Unhinge the Universe

Unhinge The Universe

by Aleksandr Voinov and L.A. Witt

 

Give me one fixed point and a long enough lever, and I'll unhinge the universe. — Archimedes

December 1944 – The Battle of the Bulge

SS Lieutenant Hagen Friedrichs is the sole survivor of a party sent to retrieve his brother—and the highly sensitive information he’s carrying—from behind enemy lines. But his daring rescue attempt fails, and Hagen becomes the prisoner.

Allied command has ordered Captain John Nicholls to extract critical intelligence from their new Nazi POW. His secrets could turn the tide of the war, but are they real? John is determined to find out . . . and to shatter the prisoner who killed his lover during the attack on their tiny base. The deeper he digs, though, the more he realizes that the soldier under the SS uniform is just like him: a scared, exhausted young man who’s lost loved ones and just wants to go home.

As captor and captive form an unexpected bond, the lines quickly blur between enemy, friend, and lover. And as horrifying rumors spread from the front lines and American soldiers turn their sights on the SS for vengeance, John may be Hagen’s only hope for survival.

 

 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

There are certain things that I've come to expect from any book written by Aleksandr Voinov:
Historical settings with incredible attention to detail, characters that are unique and complex each in their own way, and the emotional impact of a battering ram.  This book was no exception.   I haven't read much by L.A. Witt, so that's probably why I can't 'hear' her voice as well as Aleksandr's.  They worked so well together that the story is as seamless as if it were written by one person.

The setting is France during the last year of World War II.  From what I've heard, Aleksandr is a WWII nut and it definitely shows.  I was drawn in immediately because of the attention to detail and the way the setting was described so vividly.  Everything from the uniforms, the weapons, the landscape...it was written so perfectly that I could easily imagine being there.

What really made the book a five star read was the tension between characters who are so different on the outside but are really quite similar at the heart of things.  Their interactions are filled with a mixture of hatred, confusion, compassion, and longing.  John's interrogations and Hagen's reactions put so much psychological tension in the mix that I just couldn't put the book down.  I loved every bit of the story because it never let me stop feeling.  I was a big emotional mess until the end and I wanted to reread it as soon as I was done.  I could go on all day just trying to explain how much Unhinge the Universe made me feel.

I'm so happy that I was able to read this one.  Bravo, Mr. Voinov and Mrs. Witt.

Pretenders by Lisi Harrison

 Pretenders

by Lisi Harrison

 My picture is on page eighteen of Noble High's Phoenix yearbook. I am one of the Phoenix Five. You nominated me. You thought I was one of the most outstanding students in our freshman class. You were wrong.

Still, I accepted my award. I acted special. But I couldn't help wondering what it was like to be that way for real. So I broke into Ms. Silver's safe in the faculty lounge and stole all five of our journals. I'm not exposing them out of jealousy or anger. I'm doing this because I am tired of the lies. The bar is too high, and cheating is the only way to reach it. Instagrams are filtered, Facebook profiles are embellished, photos are shopped, Manti T'eo's girlfriend was a fake...is anything real anymore?

I found the answer in our journals. These are 100 percent real and 100 percent unedited. The proof is in the pages:

We're all pretenders.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

I am usually pretty hard on young adult books, even books with very high ratings.  Throne of Glass, I'm looking at you.  So I find it a little funny that I liked this as much as I did.  Sure, the characters are all extremely immature except for Jagger, the emancipated boy with parents on death row who talks about eating dog biscuits to gain enough weight.  That was a joke...right?  Anyway, they are all obsessed with becoming popular or getting their crush to like them.  It is high school, after all.  And these kids are freshmen and prone to doing very stupid things.  These kids are extremely gifted so they do stupid things in big ways.  I did have a hard time believing that anyone could be as naive as Lilly, though.  That girl has some issues.

