Monsters: The Ashes Trilogy by Ilsa Bick

*based on an ARC edition


     Prior to reading this final installment of the Ashes trilogy I decided to read all three books right in a row, not stopping in between (except for sleep, sometimes). This was a wise decision. Reading the story with no gaps between the last page and the first brought the tale even more definition and fluidity. I adored this series. The new and refreshing take on a zombie tale (without the cannibals being dead, that is) is at once terrifying and lovely to read. I genuinely cared for all the characters, even the ones that maybe I shouldn't have.  The science of it all was vaguely explained, but then, that would be how it was, wouldn't it? Far too often characters in books have knowledge they shouldn't have just for the express purpose of explaining things to the readers. It's not necessary, as long as the seeds are there. And in this case, the seeds were planted and sown exquisitely. 
   Monsters, the conclusion to the trilogy, is non-stop action. Almost the entire book is fraught with something, and that speaks to the talent of the author in that the reader does not get bored, nor would they stop believing in what they are reading. The descriptions of the gore made me wince more than once- more than I can count, actually. Ms. Bick knows how to paint a picture, that is for sure. 
     I did spend a great deal of this book wishing that our Alex, Ellie, and Tom would find each other again, to the point that I had to squelch the desire to just flip to the end to see if it actually happened. If I have one complaint it's that there was just so much going on that it at times became hard to keep track of where everyone was. But that is a small complaint, and ultimately did not take away from the story in the least. 
     The entire trilogy is a do-not-miss, and Monsters did not fail to satisfy as a conclusion. I hope, in fact, that this is not really the end, and that we will hear from these characters again. 

Relativity by Cristin Bishara

*based on an ARC edition


     Who wouldn't want to go through potential universes until they found the perfect one? The idea of string theory is that everything that can happen, does happen, and each possible occurence splits into another parallel universe. Ruby, angry and upset about having to move from California to Ohio (and who wouldn't be) leaving her almost boyfriend/really flirty friend George so she and her dad can move in with his new wife and her violent and possibly disturbed daughter, discovers a way into these universes. She just wants the perfect life. Away from her stepsister. Toward George. With the mother who died when she was four. So she starts on a path to finding the perfect life, even though all of us unfortunately know there is no such thing.
     I really enjoyed this book. Ruby was fun to listen to, if not a tad pedantic, and she was likable and relatable. I found myself hoping that the next universe would be the perfect one for her, even knowing that it probably wouldn't end up that way. The characters were clearly and well drawn and the science that proliferated the pages was obviously very well researched. It was the science, and the fact that Ruby herself is so science minded that she has a math equation tattooed on the back of her neck, that made the story actually believable. Many stories about other universes and potential butterfly effects lose their way quickly in the quagmire that is that type of theoretical science. Relativity didn't lose its way, and I applaud that. 
     This is a definite recommend in my book. 

