November 09, 2018

Review: Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

Better Off Friends
Author: Elizabeth Eulberg
Publisher: Point
Publication Date: February 25, 2014
Pages: 276
Format: eARC/NetGalley

For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can't be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan's friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they're best friends -- which wouldn't be so bad if they didn't keep getting in each other's way. Guys won't ask Macallan out because they think she's with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can't help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

From romantic comedy superstar Elizabeth Eulberg comes a fresh, fun examination of a question for the ages: Can guys and girls ever really be just friends? Or are they always one fight away from not speaking again -- and one kiss away from true love?

Review: Ok, so I wanted to enjoy this more than I did. Now don't get me wrong, I do enjoy a lot of books that tend to have some high school drama. But this was a bit much. While I very much identified my own high school self in many of these scenes, my high school self was also like "seriously, just freaking tell each other already!" Like it was too high school. 

So our main characters are Macallan and Levi. Levi moves to Wisconsin and starts at Macallan's middle school. She's tasked with showing him around. She really isn't into it, but after being cold giving him the tour, she later tries to be nicer and invite him to sit with her and her friends at lunch. The two of them end up bonding over a British show they both just absolutely love. They end up becoming really great friends, best friends. I really loved the friendship. It was just so natural and free flowing. Its one of those friendships you never have to try at. Until they start having feelings for each other. And then its this stupid, angry back and forth for a good year or so because they realize they do have feelings for each other but they won't just sit down and say it. It's excuse after excuse. Oh, she can't feel that way about me, oh he has a girlfriend now that I suddenly want to tell him. Like honest to god, we could have avoided a years worth of drama in this story if they had just sat down and admitted their feelings regardless of everything instead of playing this stupid game of excuses not to tell each other. I mean, it was painfully obvious to literally everyone around them for over 2 years they liked each other. But only they seemed oblivious to that fact. I'm sorry, sure, in high school, I'd beat around the bush with admitting my feelings for a guy I liked, but for like an entire 1-2 years, no. A few weeks at most. This was really ridiculous. I literally know no one that did this for 2 years. 

Then there's the friendships. Like I said, I really liked Levi and Macallan's friendship. It was so easy going. It reminded me of how things are with my fiance. It's easy going. We have jokes no one else really understands. We can talk easily to each other. It feels natural. I liked that. And I liked Macallan's friendship with Danielle too. She seemed like an overall fun, good friend, though we definitely don't see as much of her as I would have liked. But Emily. Oh my god she reminds me of friends I had. Keep this secret of me cheating because I'm confused about my feelings. Nope. I had a fair amount of friends in high school. Some that dated each other or at the least, people I knew, and then would do that. Nope. This whole thing didn't fly with me. Friends that make you keep secrets of them cheating suck. I felt for Macallan with this stuff with Emily. And then Levi's friends. They were definitely the jock type. More concerned about sports than anything. But one friend in particular went to far in pissing off Macallan and definitely got what he deserved because of it. 

Honestly, this book felt really predictable to me. We knew by the end of the book Levi and Macallan would get over themselves and admit their feelings and end up together. I saw the friendship ending with Emily coming a mile away after the whole "keep my cheating a secret thing." And who didn't see Macallan and Levi having fights and issues over the whole not admitting their feelings for like 2 freaking years. That was painfully obvious. 

The things I did like. We see Macallan having real grief over her mothers death. We see her struggle with it and things that remind her of her mom. We see her work on healing after it. And then we see her get to the point where it doesn't hurt so much and she can actually open up about her mom and talk about her without having panic attacks. We see her healing process over the span of 3-4 years and it really showed how people deal with loosing a loved one, especially a parent. Also, I loved her cooking. It was like once Levi's mom showed Macallan how to cook it because her way of processing her grief. And she found something that she absolutely loved to do. It really helped her in a way I don't think she ever expected. I also liked that Macallan stood up for those who had disabilities. She cares so deeply about how they are treated because of her uncle, and it was really refreshing seeing a character that stood up for them. 

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October 24, 2018

ARC Review: The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Darkest Star (Origin #1)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publication Date: October 30, 2018
Pages: 368
Format: eARC/Netgalley

In the world of the Lux, secrets thrive, lies shatter, and love is undeniable.

