Shadow Rise by Audrey Grey

Wow! I just finished reading this book and have two disappointments: the first is that this is again a book 2 and I haven't read book 1 and the second is that I'm going to have to wait for book 3.

This is a great story full of revenge, rebellion and moments of romance. If you liked the Hunger Games series, the Divergent series or the Graceling series, then you are likely to fall in love with the cast of characters from the Shadow Fall series.

Like I mentioned before, this is yet again a story that I am reading in the middle of the series. I was able to read book 2, Shadow Rise, as a stand alone. Mrs. Grey provided enough prior moments from the first book to help me understand the context of the story. And yet, I could tell that I was missing some of the defining moments. I plan on reading the first book to help me catch up and in preparation of her eventual third book. There were moments that would most likely have been heart wrenching for readers of her first book and I escaped some of those as I had not formed previous attachments to the characters.

The central figure of this book is Maia Greystone. She has faced odds that none of us would relish. She was orphaned by the murder of her father and the removal of her mother. She was forced to abandon her younger brother in the hopes of protecting him. She was placed in a trial of some gruesome nature (more details must be in the first book). She was groomed to infiltrate the enemy and assassinate the leader. All the while, she is trying to figure out how to fulfill a promise she made to her father. She has been thrust into a position where she is trusted by neither side in a terrible war.

She must face a former friend, ally and love that seems to either disdain her or does not remember her. She must face her brother, whose view of events differ vastly from hers. She must find a way to save the world through a promise she made to her father.

She is joined by an unlikely crew of rebels: a beautiful young woman, labeled a subversive because she loves another woman; a crippled Lothario, who wants nothing more than to be given a chance to prove he is still able despite his injury; a former friend, who is plagued by an addiction to the drug tar; and others she collects along the way.

Through it all, Maia's strength of character shines through. There are moments when I had hoped she would take the easy way, but I was so glad when she chose the more difficult path of purpose or honor.

This is a great, clean read. There is no profanity and no explicit scenes. The focus is on a strong female character and a cast of unexpected friends. There are sci-fi, revenge, rebellion, fighting, and coming of age elements.

Windrunner's Daughter by Bryony Pearce

I really enjoyed reading this story. It is set in the future after Earth dies and the human population has settled on Mars. They have worked together to create a habitable atmosphere on Mars, but saboteurs destroyed much of the work and set progress back greatly. The humans live in several biospheres spread out among the Martian landscape. Each biosphere has a certain function for the community as a whole. One engineers seeds, while another houses scientists that work on replicating, another creates hybrid animals from DNA and others work on various other projects. At each biosphere, there lives a group of messengers called Runners. The humans have lived in these conditions for several generations. Their goal, always working toward a sustainable living environment, is impeded by dissension and sickness. Wren is a girl and must adhere to societal rules that say she can only contribute by either marrying a Runner and maintaining one of their outposts or by producing offspring for the baby exchange, a way to prevent problems from inbreeding. Wren is left alone with her mother as the men in the family are off on Runner's business. When her mother is taken ill, she is left with the decision to stay and tend her mother, possibly watching her die, or to reject societies mold they have set for her and try to find help.

I loved the attention to detail that was afforded to the dynamics of flight for the Runners. I was scared of the creatures and still have several ideas in my head about what they are. I was so invested in Wren's story, the decisions she would make and their outcomes, that I would have read this story in one sitting, but I had to go to work. This is a great book for young and old alike. There are realistic consequences to each choice made and there is a love story that is fitting but doesn't take center stage. I only wish there was a sequel.

The Hypnotic City by Andrea Berthot

The Hypnotic City is the second in the Gold and Glasslight Chronicles. I read this book as a stand alone. It does not completely reveal the previous story, but I definitely know the basics after reading the Hypnotic City.

The book is set in the theater world of New York City in the early 1900s. Philomena and her friend Jennie are escaping London after an extended quarantine had been lifted from the city. Philomena is the daughter of an earl, but she has only ever felt like a bird in a gilded cage. She steals some of the family wealth and sets out to America to be her own person and seek success on the stage.

While in America, she encounters all of the problems that face a young unknown actress: theives, false friends, disinterested producers, exploitative employers and the need to find a way to survive. Philomena and Jennie find a balance about the time that Jennie falls in love, gets married and leaves to help her husband in his new business. Philomena finds herself on her own in a job that feels like a dead end. One of her co-workers arranges for Philomena to get an important audition only to have the stage manager make fun of her and the producer to dismiss her without even listening to her audition. All of the stress leads Philomena to do something rash while performing at her job. However, that moment is the beginning of big things for Philomena, not least of which attracts a monster. Read The Hypnotic City to see if Philomena is able to make it big and escape the monster that pursues her.