Book Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Megan Spooner (Starbound #1)

Title: These Broken Stars

Author: Amie Kaufman & Megan Spooner

Series: Starbound #1

Publication Date: 10 December 2013

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Goodreads | Amazon

Manga Review: Assassination Classroom by Yuusei Matsui

Title: Assassination Classroom

Original Title: Ansatsu Kyoushitsu

Author: Yuusei Matsui

Artist: Yuusei Matsui

Year of Release: 2012

Genres: Action, Comedy, Drama, Mystery, School Life, Sci Fi, Shounen

Status: Completed

Chapters (Translated in English): 187

Volumes & Chapters:

21 Volumes in Total

Mangafox | Goodreads | Myanimelist

Manga Review: Library Wars: Love & War by Kiiro Yumi (2nd Review)

Title: Library Wars: Love & War

Original Title: Toshokan Sensou: Love & War

Author: Kiiro Yumi & Hiro Arikawa

Artist: Kiiro Yumi

Year of Release: 2008

Genres: Action, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Shoujo

Status: Completed (Not Fully uploaded)

Chapters (Translated in English & Uploaded): 

Volumes & Chapters: 15 Volumes

MangaHere – Goodreads -- BookDepository

Book Blitz: Doppelgänger by YL Parker

Title: Doppelgänger

Author: YL Parker

Release Date: 17 April 2017

Goodreads | Amazon 

Summary: 

Logline: Fighting and curing deadly strains of bacteria can be tougher that even when you have to time travel in order to do so. Kristin is a tireless physician who spends her day and nights diagnosing bacteria. The alluring twenty-three-year-old and her mate Peter, who holds the cure to these strains, are separated by time, making them almost impossible to remedy. Peter is an altruistic nomad, a doctor with a fantastic smile and gentle heart. He often falls through time landing at a point where he must create a cure to one deadly strain of bacteria that threatens to destroy all of mankind. When Sandy Island, lying in the South Pacific, began to sink into the ocean, engineers found a way to save it with a shift in time every few years. Its happy residents were content with their lives until elite scientist, Adam Grigori, searched the sea for a serum to thwart time & induce immortality. His find, harvested from sea animals, is the same serum Adam used on his daughter Dr. Kristin Grigori and medical assistant Dr. Peter Grayson. Kristin and Peter learn all too late that her father infused the serum with a Time Matrix which is illegal and introduces bacteria into the world.

~ Teaser ~

Sandy Island The Calderans were sweet romantic people. They sat in their huts and played their banjos and harmonicas. The Sandy Island inhabitants entertained themselves with simple things. Until one day the water came and the island began to sink, the engineers built high-rises and tunnels to the ocean floor to stabilize the island. The land on the surface was uninhabitable. Fifty years would pass then another fifty years; the water would rise ever higher. It was the most beautiful place to live on Earth, and it frequently shifted in and out of time.  The last time the island was seen on Earth was in 1989. It disappeared from the maps of the land dwellers, and the people of Sandy Island were glad.  Sandy Island was made of cliffs, waterfalls, and grottos.  The surface was covered with waterfalls. The Calderans created skyscrapers out of rock and titanium that stretched to the rocks below the land. Some lived in high rises above the island that reached to the sky, while others lived in caves, caverns and grottos beneath the ground. The winds and the weather were harsh and unpredictable. It rained for days and weeks, when the Time Shift came, and they found themselves thrown into another land full of dry wastelands and barren deserts. It was only for a moment but it felt like a lifetime. The thirst hung in their mouths and they could not escape it. Some called it a curse, and tied them to this unique island nation. Some could not and would not leave. None ever tried to leave, for fear of what might happen. There were stories of those who tried to leave their island country. Dried and brittle, skeletons were found on nearby islands.  Their fate outside their world was the ever-yielding thirst. Scientists researched the animals of the sea to find a link that would help them weather the Time Shift that plagued their land and their people. The elite looked to the creatures of the island for immortality. The Nautalum invited the Calderans into their lives with open arms. Until one day, the cuddly race of sea creatures saw into the future how the Calderans would repay them. The Nautalum made the thirst part of them. So they would never forget. When the water came in full force, the Calderan scientists searched for another weapon, they devised one, time travel to control those fifty years, and they stood ready to use it.

Find out what happens next by getting your copy @  Amazon 

 ~ About the Author ~

YL Parker was born and resides in  North Carolina. She has been a teacher for over 18 years.She was a Lecturer online at King Khalid University in Languages and Translations in 2013. She began working on her doctorate in Transformation Leadership. She is currently an engineering entrepreneur developing projects in energy, media, and healthcare. She has always loved stories ever since she was a young girl. She wrote screenplays for ten years and now has brought her storytelling to books. She has BA in English and a MA in Teaching and Learning with Technology. 

