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sagek's reviews
1006 reviews
The Dream Engine by Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt
3.0
*I received a free digital version of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Dream Engine is about a 15 year old girl named Eila who, at the beginning, had been experiencing odd visions. The people of Waldron's Gate don't dream, and they certainly don't have visions, so Eila begins her journey of finding out why she's having them and what they mean. In doing so, she unravels a road of truth, deceit, secrets, power, and new friendships. She has to learn to trust herself to figure out what's real and what's false, as well as help a group of people she never knew existed before.
I did enjoy this book, but there's a lot that didn't work for me. Namely how confusing everything is. Maybe there's so many subplots intertwining that the main plot is lost in the paths, or maybe the plot just in any clear enough to me, but either way I don't understand what this book was aiming towards. Yes, Eila had to help people escape from underground and to do so she had to build a safe place through the treacherous fog that is home to many horrors, but they don't have a plan, a place to go, and they didn't really leave either; they just made sure they had a way out. It didn't make sense to me that there was this whole buildup of them leaving, only for them to get out and return. But there's also so much about Crumble and the Joffrey Columns thing and figuring out the truth and being shaped to be a leader. So much was going on, and the buildup had a flat end.
The world-building was good though, if not a little too much. It reminded me a lot of Alice in Wonderland because of the horrors in the fog and her night mares; dragons, dwarves, monstrous shape being things. The book was surrounded by the thought of insanity and these fantasy-like aspects that made the book feel almost... two dimensional? Like it's real, but it really isn't; maybe she's dreaming, maybe none of this is really happening because how could it be? It's hard for me to explain, but having surrounded the book on these dreams and nightmares becoming real and living in the fog, it really made the world feel too far-fetched, in a way. It was a bit complex. It made for a very interning novel, and it was fairly enjoyable to read, but it may have been better with less. I did, however, love the details and the worlds themselves. The lives the characters lived and their jobs and how they shape their minds was all wonderful. The way everything was written was well-done and made everything flow well (after the beginning), even if there were things I could've gone without.
The beginning was also really slow to start, and I almost gave up around 30% through because nothing was really happening. Things built up from there though, and I'm glad I finished the whole book.
The characters were great, though I do feel that Cora and Eila were hard to tell apart. I didn't see much difference between them, especially at the end. There wasn't much to Levi either, though I wish we had more from him.
I loved Eila's struggles. She felt very real, especially since she didn't believe every word Daw said until she saw proof, and that she still felt fear and defeat. There were times she felt so defeated and done, but she always got back up. Most of the time it was because Levi or Daw made her see things in a new way, or told her straight up that she had no right to be so angry or righteous. She learned from those around her, she made mistakes, and she grew.
Overall, I liked this book. Some things didn't fit for me, but I'm still interested in reading the next book.
The Dream Engine is about a 15 year old girl named Eila who, at the beginning, had been experiencing odd visions. The people of Waldron's Gate don't dream, and they certainly don't have visions, so Eila begins her journey of finding out why she's having them and what they mean. In doing so, she unravels a road of truth, deceit, secrets, power, and new friendships. She has to learn to trust herself to figure out what's real and what's false, as well as help a group of people she never knew existed before.
I did enjoy this book, but there's a lot that didn't work for me. Namely how confusing everything is. Maybe there's so many subplots intertwining that the main plot is lost in the paths, or maybe the plot just in any clear enough to me, but either way I don't understand what this book was aiming towards. Yes, Eila had to help people escape from underground and to do so she had to build a safe place through the treacherous fog that is home to many horrors, but they don't have a plan, a place to go, and they didn't really leave either; they just made sure they had a way out. It didn't make sense to me that there was this whole buildup of them leaving, only for them to get out and return. But there's also so much about Crumble and the Joffrey Columns thing and figuring out the truth and being shaped to be a leader. So much was going on, and the buildup had a flat end.