#1 New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout brings her trademark drama and intrigue to a new romantic YA science fiction series with The Darkest Star. A girl pulled into in a world she doesn't understand finds herself confronted by long buried secrets, a betrayal that could tear her life apart...and Armentrout's most swoonworthy book boyfriend yet.

Seventeen-year-old Evie Dasher knows firsthand the devastating consequences of humanity's war with the aliens. When she's caught up in a raid at a notorious club known as one of the few places where humans and the surviving Luxen can mingle freely, she meets Luc, an unnaturally beautiful guy she initially assumes is a Luxen...but he is in fact something much more powerful. Her growing attraction for Luc will lead her deeper and deeper into a world she'd only heard about, a world where everything she thought she knew will be turned on its head...

*Review contains spoilers from the Lux series (since this is a spin-off from it)*

Review: Oh my god. I loved this book so much. I loved the Lux series a lot and was super excited to get a spin-off with Luc. And this seriously did not disappoint. In fact, this was better than I was expecting going in. I really did not expect some of the twists we got thrown at us. So you don't really have to read the Lux series before this since the big things are explained in here, but I would highly suggest reading it so you have a better understanding of a lot of the story. You see a lot of BIG connections.

So I don't know where to start. Well, this takes place 4 years after the events of Opposition. So 4 years after the invasion of the Luxen and the destroying of a number of cities. So a lot has changed. Obviously from Opposition we knew that all the Luxen who remained were going to have to register (minus obviously Daemon and family/close friends involved with everything). So we now have issues with unregistered Luxen, all the rules the government put in place. They've made it where Luxen and humans can't have known relationships or marry (again, obviously Daemon and family/friends and probably anyone who was already together before hand excluded). I thought this was a bit much. But I feel like it was also put into practice because of the stuff Daedalus did. But still. It honestly kinda felt like what they did back in the day. The whole wanting to put the Luxen in certain communities/only allow them to be with others of their species felt reminiscent of the race issues that did this back in the day. And whats worse is the government keeps trying to put more and more restrictions on them. Everyone knows a lot of good Luxen were living on Earth for decades before the invasion and nothing bad happened, but now they just look at all of them as evil. It's like they forgot not all of them aligned with the ideals of the invading ones. I just see all of what the government and the people are trying to the Luxen as ending very badly. And another thing, despite the Luxen being known about now, the world doesn't seem to know about the Origins. So the government is pretty much persecuting one species, but still keeping another secret. This is also gonna end badly for them.

I really liked this look into Luc. We really learn a lot about him. More than we ever learned in the Lux series or things that happened between the series. It was really interesting. We see how far Luc went to protect the Origin kids we were introduced to in Origin (Lux #4). And god, I feel so bad for Luc. He tries to hard to protect those kids and find them a good home with the few people he trusts and then has to turn around and do the most heartbreaking thing to protect his friends from the kids. And the whole thing with letting Nadia (who we meet in the Lux series) go. This poor guy just suffers heartbreaking thing after thing. But even with all that pain and heartbreak he's dealt with, he's still here trying to help the Luxen with all the rules and regulations against them. He's trying to make safe places for them to be without the persecution. Luc has such a big heart and this book just showed a completely different side of him and I loved it. I'm also really loving the Luc/Evie romance. Definitely a lot of growth for that relationship. But it'll happen.

Evie. Oh my god Evie. Every twist and turn involving her shocked me. So we're introduced to her as Evie Dasher. Child of Jason Dasher (AKA Sergeant Dasher from Origin, I know right!) and Sylvia Dasher (which I swear is mentioned in one of the Lux books as well, though I don't remember which one). Woah. That in itself was huge. Evie gets caught up in a raid in the club Luc owns and that's how we see her dive into the world of the Luxen and Origins. And then we see these creepy murders happening to her classmates that could have only been caused by someone not human. Yeah, I'd be freaked out like Evie was at seeing her murdered classmates. And then all the creepy stuff with someone breaking into the house but yet her not seeing anyone. I was freaking out for Evie reading that. Then we get bombshells dropped. About her parents, her past, her link to Nadia and Luc. I was seriously not prepared for all of that nor was I even remotely expecting that. And then the bombshell about her friend Zoe as well. Jesus. Why you gotta drop so many bombshells on us in one book?? Evie is gonna have a lot of adjustments and things to learn and deal with in the next book after all this.

