Don't miss my review of book one in the series, Polaris Rising,
​as well as my interview with the author Jessie Mihalik.

Don't miss the latest Shelf Byte podcast feature! You'll hear a spoiler-free book or audiobook review in 5 minutes or less!
​
Today, I'm sharing my thoughts on Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik. If you've read this book (or listened on audio), I'd love to talk about it! Comment below and let me know what you thought. 

I'm back with another book review. This was another book club read and I wouldn't have chosen this for myself.  It earned a 2 bookmark rating on my scale. Read on to find out why I didn't care for it too much.

​Publisher: Orange Hat Publishing
Release Date:  October 16, 2014 
Format: ebook
Pages: 274 (ebook)
Source: Amazon
Genre: Science Fiction
Review Date: October 24, 2016
Rating: 2 bookmarks

Synopsis: In the distant future, due to medical and technological advances, the human race has all but eradicated the threat of disease. Poverty, pestilence, murders and war are fading from memory. The human body is completely repairable with extensive breakthroughs of nanotechnology. Building projects, new developments and scientific innovations are completed with unequaled precision. By all accounts, the global civilization has never been in better shape. The world is perfect, planned and thriving. This is all due to one company-LifeSpan. Saviors to mankind, they have quelled everyone's most elusive fear: When am I going to die? Thanks to LifeSpan technology, everyone knows exactly how long they will live, and are given a precise expiration date at birth. The Collectors arrive to escort you away at the time of expiration. Family members say farewell, accepting your expiration as scientific evolution. All seems well with Cole as he begins a new career at LifeSpan with a promising future . . . until he is swept into a rebellious movement, ready to expose LifeSpan as the most damaging organization ever to enslave the human race. Will Cole join their fight, or stand against them?

Based on the reviews, some really loved this book, and I'm confused why. I had several issues. Let's start with the pacing and plot. First, it bothered me that I felt the plot was choppy. Scene transitions were incomplete at best. One moment we're here, the next we're there. No rhyme or reason. Maybe some different title headers or biffernt breaks in the chapter may have helped...I don't know. It just didn't flow.

Hey bookish friends,

I'm back with a book review for you. Technically this is a short story or novella, but it's still a book! A co-worker that also loves to read has been recommending Kim Harrison to me for what feels like several years.  Since Harrison has a new series that's just started, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to check out her writing.  Read on to find out what I thought of my first look into The Peri Reed Chronicles.

Publisher: Pocket Star
Release Date: August 10, 2015
Format: ebook
Pages: 80 pages 
Source: Amazon Kindle
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction
Review Date: September 14, 2015
Rating: 4 bookmarks

Synopsis: Don’t miss this thrilling first look into the elite world of Peri Reed, government agency operative extraordinaire, and catch more of her character in The Drafter, the first book in the all-new suspense trilogy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison, out September 1.

Every hero, even the accidental ones, have a beginning.

Silas’s radical theory that drafters are not replaying time as much as they are temporarily sliding into an alternate universe has never been well-received, but frankly, the darling of Opti’s research has enough clout not to care, until a professor with a grudge tries to put a permanent end to it. Love can’t alter time, and sometimes, even being able to rub out a single mistake isn’t enough… 

Sideswiped is a 80 page novella that takes place years before book one, The Drafter, begins so I got a peek into the origins of the series plot and see how it all begins. It's a great introduction into the world and characters.

While this is The Peri Reed Chronicles, the story is told from the POV of Dr. Silas Denier, Peri Reed does indeed make an appearance.  I already have an idea what type of character she is, as well as a good grip on Silas's character. I suspect there may be some sort of relationship in the future between Silas and Peri, but we'll see.

Today I'm introducing my new weekly feature, Throwback Thursday | Review Edition!  It all began last week when I basically posted a semi-rant about not being able to post a ton of weekly reviews. Alexis mention that when she started out blogging she posting reviews on books she'd already read. That got me to thinking, I have a ton of reviews that I actually wrote before I start my blog. So then I thought a Throwback Thursday post would fit the bill. Every Thursday I will post a review that I've written prior to my blogs existence. I'll be sharing both books that I think you'd enjoy and the ones that I should warn you against wasting your time on. ;-)  I'll still be reviewing current and upcoming releases, but I thought this would be a fun once a week feature.

In honor of the release of The Host tomorrow, I'll kick off this new feature with my review of The Host!  I reviewed this book in March 2011, almost exactly 2 years ago!  I recently found out that Ms.Meyer's is continuing this story and making it into a trilogy! I'm looking forward to reading more about these characters. If you haven't read the host yet, you should! It's a complete 180 from the YA Twilight series that she's so well known for. Not only is there not a single vampire or werewolf in it, it's also geared toward adults, which is awesome! Looking for something different? Check this out!

 I hope the movie is equally as good! We all know the 99% of the time, the books are always better, but I'll cross my fingers anyways. :-)  Check out the trailer below!  Are you seeing The Host this weekend?