Tag: bookish

Review

karenjo466 Comments

Above the Sky

(Above the Sky#1)

J.W. Lynne

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5 ★  Brilliant Stars
Published July 9 2015
Genre(s): Young Adult, Sci-fi, Dystopia
Pages: Kindle 352
Buy: Amazon  –  Barnes and Noble
Her first eighteen years were filled with lies. She is about to discover the truth.
Eighteen-year-old Seven and her best friend, Ten, live where all is peaceful … except for the violent war raging above the sky. Lifelike humanoid robots and self-operated drones tend to everyone’s needs, leaving people free to spend their time stimulating their minds and enjoying life’s pleasures. But there are strict rules and few choices.
Every year, on Assignment Day, the path of each eighteen year old’s life is laid out. Some are given the jobs for which they have shown exceptional aptitude and are “paired” for mating. The others are sent off to fight in The War and never return.
When Assignment Day comes for Seven, the assignments shatter everything she’s ever believed. The rules force everyone to accept their fates, but Seven decides to do something unprecedented: to go against the Decision Makers’ wishes.

Above the Sky by J.W. Lynne surprised me in the best possible way! Jen actually approached me to read and review for her. The synopsis sounded intriguing so I said yes! Well, I had a long list of books on queue for review and I didn’t get to this until 2 months after I downloaded the book. And you know what… I was totally kicking myself for not starting sooner because this book is incredible!

The writing is exceptional – it’s imaginative, detailed, and deeply moving. I have to admit, after reading a few pages I didn’t know what to think or to expect. Then out of nowhere… BOOM!!! My heart couldn’t keep up with ALL THE FEELS and it just didn’t not stop. I absolutely love it when a book can evoke all kinds of emotions and just make me FEEL. This one certainly did that and more. I also really love that I felt an instant connection with the characters. They affected me and my heart just broke for them…YES even for the ones you feel like you should hate. They’re just so realistic, genuine and relatable that you’ll root for them so hard to have a happy ending.

I love the concept of this book and the world building is truly fantastic. While there are a few similarities with other books I’ve read before, this one is definitely unique enough to stand on its own. I was utterly captivated by the storyline that I didn’t want to stop reading. Obviously it’s terrifying and not the type of world I would ever want to live in, but there’s something fascinating about reading dystopian stories that always draws me in. But what really made this special for me is just how emotional I was throughout the entire thing. I was so overwhelmed I thought my heart would burst… but I loved every moment.

Seven is a wonderful character and I admired her so much. She’s intuitive, determined, and brave. She’s definitely my kind of hero – always looking out for others, breaking rules to protect lives, and making sacrifices for the people she loves. Ten is just as brave as Seven. He’s also very curious, adventurous, caring, and compassionate. I absolutely adore the both of them and enjoyed watching them go from best friends to lovers. Their chemistry had me swooning throughout the story. It’s innocent but intense, sweet, beautiful and just so real. I don’t want to be repetitive, but seriously the FEELS with this one is unbelievable!

I’m so happy Jen asked me to read her book and now I have a new series to rave about. The writing and world building is amazing. The characters are absolutely lovable. The plot is fast paced, full of action, and filled with a lot of twists and turns that will leaving you wanting more. Above the Sky is fantastic in so many ways and I can’t wait to read the sequel.

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Follow and Connect with J.W. Lynne: Website / Twitter / Facebook

Thanks for reading and if you have any thoughts, comments, or questions, just sound off down below. Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely Karen Jo

First Lines Fridays

karenjo462 Comments
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FIRST LINES FRIDAYS IS A WEEKLY FEATURE FOR BOOK LOVERS HOSTED BY WANDERING WORDS. WHAT IF INSTEAD OF JUDGING A BOOK BY ITS COVER, ITS AUTHOR OR ITS PRESTIGE, WE JUDGED IT BY ITS OPENING LINES?
  • PICK A BOOK OFF YOUR SHELF (IT COULD BE YOUR CURRENT READ OR ON YOUR TBR) AND OPEN TO THE FIRST PAGE
  • COPY THE FIRST FEW LINES, BUT DON’T GIVE ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT THE BOOK AWAY JUST YET – YOU NEED TO HOOK THE READER FIRST
  • FINALLY… REVEAL THE BOOK!
COPY AND PASTE THE TEXT AND BANNER (OR MAKE YOUR OWN!) ABOVE FOR YOUR OWN FIRST LINES FRIDAYS POSTS.  MAKE SURE TO COMMENT YOUR FIRST LINES BELOW SO THAT OTHER PEOPLE CAN CHECK THEM OUT!

Here goes!

I Flung a glob of black paint at the canvas, pretending it was Aiden’s head.

My best friend Zoe entered the old garage turned art studio in back of my house and pointed at my latest artistic endeavour. “What are you doing?”

I repeated the maneuver and enjoyed the wet splatting sound the paint made when it hit the canvas. “I call this piece Artistic Anger Management.”

 

Now scroll down…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not quite yet, so keep going…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost there….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a little more…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Boomerang Boyfriend

Chris Cannon

Published by Entangled Publishing, LLC (Crush) September 11, 2017
Working with her best friend’s brother at Betty’s Burgers, free-spirited Delia starts to see Jack in a new light. Not only has Jack-the-Jerk turned into a hottie, he’s even acting like a nice guy, who rescues dogs and knows how she likes her coffee. But if Jack is into her, then why is he keeping her a secret? Of course, if her best friend doesn’t approve, Delia could lose the only family she’s ever known.
Seeing Delia in her retro waitress uniform throws Jack’s world out of whack. She’s always been just another pain in the butt little sister…not a datable female. But she’s rockin’ the Pie Princess tiara, and even her hot-pink striped hair is sexy. What’s that about? He needs to get his head on straight, because artsy, funky Delia and her nonconformist ways don’t fit in his safe and ordered world.

I’m battling a reading slump right now and haven’t really done that much reading in the last few days. Work has been incredibly hectic and I’ve been super busy and tired. I did get a bit more sleep the last two days… like an extra 1/2 – 1 hr and that seemed to help. I’m about 35% into this book and so far I’m liking it. It’s not holding my interest though… but that could be because I’m drained from work. I’m hoping to finish this today and continue reading Black Bird of the Gallows and hopefully start a new book this weekend. Hopefully… because tonight I’ll be watching IT, tomorrow is Pasadena Loves YA event and my friend’s baby shower, and on Sunday I have an appointment with my mom to meet up with the banquet hall manager for her 60th birthday next year… sooo yeah hopefully I’ll have a few hours to read and take bookstagram photos.

Add Boomerang Boyfriend on Goodreads

Thanks for reading and hope you have a wonderful weekend!!!

Sincerely Karen Jo