The world-building was good though, if not a little too much. It reminded me a lot of Alice in Wonderland because of the horrors in the fog and her night mares; dragons, dwarves, monstrous shape being things. The book was surrounded by the thought of insanity and these fantasy-like aspects that made the book feel almost... two dimensional? Like it's real, but it really isn't; maybe she's dreaming, maybe none of this is really happening because how could it be? It's hard for me to explain, but having surrounded the book on these dreams and nightmares becoming real and living in the fog, it really made the world feel too far-fetched, in a way. It was a bit complex. It made for a very interning novel, and it was fairly enjoyable to read, but it may have been better with less. I did, however, love the details and the worlds themselves. The lives the characters lived and their jobs and how they shape their minds was all wonderful. The way everything was written was well-done and made everything flow well (after the beginning), even if there were things I could've gone without.
The beginning was also really slow to start, and I almost gave up around 30% through because nothing was really happening. Things built up from there though, and I'm glad I finished the whole book.
The characters were great, though I do feel that Cora and Eila were hard to tell apart. I didn't see much difference between them, especially at the end. There wasn't much to Levi either, though I wish we had more from him.
I loved Eila's struggles. She felt very real, especially since she didn't believe every word Daw said until she saw proof, and that she still felt fear and defeat. There were times she felt so defeated and done, but she always got back up. Most of the time it was because Levi or Daw made her see things in a new way, or told her straight up that she had no right to be so angry or righteous. She learned from those around her, she made mistakes, and she grew.
Overall, I liked this book. Some things didn't fit for me, but I'm still interested in reading the next book.
Spinning Starlight by R.C. Lewis
4.0
*I received a free digital version from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Spinning Starlight follows Liddi Jantzen, the only girl of the nine kids her parents had, and how she has to save her brothers.
Liddi was a great character. She didn't speak throughout the majority of the book because if she did bad things would happen, so we got her thoughts and it felt very personal, and almost made me feel close to her, in a way. It was also very interesting to see how she communicated with others, especially since it wasn't easy for her to convey questions with just a simple facial expression a lot of the time.
Because she has eight brothers, that led to a lot of secondary characters that we didn't really get insight for. Which means that while Liddi developed and changed, they may have but we wouldn't really notice because we don't know a lot about these characters. Her brothers for example, they protect Liddi and that's obvious from how they tried to help her and keep her safe, but we only ever really saw them when they were helping her, and that never lasted long so we couldn't get a good read on each brother. It didn't bother me much since we didn't see them a lot, but there was room for more fleshing-out that we didn't get.
The world-building was nice. I think more could've been done though. I like what we got to see, but what we didn't see would've helped a lot more, especially since we got the outcome but not the process. Also the facts that the setting wasn't clear. I couldn't picture much about where they were or what the clubs/houses/city looked like.
The way this story was told is probably my favourite out of everything. Everything flowed well, and I loved reading Liddi's point of view. For me, this makes up for the secondary characters and world-building pretty well, just not enough that you wouldn't notice them.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book despite the issues. I definitely recommend reading Spinning Starlight if you're interested.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Spinning Starlight follows Liddi Jantzen, the only girl of the nine kids her parents had, and how she has to save her brothers.
Liddi was a great character. She didn't speak throughout the majority of the book because if she did bad things would happen, so we got her thoughts and it felt very personal, and almost made me feel close to her, in a way. It was also very interesting to see how she communicated with others, especially since it wasn't easy for her to convey questions with just a simple facial expression a lot of the time.
Because she has eight brothers, that led to a lot of secondary characters that we didn't really get insight for. Which means that while Liddi developed and changed, they may have but we wouldn't really notice because we don't know a lot about these characters. Her brothers for example, they protect Liddi and that's obvious from how they tried to help her and keep her safe, but we only ever really saw them when they were helping her, and that never lasted long so we couldn't get a good read on each brother. It didn't bother me much since we didn't see them a lot, but there was room for more fleshing-out that we didn't get.
The world-building was nice. I think more could've been done though. I like what we got to see, but what we didn't see would've helped a lot more, especially since we got the outcome but not the process. Also the facts that the setting wasn't clear. I couldn't picture much about where they were or what the clubs/houses/city looked like.
The way this story was told is probably my favourite out of everything. Everything flowed well, and I loved reading Liddi's point of view. For me, this makes up for the secondary characters and world-building pretty well, just not enough that you wouldn't notice them.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book despite the issues. I definitely recommend reading Spinning Starlight if you're interested.
