As The Crow Flies by Rysa Walker & Caleb Amsel

Now that I've read this book, I feel like I see crows everywhere I go.  

As the Crow Flies tells of several people in varying states of troubles within their lives. Some of them know each other already, some of them don't but find themselves ultimately connected later. Each of them has momentary conflicting memories that they can't explain. Most troubling is the sudden appearance of people in town who were believed to be dead.

Horror movie fans might have a slight advantage when reading As the Crow Flies

I'm not much of a horror movie fan, but there were a few moments that were themed with classic horror films that I think everyone would recognize. That was interesting and I think helped with imaging certain moment in the story. It's not necessary to be familiar with any horror movies at all to enjoy this book. I can attest to that.

Reasons you must read this book:

• The story line is full of surprises
• It's impossible to predict the ending
• You enjoy thinking about a book for days after you've finished reading.
• You hate birds and this book shows them as the monsters that they truly are.

Rysa Walker and Caleb Amsel have delivered an action-packed horror show of a story with As the Crow Flies. The book has a bit of a slow start following the perspective of a possessed crow. The crow is spying on several people, and why this matters isn't immediately apparent, but it's well worth the read to find out.



    

The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy

I rather love the creative story of The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansey. While I wouldn't want to steal memories from others, it would be amazing to see a duplication of a memory. For instance, how does my child remember our recent trip to Disneyland? I remember being hot and sweaty, desperately needing a nap. If I looked through his memory of the trip, what would I see from his perspective?

Dementia is a very real fear of mine. Imagine living in a world where your neighbor could force that upon you.

Our experiences and memories are what shape the people we are. In The Memory Thief, a "gifted" person could steal your most recent memory at the forefront of your mind, or all of them if they're extremely talented. Every memory you have of your own mother could be swiped away until you don't know if you ever had one. Yet, in the reverse, you might never have jumped off a cliff into the ocean, but you could buy that memory from someone who did. Following the purchase, the cliff jumper has no recollection of the jump.

Do you wish to have a mastery of art skills? Buy the skills at auction from the mind of an artist.

I found it impressive that there were several unpredictable moments. A reader is lucky if they're blown away by at least one plot twist in a book. Lauren Mansey manages to surprise you several times with hidden agendas among the main characters, secret guilt, and overall surprises.  This slightly suspenseful, and very captivating story shares the pain of loss, the strength of new found love, and the courage to keep trying despite insurmountable odds.

Pre-Order Available. Releasing October 1, 2019. 

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

The Grace Year is reminiscent of  Lord of Flies 

Tierney, our main character, lives in a small county that strictly controls the lives of its female citizens. Women are not allowed to meet in groups without men present. A woman can be punished with a whipping to her back for the simple transgression of taking a bath with rose petals in the water. The day before leaving for the "Grace Year", each woman is paraded around town for the men to choose a future wife. The women have absolutely no control of whom they'll marry.


There are so many challenges to the girls' survival during their Grace Year. While contained to an enclosed area with little means for survival, they quickly establish a hierarchy. It's the first time any of them are without the instruction and supervision of men. The new freedom of self control leaves many of them lost. Few of them are able to make decisions for themselves.

Four seasons of survival = four chapters of the story.

I'm disappointed to give this book only a 3.5-star rating because The Grace Year is truly a great story and it had me hooked. I definitely binge read this within three days (I have kids so I can't read books in 1 day). This book could have easily been 4.5-stars if the formatting were correcting to include at least page breaks. The Grace Year is only separated into four "chapters", one per season of the year. While the story is solid, the lack of true page breaks or chapter breaks is distracting to the story. In one paragraph Tierney could be asleep, then the next paragraph she's awake and talking in a different place entirely. It causes momentary confusion and pulls you out of the moment. I hope this is revised before the book's release in September 2019.

Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly

Lost Roses is the type of book I tend to avoid. It's a period piece based on true tragedy, which means I'll cry ugly tears. After I found the courage to start Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly, I found that I couldn't stop reading. Each chapter I said it will be enough to have a tiny snippet of closure so I could sleep. You can see where this is going. I ended up getting to sleep sometime after 3:30 am and thus have a serious book hangover today.

Why did such tragedy have to occur?

The harsh treatment of people throughout the war is truly devastating. Lost Roses doesn't go too heavily into these scenes; however, I'm way too empathetic. A small fiction scene told from one of the Russian immigrants told to Eliza Ferriday (one of our main characters) had me literally crying for five minutes.

Lost Roses is a story of perseverance. It is a telling of what lengths women will go for their own survival. Even when it seemed impossible for Sofya to survive the fall of Russia's imperial dynasty, let alone have the will to try, she just kept moving forward. Her story of challenges may have been fictional, but there's no doubt it is quite true to what real women of the period endured.

There was already a lot of buzz around this book before I had a chance to read it for myself. I can attest to the hype. Martha Hall Kelly wonderfully combined fictional characters alongside true historical figures of the Imperial Dynasty. The plight of Russian immigrants seeking a semblance of a good life in America shouts at our current state of affairs.

Grab the tissues, sit in your favorite reading place, and brace yourself for a brilliant story.

The Woman He Loved Before by Dorothy Koomson

Jack loves his wife Libby, but is he still in love with his first wife, Eve?

Libby is a very smart and likable woman. She crosses paths with Jack Britcham by chance, and honestly doesn't like him very much. Patient and kind, Jack inevitably charms Libby and their love quickly spirals into marriage. In time, Libby finds herself desperate to learn more about Eve - his mysterious first wife in a pink wedding dress.

Having died tragically, Eve is not an easily discussed topic for Jack.

After a car accident that leaves Libby with healing injuries and upsetting scars, her and Jack both find it hard to learn their new normal. There's something about the accident that he's not telling her. She only remembers flashes of before and after impact. It only gets worse when she learns that Jack was a suspect for murder in Eve's accidental death. Did Jack actually try to kill Libby too in a way that could be perceived an accident?

During her recovery, Libby discovers Eve's hidden diary. It's possible that she could have had the inner strength to dispose of the diary if she hadn't peeked at the note tucked inside. It's immediately clear that Eve knew she might be murdered. It's such a  compelling letter, it's impossible to resist reading further.

Eve, The Woman He Loved Before, led such a turbulent life with many unfair obstacles. You'll feel joy, anger, and heart ache for Eve that is so real, you'd think you knew her.

My Best Friend's Girl by Dorothy Koomson

What would you do for the friend who broke your heart?

The short description of My Best Friend's Girl makes it pretty clear that reader will shed some tears. A woman discover's her ex best-friend to be dying, leaving behind a young daughter. That in itself is a heavy load to handle. Don't forget though, the little girl is also the child of her ex-fiancé. What was surprising in this story was the resilience of both Kamryn and Teagan, our main characters. Kamryn is easy to relate with. Her worries and her guilt make her so human, it's as if she's jumping out of the book.

Dorothy Koomson dives right into the thick of story line from page one. The reader doesn't have to sift through a lot of backstory to get to the root of the issue. As the story progresses and we get familiar with the characters, their thoughts and actions show us their struggles of the past and how it is affecting their futures. Again, their actions and reactions feel very authentic. Having lost someone close to me, I found the character's issues with grief to be honest. Their thoughts weren't always proper, their actions were sometimes selfish. That is real life. Nothing was sugar coated for a pleasing story.

I can't give this book enough praise!

I found this book from my local book club and I am so grateful for that. Dorothy Koomson has a writing style I love. There's just the right amount of dialogue. As a reader you can easily insert yourself into the story. Before I was halfway through  My Best Friend's Girl I ordered three of her other books from thriftbooks.com (<--- 15% coupon).

Check out the next three on my to-read list. All of the covers look so light and carefree, and yet the content seems to be very sinister. I love it.

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

My first Jodi Picoult book did not disappoint!