The book was about these kids trying to discover who they really are amid bullies, betrayals, and secret crushes.  All the while small misunderstandings and lies build until their whole made-up world crashes down around them.
It was pretty good and each kid had their own distinct voice that really let me think that I was reading their journal entries.  I liked it all until the ending.  That wasn't a cliff-hanger.  That was a non-ending.  It was like walking toward a cliff edge and falling it a pit ten feet away.  I would have liked at least some closure.

Overall, I give it 3/5 stars

The Gravedigger's Brawl by Abigail Roux

The Gravedigger's Brawl

by Abigail Roux

Dr. Wyatt Case is never happier than when he’s walking the halls of his history museum. Playing wingman for his best friend at Gravedigger’s Tavern throws him way out of his comfort zone, but not as much as the eccentric man behind the bar, Ash Lucroix.

Ash is everything Wyatt doesn’t understand: exuberant, quirky, and elbow deep in a Gaslight lifestyle that weaves history into everyday life. He coordinates his suspenders with his tongue rings. Within hours, Wyatt and Ash are hooked.

But strange things are afoot at Gravedigger’s, and after a knock to the head, Ash starts seeing things that can’t be explained by old appliances or faulty wiring. Soon everyone at Gravedigger’s is wondering if they’re seeing ghosts, or just going crazy. The answer to that question could end more than just Wyatt and Ash’s fragile relationship—it might also end their lives.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

Everything about this book was right up my alley.  There was history, ghosts, creepy buildings, hot men in steampunk-ish outfits, and a good amount of humor.  The plot took a back seat to the characters, but even so the plot was well-developed and interesting.  There was a lot of information gathering and uncovering mysteries.  I loved every bit of it.
 Ash was a very interesting character.  He dresses like someone who just walked out of the Victorian times (except for the tongue ring) and tends bar with the flair of a circus performer.  On top of that, he's sweet and has a mischievous nature.  He was my favorite of all the characters, though they all were well-written.
The thing I loved most about the book was that it had so much atmosphere.  Throughout the entire book I felt as though I could imagine the streets and the tavern vividly.  The creepy museum, the Victorian inspired tavern, the streets in autumn...everything described in such amazing detail.  
I will definitely be looking for more from this author. 

Charming by Elliott James

 Charming

by Elliott James

 John Charming isn't your average Prince...

He comes from a line of Charmings — an illustrious family of dragon slayers, witch-finders and killers dating back to before the fall of Rome. Trained by a modern day version of the Knights Templar, monster hunters who have updated their methods from chainmail and crossbows to kevlar and shotguns, he was one of the best. That is — until he became the abomination the Knights were sworn to hunt.

That was a lifetime ago. Now, he tends bar under an assumed name in rural Virginia and leads a peaceful, quiet life. One that shouldn't change just because a vampire and a blonde walked into his bar... Right?


I received a copy of Charming from the publisher through Netgalley. 

I ended up liking this book quite a bit. John Charming is a fun character whose narration reminds me a bit of Harry Dresden when Harry is having a good day.  John is sarcastic, witty, and he has a playfulness that I really like in a character.  His narration was what I enjoyed most about the book.  He is also a pretty kick-ass character because of his Knight training and because he has an inner beastie just waiting to get out. If it walks, talks, and smells like a werewolf...
The side characters were all fleshed out and had their own personalities and eccentricities.  Molly was my favorite.  She is a priest who uses Christmas music to relax and horror movies to conquer her fear of vampires.
The worldbuilding was interesting and I could tell that there was a lot of thought put into it.  The only thing I didn't love was that sometimes the author would add some history about a creature or how to kill it right in the middle of an action scene.  There were a few scenes in particular that irritated me because of this.  Still, it wasn't enough to make me too frustrated and the great things about the book outweighed this one bad one.   
I will definitely read the next book when it comes out.  

Even White Trash Zombies Get The Blues

Even White Trash Zombies Get The Blues

by Diana Rowland

 

 

Angel Crawford is finally starting to get used to life as a brain-eating zombie, but her problems are far from over. Her felony record is coming back to haunt her, more zombie hunters are popping up, and she’s beginning to wonder if her hunky cop-boyfriend is involved with the zombie mafia. Yeah, that’s right--the zombie mafia.

