper King is an ancient being who lures children to a bleak and terrible realm known as the Shadow Mountains. There he trains them to be monsters, preparing them for a mysterious war that never seems to come.

When 8-year-old David Kinder is recruited into the Whisper King’s army, he excels beyond his peers, eventually growing up to be the most renowned warrior in the Shadow Mountains.

But when a spot opens up in the Whisper King’s elite guard, the Silent Heart, David faces a final test… a test that will determine once and for all if he is destined to be man or monster.

Where did your love of writing come from?

It started with a love of reading. And that love of reading started with comic books. In fact, my childhood dream was to be a comic book creator. The Whisper King actually started as a concept for a comic book, as did my young adult fantasy novel, Noggle Stones.

But somewhere along the line I decided I liked the control of writing prose. I didn’t have to rely upon an artist to bring my vision to life on the page. I could create my own pictures using words.

I still love comic books. But if you’ve ever looked at the credits for a comic book or graphic novel, there are usually at least five or six people involved in the project. A writer, a penciller, an inker, a letterer, a colorist, and an editor. Collaboration can be great, but that’s a lot of people standing between the writer and the finished product. Somewhere along the way his original vision could get lost.

Creating a world all by yourself is much more rewarding, in my opinion.

Brought to you by BookBear

Stay tuned tomorrow for a review of his new book!

Jenell