Hello there, my name is Kristin, and I'm probably the last person on earth to learn that Jodi Picoult is a great author. I've heard about all of her books but hadn't gotten around to them. That said, A Spark of Light was the perfect first read from Picoult. Surrounding the mighty controversial topic of all time, abortion.

A Spark of Light is the telling of many different facets of abortion.

Following the discovery of his seventeen year old daughter's abortion, a father seeks retribution by gunning down the lone abortion clinic in Mississippi. We begin inside the hostage situation at the clinic. People have been hurt, SWAT wants to head inside and take over, and the hostage negotiator is holding them back. Thus, Jodi Picoult has started us at the end, and with each following chapter takes us to the beginning.

Each chapter is the previous hour from the chapter we've read. In each chapter we go deeper into the thoughts and memories of every complex character. A pregnant nurse, a freshman girl seeking birth control, a "pro-lifer" undercover, a woman who just had an abortion and the doctor who performed it, and several more. Everyone had a secret or some kind of obstacle in their life which wouldn't be fair for anyone to endure. Even the gunman has a backstory that makes you want to sympathize, if for only a moment.

This side, or that side ...

As Picoult mentions in this book (in much better words) the stakes are too high for this issue to truly end. There will always be the pro-life and pro-choice camps. I didn't feel that A Spark of Light was pushing too hard to persuade the reader in either direction. The book presents several viewpoints of abortion. Each woman who sought an abortion in this book had such different socioeconomic backgrounds. The doctor is a man of color who sees personally how race plays into the issue of abortion. In each of these narratives, I found myself surprised and considered these different ideas in comparison to my own.

When "every life matters" means protecting the rights of embryos, who is protecting the rights of women?

A Spark of Light was a very powerful book full of ideas that are so relevant and applicable to real life. The stories of these women are much like those of women we know. The women that we are. The story truly digs deeper into the depth of humanity. All of us are flawed human beings just trying to do better each day.

Jodi Picoult has taken a brave and bold step as an author.

I suppose it's possible that Picoult has written other controversial books; however, anytime a public figure breaches such a controversial topic they stand to lose some fans. Picoult is very clear in cataloging how she researched for this book. I applaud her for sharing science based information. I thank her for taking what must have been a lot of time interviewing people on both sides of abortion. Hopefully all of her fans appreciate her effort to open our eyes to the varying lives affected by one deeply personal topic. Even if A Spark of Light doesn't move the reader to a different stance on abortion, the content is moving enough to help the reader feel a little more empathy for their opposite.

Frost Blood by Elly Blake

The cover of Frost Blood by Elly Blake is both soft and beautiful while implying danger and violence.

In Frost Blood, Ruby is a Fire Blood who lives in hiding among regular villagers in the mountains. She and her mother are far from the viscous Frost King and his mission of hunting down the last of the Fire Blood people. Their efforts to keep Ruby hidden were not enough. The King's regime finds Ruby during a raid of her small village. In this terrifying night, Ruby still cannot gain enough control of her fire gift to properly defend herself. Because of hiding, she never fully learned to harness her gift, and yet the Frost King would have her punished.

Ruby is the best chance at overthrowing the evil King's reign, but her fear of her own unchecked power holds her back. She makes unlikely friends who try to help her harness her power. Despite their differences of fire and ice, her ice gifted friends do manage to help her trust herself more and more with time. While on this journey, Ruby develops a love interest. While it is an ancient believe that ice and fire cannot be together, it doesn't quell the intense feelings they develop.

Once again, opposites attract.

I enjoyed the conflict and timeline of Ruby and Arcus developing their feelings for each other. Their gifts were literal opposites to each other and caused each other physical discomfort to which they had to acclimate. Elly Blake didn't rush their love and it's greatly appreciated. Too often in the young adult genre the characters are in love within almost a single chapter. Actual love isn't so easily built and Ruby and Arcus depict that very well.