Inhuman by Kat Falls

    The basic premise of Inhuman is unique; I have to give it that. A plague broke out in the US 19 years before the beginning of the story, and it is explained that it was accidental outbreak caused by a Walt Disney-esque figure who wanted to create animal hybrids to display in her parks. When the plague hit there was an exodus to the West and the very same figurehead that caused the end of the country used her resources to build a massive wall called Titan that divided the safe and uninfected West from the wild and feral infected in the East. The virus has mutated, you see, and now it doesn't just kill, it creates hybrid animals that go through three stages of infection; the third stage is the one in which the infected becomes completely feral and is taken over by their animal aspect. Our protagonist is Delaney Park (almost all the children have been named for places their parents remembered or missed from the East) and she is summoned by the head of the military type body with an ultimatum- Delaney's father is a fetch (someone who goes illegally into the East to treasure hunt) and he will be executed unless Delaney can cross over, find him, and make him go to Chicago to retrieve her daughter's photograph. In the process of making her way over Delaney comes across a guard, Everson, and a hunter from the East named Rafe who was stealing medical supplies from the base at the Wall. The two boys are roped into helping her find her father and get to Chicago (although Everson does rope himself, to be fair).
     That's the gist. More happens, of course, but that's the main idea. I want to like this idea. I like the idea of ferals, kind of zombie-ish I thought until I read further, but the geek in me had an issue with the science of it. The humans infected with the virus don't just exhibit the behaviors of the animal, they look exactly like the animal they were infected with; fur, mole noses, walrus tusks and all. There are some who are infected with snake or other reptiles as well. It isn't explained how such experimentation as Mother Disney performed could have resulted in a virus that mutated the genes of the host. 
    There are a few other issues as well, in my opinion. There is the heavy handed racism issue (the only good feral is a dead feral sort of attitude) that may be accurate but still a bit much. The mother of the plague is still the richest and most powerful person in the country and I have problems believing that. My biggest problem, however, was the romantic implications for our Delaney. In classic love triangle mode, the book hints at a deep attraction between Delaney and both boys, and they for her. But there's no reason for it. And worse, it seems almost obligatory. 
    All that being said, Inhuman wasn't a bad book. There were storytelling snafus, yes, but it was still quite readable and a good way to pass the time. The main villain was reasonably frightening and while there was an unnecessary nod to The Emperor's New Clothes, I was still surprised at the small twist. My advice regarding Inhuman is that if you enjoy some new ideas and aren't married to the idea of a love story being necessary to complete a book, you should give it a try. 

Another Masterpiece by Maggie Stiefvater; The Raven Boys: The Dream Thieves

*review of ARC edition


Maggie Stiefvater makes me want to be a better writer. More importantly, she makes me think that everyone could be a better writer, provided they were more like her. The Raven Boys (book 1) was my favorite of all her books and I desperately waited for the second volume of the series. It did not disappoint. When I say she makes me want to be a better writer I was not speaking out of some hyperbolic need to be effusive in my praise. As I was reading I very much marveled at her skill and dreamed I could one day aspire to that level.

Dreams are the focus of The Dream Thieves (clearly), as is the most damaged member of the Raven Boys, Ronan Lynch. Book one focused more on Gansey, and I enjoyed getting to know Ronan more. In addition I got to get closer to some of the other characters in this rich world Ms. Stiefvater created, like the gaggle of psychics occupying 300 Fox Way in Henrietta. A new addition is one Mr. Grey, a man who totally embodies the name he has adopted, a man who is also an admitted hitman. It is a credit to the writing that although everyone knows what this man is, it is accepted as merely a quirk of profession rather than the more sensible reaction that the readers would have. Mr. Grey is looking for something, hired by a faceless figure we know nothing about; indeed even by the end we won't know who this employer is, or how he knows about the mysterious Greywarren. The mystery of Niall Lynch and the decree that none of the Lynch boys are to ever go back home again is explained to a satisfying degree. Or at least it is answered to the degree that I cannot wait for the rest of the explanation. I don't get into specifics in my reviews because I violently oppose any kind of spoilers, but suffice it to say that even if you are left knowing even less than you did at the end of book one, it is only because there is so much more now to know. 

The hunt for Glendower, and his hunters Gansey, Ronan, Adam, Noah, and our Blue, becomes more urgent and both closer to its end and further away. It is a beautiful thing to read. Their obsession is less about the king and the power he may bestow once awakened and about the singularity of all his pursuers. Gansey who wants the one thing that his money, power and charisma can't give him; Adam, who wants one thing that he can have that those with everything can't; Blue, who just wants her something more; Noah, who is both dead and alive because of this search; and Ronan, who's own motivations are the most complicated but just as particular. Glendower connects them. Death follows them. This magic defines them all in different ways. 

The strength of this and all of Ms. Stiefvater's works is that when you are reading it you are inside of it. This world, for all of it's 451 pages, is real and breathing. These people are as alive as you and I. But it is better than real life because you can watch its imperfection and yearn for them to find whatever they are looking for. You never want to leave these worlds, and in my opinion, that is the highest compliment one can give an author. 

If you have read Book 1 of The Raven Boys, you don't need me to tell you how good this second entry is; you already know and have pre-ordered it already. If you haven't started this journey yet, I can tell you you are missing out. So don't miss out.