Throw in a secret lab and a lot of conspiracy, and Angel’s going to need all of her brainpower--and maybe a brain smoothie as well--in order to get through it without falling apart.



This series has my favorite female urban fantasy character.  Diana Rowland does a great job developing Angel's character.
Angel Crawford has really come into her own in this book.  I love how her character is maturing through each book.  A lot of urban fantasy (a lot of fiction, actually) has a character who doesn't move much beyond the starting point, psychologically.  But Angel is tired of being called a loser.  She doesn't want to live in a house with a driveway paved in beer cans.  She can't get high anymore because of her new zombie nature, which really solved a lot of her problems. But now she's looking toward the future and she wants to learn things and improve herself.  She is sticking up for herself when someone puts her down, which is a huge improvement over the first book.  And my favorite thing- she values herself enough that she can tell Marcus to back off when he tries to control her. 

The plot was great and there were quite a few twists and turns along the way.  I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say that this one stood up to all my expectations.  I read through the night because I couldn't put it down. 

Throne of Glass by Sarah J.Maas

Throne Of Glass

by Sarah J. Maas

Finally finished with this one!  I was disappointed because I really thought I was going to love it.  I listened to the audiobook and maybe that's one of my problems, because the narrator sounded like a valley girl sometimes and it just irritated me.  Anyway, on to the book.

First of all, I hate love triangles.  I didn't actually know this was going to have one.  Serves me right for not reading the synopsis all the way through.  Almost the entire book was about the love triangle and her hormones and thinking about how handsome the two guys are.  I wish Chaol had smacked more sense into her.  I think that, for the most part, love triangles are a way for an author to add tension between the characters without having to put much thought into it.  And it's annoying. 

I probably would have still liked the book, even with the love triangle, if the characters had interested me at all.  Celaena as a character didn't have much depth to her.  I think the author tried to give her some interesting dynamics by making her an assassin as well as a girly girl, but she just came off as shallow and Mary Sue-ish.

Chaol was by far the most interesting character and I liked that the author kept me wondering what exactly was going in in his head.

I really wish I had liked this book more.  It would be perfect for someone who likes (or doesn't mind) love triangles and YA characters.  

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

Wives and Daughters

by Elizabeth Gaskell

Set in English society before the 1832 Reform Bill, Wives and Daughters centres on the story of youthful Molly Gibson, brought up from childhood by her father. When he remarries, a new step-sister enters Molly's quiet life – loveable, but worldly and troubling, Cynthia. The narrative traces the development of the two girls into womanhood within the gossiping and watchful society of Hollingford.

Wives and Daughters is far more than a nostalgic evocation of village life; it offers an ironic critique of mid-Victorian society. 'No nineteenth-century novel contains a more devastating rejection than this of the Victorian male assumption of moral authority', writes Pam Morris in her introduction to this new edition, in which she explores the novel's main themes – the role of women, Darwinism and the concept of Englishness – and its literary and social context.





I had a love/hate relationship with this book.  There were some parts where it felt tedious and then many parts that I absolutely loved.  I had to take a break from reading it...I think it was for a week or more. 
Such characters!  Mrs. Gibson gave me this hunted and trapped feeling.  I was beginning to dread every scene with her in it, yet love the drama she brought.  I can completely understand why Cynthia turned out the way she did.  Oh man, she was a piece of work. 
I was so disappointed that the story ended when it did.  Nothing was resolved, the future was uncertain, and no feelings were discussed.  I think I read somewhere that Mrs. Gaskell died before she could finish it.  I was hoping for an ending similar to the one seen in the Masterpiece Classic movie.  So disappointed.  But still, the story was good.  I loved Mr. Gibson and the Squire.  They were both very endearing with their gruff exteriors.