Without giving too much of the plot away, Frost Blood held some similarities to one of my all time favorite movies, Gladiator. Russel Crowe makes a great placeholder for Arcus. ;) Come to think of it, even Joaquin Phoenix makes for a great Frost King, but I digress.

Love, vengeance, violence ... so much to keep you entertained!

Frost Blood by Elly Blake was a five-star read! Now excuse me while I continue with Fire Blood.

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

The cover of Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian is stunning. My 12-year-old has recently become a bookworm so we took a trip to Powell's City of Books. The book store occupies a full city-block and offers more books than you can imagine. Ash Princess has the type of cover art that stands out on a jam packed shelf of books. I grabbed it for her, but I was not prepared for how much I would love the book myself.

Magic, Politics, Love, Friendships, Betrayals...

The life of Theodosia is full of tragedy from the very first page. Following the murder of her mother, she is renamed Thora. She is forced to deny her true identity and live among the people who conquered her home and stole her queendom, the Kalovaxians. Her existence as a pretend Kalovaxian is truly despicable and it leaves the reader questioning how this story could possibly end well for Thora and her enslaved people.

Thora's life among the Kalovaxians is a miserable shadow of existence. She is physically punished everytime there is any resistance or rebellion from the enslaved Astreans. The Kaiser forces her to wear dresses that display her scars for all to see. She is allowed to interact with others, as she is supposed to be a docile Kalovaxian citizen but, they are always watching her. She is never truly alone.

The ashes, they all fall down.

Cresentia is Thora's only friend; however, throughout their interactions it's clear the friendship is both a blessing and a curse. Cresentia was kind to Thora from the first time she was forced to wear a crown made of ashes. At all social functions, Thora is made to wear a crown of ash so that it flakes and falls with her movements. Covering her in ash and mocking her former station as a princess of Astrea.

The Kaiser thinks to break her, and unintentionally sparks the rebellion inside of her.

Thora's identity was always a show. She reminded herself how Thora is expected to act, what she would say, how she should feel. The moment she decides to fight for her county she shifts mentally to Theodosia. Years of abuse keep her insecure and questioning all of her plans. Her fight to redeem herself as Queen Theodosia is made more authentic this way. Readers might prefer her to be a tough and defiant woman instantly, but the truth is that she was tortured from her childhood. Fighting back against any abuser, and in this case a whole country, is not done easily.

Ash Princess provides plenty of surprises to keep the pages turning. Her best friend is an enemy to her country. If she overthrew the Kalovaxians, how could she spare her friend? Theodosia wants to hurt the man who killed her mother; however, he's Cresentia's father. Can she kill the father of her only friend? Throughout Ash Princess, taking back Astrea seems an impossible feat. A vast majority of the Astreans were murdered while the rest are enslaved in the mines. From embers and ashes, Theodosia will rise against them.

Ruthless Magic by Megan Crewe

Ruthless Magic indeed. The story begins with a young man named Finn trying to impress his family with his feeble magical ability. Finn comes from a long-time magical family, and yet he's struggles to keep up with his magical peers. He's desperate to prove himself to his granduncle and his father that he deserves placement at The Academy, and doesn't want to be given a placement simply because of his familial relations.

The magical confederation determines which youth will be granted admission into the Academy for tutoring, and which will instead be "dampered". If you're not chosen for The Academy, your magical ability is dampered down to just a single enhanced ability, such as being a great cook. Finn's best friend Prisha is the first in her family to be magical. The Confed doesn't trust new magic. Their intent with their magical ability can't be trusted. Discrimination runs rampant throughout this story.

Clearly a few young and brave souls need to change the hierarchy while surviving the test.

If not chosen for The Academy, a person can challenge the decision by declaring for "The Exam", a magical test put on by The Confed. No one knows just what The Exam entails, only that it is dangerous. Rocio, our second point of view in Ruthless Magic knows all too well that the exam has cost lives of previous participants. Passing The Exam allows each champion to retain all of their magical ability. Failure is worse than the dampering. All of your magical ability is stripped away.

