SOME FINE DAY

I first reviewed SOME FINE DAY by Kat Ross over on Stellar Four. At the time, the release of this YA book was cancelled when Strange Chemistry shut down. Luckily, this very fine story was picked up by another publisher, Skyscape. You can get the Kindle book now, and the paperback will be out in February.

Note: There have been some editorial revisions and I haven't read the updated copy, but I really enjoyed it the first time I read it and I plan to read this one too.

Amazon | B&N | BAM | Powell's | Indiebound

Here's the review again:

Set in a world where super-powered hurricanes devastated the planet, a highly trained soldier who never saw the sun before gets an unwanted extended excursion on the surface and learns that her life has been a lie in SOME FINE DAY by Kat Ross.

This was a fast-paced, Young Adult read. I got Jansin. For so long she's been going along with the program, enjoying the life as one of the near-elite, but she feels disconnected. She left her family at a young age to go to the Academy, she isn't sure that her boyfriend really likes her or just wants a well-placed connection with her father, the general, and she isn't a diehard believer in the goals of her government. Yes, she is well-trained, but that doesn't mean she wants to go to war. She's at a crossroads, like most of us at graduation, and that is when her father gifts her with a vacation to the surface.

Seeing the sun, feeling the air and the ocean, it makes it hard to go back underground. Of course, then she ends up captured by hypercane survivors and staying alive becomes her goal. Then, as she comes to find her place on the surface world, she has to question where she wants to belong.

I liked that, although as I said this is a fast-paced book, the action unfolds over almost a year, so when Jansin makes friends, she didn't just meet them a day ago and now they are a cohesive team. Jansin is not someone who trusts easily and the story reflected that. The ragtag bunch of survivors was endearing and I wish we got to spend more time with them. 

On the romance front, there is a love interest but no triangle. Also refreshing, said love interest is not a bad boy, nor does he continually push her away because reasons. He's smart and fairly level-headed.

Jansin's home of Raven Rock is a fascist regime and it's easy to on the surface paint the underground societies as evil, that left the rest of humanity to die above. However, we do get at least some hope that not all of the governments are as harsh as Raven Rock. Also, it can't be denied that while life is absolutely not perfect below ground, that living there did save lives. 

The end goes quickly and there are some loose ends, a few that I really wish has been solved before the finish, but overall I liked where it went. I'll be looking for more from Ross.

A Must for Our Holiday Shelf

Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL is a holiday staple and one that I look forward to sharing with my family. This year, I found the Penguin Chalk edition and I need to have it on our bookshelf.

The Puffin Chalk editions have colorful chalk designs on the covers of select books in the Penguin Classics line. I absolutely adore the one for the venerable holiday tale:

This edition also has a mini biography of the author, a cast of characters list, Victorian Christmas traditions, and a glossary.

Getting it on the shelf so it's ready for our family read-a-long this December.

Available at Amazon | B&N | Powell's | BAM | Indiebound

ALL IN: Back to Sin City with Amanda Carlson

ALL IN by Amanda Carlson is the latest novella in the Sin City Collectors series.

This book stars Ginger, a succubus who is also the head of a supernatural spy ring, and Luke, the werewolf younger brother of Diesel, the lead from ANTE UP. When we start our story, Ginger and Luke have been tracking Ginger's brother, Damien, who is a member of a incubi cult, the Sumerians. Both leads carry a lot of emotional baggage. Ginger loathes that she has to feed off the emotions of others, and has been slowly starving herself. Luke's father was killed by an incubus and he's not completely sure if the feelings he has for Ginger are real or a result of her powers of persuasion.

This story is less action-packed than previous Sin City novellas, but it does open up the world more. Damian's is a piece of work, and the threat of The Sumerians and the extent of their crimes are coming to light. I can see lots of issues for future books to solve.

I liked both characters. As we get to them a month into their time working together, I did feel that we missed some of the banter that got Luke over his prejudice against succubi and Ginger her fear of commitment. We get to meet a new character, Raoul, and I'm very much looking forward to his story.

The pace was right, and since it's a short novel, the angst over whether or not they should be in a relationship doesn't go on too long. We also get to see a different supernatural power in the succubi.

Still really liking this series. A perfect pick me up when I need a quick read. Looking forward to more.

ALL IN: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Google
International: Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | Amazon Australia

Amanda Carlson:
website: http://www.amandacarlson.com/
twitter: https://twitter.com/amandaccarlson
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoramandacarlson

Sin City Collectors on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sincitycollectors

[received a review copy]

"Temporarily Out of Order"

"Temporally Out of Order" by Justin Adams of Varia Studio

I'm currently reading CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE: STEAMPUNK VS ALIENS and having a lot of fun with it. The same folks behind that anthology are in the final hours of a kickstarter campaign for another one: TEMPORARILY OUT OF ORDER.

"While sitting at the airport waiting for a flight, I saw a phone booth with a note reading “Temporally Out of Order.” Obviously it was a typo, but the mistake takes on a whole new meaning when viewed from a science fiction/fantasy frame of mind. This anthology will take on the challenge of interpreting what “temporally out of order” could mean for modern day—or perhaps not so modern—gadgets, such as the cell phone, laptop, television, radio, iPod, or even that microwave or refrigerator! Edited by Joshua Palmatier and Patricia Bray, it will contain approximately 14 stories with an average length of 6000 words each. The anthology will include short stories by: David B. Coe, Laura Anne Gilman, Faith Hunter, Stephen Leigh, Gini Koch, Seanan McGuire, and Laura Resnick. Additional authors will be added as stretch goals, including Jack Campbell, Jean Marie Ward, and Juliet E. McKenna. All other slots aside from the named authors will be filled by the open call for submissions following the successful completion of the kickstarter."

This project is already funded (YAY!) but there is still time to support this antho and help them reach some stretch goals. They're a little under $500 away from the first goal, which would give bookmarks to pledgers at $20 and above, but most importantly (IMO) increase the $ for the writers.

At $15 you get a copy of the book. However, if you are a t-shirt fan, then the add-ons might be right up your alley. Take a trip over to the kickstarter page. Just do it now. As of this writing, there are only 35 hours to go. Tick tock, my friends.