Discovery of the Saiph | P. P. Corcoran

Summary:

In the near future humans develop the technology to "fold" space in such a way that they can travel multiple light years in mere seconds. In exploring their first new solar system, humans discover several buildings that house ancient lexicons, full of information. These were left behind by a race identified as The Saiph. Using this information humans begin reshaping their technology, discovering new solar systems and finding potential allies and definite enemies.

Review:

I picked this book up because I love military sci-fi and Corcoran incorporates his own experience in the military with his books. 

That being said, I had to take a break from this book about half way through. I realized I wasn't enjoying it when they were having their first battle against the Others (enemy alien race) and I was bored. I took a long break from reading it, came back to it and then finished it. For me it didn't really pick up until the alliances with other species came into play. When it was just humans versus others, I didn't really care. It wasn't until we teamed up with other friendly races that I actually started caring. 

Part of the problem, for me, is the lack of character depth. I'm not saying the characters were one dimensional, I'm saying that we don't get to know the characters well enough to really care about them. A lot of times it felt like just saying someone's name and occupation was supposed to be enough to make me care about them. Other times it felt like there were so many names, ranks and occupations that it was hard to keep characters straight. 

Once the other races came into play, though, I was fully engaged. I'm not fully sure I know why other than that it felt like it was no longer just "us versus them". It finally felt like there were actually other worlds to learn about, other cultures to learn from, and more. 

I really appreciated Corcoran's sense of humor that came into play at good moments. I loved the contrasting ideas about "appropriate greetings" between the cultures. I really liked that economics and population were factors. There were plenty of technical aspects of expansion, exploration and war that were addressed that made it feel more real. My only problem is a lack of connection to the characters.

Overall, I can really only give this book a 2.5. I had to make myself finish it and it didn't pick up until late. I doubt I'll pick up any more books in this series.

                Hoot!Hoot!

                     Hoo

Rubber Soldiers | Gary Neeleman and Rose Neeleman

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

This book looks at the essential role Brazil played in World War II by providing the rubber that was needed for the war effort.

Review:

The first half of this book was riveting. I had no clue that Brazil was so essential to the war effort. I had no idea how many lives were lost getting that rubber to the United States. Heck, I didn't even know German U-Boats were active in the South Atlantic. It was very educational, and heart-wrenching, relaying the stories of the Rubber Soldiers and the conditions under which they worked. 

The second half of the book however, was almost nothing but the very bureaucracy filled letters that passed between the Brazilian and US governments. These letters are not good for general readers. They were written with politicians and, maybe, reporters in mind. I had to skim through several pages of technical and political lingo just to get to the authors' summaries that were significantly more effective at exposition than the letters. I get that the letters were needed, but they really dragged down the book for me, a non-historian. 

It really upsets me because this book has a very important and under-represented story to tell and point to make. And the first half of the book does that so very well! The problem comes when the authors rely on verbatim copies of the letters and telegraphs. My eyes glazed over quickly and I had to force myself to continue reading. I really feel like the authors were only including the letters to pad the page count. The letters may have been better off being included as an appendix with the authors writing up summaries in the main book. They are talented authors but these letters just kill the book for me.

If you're a history buff or have a very strong interest in the subject, you'll probably enjoy the entire book. If you're a casual reader, like me, whose curiosity was piqued, you'll probably only like the first half of the book. 2.5 hoots.

               Hoot!Hoot!

                    Hoo

Code Breakers: Alpha | Colin F. Barnes

Summary:

Gerry has officially won the lottery! He now has seven days to settle his affairs before he is put to death. When he is kicked out of the building he used to work at, he is found by Gabriel who claims that his AIA, the chip in his head that connects him to the entire city's network, is infected. By a demon. And he needs to get it exorcised. What follows is an adventure that combines dystopian futures, Mad Max meets the Matrix. 

Review:

This book made me think of made-for-tv movies that are entertaining enough to keep your attention and are worth putting up with the ads for, but not really something you get really invested in. I put this book down several times because the pacing was kinda off for me. At times it felt like it was going too fast, other times too slow. Yet 90% or so of the book takes course over just a few days, I think. 

The characters were interesting enough, if a little predictable, but I just couldn't bring myself to get invested in their story. Again, this may be a pacing issue. I certainly can't blame the world building. The world of Code Breakers is easy enough to see and understand. I even appreciate the diversity of types of survivors, even if some of them are a bit stereotypical. I do wish more of the technology used was a little bit better explained. As it was, a lot of it felt more like it was magic than technology (and yes, I know the quote). 

The ending was also very reminiscent of a made-for-tv movie. I read and thought "really?" 

The e-book only costs 99 cents and that's a good deal for its entertainment value. I probably won't pick up the second book though. 2.5 hoots.

               Hoot! Hoot!

                    Hoo

A Perfect Machine | Brett Savory

*Image and book provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary: (From Publisher)

Henry Kyllo is a Runner, a member of a secret society called the Inferne Cutis. Every day he is chased through the city by Hunters whose goal is to fill him with bullets. It is a secret war steeped in history, tradition, and mutual fear.

Rumours abound about what happens when a Runner achieves ascension, but it has supposedly never happened before, so no one knows for sure. Except that it has happened before. And it is happening again.

