Review: Quick Fix by Linda Grimes

Title: Quick Fix
Author: Linda Grimes
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: In a Fix #2

Trade Paperback, 345 pages
Publication: August 20, 2013 by Tor Books

Source: Publicist 

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Ciel Halligan, an aura adaptor with a chameleon-like ability to step into the lives of her clients and fix their problems for them — as them — is working a job at the National Zoo with her boyfriend, Billy, and his ten-year-old sister, Molly. It's supposed to be a quick fix, giving her time to decide if it's wise to pursue the romantic relationship her charming scoundrel of a best friend wants, or if she should give Mark, the CIA spook she's crushed on since hormones first rattled her pubescent brain, a chance to step up to the plate.

Molly has already begun to show signs of being an adaptor herself. She's young for it, but she's always been precocious, so it's not impossible. What is impossible is her taking on the form of the baby orangutan she touches — adaptors can only project human auras. Until now, apparently. Worse, Molly is stuck in ape form. She can't change herself back.

Escaping from the zoo with their new baby orang, Ciel and Billy head for NYC and the only person they know can help: Ciel's brother James, a non-adaptor scientist who's determined to crack the aura adaptor genetic code. But when Billy winds up in jail, accused of attempted murder, Ciel begins to suspect Molly's unusual adapting ability is more than just a fluke. Who's been experimenting on Molly, and what do they hope to gain? And will Ciel survive to find out?

Quick Fix was another fun and whacky installment in the In A Fix series featuring Ciel Halligan, an aura adapter. Ciel is able to adapt to any person she comes into contact with down to a point in appearance and voice. At the start of Quick Fix, readers find Ciel, Billy and Billy’s 10-year old sister Molly at the zoo. Ciel is on assignment hoping that that it’d be a ‘quick fix’ unlike her previous cases, getting her client a position on the board of directors. Unfortunately the situation gets more complicated when Molly, who is just barely coming into her adapter abilities, turns into a baby orangutan.  Ciel’s only hope in figuring out how to turn Molly back into a little girl is her brother James, a non-adapter. Juggling a baby orangutan, finding the assailant who tried to shoot Laura and mistaken identities and figuring out her relationship s with mark and Billy are all part of the to-do list in Ciel Halligan’s oh-so-Not-normal life.     

This time around readers get to see more of Ciel’s wonderful and quirky family members. They are quite a bunch. We learn more about Thomas and his connection to Mark’s partner Laura, James the non-adapter and we meet the not-often-talked about youngest brother of Ciel, Brian. For most of the story, James is trying to figure out a cure to turn Molly back to normal, and this is where we learn more about the aura adapter abilities. Well, the scientific aspect of it…how one becomes an adapter versus a non-adapter.  I thought Molly’s situation was really interesting and how she came to adapt an animal’s aura. The entire time Molly was a baby orangutan, she was still herself. Imagine a baby orangutan binging on ice cream and playing Wii vigorously nonstop!  Or the time when everyone had to ‘adapt’ Molly so that Auntie Ro didn’t find out, it was hilarious to see all the different-crazy situations Ciel and the gang found themselves in. 

In the previous book, In A Fix, Ciel was fighting her attraction between two long time friends Mark and Billy. In the sequel, Ciel made the final decision on who she wants to be with and I’m so glad it was Billy. In this book we see them both navigate their new relationship from being best friends to a romantic relationship. Their intense chemistry continues to grow from the first book, and I love seeing their interaction together…it’s just so darn sweet and cute!  Mark made an appearance here and there throughout the book and passively let Ciel know he was/or is interested in her but it is nothing compared to when Billy is actively pursuing Ciel.  I like Mark but Billy is definitely the guy for her. 

Quick Fix was an excellent sequel to last year’s In a Fix, there is never a dull moment when Ciel and the gang are involved.  The world-building is unique and easy-to-understand, something you won’t find in other urban fantasies. Add in likeable characters and a charming romance and you got yourself a winner! I highly recommend this series to all UF,PNR, and fantasy fans looking for a light-fun read…you won’t regret it!