Find more about her @ Website

~ Other Books by This Author ~

Title: Archangel Love 

Author: YL Parker 

Series: Archangel #1 

Release Date: 5 June 2016 

Goodreads - Amazon 

Summary:  

Diana Deluna comes to Rome to finish her last year in high school at St. Clare’s High. Diana’s father is called to investigate the disappearance of The Shroud of Turin from a museum in central Rome. The archangel Michael has taken the image of a man and tracked the shroud and other ancient relics to the shores of Italy. Michael stumbles upon one of several keys that have opened the cells to some of the most dangerous dark archangels of all time. Michael summons the seven archangels of light to help him bring the fallen he imprisoned back to justice. Michael saves Diana from a demonic attack. Diana Deluna finds herself in a world of angels and demons forced to survive while loving a man who isn’t human.   

Title: Hillary Hermes: 

Vampires vs Witches 

Release Date: 14 March 2013 

Goodreads - Amazon 

Summary:  

This novel is set in San Juan County, Washington. Hillary Hermes was once the most feared alchemist of her time. She awakens in this time as Hillary Somers, her memory is gone, and all of her inherited powers are trapped inside the body of a frail, timid, teenager who’s filled with doubt. Time has transported her through the line of the Somers Witches.Lovers are caught in the war between vampires and witches.    

Title: Don't Make Me Angry 

Release Date: 17 February 2013 

Goodreads  

Summary:  

A sheriff leaves her native Oklahoma to join the police force in big City Seattle. She uses her multiple personality to help her fight crime.

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Comic Review: Dream State Radicals by Huckleberry Comics

Huckleberry Comics Debuts Gritty, Sci-Fi Thriller with Exciting Kickstarter Campaign!

All of the proceeds raised will go towards the production of the company's flagship graphic novel titled Dream State Radicals.

Rewards include signed posters, name mentions in book, graphic novel giveaway and many MORE!

Already hooked? Pre-order your very first copy of Dream State radicals and donate to its Kickstarter campaign!

Still not sure? Read on!

Book Review: Aberrant by Ruth Silver (Aberrant #1)

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title: Aberrant 

Author: Ruth Silver

Publication Date: 16 April 2013

Publisher: LazyDay Publishing

Goodreads – Amazon – Barnes & Noble

Summary:

In the future Dystopian society of Cabal, the government instills equality for all and offers its citizens the perfect system. There is food, shelter and jobs for everyone. The one requirement is to follow the rules without question, including the government's match in marriage and "The Day of the Chosen", a lottery that randomly selects families to conceive children as natural means hasn't existed in generations. Following her eighteenth birthday, Olivia Parker accepts her requirement to marry her childhood best friend, Joshua Warren, and is eager to start her work assignment and new life when it all comes abruptly to an end as she's arrested and thrown in prison. The only crime committed, her existence. Olivia is unlike the rest of the world born not from "The Day of the Chosen." The truth haunts the government and puts her life in grave danger as one simple fact would destroy the perfect system. 

With Joshua's help, Olivia breaks free of prison and is forced on the run. Together they set out to find the promised rebel town in search of a new home and new life together. Their situation seems less than promising as they reach the town of Haven. New rules and customs must be adhered to in order to stay. Leaving would mean most certain death in the large expanse of the Gravelands. Time is running out as the government mounts an attack to destroy Olivia and bury her secret with her. Thrown into a world unlike their own, they must quickly adapt to survive.

My Thoughts:

Hello everyone and welcome back to Katie’s Corner!  Today I’m starting to cover a dystopian series by Ruth Silver. To say the truth I got the first book via NetGallet a really long time ago. At that time I was really into the whole dystopian, post-apocalyptic world. I do not know what happened, but I didn’t start it right away, and it was by pure luck that I came across it on my phone and started reading it. How so? I wanted to do something, my ipad was out of charge, I somehow forgot my headphones at home, I was out of Wi-Fi zone and as I have no games in my phone my refuge is the kindle app. And while I was scrolling through the downloaded library there was only Aberrant that I haven’t read. So I just started it. I didn’t remember what it was about, so it was something like a mystery for me.