Review:

This book, short as is it is, had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, I don't feel it met that, and fell far short of my expectations for it. Maybe I was asking too much of it, but I was disappointed by this book.

The author does make me feel emotionally connected to the three main characters, he's done a great job of getting me interested in their story. I was genuinely concerned for Henry's sanity and Milo's sake. I was happy to read this book out of interest in these few characters.

My biggest problem with this book is the world it takes place in. Clearly it's our world, but with this subset of people that, if we were to encounter them, we'd never remember. But what is it that causes people to forget? What is it that allows the Runners to physically take on bullets? What is it that takes the loved ones of Runners who don't run? Why was one little girl, ghost character, the only one with any actual answers, forgotten almost immediately after her introduction? No one, not even the elders of the Hunters and Runners, have answers to any of these questions.

And maybe I'm missing the point of the book. Maybe the focus was supposed to be on these characters, but I feel like, if I knew more about the world and its laws, I could've felt more. I could've been more interested in what was going on. As it was, when the book ended, I felt nothing. There was so much that this book could have been, but wasn't.

As it is, I can only give 2.5 hoots.

           Hoot!Hoot! Hoo

The Great Mathematicians | Raymond Flood & Robin Wilson

Summary:

A quick look at some of histories greatest mathematical contributors. From Western to Eastern philosophy, from ancient to contemporary history, these are the people who made mathematics. 

Review:

This isn't a book for laymen. I generally enjoy reading about mathematics but I had problems getting through this book. I had to force myself to read a lot of it and other parts I had my husband (a natural with mathematics) explain some of it to me.

That being said, I did appreciate how the book doesn't focus on western or European mathematicians. Influences from around the world are given well deserved representation in this book. Not everyone knows that "zero" was created by India.

I don't recommend this book for everyone. You'd have to be really interested in mathematics and the history of mathematics to really like this book. That said, I give this book 2.5 hoots.

Prince: Legacy of Darkness | Phoenix Garrett Wright

*Book and image provided by NetGalley

Summary:

This book follows the story of Lucifer (a separate entity from Satan) the first vampire, and former seraphim. In the 2060's, a decade or so after the War of Immortals, the witches become bolder in their attacks on the vampires who, led by Lucifer, prefer to be left in darkness and out of humanity's reality, except for when it's time to feed. Lucifer must keep his fledglings in line in an attempt to show a united front against the army of witches and humans with UV light based weapons.

Review:

This is a very long book. If you intend to read it, be sure to set enough time aside for it. To be fair to Wright, I'm not sure how this book could have told the story he wanted while being a shorter book. There is a lot of content here with a fairly good balance between exposition/story telling and action.

Fair warning about the action, this book is not for the feint of heart or stomach. Several scenes involve copious amounts of blood. Then there are the depictions of Hell that left me feeling nauseated. I won't go into details, but  you have been warned. 

I have to admit, I probably won't read the next installment. I read all 600+ pages of this book and never felt emotionally or intellectually invested in any of the characters. The entire book is told from the perspective of Lucifer and it's no surprise he used to manage the Gate of Pride in Hell. He's arrogant and prideful to a fault, but clearly such is the nature of the character. I never feel that any one group, humans, vampires or witches are in the right. They all seem like they're doing the wrong thing, especially when the story is from the perspective of someone who thinks they're all inferior anyways.

Probably my biggest complaint about this book is that there are so many typos and punctuation errors. It may have just been the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) I received, but there were so many spelling and editing errors that need to be cleaned up. 

To be honest, I can only give this book 2.5 hoots. I appreciate what the author was trying to do, and the first half or so of the book was plenty entertaining, but after that it was just all downhill and I just wanted the book to end.

            Hoot!Hoot!

                Hoo

Blood and Salt | Kim Liggett

*Image and ebook provided for free in exchange for an honest review. 

Summary:

Ashley and her twin brother Rhys go searching for their mother in her home of Quivira, described to her kids as a bit of a hippie/cult town. 

Review:

I'll admit, I kept going back and forth between wanting to like this book and wanting to hate it. A lot of the plot twists were easy to see, the characters were, at most, 1 dimensional, but I still felt it was pretty good read.


There is a lot of blood, a lot of magic, and a lot of creepy scenes that kept me reading. I'm not generally interested in love stories, so I am grateful to Liggett for including some other elements in the story.

If you're at all interested in paranormal romance you'll have a better time with this book than I did. 2.5 hoots.

            Hoot!Hoot!

                 Hoo

The Secrets of Life and Death by Rebecca Alexander

I hate to say it, but this is yet another "meh" book for me. It has a promising premise and overall it was a quick read. But this just didn't work for me, for some reason.

Part of the problem is likely to be the pacing. I didn't really get into this book until about half way through. The world building is interesting enough that I kept reading past the 60 page mark. This could simply be because, as I've said before, I'm really hit-or-miss with thrillers and this just wasn't thrilling. Though I will admit that the boss fight was quite interesting. Outside of that, though, I'm afraid I can really only give this 2.5 hoots.

Hoot!Hoot!

Hoo

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review by Blogging for Books.