Tag Archives: 3 1/2 stars

The Cloud Seeders Review

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The Cloud Seeders

Title:  The Cloud Seeders

Author:  James Zerndt

Published:  2012 by James Zerndt

Genre:  Dystopia

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Eighteen year old Thomas is currently the sole provider and guardian for his nine-year-old brother Dustin.  They haven’t seen their parents in over a year.  Both Dustin and Thomas work on water patrol as Officers of Sustainability.  It hasn’t rained in a very long time, and water is so scarce that people get fined if they are misusing or using too much water.  It’s Thomas’s job to find these people who misuse water.  While Thomas doesn’t necessarily agree with what he does, it’s his way to provide for his small family and keep under the radar.  His girlfriend, Jerusha, is a little more daring, living her life making recycled water and selling it on the black market.  Together with Jerusha they go across country to find their parents.  They find both friends and trouble along the way.

This book was surprisingly unique, unlike any other dystopian I’ve read.  Glancing through other reviews some call it depressing, but isn’t all dystopia depressing?

Thomas is a strong character.  Although he works for the government finding people who misuse water, he slyly gives them a break as well.  One woman his brother and himself happened upon had eight offenses.  Dustin, being only nine, got excited about this, because they get points for each ‘ticket’ they give and can trade them in for fresh water.  Thomas, being older and wiser, sends his brother off and only gives the woman two tickets.

His girlfriend Jerusha is confident and daring.  She knows what’s happening in the world is out of control.  And she’s a great big sister-like figure to Dustin.

Throughout the book we get to read poems by Thomas’s mother and see some memories of her as well.  One such memory is Thomas’s mom teaching him how to surf; he was sure that the wave was way too big.  His mom laughed and said, “Oh, Thomas.  The only limits are the ones you choose to see.”  (page 78).

And another memory Thomas has,

I remember something Mom told us once.  How the world is made up of two kinds of people:  steak knives and butter knives.  For the steak knives, life comes easy.  They cut right through things without any trouble.  For the butter knives, things are a little difficult, take a little longer.  But eventually get the job done.  (page 256)

I like his mom.

So although this book is a little dark it was a page turner and the ending doesn’t leave you sad.  If you like dystopia, definitely give The Cloud Seeders a try.

 

My Rating:  3 1/2 out of 5 stars

 

~Pam

*****I received this book free from Pump Up Your Book in exchange for an honest review.*****

 

About the Author:

James Zerndt lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife and son. His poetry has appeared in The Oregonian Newspaper, and his fiction has most recently appeared in Gray’s Sporting Journal and SWINK magazine. He rarely refers to himself in the third person.

His latest book is the YA scifi, The Cloud Seeders.

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***All images in this post were provided by Pump Up Your Book, as well as the wording for the  ‘About the Author’ blurb***

Bloodmark Review

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Title:  Bloodmark

Author:  Aurora Whittet

Published:  2013 by Wise Ink Creative Publishing

Genre:  Paranormal Romance

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Princess Ashling is excited to see her father, thinking he is going to brand her to make her officially part of the pack.  But when Ashling and her mother get there they learn that he intends to marry her off, even though she is only 14.  Ashling and her mother protest, but it is Ashling’s brother who persuades their father to let Ashling wait a few more years before she is to be married to her intended.  A few years pass and Ashling and her mother are found by their pack’s enemy.  They run back to her father for protection and it’s decided that Ashling should go into hiding with Baran, a sort of lone wolf.  While living with him she meets Grey.  He’s not a werewolf but there is something about him that she can’t put her finger on, plus she is very interested in him.  Grey reciprocates the attraction, but many obstacles stand in the way of their happy ever after.

This story started out great and kept me interested.  It’s definitely unique compared to other werewolf stories I’ve read.  I was a little turned off that Ashling was only 14 at first; I thought I was going to have to read about a 14 year old, but then in the next chapter, a few years pass, so that was good news for me.

Ashling is a headstrong female.  She doesn’t let anyone, including her father tie her down.  Basically, she does what she wants.  She had great character traits, but I still had a little trouble feeling connected to her.

Let’s talk about chemistry between Ashling and Grey.  I could tell the attraction was immediate; but for the rest of their relationship I just felt like something was missing.  I can’t put my finger on it though.  I honestly didn’t care if they were together or not.  I didn’t feel the love as much as they were saying it to each other.

The story kept me very interested in the beginning, then I did get a little bored towards the middle, but the ending picked up again and I really couldn’t put it down.  All in all, Bloodmark was a good book.  And the bonus is that it’s the first book of a series.  The ending got a lot more interesting to me, and I think the second book is going to be even better.