In the very beginning with the whole arranged marriages it reminded me of a book that I dropped – Matched. I actually need to finish it. The book drew me in and held my interest. Even though I started reading it on my phone, before I switched back to the tablet I have read 1/3 of it. I always enjoy reading about dystopian worlds and the new systems. And I’m always intrigued as to how the characters take it that their system is not the best out there. The idea of a vaccine that made women unable to conceive was intriguing and I was really looking forward to see how Olivia and Josh are going to explore that zone in their relationship. But that’s for the future, I hope we will get at least some glimpses.

Overall, the first book is a fantastic beginning to the series. I was really astonished by how much we saw and how much more there’s left to be seen. I was purely disgusted with Haven’s ideology, or I should say their approach to Olivia’s and Josh’s relationship. The whole: “You can choose everyone except him” made me question their brains. I mean, if it was me, I would have approached it a bit differently, with less force and more outcome. But you need to find out what is happening in the book by yourself.

Another thing that made me question everything is when Olivia and Josh meet chancellor Collins. But if I disclose that too, it won’t be fun to read anymore. So I’ll withheld the juicy parts so grab your copy now and have a fascinating ride with the greatly built characters. Enjoy it to its fullest and don’t forget to share your thoughts below! Stay tuned for more reviews as well as promo. Don’t miss your next favouirte book or manga! Happy reading!

XOXO

Katie

My Rating:

Manga Review: Library Wars: Love & War by Kiiro Yumi

Title: Library Wars: Love & War

Original Title: Toshokan Sensou: Love & War

Author: Kiiro Yumi & Hiro Arikawa

Artist: Kiiro Yumi

Year of Release: 2008

Genres: Action, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Shoujo

Status: Completed (Not Fully uploaded)

Chapters (Translated in English & Uploaded): 37

Volumes & Chapters: 15 Volumes

Volume 1 Chapters 1-4             Volume 6 Chapters 24-28 
Volume 2 Chapters 5-9             Volume 7 Chapters 29-33 
Volume 3 Chapters 10-14         Volume 8 Chapters 34-38 
Volume 4 Chapters 15-19         Volume 9 Not uploaded
Volume 5 Chapters 20-23 

MangaHere – Goodreads -- BookDepository

 Summary

In the near future, the federal government creates a committee to rid society of books it deems unsuitable. The libraries vow to protect their collections, and with the help of local governments, form a military group to defend themselves--the Library Forces!

Iku Kasahara has dreamed of joining the Library Defense Force ever since one of its soldiers stepped in to protect her favorite book from being confiscated in a bookstore when she was younger. But now that she's finally a recruit, she's finding her dream job to be a bit of a nightmare. Especially since her hard-hearted drill instructor seems to have it in for her!

My Thoughts

Review covers 38 chapters 

Hello everyone and welcome back to Katie's Corner! I am sorry for the mess, but somehow I lost the review, and I couldn't find either hard copy nor the e-copy of it. Therefore, I am cutting the review short, as I wrote it around a month ago, so I do not really remember everything that I put into it, but only the main points.

First of all, let me remind you, that this title is licenced in English therefore, I guess, the uploaders stopped uploading it after Chapter 37. So, sometime soon, I will get the volumes 8-14, and the last 15th volume is going to be published somewhere in April, therefore I will be putting a second review at that time. This story is very interesting in its essence, I mean, who doesn't love some dystopian novels? And here it just goes on the biggest scale, imagine that everything in the future is censored. Yup, yup, absolutely everything: books, movies, magazines, etc, and only the library takes it upon itself to preserve our culture. Yes, it's a full blown battle between Library and the Government. And if you are a fellow book lover you just can't not take it up to read!

Get to know the greatest characters ever, explore the life behind the Library Defense Forces. Yes, you are thrown into a world of action, and a bit of romance, and I am so hoping that there is going to be more romance very soon. We finally get two of our favourite characters together, though it's only upon you to unravel who our sweethearts are going to be!

Are you ready for this? there's also a 12 episode anime, but trust me the manga is better! There's more into it then in the anime. Enjoy it to its fullest and don't forget to share your thoughts below! stay tuned for more reviews as well as promos. Don't miss your next favoruite book or manga! happy reading!

XOXO

Katie

Rating

Mini Manga Review: Wild Wing by Kiiro Yumi

Title: Wild Wing

Original Title: Wild Wing

Author: Kiiro Yumi

Artist: Kiiro Yumi

Year of Release: 2013

Genres: Action, Drama, Romance, Sci-fi, Shoujo

Status: Completed

Chapters (Translated in English): 3

Volumes & Chapters: 

Volume 1 Chapters 1-3

Mangafox – Goodreads

Summary

Miyabi literally lives in an ivory tower. Protected and watched over by servants all her life, she dreams of what's beyond the wall that surrounds and protects the city she lives in. One day, Miyabi finds herself on the other side of the wall. Will she find the monsters everyone speaks of? Or will she find something else...?