Under Different Stars by Amy A. Bartol
1.0
*I received a free digital version of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Under Different Stars is about seventeen-year-old Kricket, a violet eyed, platinum blond who has "dangerous curves", special powers, freakishly high intelligence, and who finds out she's not human, but actually Etharian. In this first instalment to the series, Kricket gets kidnapped by Trey and a few of his military buddies, while also being hunted by Kyon because of her special powers. Trey and his posse bring her back "home", a new world something-or-other, and hands her over to the Regent, a powerful guy who becomes obsessed with her. Throughout her journey, she must fight off evil men who want her because of her looks and power, while fighting to be loved by the very man who was in charge of her kidnapping.
This book had a lot of potential. However, it fell flat. The romance, characters, plot, and world-building had hardly any development throughout the whole novel. And to be honest, I don't understand what the point of this book is. A girl is kidnapped and brought home only to realize that she's not human, her powers are highly sought after, and her body is one all men desire. All that happens throughout this book after being retuned "home" is a fight for who gets Kricket. Will it be Kyon, a cold-hearted Alameeda who she is the intended to (because the brotherhood (the Alameeda power people) deems it so); Trey, the guy who kidnapped her and didn't care much for her well-being until he fell for her; or Manus, the Regent power guy who is obsessed with her because of her looks and power. It was a constant fight between them, but nothing aside from that really happened.
Character wise, Kricket was probably the best out of them all. She had a rough childhood since her parents died and she decided to run away from the foster homes and such because of the abuse and hell she had to go through. She's fairy strong when you realize all she went through. Even when she was kidnapped she didn't just sit back and let it happen; she didn't fight too hard either though, which definitely didn't fit with how most people would act in such a situation. She was too calm, and she fought and snarked at the men who could kill her in a heartbeat. Other than using her words and trying to escape twice, she pretty much clung to them (them being Trey, Jax, and Wayra). She fell in love with Trey and the other two flirted with her practically non-stop. It was annoying at times. Especially because she's the "perfect", "gorgeous", "special", type of character, and she barely thought about the friends she left behind other then the three or so times in the beginning of her kidnapping.
World-building. It wasn't bad, as we found out about the houses and power, but I couldn't visualize anything. The animals, buildings, and overall nature just didn't form in my mind. A lot of things didn't make sense either. They knew many "earth-terms" and yet they had no knowledge of the more commonly used words. They also had their own way of saying things, such as "knob knocker", "wacker", and "lurker". I get that they're different, but this just made them sound immature.
Overall, the flow of the story was nice. It was fairly fast paced and easy to follow. It was just too repetitive, didn't really have a point to it, and had some lack of development. I'm not going to tell you the books sucks and that you shouldn't read it, because this is only my opinion and yours is likely to be different. So if this book interests you, then give it a go.
Under Different Stars is about seventeen-year-old Kricket, a violet eyed, platinum blond who has "dangerous curves", special powers, freakishly high intelligence, and who finds out she's not human, but actually Etharian. In this first instalment to the series, Kricket gets kidnapped by Trey and a few of his military buddies, while also being hunted by Kyon because of her special powers. Trey and his posse bring her back "home", a new world something-or-other, and hands her over to the Regent, a powerful guy who becomes obsessed with her. Throughout her journey, she must fight off evil men who want her because of her looks and power, while fighting to be loved by the very man who was in charge of her kidnapping.
This book had a lot of potential. However, it fell flat. The romance, characters, plot, and world-building had hardly any development throughout the whole novel. And to be honest, I don't understand what the point of this book is. A girl is kidnapped and brought home only to realize that she's not human, her powers are highly sought after, and her body is one all men desire. All that happens throughout this book after being retuned "home" is a fight for who gets Kricket. Will it be Kyon, a cold-hearted Alameeda who she is the intended to (because the brotherhood (the Alameeda power people) deems it so); Trey, the guy who kidnapped her and didn't care much for her well-being until he fell for her; or Manus, the Regent power guy who is obsessed with her because of her looks and power. It was a constant fight between them, but nothing aside from that really happened.