And then we get to Micah. Remember Micah from the Lux series? The origin kid who was trying to break out while Katy and Daemon were with Daedalus?? Yeah, he's here in a big way. He's behind a bunch of the stuff going on. And he also drops some bombshells. The serum his group of Origin kids was given. Apparently it also included growth hormones which has made them age much faster than their actual age is. I was shocked by that, but then not surprised with what Daedalus wanted them for. And before Micah dropped that bit of knowledge, we had also found out they had yet another serum after Prometheus that we never knew about that relates to Nadia. And then he drops the bombshell (again, another one), that Daedalus might still be out there working on stuff. Apparently things that could be much darker?? SERIOUSLY?!?! That is making things not look too good for the next book, because I'm sure it will have bad things happening. Things I'm sure will also get more of our favorites out in the action instead of just having small tidbits here and there. I'm definitely excited for the next book! Honestly, I can't get enough of the Lux universe!

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October 08, 2018

Review: Beneath The Citadel by Destiny Soria

Beneath The Citadel
Author: Destiny Soria
Publisher: Amulet
Publication Date: October 9, 2018
Pages: 480
Format: eARC/NetGalley

In the city of Eldra, people are ruled by ancient prophecies. For centuries, the high council has stayed in power by virtue of the prophecies of the elder seers. After the last infallible prophecy came to pass, growing unrest led to murders and an eventual rebellion that raged for more than a decade.


In the present day, Cassa, the orphaned daughter of rebels, is determined to fight back against the high council, which governs Eldra from behind the walls of the citadel. Her only allies are no-nonsense Alys, easygoing Evander, and perpetually underestimated Newt, and Cassa struggles to come to terms with the legacy of rebellion her dead parents have left her — and the fear that she may be inadequate to shoulder the burden. But by the time Cassa and her friends uncover the mystery of the final infallible prophecy, it may be too late to save the city — or themselves.

Review: Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was had a good story-line, great characters, and and incredibly rare thing. Being a standalone fantasy novel. Like it seems like almost every fantasy novel released lately is part of or a beginning to a series. So it was incredibly refreshing to read a standalone fantasy novel that told a solid story and wrapped things up nicely. I did have a few small issues with the book, but overall, it was good. 

So the first thing that really stood out to me was the actual story. We have a city ruled by a council and a chancellor who rely on prophecies to keep people in line and prevent uprisings. And we also have so many interesting people in Eldra. There are people blood bound the elements such as silver or iron. People who can see the future, people who can take memories, etc. We see how all these types of characters play into the story line. Our main characters are pretty much a ragtag group of teens with the last spark of rebellion in their blood trying to bring down the chancellor and his council. They end up instead unknowingly being a huge part of a infallible prophecy. And of course its a battle of who to trust. Someone who the chancellor and his council have kept locked up underground for years saying he can help bring them down, or the chancellor himself asking for their help to do the opposite and help him instead.

So pretty much the leader of the group is Cassa. Her parents were the leaders of the rebellion and were killed in the final battle against the citadel. She has pretty much taken it upon herself to take them down for her parents deaths. She fights the biggest battle in this book. She wants revenge so badly for her parents deaths, but also has to question what the right way to get that is. She is torn whether to believe Solan, the executioner, kept hidden underground saying she can kill the chancellor to create change, or to believe the chancellor himself, Ansel Dane, saying that being rid of Solan would create the change she desires. I think Cassa was also the one who grew the most. She starts off being dead set on her plans of revenge. But you see her slowly grow into someone who realizes that even though her parents are dead, she's created a new family of sorts with her friends now and she cares about them just as much, not just revenge anymore. She isn't just content to see one person die since it won't bring her parents back, she wants to protect her friends more. 

I think my favorite character was Alys. She can see the future, though not very well she claims. And she's also an apprentice of her parents, who are alchemists. She is with the little rebel group because the chancellor and the council destroyed her family's livelihood by punishing them for giving medicine to a rebel. We see Alys also grow a lot. She is incredibly unsure of herself and anything she does to try to help her friends succeed. She's constantly questioning if she told them the right things, made the right decisions, is strong enough to do anything. But as she goes through all these things happening to them, having conversations, seeing new things unfold, she slowly gains some confidence in herself. And by the end of the book, not only is she more sure of her skills and what she's seeing, but of her decisions as well. I loved the ending for her. She makes a decision about trying to help Vesper and the people in Eldra that I honestly don't think she would have made in the beginning. 

