Tag: Science Fiction (Page 8 of 38)

Synopsis:

Reunited with her brother, and surrounded by Flint, Peter and her new-found grandfather, Jax Mitchell has still never felt more alone. The choice to follow Rym back to the city to find answers and see Lir is an easy one, but their reunion is cut short and Jax is forced to leave Lir behind. She finds herself traveling with some unexpected companions and heading back toward a place she’d hoped to never see again.

After being imprisoned—and tortured—on the orders of his uncle, Lir hasn’t seen daylight or linked to anyone in weeks. After a lifetime of connection, the pain and loneliness is almost too much to bear. Elated that Jax actually came, Lir finds renewed hope and strength to continue fighting his uncle's influence over the E'rikon, even when things look hopeless and Lir’s been branded a traitor by the very people he’s trying to save.

While Jax and Lir fight separate battles, their missions have more in common than they realize. It’s a race against time to stop men driven only by greed and power. But the people they trust the most might be the very people working against them—and "family" doesn't mean what it used to. Will they recognize their friends from their enemies in time to save the people they love or will they lose each other in the process?

Review:

*Spoilers for Broken Skies #1 (but the 1st paragraph is safe to read)*

Oh you guys.  This book.  This amazing book.  I tear up even thinking about this story, because Fractured Suns was breathtaking.  It quickly pulled me back into the story and I found myself immersed in a world and surrounded by characters that I love.  And be prepared, because my emotions felt as though they were being pulled all over the place.  Happy and sad tears streaked down my face while I spent a good portion of the story smiling.  This book was so much fun.  It had peril, heartbreak, action, lies, betrayal, love, redemption and I was definitely glued to the pages.  But you want to know what the kicker was?  I’m not one of those people who will read until the wee hours of every night because my kiddos wake up at 6am, or earlier if I’m lucky ha.  But Fractured Suns refused to be put down.  I stayed up until 2:35am to finish, and it was so worth it!

“If our only focus is survival, then we’re no better than them.  Without compassion…without forgiveness…we’re nothing but animals.” – Jax

We get to jump right back into the story at Peter’s cabin, where Jax is stuck because her brother Jace is healing from a broken leg.  Their E’rikon grandfather, Jastren, is there along with her brother’s boyfriend, Flint.  While her brother, grandfather and Peter are away gathering supplies, Jax gets a chance to go back and see Lir with Rym.  After their too brief encounter, they both find themselves fighting and struggling on their own journeys.  Without each other.

He lied.  He manipulated me.  He used me.  And when it came down to it, he made his choice. – Jax

When Jax and Lir met for that first time after the bond had been broken, eeks!!!!  I was terrified because I wanted to push them together and yell at them to kiss and make up.  But in all honestly, they really haven’t known one other for that long.  Can they even trust each other?  Jax still harbors so much hurt from Lir’s betrayal.  And with Lir not having a functional kitu, he doesn’t know how to trust others without being able to sense their feelings.  And as the story progresses, I fell even more in love with both of them.  Jax and Lir grow throughout the story and it made my heart so happy with the choices and decisions that they had to make.  No matter how hard they were.  Jax is still resourceful and savvy but her heart becomes something truly beautiful.  And Lir.  Swoon!  Charming, brave, smart and sincere, Lir is one sexy alien!

“You would kill him for what he is,” I say.  “But you never asked what I was.”  I smile sweetly and bat my eyelashes right before I place a single finger to his temple – and send every bit of the fire raging through me straight into his head.

So of course I was devastated when Jax had to leave Lir, because there is still so much up in the air.  But guess what?  In Fractured Suns we got to be in both Jax and Lir’s head!  I loved that we finally got to hear Lir’s thoughts.  To see what he thought of Jax, because I have been obsessively trying to figure it all out once I finished the last page in Broken Skies!  For a few of Lir’s chapters, the story seemed to move at a slower pace, compared to Jax’s crazy journey.  But in the end, it made sense that we had to understand the people he was surrounded with, what he had gone through, and how he wanted to proceed.  I get it, and it more than made sense.