Character wise, Kricket was probably the best out of them all. She had a rough childhood since her parents died and she decided to run away from the foster homes and such because of the abuse and hell she had to go through. She's fairy strong when you realize all she went through. Even when she was kidnapped she didn't just sit back and let it happen; she didn't fight too hard either though, which definitely didn't fit with how most people would act in such a situation. She was too calm, and she fought and snarked at the men who could kill her in a heartbeat. Other than using her words and trying to escape twice, she pretty much clung to them (them being Trey, Jax, and Wayra). She fell in love with Trey and the other two flirted with her practically non-stop. It was annoying at times. Especially because she's the "perfect", "gorgeous", "special", type of character, and she barely thought about the friends she left behind other then the three or so times in the beginning of her kidnapping.
World-building. It wasn't bad, as we found out about the houses and power, but I couldn't visualize anything. The animals, buildings, and overall nature just didn't form in my mind. A lot of things didn't make sense either. They knew many "earth-terms" and yet they had no knowledge of the more commonly used words. They also had their own way of saying things, such as "knob knocker", "wacker", and "lurker". I get that they're different, but this just made them sound immature.
Overall, the flow of the story was nice. It was fairly fast paced and easy to follow. It was just too repetitive, didn't really have a point to it, and had some lack of development. I'm not going to tell you the books sucks and that you shouldn't read it, because this is only my opinion and yours is likely to be different. So if this book interests you, then give it a go.
Half Bad by Sally Green
*I received a free digital version from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
DNF
I like it. It's definitely interesting. But I don't like the POV, how it's written like "you do this, you do that, you react like this" in the beginning. Even after that stopped, I wasn't really motivated to keep reading.
I'll try to read it again later in the year, and hopefully I'll get through it then.
DNF
I like it. It's definitely interesting. But I don't like the POV, how it's written like "you do this, you do that, you react like this" in the beginning. Even after that stopped, I wasn't really motivated to keep reading.
I'll try to read it again later in the year, and hopefully I'll get through it then.
Hell Is Here by N.P. Martin
5.0
*I received a digital copy from the author.
Rating: 4.5/5
Hell Is Here is the second book in the Watchers series, and it’s all about Leia going to Hell (because she sold her soul), and having to complete a seemingly impossible mission for a chance to get her soul back. Or, well it actually starts with her waiting around for the Crossroads Demon to collect her, and so she spends her time hunting demons and getting into old habits. She also visits Josh, however they aren’t nearly as close as they used to be and Josh is obviously the darker twin, which leaves her worried, even while Leia tries her best to survive in Hell. When the demon finally comes to collect her soul, though, he offers her a choice, a chance to get her soul back if she does something for him, or stay in Hell for all eternity. Naturally she agreed to the chance of getting her soul back, and so they come up with a shaky plan and then she’s in Hell, trying to make that plan a reality.
Leia is overwhelmed and unsure of how to get where she needs to be, and being in Demon form, she also has to worry about not giving in and losing control. She meets a little girl who she finds out was born in one of the deeper, darker parts of Hell that she names Alice though, and suddenly she has a guide. A friend. And Alice, although having never known kindness or love before, is a kind soul who can only give. She can do wrong, she was born in Hell after all, but she only helps Leia and the two form a bond. I came to admire Alice for her strength, for her bravery and for her loyalty. She’s an admirable character. She sticks by Leia, convinces Leia to leave her when she has to, and still stays standing after all the horrors she’s been through in Hell.
Hell is brutal. That’s probably not even that great of a word to describe it. It’s a red hued world filled with nasty, horrible demons of all sorts, types, colours, shapes, and sizes. There’s so many different demons, and yet each were horrifying and most probably made of what nightmares originate from. The descriptions were cringe worthy, so were the demons and their actions. It was brutal to see the way Leia was treated, how the others were treated and how they acted. It’s a ‘dog eat dog world’ as Edward would say, where demons steal, eat each other, rape their meals, and have the unfortunate curse of never being able to die. They always regenerate. I have to say though, that I really love the world. It was raw, brutal, horrifying, and most definitely brilliantly written. As harsh as Hell is, I loved the author’s vision and the way he wrote Hell.