 

 

My Rating:  3 1/2 out of 5 stars

 

~Pam

 

*****I received this book free from the author, in exchange for an honest review.*****         

Songs from the Phenomenal Nothing Review

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Title:  Songs from the Phenomenal Nothing

Author:  Steven Luna

Published:  August 2013 by Booktrope Publishing

Genre:  Fiction, Coming of Age

Click here to buy Songs from the Phenomenal Nothing on Amazon

 

 

Tyler is having a rough year.  His mom got diagnosed with cancer and died shortly after.  It’s so painful for Tyler that he thinks of her as being ‘uncreated’ rather than dying; he can’t seem to use the word associated with death.  He is gifted with his guitar, a real prodigy, and he has an audition at a prestigious school.  Tyler plays his piece perfectly and then totally blows it…on purpose.  He keeps messing up with things like school, and his relationship with his dad, and eventually gets punished for it.  The punishment is that he has to clean the house and garage, in which he ends up finding his mother’s journals.  Tyler soon finds out some family secrets that could change his whole world.

This story took me on a ride through Tyler’s life.  I felt like I was him, experiencing everything through his eyes.  I remembered what it felt like to be a teenager.

Tyler’s relationship with his dad, Tom, is really hurting since his mom died.  Tom does try, but Tyler is just so angry about his mom that he’s kind of a jerk on purpose.  I feel bad for Tom (well, both of them really), but there is some sort of closure in the ending, so the book is not going to leave you depressed.

So if you want to reminisce and feel like teenager again, or you have a teenage son yourself, give Songs from the Phenomenal Nothing a try.  It’s not often I come across young adult/new adult books written from the male’s point of view.  And honestly, I wouldn’t have picked it up for myself, but after reading it, I’m glad I gave it a chance.

 

 

My Rating:  3 1/2 out of 5 stars

 

~Pam

 

*****I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*****   

I, Walter Review

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I, Walter

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Title:  I, Walter

Author:  Mike Hartner

Published:  2013 by Eternity4Popsicle Publishing

Genre:  Historical Romance, Fiction

Click here to buy I, Walter from Amazon.com

 

 

 

 

 

Walter is living in tough times with his family in Elizabethan England.  His father thinks things will get better, his parents are constantly at odds with each other about money, and his older brother has left home and is nowhere to be found.  Walter decides he’s had enough of this life, and sneaks off to live on his own.  He manages to survive by himself, and eventually finds his way onto the ship of the royal navy as a member of the crew.  On one of his first trips he finds a kidnapped girl, Maria, on a defeated pirate vessel.  He brings her aboard the navy’s ship to safety, and so starts their relationship.  Walter continues to rise in ranks in the navy while trying to earn Maria’s fathers approval for marriage by making money and being successful.  Walter meets with fortune, loss, and a lot of adventure along the way to win Maria’s hand.

Walter, to me, is the epitome of the perfect person.  He is almost too good and rich in luck.  Maybe this is because of his poor upbringing, but sometimes in the book I was just like, really?  He succeeded again?  I guess he just had good instincts and business sense.  Another thing that bothered me was how he just up and left his parents one day without a word.  I think this bothered me so much because I am a parent, so I would be heartbroken if that happened to me.  But times were definitely different back then, and Walter did go back to his parents and make amends.  Maybe that was supposed to be the one flaw in his otherwise perfect character.

I also felt that maybe this book was categorized wrong.  It’s supposed to be a historical romance, but I felt like it was definitely more of an action adventure book.  That’s not a bad thing, just something that I noticed.  Walter and Maria were definitely in love, but I felt like it was missing that special spark and feel of a romance novel.  The adventure part of the book was much better than the romance, in my opinion.

Now that the negatives were addressed, it honestly was a good book.  I bet you weren’t expecting that after all those remarks, but it really is a good story.  When I started the book I was planning to go to bed early, but figured I’d start I, Walter and read a few chapters first.  All of a sudden it was 1:30 in the morning!  The story obviously held my attention, and I really enjoyed Bart, who is a secondary character, the second in command on the ship.

If you’re looking for an adventure on the high sea, pick up I, Walter for a quick, fun, read.  I can easily see this book turn into a movie one day.

 

My Rating:  3 1/2 out of 5 stars

 

~Pam

*****I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.*****

 

 

About the Author:     Mike Hartner

 

Mike Hartner is a father, son, author, patriot, geek (ret), and husband.  His love of all things genealogical led him to writing, and writing has now led him to fiction and a large epic saga.  He lives in Vancouver, BC with his wife and son.  His latest book is the historical romance, I, Walter.

Visit his website at www.accidentalauthor.ca.

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