Showing posts with label The Return. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Return. Show all posts

Saturday, February 28, 2015

The Return by Jennifer L. Armentrout: Review

Synopsis:

The Fates are cackling their bony asses off…

It’s been a year since Seth made the deal with the gods that pledged his life to them. And so far, the jobs they’ve given him have been violent and bloody–which is kind of all right with him. But now Apollo has something else in mind for Seth. He’s got to play protector while keeping his hands and fingers off, and for someone who really has a problem with restraint, this new assignment might be the most challenging yet.

Josie has no idea what this crazy hot guy’s deal might be, but it’s a good bet that his arrival means the new life she started after leaving home is about to be thrown into an Olympian-sized blender turned up to puree. Either Josie is going insane or a nightmare straight out of ancient myth is gunning for her.

But it might be the unlikely attraction simmering between her and the golden-eyed, secret-keeping Seth that may prove to be the most dangerous thing of all.

Because history has once again been flipped to repeat.

Book 1 in the new adult paranormal TITAN series, spin-off to the best selling COVENANT series.

***

"But these sons whom he be got himself great Heaven used to call Titans in reproach, for he said that they strained and did presumptuously a fearful deed, and that vengeance for it would come afterwards."

To my surprise, it actually takes me quite a long time to get through The Return. Ten freaking days. Seriously. I love the book, actually, but it seems like I can't get myself to read a new book after reading the Falling Kingdoms series (and I'm still fangirling over it). The book is more random than I originally thought, and ten times more funny and interesting. Jennifer always surprise me when I thought I'd seen enough surprise that I couldn't possibly be shocked anymore. It's a book I thoroughly enjoy.

Seth returns in the book. He has changed a lot since the end of Sentinel. Since the end of the great war. He's an executioner for the gods, basically at their mercy. He regrets a lot of his decisions in the past and is way more quiet than usual. He bears a lot of weight and stuff. That actually makes me a little sad, because some part of his old cocky self is gone, which is way more fun. But he's still funny and still egotistic, and I find myself enjoying his character way more than I did in the Covenant books. Josie is the way-more-innocent female protagonist in the book. She bears an uncanny resemblance to Alex. Both mentally and emotionally. Maybe nowhere as snarky as Alex, but definitely just as strong. However, I was actually hoping for a character with very different personalities. It's not exactly a disappointment, because I really miss Alex. But that's not what I was hoping for Josie either. I still like Josie though, and would like to see where her character will go.

Speaking of Alex... if you have read the Covenant books, you will know about her character really well. She doesn't appear once in The Return, and neither does Aiden. But there are some mentioning of them that makes me happy and sad at the same time. I miss both of them and their love. But they are not an essential part of the series. However, Deacon, Luke, Solos and Marcus do have a role in the series, and I love the references.

The series name is Titan. So of course this book is about Titans. After that particular unexpected event happened in Sentinel, the world is at peril. Again. Having wayward Titan gods running amuck is not exactly one's idea of safe. The situation is even more bleak than in Covenant. So of course, I'm eager to see just how this problem will resolve. Now I really want the second book.

The Return is refreshing, despite taking a long-ass time to finish it. I have fun reading it.

Rating: 8/10

Monday, January 26, 2015

TBR #22: February 2015

January flies. Seriously. But then I've never expected a ton of books waiting for me in February! I mean, April and October are my book months. It doesn't usually happen in February. I don't have a problem with that though. New books!

1. Invaded (Alienated #2) by Melissa Landers

Synopsis:

The romantic sequel to Alienated takes long-distance relationships to a new level as Cara and Aelyx long for each other from opposite ends of the universe...until a threat to both their worlds reunites them.

Cara always knew life on planet L’eihr would be an adjustment. With Aelyx, her L’eihr boyfriend, back on Earth, working to mend the broken alliance between their two planets, Cara is left to fend for herself at a new school, surrounded by hostile alien clones. Even the weird dorm pet hates her.

Things look up when Cara is appointed as human representative to a panel preparing for a human colony on L’eihr. A society melding their two cultures is a place where Cara and Aelyx could one day make a life together. But with L’eihr leaders balking at granting even the most basic freedoms, Cara begins to wonder if she could ever be happy on this planet, even with Aelyx by her side.

Meanwhile, on Earth, Aelyx, finds himself thrown into a full-scale PR campaign to improve human-L’eihr relations. Humans don’t know that their very survival depends on this alliance: only Aelyx’s people have the technology to fix the deadly contamination in the global water supply that human governments are hiding. Yet despite their upper hand, the leaders of his world suddenly seem desperate to get humans on their side, and hardly bat an eye at extremists’ multiple attempts on Aelyx’s life.

The Way clearly needs humans’ help . . . but with what? And what will they ask for in return?

Expected Publication: February 3, 2015

2. The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons

Synopsis:

The Handmaid’s Tale meets Blood Red Road in Glass Arrow, the story of Aya, who lives with a small group of women on the run from the men who hunt them, men who want to auction off breeding rights to the highest bidder.

In a world where females are scarce and are hunted, then bought and sold at market for their breeding rights, 15-year old Aya has learned how to hide. With a ragtag bunch of other women and girls, she has successfully avoided capture and eked out a nomadic but free existence in the mountains. But when Aya’s luck runs out and she’s caught by a group of businessmen on a hunting expedition, fighting to survive takes on a whole new meaning.