Hunger Games, meets Dumbledore's Army with a Divergent twist.

Naturally, The Exam is much more dangerous than any of the examinees could have imagined. A few of them are suspicious of The Confed but wisely keep it to themselves. When met with very unsettling news from the examiners, all of them must make a difficult choice. They can forfeit and lose their magic, or they can continue for a chance to keep their magic while sacrificing their morals. Definitely an awful twist in the story.

In Ruthless Magic, no one is a witch/wizard, all simply mages. There are no wands. Magic is intertwined with the mage and is released with a rhythm or song lyric. This lends to a more honest and organic feeling of magic. Megan Crewe did a fantastic job of setting up the series for the next book. There is enough conclusion to be satisfied with this portion of Finn and Rocio's story; however, there is definitely more Ruthless Magic ahead of them.

Everless by Sara Holland

According to my own tween, Everless by Sara Holland is a great read for a mother/daughter bookclub.

The people of Sempera survive on the blood of the less fortunate in their society. We’re not talking vampires. Because of an ancient spat between an Alchemist and a Sorceress, the life expectancy of a Semperan citizen depends on how well they “spend” their life blood. Days, months, and years of time are drawn from a person’s blood and bound into a coin. The coins are dropped into drinks and extend the life of the more fortunate drinker. It pays rent, it buys food, and it is drawn in large quantities as punishments for crimes. 

Time is currency - blood iron extends lives by centuries.

In Everless, we witness the vast difference between the poor working class and the aristocracy. Where our main character Jules Ember is desperate to earn back the years her father has had to sacrifice for their meager living, people like the Gerlings are frivolous with their wealth earned from the life blood of those they tax so harshly.

In a last ditch effort to provide for herself and her withering father, Jules joins the influx of servants at the Everless Estate. Roan Gerling is soon to marry the Princess of Sempera and the Estate needs many people to prep the wedding. Immediately her presence causes trouble for herself and those around her. She promised her father she’d never return to Everless, the home of her childhood, her first love Roan Gerling, and his cruel brother Liam Gerling.

If you see Liam Gerling run away. Leave Everless. Stay far away from the Queen.

As you can expect from a seventeen year old girl, Jules is drawn to do the opposite of what her father begs her to do. She can’t believe she’s in any danger from the Queen because her father won’t tell her why. She knows she should avoid Liam; however, she needs to know what trouble he’s up to. What secrets is he keeping in that journal, and is he a danger to his brother Roan?

Jules will take great risks to get to know the Queen of Sempera, as well as her adopted daughter that is soon to marry Roan. Sara Holland’s debut novel might have a few twists you’ll see coming but you will definitely be surprised by Jules’ connection to the Queen, and the dramatic ending to this first installment.

Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope

Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope is the first edition in the Earthsinger Chronicles. Earthsingers are people who have a magical ability called Earthsong. It is as natural to them as air, and connects them to nature. They are non-confrontational people but can utilize the elements of earth as defense in battle. Those born with Earthsong are scorned by people who are born without.

Jasminda was the strongest of them all, even if her Earthsong was the weakest.

Despite being hardly tolerated in Elsira, Jasminda manages to keep her chin held high while living alone on her family property. Her father was an Earthsinger from Lagrimar but stayed in Elsira to be with her mother. Her parents were not well liked in their town because of their interracial relationship. For choosing to marry an Earthsinger, Jasminda's mother was disowned from her Elsirian family.

Lagrimarians are not trusted, are believed to be inferior, and are often referred to as the slur "grol". L. Penelope has presented a different concept for representing bias and the hardships people endure for having a quality that is naturally inherent to them. Earthsong is the cause of discrimination while the color of their skin is only an outward indicator of the ability.

Jack, an Elsirian soldier and therefore not an Earthsinger, is our leading man carrying a few secrets. He is caught spying on Lagrimarian soldiers and beaten nearly to death. It is when his captors commandeer Jasminda's cabin that she and Jack are thrown together in a fight for survival. They are a formidable pair, each saving the other time and time again. Just when they think they can find happiness with each other, they arrive at Elsira's Capital where less than a handful of people are kind to Jasminda.