Review: Projection by Risa Green

Title: Projection
Author: Risa Green
Genre: Paranormal Young Adult
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 288 pages

Publication: September 3, 2013 by Soho Teen

Source: Publicist 

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When 13-year-old Gretchen Harris's mother is murdered at Gretchen's 8th Grade graduation party, everyone in the town of Delphi, California, suspects a power struggle within the Oculus Society: Delphi's version of the Junior League.  Gretchen's best friend, Jessica Shaw, might even hold the key to finding the culprit withThe Plotinus Ability: the Oculus Society's jealously guarded secret power to trade souls, which hinges on a kiss. Gretchen's hope at finding the murderer ends in tragedy when Ariel Miller—the class outcast—stalks Gretchen and Jessica and surreptitiously films them exchanging a kiss to test if the Plotinus Ability is real, not knowing their motives. The ensuing YouTube video ("Popular Girls = Secret Lovers") goes viral, Gretchen's and Jessica's lives are further shattered, and they vanish from Delphi.

Flash forward two years later: Ariel is suddenly the most popular junior in town, but wracked with guilt over what she did to Gretchen and Jessica.  When both girls reappear after their mysterious absence, Ariel finds herself pawn, suspect, and key player in their scheme to bring the murderer to justice.

Green’s debut novel Projection is a clever and unique addition to the Young Adult genre.Projection is a paranormal/sci-fi sleuth novel (on the light-side) set in three time periods that will appeal to a lot of readers.

The book opens to Rome 249 A.D., introducing readers to Gemina, her best friend Amphiclea, and Gemina’s  teacher/a philosopher Plotinus. Gemina believes her husband is cheating on her. Plotinus says the only way she will know for sure is if they ‘project’ with one another. Projection (The Plotinus Ability) is where two people switch souls with one another (sort of like breathing into the other person’s mouth, or think Lindsey Lohan’s Freaky Friday movie LOL.)  In order for a safe projection, Gemina and Plotinus needs someone to witness their soul exchange and that is where Amphiclea comes into play, she is chosen as a ‘witness’ and if anything bad happens she will tell others the truth. The novel then fast-forward to the present day to Gretchen and her friend Jessica, both 13-years-old who just graduated from the eighth grade.  Gretchen’s mom celebrates this monumental moment by throwing a lavish eighth grade graduation party for Gretchen and the entire eighth grade class…but there is also another reason to celebrate Gretchen’s mom says. Gretchen doesn’t ever find out what her mom wanted to say because she is murder that night.  Jessica then reveals to Gretchen that her mom was going to pass on her Oculus Society (a disguised philanthropy club that really is protecting the Plotinus Ability) leadership role to her. The leader/group swore to protect the ability to project for over 2,000 years, a tradition that’s passed from mother to daughter. In order to find the killer, they project with one another and while they succeeded in projection they couldn’t find the murderer. The book then fast forward again two-years, and the girls are now 15-years-old and they’re still determine to find out who murdered Gretchen’s mom.

Gemina and Plotinus's back-story is told in a couple of chapters between Gretchen, Jessica and Ariel’s chapters, sprinkled through the short book (288 pages) to better explain the Plotinus Ability. At first I didn’t see how Gemina/Plotinus story was really relevant to the present day girls but everything ties together nicely towards the end. I wasn’t a fan of the back-story at the beginning, but as I got further into the book I found myself looking forward to reading more about Gemina and Plotinus. I was sad they didn’t get a happy ending like the girls, but I’m glad the Gemina/Plotinus chapters were added because it added something more to the story.  The projection concept is quite refreshing, having never read a YA like it. It was fascinating to see how all the characters used the Plotinus Ability, and how it eventually aided them in finding out who killed Gretchen’s mom. When the girls switched places with one another, they learn a lot not only who the killer was. They learned how it is to live in another person’s shoe (even if it’s for a day) and that though you think you know someone, you don’t really know what happens when you’re not around or behind closed doors. They also learned how others perceived them/how they see themselves, which was fun to see. 