One of the big things I liked about this book was the bi-rep. Alys' brother Evander is bi and has kinda been hiding his interest in mutual friend Newt. Newt also has an interest in Evander, but doesn't even think Evander thought of him the same way. We see these two grow from individuals with their own agenda's, Evander to protect Alys and their parents, and Newt to prove he's not like his father, who betrayed the rebels to the citadel, to individuals fighting for the same goals. Newt starts to realize he's not his father and that he's earned his spot in this group and Evander starts to see that helping and protecting his family might also mean helping to fight for and save Eldra. I also loved that they finally tested the waters of attraction and realized they felt the same way. And realizing this even gave them both some strength later on in surviving. Neither wanted to see the other dead after just realizing their shared feelings and fought harder to ensure they survived. I also really liked that this wasn't a randomly thrown in romance. It had a base where it formed and feelings that had been there for a while. They just needed an event to bring them out. 

Wow. This whole web of prophecies, divination's, taking down the citadel, power. It was interesting. At first we are led to believe the infallible prophecies are ones that absolutely cannot be changed. But then find out that this final one that is playing out, was rigged from the start. It wasn't just a random prophecy, but one that was influenced by many smaller events over many years. That was definitely interesting. And the fact that the councilors in particular were so intent on holding on to power, that they couldn't see the danger posed to them and the entire city. They only wanted to keep their prophecies coming, putting to death anyone that even remotely stood in their way, even if they were trying to warn them of what could happen. Those are definitely not the type of people you want holding all the power. 

The only issues I had with this book were the 6 POV's. While they were all important, I was definitely having a hard time keeping up with them sometimes. I'd go right into a new chapter not realizing the character switch. A few voices definitely seemed similar. But it wasn't a huge distraction. Just took a little time to get used to the constantly switching POV's. The thing that bugged me more was the switching between present and flashbacks. I'd get a good rhythm going reading the present scenes, but then we'd get a flashback thrown in and it threw everything off because it had a different tone and pace. This was definitely more of an issue in the first half than the second half since there were a lot more flashbacks in the first 50%. The flashbacks were definitely integral parts of the story, just could have been better in how they were thrown in. But overall, I really liked this book. 

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June 17, 2018

2018 Reading Challenges Updates

So its officially halfway through the year. I wanted update everyone on my challenge progress. Some challenges I've been rocking and others I'm really behind on. LOL.

So lets start off with the challenge I'm hosting!

So I had set my goal for the 2018 Dystopia Reading Challenge as Leader, or to read 16+ dystopian books. I figure since I'm hosting it, why not try to set a great example right? Well, this is one I've already hit my goal on. I hit 16 books in May! Clearly I'm not just going to stop reading dystopian now, but they will just be more surpassing my goal. 
Books Read:

1. The Last Girl On Earth by Alexandra Blogier

2. SINthetic (The New Lyons Sequence #1) by J.T. Nicholas

3. SINdicate (The New Lyons Sequence #2) by J.T. Nicholas

4. London (Surviving The Evacuation #1) by Frank Tayell

5. This Is Not A Test (This Is Not A Test #1) by Courtney Summers

6. Wasteland (Surviving The Evacuation #2) by Frank Tayell

7. Family (Surviving The Evacuation #3) by Frank Tayell

8. Zombies vs. The Living Dead (Surviving The Evacuation #0.5) by Frank Tayell

9. Queen Song (Red Queen #0.1) by Victoria Aveyard

10. Steel Scars (Red Queen #0.2) by Victoria Aveyard

11. Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard

12. Burn (Pure #3) by Julianna Baggott

13. Fracture Me (Shatter Me #2.5) by Tahereh Mafi

14. Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) by Tahereh Mafi

15. Restore Me (Shatter Me #4) by Tahereh Mafi

16. Glass Sword (Red Queen #2) by Victoria Aveyard

Overall Progress: 16/16 Books Completed! Goal Met!

The next challenge is the 2018 Debut Author Challenge hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl!

So I'm behind on this. My goal is 12. And I've only read 3.

