Smoking Hot Books: After The End

Showing posts with label After The End. Show all posts

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Until The Beginning by Amy Plum: Review

Synopsis:

When Juneau's clan disappeared, she lost so much more than her friends and family. She soon discovered everything she thought she knew about her life was a lie. Her people's gifts were actually secret abilities that others wanted, desperately enough to kidnap an entire village.

Juneau and her new companion Miles's cross-country journey to find her clan has led them to a game preserve in New Mexico. Now Juneau's people are finally within reach, and she will stop at nothing to save them. But she has a target on her back too, because unbeknownst to her she is the key to unlocking everything. To rescue her people - and herself - Juneau must discover what she, and her abilities, are truly capable of.

***

You will be captured. There will be a battle. Whether a battle of wills or an actual physical struggle, I can't tell. But I see you at the center of it. And when the end comes, your regular weapons won't help you - I read that as meaning both physical and mental weapons... meaning your Reading and Conjuring. Instead you must Invoke.

I wasn't exactly a big fan of After The End. It wasn't bad, but it just didn't capture my attention the way the other books did. The ending though... it's quite an impressive cliffhanger ending, so I was still somewhat curious about the development of the story. Until The Beginning is much better than After The End, and there are some things that I actually like. Although there are moments of confusion and unnecessary stretching of the plot, it's still a somewhat satisfying sequel.

The plot here is much more straightforward. After saving Miles from almost certain death, Juneau tries to free her clan from the greedy hands of the modern world, with Miles' help. Of course, some secrets are unveiled along the way, and betrayal is present. But, it's not hard to see the outcome of the story, and how the relationship between Juneau and Miles will grow. Being predictable doesn't mean it's not enjoyable, though. There are a lot of pivotal moments of Juneau discovering the truth of the Yara. We also get to discover the depths of some of the characters' minds, especially Miles'. The tender and fun conversations between Juneau and Miles are abundant, which is more than fine by me. The only problem I have with the plot is that the explanation for the Yara and other stuff related to it is still too simple for me. While the fact that there are less information dumping is good, the concept of the Yara is still... somewhat unreasonable. We cannot ignore the fact that the writing and the plot has improved quite a bit, and for now that's enough.

In this book, Yara, Gaia and stuff related to them is more of a natural force than a freaky superpower demonstrated in After The End. It's more of a good thing than a bad thing. For one, the so-called scientific explanation for this kind of things are not very scientific by today's standards. They are like super simplified version of a phenomenon at its best. Thinking it as a natural force explained by a sort-of religious concept somehow makes more sense to me. This is one of the reason why I couldn't relate to After The End. The explanation was simply too ridiculous for me to sort through. This book has its paranormal facts organized and it's much better than the mess in the first book.

I'm not sure if there's another book after this, considering it ends in a nice note. Unless it has some dynamic plot waiting for us, I'm not sure I will pick this up again. Either way, the sequel has shown improvements and I'm happy about it.

Rating: 7/10

Friday, April 25, 2014

TBR #13: May 2014

Possibly my least favorite month of the year. But this year it's different. I've got a lot of really good sequels of really good series.

1. After The End (After The End #1) by Amy Plum

Synopsis:

She’s searching for answers to her past. They’re hunting her to save their future.

World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

Expected Publication: May 6, 2014

Check out my review here: http://smoking-hot-books.blogspot.com/2014/01/after-end-arc-review.html

2. The Warrior (Dante Walker #3) by Victoria Scott

Synopsis:

War between heaven and hell is coming, but Dante Walker makes it look damn good.

Dante’s girlfriend, Charlie, is fated to save the world. And Aspen, the girl who feels like a sister, is an ordained soldier. In order to help both fulfill their destiny and win the war, Dante must complete liberator training at the Hive, rescue Aspen from hell, and uncover a message hidden on an ancient scroll.

Dante is built for battle, but even he can’t handle the nightmares where spiders crawl from Aspen’s eyes, or the look on Charlie’s face that foretells of devastation. To make matters worse, the enemy seizes every opportunity to break inside the Hive and cripple the liberators. But the day of reckoning is fast approaching, and to stand victorious, Dante will have to embrace something inside himself he never has before—faith.

Expected Publication: May 6, 2014

3. The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass

Synopsis:

The Selection changed the lives of thirty-five girls forever. And now, the time has come for one winner to be chosen.

America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the competition approaches its end and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.

From the very first page of The Selection, this #1 New York Times bestselling series has captured readers' hearts and swept them away on a captivating journey... Now, in The One, Kiera Cass delivers a satisfying and unforgettable conclusion that will keep readers sighing over this electrifying fairy-tale long after the final page is turned.

Expected Publication: May 6, 2014

4. Tempting The Bodyguard (Gamble Brothers #3) by J. Lynn

Synopsis:

A sexy category romance from Entangled’s Brazen imprint...

He can protect her from everyone except himself.

Alana Gore is in danger. A take-no-prisoners publicist, her way with people has made her more than a few enemies over the years, but a creepy stalker is an entirely different matter. She needs a bodyguard, and the only man she can ask is not only ridiculously hot, but reputed to have taste for women that goes beyond adventurous.

Chandler Gamble has one rule: don't protect anyone you want to screw. But with Alana, he's caught between his job and his increasingly hard libido. On one hand, Alana needs his help. On the other, Chandler wants nothing more than to take the hot volcano of a woman in hand. To make her writhe in pleasure, until she's at his complete mercy.

She needs protection. He needs satisfaction. And the moment the line is crossed, all hell will break loose...

Expected Publication: May 12, 2014

5. Renegade (MILA 2.0 #2) by Debra Driza

Synopsis:

There is no one left for Mila to trust. Except for a boy she barely knows.

But Hunter has no idea who—and what—Mila really is. She can’t bear to reveal her secret, even though he’s unwittingly joined her search for Richard Grady, a man who may know more details of Mila’s complicated past.

Yet the road to the truth is more dangerous than ever. With General Holland and the Vita Obscura scouring the earth for her whereabouts, Mila must rely on her newfound android abilities to protect herself and Hunter from imminent harm. Still, embracing her identity as a machine leads her to question the state of her humanity—as well as Hunter’s real motives.

Perfect for fans of I Am Number Four and Divergent, this action-packed and heart-wrenching second installment of MILA 2.0 will leave readers breathlessly awaiting the series conclusion.