Expected Publication: February 10, 2015

3. Rebellion (Extraction #2) by Stephanie Diaz

Synopsis:

The second book in the brilliantly paced Extraction series, about a fearless girl who wins escape from a brutal life only to find herself battling to save her planet from destruction.

It's been seven days since Clementine, Logan, and their allies retreated into hiding on the Surface. Clementine feels almost safe in their company, but she knows it won't last. The rebels may have won one fight against Commander Charlie, but the war is far from over. He will find a way to fly his Core battleship to the nearby planet, Marden, no matter how many lives are lost in the process. Unless the rebels defeat him first.

The rebel plan is simple: they will infiltrate each sector and weaken his infrastructure from within his ranks. They will convince the underage workers in the camps to join in the uprising. They will hijack ships, enter the Core, and assassinate Charlie. But Charlie has more weapons in his possession than guns and bombs, and he will do whatever it takes to keep the rebels from ruining his plans. With every step, Clementine draws closer to losing Logan and everyone she cares about—and losing control of herself.

Expected Publication: February 10, 2015

4. The Return (Titan #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Synopsis:

The Fates are cackling their bony asses off…

It’s been a year since Seth made the deal with the gods that pledged his life to them. And so far, the jobs they’ve given him have been violent and bloody–which is kind of all right with him. But now Apollo has something else in mind for Seth. He’s got to play protector while keeping his hands and fingers off, and for someone who really has a problem with restraint, this new assignment might be the most challenging yet.

Josie has no idea what this crazy hot guy’s deal might be, but it’s a good bet that his arrival means the new life she started after leaving home is about to be thrown into an Olympian-sized blender turned up to puree. Either Josie is going insane or a nightmare straight out of ancient myth is gunning for her.

But it might be the unlikely attraction simmering between her and the golden-eyed, secret-keeping Seth that may prove to be the most dangerous thing of all.

Because history has once again been flipped to repeat.

Book 1 in the new adult paranormal TITAN series, spin-off to the best selling COVENANT series.

Expected Publication: February 17, 2015

5. Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy (Tales from Shadowhunter Academy #1) by Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan

Synopsis:

After living as a Mundane and a Vampire, Simon never thought he would become a Shadowhunter, but today he begins his training at Shadowhunter Academy.

Expected Publication: February 17, 2015












6. The Distance Between Lost and Found by Kathryn Holmes

Synopsis:

Ever since the night of the incident with Luke Willis, the preacher’s son, sophomore Hallelujah Calhoun has been silent. When the rumors swirled around school, she was silent. When her parents grounded her, she was silent. When her friends abandoned her … silent.

Now, six months later, on a youth group retreat in the Smoky Mountains, Hallie still can’t find a voice to answer the taunting. Shame and embarrassment haunt her, while Luke keeps coming up with new ways to humiliate her. Not even meeting Rachel, an outgoing newcomer who isn’t aware of her past, can pull Hallie out of her shell. Being on the defensive for so long has left her raw, and she doesn’t know who to trust.

On a group hike, the incessant bullying pushes Hallie to her limit. When Hallie, Rachel, and Hallie’s former friend Jonah get separated from the rest of the group, the situation quickly turns dire. Stranded in the wilderness, the three have no choice but to band together.

With past betrayals and harrowing obstacles in their way, Hallie fears they’ll never reach safety. Could speaking up about the night that changed everything close the distance between being lost and found? Or has she traveled too far to come back?

Expected Publication: February 17, 2015

7. Dove Arising (Dove Chronicles #1) by Karen Bao

Synopsis:

Phaet Theta has lived her whole life in a colony on the Moon. She’s barely spoken since her father died in an accident nine years ago. She cultivates the plants in Greenhouse 22, lets her best friend talk for her, and stays off the government’s radar.

Then her mother is arrested.

The only way to save her younger siblings from the degrading Shelter is by enlisting in the Militia, the faceless army that polices the Lunar bases and protects them from attacks by desperate Earth-dwellers. Training is brutal, but it’s where Phaet forms an uneasy but meaningful alliance with the preternaturally accomplished Wes, a fellow outsider.

Rank high, save her siblings, free her mom: that’s the plan. Until Phaet’s logically ordered world begins to crumble...

Suspenseful, intelligent, and hauntingly prescient, Dove Arising stands on the shoulders of our greatest tales of the future to tell a story that is all too relevant today.

Expected Publication: February 24, 2015

8. The Sin Eater's Daughter (The Sin Eater's Daughter #1) by Melinda Salisbury

S
Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she’s engaged to the prince, Twylla isn’t exactly a member of the court.

She’s the executioner.

As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each month she’s taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to Twylla’s fatal touch, avoids her company.

But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he’s able to look past Twylla’s executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet Twylla’s been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to people who cross the queen.

However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla’s problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?

Expected Publication: February 24, 2015

9. Unleashed (Uninvited #2) by Sophie Jordan

Synopsis:

Unleashed, the romantic, high-stakes sequel to New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's Uninvited, is perfect for fans of James Patterson's Confessions of a Murder Suspect.

Davy has spent the last few months trying to come to terms with the fact that she tested positive for the kill gene HTS (also known as Homicidal Tendency Syndrome). She swore she would not let it change her, and that her DNA did not define her . . . but then she killed a man.

Now on the run, Davy must decide whether she'll be ruled by the kill gene or if she'll follow her heart and fight for her right to live free. But with her own potential for violence lying right beneath the surface, Davy doesn't even know if she can trust herself.

Expected Publication: February 24, 2015