If I stop to think, if I do anything but move forward… I will fall apart.  And this time I won’t be able to put the pieces back together. – Jax

But there is one point in the story that I never saw coming.  Everyone was asleep while I read that scene and I needed sob out loud.  To let out all of the pain.  But instead I had to bite my lip and allow the tears to continuously stream down my face.  Silently speaking the devastation I witnessed.  That twist left me in utter shock.  The ramifications, oh.  I’m at a loss.  But in a twisted way, I love when books can affect me that intense.  That I can feel that deep of a connection to characters and their feelings.  I just wish it didn’t hurt that much.

So yes, I definitely recommend this book and series!  I can’t wait to see what the final book has in-store for Lir and Jax!

***ARC was kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review***

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers)
Broken Skies #1 Reviews: Jen	Fractured Suns #2 Reviews: Jen	Shattered Stars #3 Reviews: Jen

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Synopsis:

Plagued by nightmares and panic attacks, seventeen-year-old Jax Mitchell wants nothing more than a life of seclusion with only her twin brother for company. So when he's kidnapped by Earth's reclusive alien settlers, the E'rikon, she'll do anything to get him back--even form an alliance with a teenage E'rikon boy left behind by the same ship that took her brother.

Jax agrees to act as a guide, and in return, the alien agrees to sneak her past the human-proof barrier surrounding the E'rikon city. Too bad it's not that simple. Jax soon finds that she's drawn to the alien boy with bright green hair and jewel-like scales on his back--and he's equally affected by her, the courageous redhead with haunted eyes. But she doesn't know the alien's true motives, and he has no idea that she is much more than she seems.

With the aliens and the humans at odds, the connection forming between the two teens has consequences. What started off as a rescue mission sets in motion a chain of events that threatens not only the remaining humans and the growing alien society, but Earth itself.

Review:

Broken Skies gripped me to the core and was truly outstanding.  The story continually built and became more intricate, causing me to become obsessed with this book.  It’s all I can think about.  Seriously.  The pages were scattered with hardships and butterfly inducing moments that were breathtaking.  I never wanted this book to end.

“It’s going to be okay,” he says.
But I know it’s not.  I don’t know if anything is ever going to be okay again.

After the war left 10% of the population alive, the aliens, known as the E’rikon, arrived to share Earth.  They kept to themselves, until a group of them kidnapped Jax’s brother, Jace.  In the commotion, a teenage E’rikon was left behind with no way to navigate home.  In a desperate attempt to get her brother back, Jax agrees to help navigate Lir to his city in exchange for getting inside to find her brother.  What started out as a simple journey, escalated into something that kept me on the edge of my seat!

The fingers of one hand curl into claws, perfect for ripping and tearing.  I won’t go quietly.  Icy fear has no place in my body now.  Instead, I’m filled with fire, burning me from the inside out and just waiting to be released.

I already knew I loved Jax the first few pages into Broken Skies.  She was resourceful, savvy and I loved that she was the one responsible for taking care of them for their journey.  Whenever she opened her mouth and fumbled over some words or would start blabbering, she made me laugh, smile and truly care for her.  But at the same point, she is somewhat broken.  She has hardships from her past that she struggles with, and I desperately wanted her to overcome them.

“You are everything I was taught humans were not.”

Lir was charming, sarcastic and I fell head over heals in love with him.  He was gentle, sweet, sincere, sexy and smart.  I honestly could not get enough of him!  And of course I still felt that way about him, even after he kept secrets from Jax.  Although, they were wonderful secrets that added so much depth.  Ohhhhh, Lir was everything I love in a male character.

Lir stands and reaches a hand out to me.  I eye it for a moment before accepting it and allowing him to pull me to my feet.  Trust has to start somewhere, I guess.

Jax and Lir were unforgettable characters.  And when they were together, their relationship was sweet, slow and natural.  Nothing was rushed.  Nothing was forced.  It was so much fun to watch them evolve.  Sigh, I am still on a book high.  This book was so much fun and I’m dying until I can read the second book. But until then, I can’t recommend this book highly enough.  You must discover this world, characters and story!  I look forward to reading the rest of Theresa Kay’s books, because her storytelling has enraptured me!  

***ARC was kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review***

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers)
Broken Skies #1 Reviews: Jen	Fractured Suns #2 Reviews: Jen	Shattered Stars #3 Reviews: Jen