Green did a great job in creating an engaging plot that had me guessing till the very end. There were so many twist-turns that I didn’t see coming, especially who the killer was! Overall, Projection was very well-written and the cast of characters were realistic even with the hint of paranormal/sci-fi. I enjoyed every aspect of this book, and think it will appeal to a lot of readers, not just young-adults. I highly recommend this book to everyone looking for a refreshing, page-turner. 

Review: Doon by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon

Title: Doon
Author: Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon
Genre: New Adult, Fantasy
Series: Doon #1

Hardcover, 368 pages

Publication: August 20, 2013 by Zondervan 

Source: Author/Publicist  

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Veronica doesn't think she's going crazy. But why can't anyone else see the mysterious blond boy who keeps popping up wherever she goes? When her best friend, Mackenna, invites her to spend the summer in Scotland, Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months.

But the Scottish countryside holds other plans.

Not only has the imaginary kilted boy followed her to Alloway, she and Mackenna uncover a strange set of rings and a very unnerving letter from Mackenna's great aunt—and when the girls test the instructions Aunt Gracie left behind, they find themselves transported to a land that defies explanation. Doon seems like a real-life fairy tale, complete with one prince who has eyes for Mackenna and another who looks suspiciously like the boy from Veronica's daydreams. But Doon has a dark underbelly as well. The two girls could have everything they've longed for...or they could end up breaking an enchantment and find themselves trapped in a world that has become a nightmare.

I was super excited when I first heard about Doon. Two best friends off on a trip to Scotland for the summer sounds like the beginning of something magical in itself but then they both gets transported to the mythical land of Doon! It is there that both girls learn of their connection to the mythical land and where they meet their....soul-mates? It all sound quite swoon-worthy don’t you think? I’m sad to say that Doon wasn’t what I expected, and more often than not it reminded me of all the other YA cliché…been there, done that kinda deal.

Off the bat I was struggling to get into the story, and the duo narration didn’t help one bit. Doon is narrated by best friends Veronica and MacKenna. The narration jumps between Veronica and MacKenna between chapters, and while I don’t usually have issues with multiple narrations, I couldn’t differentiate between the two girls. They sounded almost the same, and at times I had to turn back to the beginning of the chapter to remind myself who was speaking. I also found it difficult to relate and connect with our two main heroines, and later the rest of the characters. The story focuses mostly on Veronica with MacKenna as a secondary story/background. Of the two heroines, I actually found myself more interested (not much, but at least more than Veronica) in Mackenna’s narrative and story. Veronica was the type of heroine I don’t like reading about. She’s been having ‘visions’ of Prince Jamie of Doon and when she finally meets him in the flesh it was like insta-love for her. To Veronica’s surprise, Prince Jamie would give her the cold shoulder and the evil eye like she’s beneath him. What does Veronica do about it? She questions herself, what did she do wrong, and what can she do to make him notice her? She complains about Jamie’s hot-cold behavior, nice and lovey-dovey one minute and the next minute he avoids her like the plague. Yet, she turns around and does it too. All she wants is for him to notice her and when he does, she pushes him away. Honestly, I can go on and on about what I didn’t like about Veronica and Jamie’s relationship. The majority of the characters all felt one-dimensional, and I wished they all had more personality.

As for the world-building, it was nonexistent. I loved that the book takes place in Scotland and with a magical Scottish land of Doon to boot…but the details of both was sadly lacking. I don’t remember any descriptions when the girls arrived in Scotland. And then when the girls were transported to Doon, the authors described the bridge and the mountains…that’s honestly all I got for descriptions. The magical land of Doon sounded like modern day- anywhere. I mean they had indoor plumbing and pizza for goodness sakes (what they learn from people entering through Doon’s barriers for 24 hours once every 100 years)! It’s hard to see how special this place was because there wasn’t anything magical about it. 