The torture scenes were horrific, and hard to read, yet not hard at all. They flowed so well that you just got sucked in, and while you hated and was disgusted by the torture, you couldn’t help but keep reading. Like I said, it’s a brutal world. It just made me reevaluate Leia’s strength though, as she kept moving. She didn’t stop and cry, or curl up in a ball only to be miserable and get tossed in depression. No. She got back up after healing (she had help) and kept on with her mission.
Overall, I loved reading Hell Is Here and I’m definitely excited for the next installment. The ending shot a twist our way and then Leia was back to being tortured and wow! I just can’t wait to see where the author brings us next.
Rating: 4.5/5
Hell Is Here is the second book in the Watchers series, and it’s all about Leia going to Hell (because she sold her soul), and having to complete a seemingly impossible mission for a chance to get her soul back. Or, well it actually starts with her waiting around for the Crossroads Demon to collect her, and so she spends her time hunting demons and getting into old habits. She also visits Josh, however they aren’t nearly as close as they used to be and Josh is obviously the darker twin, which leaves her worried, even while Leia tries her best to survive in Hell. When the demon finally comes to collect her soul, though, he offers her a choice, a chance to get her soul back if she does something for him, or stay in Hell for all eternity. Naturally she agreed to the chance of getting her soul back, and so they come up with a shaky plan and then she’s in Hell, trying to make that plan a reality.
Leia is overwhelmed and unsure of how to get where she needs to be, and being in Demon form, she also has to worry about not giving in and losing control. She meets a little girl who she finds out was born in one of the deeper, darker parts of Hell that she names Alice though, and suddenly she has a guide. A friend. And Alice, although having never known kindness or love before, is a kind soul who can only give. She can do wrong, she was born in Hell after all, but she only helps Leia and the two form a bond. I came to admire Alice for her strength, for her bravery and for her loyalty. She’s an admirable character. She sticks by Leia, convinces Leia to leave her when she has to, and still stays standing after all the horrors she’s been through in Hell.
Hell is brutal. That’s probably not even that great of a word to describe it. It’s a red hued world filled with nasty, horrible demons of all sorts, types, colours, shapes, and sizes. There’s so many different demons, and yet each were horrifying and most probably made of what nightmares originate from. The descriptions were cringe worthy, so were the demons and their actions. It was brutal to see the way Leia was treated, how the others were treated and how they acted. It’s a ‘dog eat dog world’ as Edward would say, where demons steal, eat each other, rape their meals, and have the unfortunate curse of never being able to die. They always regenerate. I have to say though, that I really love the world. It was raw, brutal, horrifying, and most definitely brilliantly written. As harsh as Hell is, I loved the author’s vision and the way he wrote Hell.
The torture scenes were horrific, and hard to read, yet not hard at all. They flowed so well that you just got sucked in, and while you hated and was disgusted by the torture, you couldn’t help but keep reading. Like I said, it’s a brutal world. It just made me reevaluate Leia’s strength though, as she kept moving. She didn’t stop and cry, or curl up in a ball only to be miserable and get tossed in depression. No. She got back up after healing (she had help) and kept on with her mission.
Overall, I loved reading Hell Is Here and I’m definitely excited for the next installment. The ending shot a twist our way and then Leia was back to being tortured and wow! I just can’t wait to see where the author brings us next.
Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong
DNF @ 38%
I love Armstrong's works. In fact I adore her Otherworld series, which is why I had such high expectations for this book. Knowing what she has written in the past and then reading this...
It's a good book, don't get me wrong, but it's not great. It feels like the author held back, as if what she really wanted to say wouldn't fit the "teen" genre. That's why I feel her books that are in the "adult" genre are better; she doesn't hold back.
I love Armstrong's works. In fact I adore her Otherworld series, which is why I had such high expectations for this book. Knowing what she has written in the past and then reading this...
It's a good book, don't get me wrong, but it's not great. It feels like the author held back, as if what she really wanted to say wouldn't fit the "teen" genre. That's why I feel her books that are in the "adult" genre are better; she doesn't hold back.