Those being:
1. The Last Girl On Earth by Alexandra Blogier
2. SINthetic (The New Lyons Sequence #1) by J.T. Nicholas
3. Sky In The Deep by Adrienne Young

I do have more debut authors books sitting on my shelves, I just haven't got to reading them yet.

Overall Progress: 3/12 Books Completed. Behind...

Next is the 2018 Netgalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge hosted by Bookish Things & More!

So my goal is Silver or read 25 books. So I'm slightly behind on this one, BUT, I'm not making a huge deal of it. Mostly because a fair amount of my NetGalley books I wanna get read actually don't release until September/October. So I'm waiting to read quite a few until closer to. I'm just catching up on some older ones right now.

So here's what I've read thus far out of my NetGalley books:
1. The Last Girl On Earth by Alexandra Blogier
2. SINthetic (The New Lyons Sequence #1) by J.T. Nicholas
3. SINdicate (The New Lyons Sequence #2) by J.T. Nicholas
4. Sky In The Deep by Adrienne Young
5. Legendary (Caraval #2) by Stephanie Garber
6. The Art of French Kissing by Brianna R. Shrum

7. Nyxia Unleashed (The Nyxia Triad #2) by Scott Reintgen (review to be posted in early July)

Plus, even though I'm behind, I'm not too far behind. Maybe like 5 books behind. I can knock that out quickly since I know some of my older ones are books under 400 pages. However, my ratio has raised from 30% to about 45% since starting this challenge. So I'm getting that ratio improved!

Overall Progress: 7/25 Books Completed! Behind, but not worried about it.

The 2018 Beat The Backlist Challenge is hosted by NovelKnight! 

This is the other one I'm rocking!!! I set my goal to read 15 Backlisted Books. So when I initially set this, I wasn't expecting to read so many older books at the time. But I've actually been picking up a LOT more books that have been sitting on my shelf for ages or that are older books I'm finally getting around to reading that I've already surpassed my goal for this. I didn't think I'd read so many books published before 2018 this year, but I'm glad I am. 

Backlisted Books Read Thus Far:

1. Just One Year (Just One Day #2) by Gayle Forman
2. This Is Not A Test (This Is Not A Test #1) by Courtney Summers
3. London (Surviving The Evacuation #1) by Frank Tayell
4. Wasteland (Surviving The Evacuation #2) by Frank Tayell
5. Family (Surviving The Evacuation #3) by Frank Tayell
6. Zombies vs. The Living Dead (Surviving The Evacuation #0.5) by Frank Tayell
7. Queen Song (Red Queen #0.1) by Victoria Aveyard
8. Steel Scars (Red Queen #0.2) by Victoria Aveyard
9. Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard
10. Burn (Pure #3) by Julianna Baggott
11. After The End (After The End #1) by Amy Plum
12. Until The Beginning (After The End #2) by Amy Plum
13. Fracture Me (Shatter Me #2.5) by Tahereh Mafi
14. Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) by Tahereh Mafi
15. Glass Sword (Red Queen #2) by Victoria Aveyard
16. Caraval (Caraval #1) by Stephanie Garber
17. Nyxia (The Nyxia Triad #1) by Scott Reintgen

18. An Ember In The Ashes (Ember Quartet #1) by Sabaa Tahir

19. A Torch Against The Night (Ember Quarter #2) by Sabaa Tahir

20. A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR #1) by Sarah J. Maas

21. A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOTAR #2) by Sarah J. Maas

22. A Court of Wings and Ruin (ACOTAR #3) by Sarah J. Maas

23. The Young Elites (The Young Elites #1) by Marie Lu

24. Warcross (Warcross #1) by Marie Lu

Overall Progress: 24/15 Books Completed! Goal Met!

For this challenge I'm going to set a new goal, because I'm really challenging myself to get backlisted books read. Plus, I've yet to dent the actual list I posted of backlisted books I wanna read this year. Lol. 

New Goal: Read 50 Backlisted Books! 

Overall Progress with New Goal: 24/50 Books Completed! On track! 

Next up is the 2018 Discussion Challenge hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight!

So my goal is Chatty Kathy - 21-30 Discussions. More specifically, around 25 for me. Guys, I'm not gonna lie. I'm so behind on this one. So my main problem is I just haven't had time to type some up yet. I have a number of ideas sitting in the queue, it's just with typing up reviews and other posts I end up not having a lot of time to get solid discussions typed up. I think I'm gonna set aside some time in the next week or two to sit down and type up and schedule multiple discussion posts.   