The story is told strictly as good versus evil, and nothing in between. I like my stories to have more depth to them, and Doon wasn’t one of them. The girls were just like any regular high-schooler, looking for their prince charming and to get their happily-ever after. I mean yes, MacKenna was a little bit better in wanting a career and some independence…but in the end she regrets it. *sigh*.  I wanted to love Doon so much but I just couldn’t get into the story and characters. I mean look at the beautiful cover! Doesn’t it scream adventure and magic? Bottom line, Doon is a mash-up of every YA cliché you can think of, with unlikable characters (excluding Duncan) and a rather bland world. Doon actually has many great reviews on Goodreads, and while it might not be for me….it might be for you.  I suggest checking out an excerpt or chapter before reading it to get a better feel for the story/writing style. 

Blog Tour: [Review] Big Egos by S.G. Browne

Title: Big Egos
Author: S.G. Browne
Genre: Science-Fiction, Satire
Series: N/A 

Paperback, 384 pages

Publication: August 6, 2013 by Gallery Books   

Source: Publicist, review copy for blog tour

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Does your lifestyle not fit the person inside you? Then try someone else on for size! Call him whatever. Call him whomever. He can be any legally authorized fictional character or dead celebrity he wants for six to eight hours, simply by injecting a DNA-laced cocktail into his brain stem. It’s called Big Egos and it’s the ultimate role-playing fantasy from Engineering Genetics Organization and Systems (aka EGOS.) And, as one of the quality controllers for EGOS, he’s the ultimate ego-tripper, taking on more artificial identities than advisable—and having a hell of a time doing it. Problem is, he’s starting to lose the ability to separate fact from fiction. His every fantasy is the new reality. And the more roles he plays, the less of him remains. Sure, it’s dangerous. Yes, he’s probably losing his mind. Okay, hundreds of others could be at risk. But sometimes who you are isn’t good enough. And the truth is, reality is so overrated. . . .

Ever wish you can walk in someone else’s shoes?  In Browne’s latest novel, Big Egos an unnamed narrator and countless of other people do just that…they become anyone they want to be whether it is a celebrity, or a fictional character for a couple of hours and three thousand dollars. Our nameless narrator works as a quality controller for EGOS (Engineering Genetics Organization and Systems). His job is to personally test out all the Big Egos to make sure there isn’t any side effects/ or deficiencies, and monitor which Big Egos are the most popular. This might be another satire novel from Browne but it does get serious toward the last half of the book when our nameless narrator and others starts to experience problems from using too much of ‘Big Egos’. Things go from happy-go-lucky to the total opposite when Big Egos related deaths start to occur.

The concept for Big Egos is so creative and fun. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like it, nor seen anything currently published with a similar idea.‘Big Egos’ which is also what the product is called is a DNA-laced liquid that is injected at the base of one skull. Then for about six to eight hours the person can be whoever they want to be. Some of the fun celebs and fictional characters mentioned in the book were; James Bond, Jane Eyre, Harry Potter, Jessica Rabbit, and Elvis to name a few. 

What I really enjoyed about this novel is how Browne tied his unique story to relatable real life situations and society/modern culture today.  Identity is the main theme of the novel.  Everyone at one point in their life tried to search for their identity.  Asking themselves: who are they or who do they want to be? Some people try to set themselves apart, to be different/ original or to jump on the band-wagon to feel like they’re a part of something. I think Browne does an excellent job exploring this idea of Identity, and while this book had me cracking up from start to finish I also learned a lot from it which I didn’t expect (thought this book was going to be more for like brain candy). 

With so many celebrities and fictional characters possibilities and an ambitious plot, there is never a dull moment. I highly recommend Big Egos to those looking for something different and fun to read.  Anyone who loves pop-culture will also enjoy this book.

Review: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Title: The Bone Season
Author: Samantha Shannon
Genre: New Adult
Series: The Bone Season #1

Hardcover, 480 pages

Publication: August 20, 2013 by Bloomsbury USA

Source: Publicist, Arc

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It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing.

But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army.

Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.

The Bone Season is a dazzling and intellectual read that absolutely lives up to the hype. I. Love. Every. Second. Of. It.