My Thoughts

Review covers 3 chapters 

Hello everyone and welcome back to Katie's Corner! Mini manga review has a fun adventure story today! Actually I had my romance boom when I found this title and read it. Well, it was a bit of a let down on a romance part, but, on the other hand, I got it, that I had to overcome my obsession once again, and read something in a different genre. Maybe I'll try myself in horror? I'll see about it. 

the story only has three chapters and you really wish there were more chapters, because the way we left Raiya is just hard not to laugh at. I mean, he's still avoiding Miyabi's confession, though he did give her one hell of a passionate kiss. but I guess the way the story "ended" is still good. at least we know that their love is mutual. 

I didn't really get Miyabi; why was it her fault that the "monsters" were created? I mean, she had no idea, but I was kinda proud of her for taking the blame and wanting to help everyone. if you love a good action and adventure, then this story is for you. though it is rather small, it is definitely full of action and fun. 

I hope you will have 10 minutes to spare to lift up your spirits, read it! you will definitely enjoy it an e lot. stay tuned for more and don't forget to share your thoughts below! happy reading!

XOXO

Katie

Rating

Book Review: Tempus by Holly Lauren (the GenEx Saga #1)

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title: Tempus

Author: Holly Lauren 

Publication Date: 25 November 2013

Publisher: Libertine Press

Goodreads – Amazon – Barnes & Noble

Summary:

Chapel Ryan isn't crazy. At least, that's what she's been trying to convince herself of for most of her life. But after being hallucination-free for three years, Chapel finds herself facedown on her English classroom’s gritty linoleum floor. When she looks up, everyone around her is suspended in animation. Mouths hang open mid-yawn, feet hover mid-cross, Ms. Freeman’s arm flexes mid-sentence diagram. It's another hallucination. Or, is it? 

Chapel prepares to tear herself back to reality when something happens. Something that has never happened before in any of her hallucinations--someone moves. And not just any someone—it’s the new guy with a scar over his lip and a reputation as black as his perfectly styled hair. And all of the sudden Chapel's white-knuckle grip on her life has slipped, and with it, her assurance that what she's experiencing isn't real.

My Thoughts:

Hello everyone and welcome back to Katie’s Corner! Today I’m having a book, which I received over a year ago, but I somehow lost the thread while reading or just something came up, so I didn’t have time to finish it. But now with my campaign to read all my started books this was number 6 on the list. Though I actually still have to read number 1 and 2. Because before I stopped reading the book I had covered more than a half, as soon as I started reading it I was quite confused. Because truthfully speaking I couldn’t really remember half of what was happening. But I regained my memory very fast and was wondering why was it that I dropped this book.

First of all, I adore when the book is about people with super powers and there are organizations hunting them. Don’t you love such books? They’re fun and it’s always interesting to see how the author wants to build his or her realistic world with people running with super powers. Ms. Lauren did it great, and I actually liked that she put some limitations on some of the powers. Mostly on Chapel and her ability to pause time. Wouldn’t it be awesome to pause time? Ideally yes, but if you’re thinking that you’re going crazy then of course hell no! And that’s what’s happening Chapel! I enjoyed Chapel a lot. She’s a great character and very interesting to follow. She’s strong but she does loose her strength in some moments, but you still love her immensely, because if she continued to be strong in that moment she’d just lose all her Chapel points.

What really astonished me in this story is the romance direction. Until the last moment in the book I was waiting for her to choose Gabe, but somewhere in the middle of the book it was clear that she would stay with Zay. Zay does disappoint me in some parts, but in the end I still liked the guy. When I first got the book I already knew that I would have at least one more book after it. And truthfully the Epilogue of the story left me speechless for a minute or so. I had my suspicions, more like hypothesizes, but to actually implement it and ruin the memories of someone, well, Chapel to be exact, I didn’t think the author could do it to her character. I’m off to read the second book, because it promises to be fantastic! I hope you’ll start reading this series very soon! Enjoy it to its fullest an don’t forget to share your thoughts below! Stay tuned for more reviews as well as promos! Don’t miss your next favourite book or manga! Happy reading!

XOXO

Katie

My Rating:

Book Review: The Great Apocalypse by Daniel Thompson (Sparlock of the Multiverse #1)

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title: The Great Apocalypse

Author: Daniel Thompson 

Publication Date: 14 July 2015

Publisher: Pair O'Dimes Prodctions LLC

Goodreads – Amazon – Barnes & Noble