House of Lights By Natalie Banks, A Book Review

 

This was a great story. It kept me turning the pages to find answers to the questions it raised throughout the chapters. It started strong and kept the pace up until the end.

The characters were well developed, so you could understand and relate to their turmoil, emotions, and joys. I surely didn’t want to live their lives, but it was interesting enough to want to hear all the details. The main character, Kate, was a normal person, just in the wrong place at the right time, causing her to question everything, including her own sanity.

The writing easily creates pictures in your mind with details that sharpen the images and enhance the emotions attached. I enjoyed not just the story, but the imagery she created. Anyone who likes thrillers, psychological thrillers, or mysteries will enjoy this book. I gave this book 5 our of 5 stars.

Village E3: Survival of the Human Spirit (Village E3, #1) By James Holler, A Book Review

 

An interesting story, with an ending that confused me somewhat. This is the first of a series, so now it makes me want to see how the second one goes.

The writing was simplistic, and I wondered if it was due to the target age group. I am not sure. The descriptive writing gave a vision of what was happening, but again, it was a basic structure for me. I am used to the weaving details that keep your mind moving to the next scene without a stutter or stop, breaking the connection. It did, however, give you the full picture of who, what, and where, with keen interest, just with a different style of writing.

I did like the story. It kept the interest and questions of what happened ongoing throughout the book. There were three main characters in the story, starting with one, then introducing the other two. There were gaps in the storyline that I thought should be there, though, such as the backgrounds of the characters. Getting past that, the rest was enough to keep the plot intact, keeping you reading.

Although I had more questions that didn’t get answered, hopefully they will be revealed in the second book. I think readers would enjoy this story. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars for the interesting concept outweighing the issues I had with the writing.

KARA: Seeds of the Universe (Astrex #2) By Peter Beard, A Book Review

 This is the second book of this series, and I really enjoyed the first one. So I expected the second one to be as good, but it had some moments that drew me into a faded view.

The start of this book was very confusing and beyond most understanding. The words didn’t fit together in the overall picture. I felt like it was fluff, allusions to what the story was about, instead of a real, solid read of the story. So that thwarted my enthusiasm, and I actually had to put the book down and read another for a bit.

The rest of the story went pretty well, though, and I did enjoy it. I am hesitant to read the next one when it is available, even though I do want to find out what happens next and how. I do understand now what the author was saying in the first part of the book, but it only happened after reading much more of it. Maybe that part should have been after the next part, look back. I don’t know, but it complicated things for me.

The whole story of the two books is interesting, and I am glad I read them. I believe, without revealing any of the great parts, that others would enjoy the story too. The characters are explored, developed, and lovable, keeping you in the whole plot. The sci-fi part is also engrossing, which I particularly like because it is a world you can create and develop however you like. It is fun and exciting to see the creativity, as long as it doesn’t go beyond the believable.

I would recommend this series so far to any of the sci-fi fantasy readers who want action, steady, or fast-paced stories that you can connect to and thoroughly enjoy. I rated this 4 out of 5 stars.