The story takes place in the not too distant future (year 2059) in London, England.  Paige Mahoney isn’t your typical 19-year-old. She runs with the underground gangs, and her Mime-Lord, Jaxon is one of most feared and notorious lord in London.  Paige is a voyant (clairvoyant), dream walker, who can get information from people’s mind and is Jaxon right-hand-gal. The world in which Paige lives in is tightly controlled by an enforcement group called The Scion. Their goal is to eliminate any and all voyants. Paige and her gang, The Seven Seals are infamous but so far have been able to delude the government for a long time…until Paige murders two Scion members. She gets captured and thrown into voyant jail located in off-the-map Oxford.  The place is called Sheol-I and is run by creatures from the netherworld called Rephaim (though they look like humans). The Rephaim procure voyants for two main reason; one for their army and two for their life-force (Rephaims sustains their life force from feeding off Voyants/Amaurotic(non-voyants)’s aura).  The strong voyants are paired with Rephaim for proper training, while the rest become servants and entertainers.  Paige is desperate to return to her old life, to her gang and the only way that is likely to happen is if she begins to trust the person she loathes the most, her Rephaim master, Warden. 

The Bone Season is one of the most complex and original novel I’ve read ever, EVER. I must admit it was a little daunting at first with the terminology/slangs and the shear amount of explanation needed for the world-building. Some reviews felt that the author was info-dumping too much.  I agree that there was a lot of information to take in, but thought it was well-done. The information was spread throughout the book, and sometimes the author incorporated flash-back chapters to better explain certain things. There are also maps, flow chart and a glossary at the back to help familiarize readers with the terminology and clairvoyance distinction. I didn’t know there was a glossary till I finished the book, but it was easy to figure out the meaning from the sentence used. To be honest I didn’t even notice/or wasn't bothered by all the information because as I got further into the book it merged perfectly into the story/plot and I was deeply engrossed by it. 

Paige is a likeable heroine. She’s a tough chick that can hold her own in everything she does and as the book progress; she grows stronger with everything that’s thrown at her both physically and mentally. All the characters play a crucial role in story and world-building whether it is big or small. I enjoyed reading about Paige’s gang the Seven Seals, the ruthless Rephaims (hoping to learn more about Nashira, the Blood-Sovereign…her background that is) and the Harlies (street performers) in Sheol-I…there’s tons of characters which added another layer of richness to the story. Beside Paige, there was another character that stood at the forefront of the story, Arcturus Mesarthim “Warden”, the Blood-Consort to the Blood-Sovereign, Nashira Sargas and Paige’s Rephaim master. Gosh. The page-time and interaction between Paige and Warden were pure gold. Their banter goes from Master-Servant to Teacher-student, and then to something more personal/intimate towards the end of the story.  I had hope early on that their relationship took on a more romantic turn, and was glad that it did in the end…but it was super brief and short-lived LOL (will see how things play out in the following books). The tension and chemistry between the two characters was deliciously-intense and just how I like my leading couples! 

The world-building is mind-blowing. Shannon attention to details is impeccable.  Just when readers are finally wrapping their heads around the gist of Shannon’s world and the seven orders of clairvoyance, the author spins another intricate layer to the world and story. The story isn’t a light-easy read, and will probably take a couple read-through to fully understand everything, but that shouldn’t be a problem because one you finish reading this book…you’ll want to read it again and again. I can’t believe it’d be another year till the second book (boo, sad face)!

The Bone Season is a highly imaginative, adrenaline rush thrill ride that will leave you breathless. Literally. (I’m talking about two particular action scenes that had me gripping the pages with unnecessary force)! All in all The Bone Season was an extraordinary debut novel.  The cast of characters and world-building was amazing and perfect. I can’t wait to read the future installments, and can definitely see this series/author becoming a huge success. I can’t recommend this series enough because it is sooooo good. I’m sure everyone will find something they like because it crosses a lot of genres such as; dystopian, paranormal, science fiction, and high fantasy. The Bone Season is a must read, and is the best book I’ve read all year!