Overall Progress: 4/25 Discussions Posted! Behind...

Last but not least is the 2018 Literary Escapes Challenge hosted by Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book!

So for this challenge I'm not counting behind or ahead. I'm doing this one just for fun and to see how many states/countries I can fill in. 

So these are the states/countries I have so far!

Alaska - After The End (After The End #1) by Amy Plum
District of Columbia - Burn (Pure #3) by Julianna Baggott
Georgia - The Art of French Kissing by Brianna R. Shrum
Louisiana - SINthetic (The New Lyons Sequence #1) by J.T. Nicholas
New Mexico - Until The Beginning (After The End #2) by Amy Plum

Countries:
UK - London (Surviving The Evacuation #1) by Frank Tayell
Japan - Warcross (Warcross #1) by Marie Lu

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February 19, 2018

Review: SINthetic by J.T. Nicholas

SINthetic (The New Lyons Sequence #1)
Author: J.T. Nicholas
Publisher: Rebel Base Books
Publication Date: January 23, 2018
Pages: 178
Format: Galley/NetGalley

The Artificial Evolution

They look like us. Act like us. But they are not human. Created to perform the menial tasks real humans detest, Synths were designed with only a basic intelligence and minimal emotional response. It stands to reason that they have no rights. Like any technology, they are designed for human convenience. Disposable.

In the city of New Lyons, Detective Jason Campbell is investigating a vicious crime: a female body found mutilated and left in the streets. Once the victim is identified as a Synth, the crime is designated no more than the destruction of property, and Campbell is pulled from the case.

But when a mysterious stranger approaches Campbell and asks him to continue his investigation in secret, Campbell is dragged into a dark world of unimaginable corruption. One that leaves him questioning the true nature of humanity.

And what he discovers is only the beginning . . .

*I recieved this book from NetGalley & Kensington/Rebel Base books in exchange for an honest review*

Review: So I have to admit, I wasn't initially sure I'd be sold on this book. The sci-fi/dystopian aspects pulled me towards it, but I wasn't sure I was going to like the crime/thriller aspect of it. I decided to give it a try and I genuinely liked it! I also thoroughly enjoyed that this was a quick read, less than 200 pages. 

So New Lyons is built on what is our modern day New Orleans. There are areas of town that pretty much float, including where the main character lives. Cars that drive themselves. I thought the sci-fi/futuristic stuff was pretty neat. 

I really enjoyed the mystery behind the story. It definitely held my attention with different things throughout the entire book. First was what information Campbell's filed held about his past that caused so much to be expunged (is that the right word?) or redacted. All that's assumed is that it had to do with a synth. We eventually find out the big secret about halfway through the book, which finally put a bunch of pieces in place. It helps us understand why Campbell has certain feelings regarding synths that most of the humans do not share. It also helps us understand why a synth, Silas, went to Campbell in the first place to try and get him looking into the synth murders and why he was the best choice. You really gain an understanding of so many things once Campbell's past is brought to light. The other big mystery is why the synth murders were taking place in the first place and who was ordering it. We find out who is ordering it shortly after Campbell's past is revealed, however the reason why these synths were being killed isn't revealed until the end of the book. There was always some type of mystery or question you wanted to know the answer to that kept pulling you along in the story. 

There was a few things I wasn't so fond of. It was a bit slow for the first half of the book. It was a mix of just going with Campbell through his daily routine or getting a lot of details about his police work. Usually I'm a big fan of details, but the one thing that bugged me with this book was that we got a lot of details in scenes where we didn't need it. Doing searches through the database, during a fight scene, an entire chapter about a fight with another guy at the precinct. We didn't need an entire chapter to establish Campbell's good at fighting. I think the fact he is a cop and was military gives you a good idea of what he's capable of. But even though we got those details, I felt like the details were lacking in more important parts. How did society get to where it was? How did it come down to society treating the synthetics like slaves pretty much? If something like that were to happen now, I don't feel like they'd be treated like that. These were things I was hoping to get more details about. Overall though, the first half pacing and the details were the only things that bugged me. I enjoyed the story beyond that. 

I definitely think the end events set things up nicely for SINdicate! 

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