Her appearance attracts gossip and rudely open stares.

Jasminda receives little kindness and virtually no respect while in Elsira's Capital. Internally she feels the pain of being judged, yet outwardly she is the picture of confidence. She is a stronger heroine than most. Her internal struggle with the cruelty of others is honest and how most of us feel when we are misjudged. How she reacts reflects a deep will not to succumb to the prejudice of others. She manages to continue putting the well being of others before her own, desperate to figure out why The Queen Who Sleeps is sending her visions in her dreams.


Despite the personal cost to her own happiness, Jasminda is determined to find a way to wake The Queen and stop The True Father from taking over the lands and stealing Earthsong from all Lagrimarians. She finds new friends among the Lagrimarian refugees who have managed to hide from The True Father and retain their Earthsongs. Not all of them trust her, but they recognize that she has been chosen by The Queen.

Song of Blood and Stone touches on another sensitive subject, the treatment of refugees. There is dangerous tension and mistrust among refugees and soldiers. They're rejected by community and thought of as less than. This isn't the key story line but it does easily apply to our very real climate.

There might be some predictability in the love story, but I was not expecting the amount of feelings I would experience in this book. I was entranced by the magic of Earthsong, and impressed at the resilience of a young woman in the face of adversity.

Song of Blood and Stone is much more than a young fantasy story, it is an experience that all book readers need to endure.

Sick Girl by Rachel Hargrove

In her novel Sick Girl, Rachel Hargrove tells the story of both Aubrey and Melissa from their alternating perspectives. Aubrey is in love with Melissa's husband as well as Melissa's lifestyle. Both women are terminally ill and therefore live a life different from everyone surrounding them. To get close enough to kill Melissa, Aubrey has to befriend her. In doing so, she realizes that she actually likes Melissa. Killing her becomes much more difficult once they've become friends.

Aubrey is definitely a sick girl in more than one way 

Aubrey is definitely suffering from some delusions. In her perspective, the transition into her lover's life will be simple. Of course he puts his wife first right now, but if Melissa were gone then he could finally put Aubrey first. Simple really, Melissa is terminal anyway. All Aubrey is doing is speeding the process along. Aubrey could move-in with Tom and the kids and enjoy the only good thing going on in her life, Tom. She'd be happy through her final days.

Tom's wife Melissa was the bread-winning success before she got sick. She was the reason that they could afford the mcmansion in San Francisco. Her tech start-up put them in designer clothes and fancy cars. When her illness forces her to step down from work she becomes obsessed with the company's place in the stock market. She can't remove herself from her phone, following her "first baby" while being stay-at-home mom to her two actual children. Melissa could be considered the lucky one between her and Aubrey. Melissa has money to throw at organic food, high quality vitamins, and expensive naturopaths. Most of all, she's not facing death alone.

There's surprising revelations involving all three points of this love triangle 

As a reader, you can't help but want both women to get a happy ending. Both of them are destined to die from page one of this story yet you can't help hoping somehow there's a miracle cure for them. Sure, Aubrey is crazy but she's also dying alone. She might just need psychiatric treatment and distance from Tom. Melissa might not be the world's best mom but again, Cancer. Cancer makes it hard to be as attentive to her kids as she needs to be. She's fighting for her life literally and was already suffering depression from the loss of her career.

So how does Rachel Hargrove get it done? Do they both die? Does Tom finally get caught cheating? Read this exciting thriller to find out!

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

 Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody is a dangerous journey through the "City of Sin". A city that is said to leave a mark on your soul. No one leaves the city undamaged in some way. Enne Salta is a young and proper lady who arrives with a trusted guidebook in hand, desperate to find her missing mother. Her book warns her of the dangers of the city, where to go and where not to go. It doesn't warn her of the reputation that her mother Lourdes had in the city. She quickly realizes she can't seek help from the "white boots" (police), she will have to rely on the help of Levi Glaisyer and his street gang The Irons.

Young love blooms in the right place but at the wrong time. 

We shouldn't be surprised when Levi and Enne begin to develop feelings for each other; and yet, it's not the typical circumstances getting in the way of their budding romance. Levi is keeping secrets from Enne in an effort to protect her. While helping her search for her mother he can't bring himself to tell her that he's received the card of "The Fool," indicating his required participation in a game that holds his life as the prize. The odds of "The Fool" winning the game are slim to none.

Enne discovers a lot more about her own secret past than that of her mother's.

While I expected most of this book to take place in a deadly game played by Enne, I'm pleased that the author took us through the journey of Enne searching for her mother. She makes unlikely friends, finds herself in various situations of danger where she discovers she's not quite as delicate as she thought, and she manages to find the courage to keep facing devastating setbacks without losing hope. Enne was not considered special in her hometown of Bellamy and was hardly accepted by her peers. Now she's found acceptance, and a place to truly shine. It might be in The City of Sin, but she comes to feel more connected there in just a few days than in her whole life lived in Bellamy.

The author Amanda Foody brought these young characters to life with such a true adolescent perspective. Despite Levi being in charge of an entire street gang, she shows us his soft side and vulnerability. She describes people of different ethnic backgrounds, main characters who could be defined as bi-sexual (no graphic lovemaking in this book), and characters who choose to dress gender fluid. Foody manages to create a diversity that I don't tend to see when I read books. We rely on the author to create the landscape to which our own imagination will leap off and fill in visual gaps. Amanda Foody provides a landscape that is very alluring and very unique.

Thank you Harlequin Teen for the free book giveaway hosted on Goodreads.com

Winter Igniting by Rebecca Zanetti

Winter Igniting finally gave me two characters to love completely. April Snyder is just the kind of woman I'd want to meet in a post-apocalypse world. She is smart, compassionate, and a true survivor. Somehow, April managed to find purpose in a dark world. She felt like she had nothing left to live for, yet she still continued to get up each day and take care of the orphans who've survived Scorpius.

Damon Winter might be the greatest of all the Vanguard Mercenaries.

Before Damon Winter, my favorite Scorpius surviving male was his best friend Greyson. I liked how each of them treated their love matches. Damon is quite smitten with April but it doesn't cloud his judgement where she's concerned. When he had issues with her defying his orders, it wasn't because of that alpha-male "I'm in charge" crap. It was practical. They had a mission and she defied orders twice. I was relieved that he wasn't the control freak in the relationship.

Over the development of this series we have all grown suspicious of The Pure. Having a new amiable leader for The Pure Church was a good start to establishing trust with The Vanguard, but why are they still hiding the pregnant women and children? It's easy to believe that their hiding in The Pure Church is forced. Before Winter Igniting, I was hell bent on Vanguard forcing their way inside. Clearly I'm not well suited for planning a mission. In this book we finally get to see the inside of The Pure building. I was equally suspicious as April and Damon were. I agree that there is some validity to protect people who haven't been infected, but there's still something to discover in that building.

Will Scorpius survivors be able to carry their babies to term?

When April speaks with the pregnant women in The Pure, I realized I could appreciate their fear of outsiders. If I was pregnant I wouldn't be willing to risk contracting Scorpius either. It's possible they're the only ones who can procreate. We know of a few pregnant Scorpius survivors but it's too soon to know if the moms and babies will survive. We're getting closer to finding out. They've discovered the importance of vitamin B, they've found secret bunkers with research, I think in the next book we will discover how to save the human race.

New readers of the Scorpius Syndrome series, even if you're not into romances there is still something in these books for you to enjoy. The consistent story line of humans pulling together despite the overwhelming odds against them is inspiring. I envy you if you've never imagined what it would be like to survive some kind of nuclear disaster with only a small fraction of humanity. I myself know that I'll go raid my local Walmart right away for supplies.