Review: The Sphinx Project

The Sphinx Project (The Chimaera Chronicles #1)
by Kate Hawkings
Published February 28th 2012

Review copy

Summary from Goodreads:

Not many people can say their entire existence has been one big lab experiment: poked and prodded by scientists, genetically modified to be the best and endure the worst, subjected to daily tests and trials that would kill a normal human. All Michaela wants is her own life, to be able to go to school, flirt with boys, maybe eat ice cream now and then. So when the chance to escape finally comes, Michaela and her sister grab it, taking their friends with them.

But they weren’t the only ones to find their way out of those labs. Following close behind are another breed of creature, one that doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong, who exist only to feed their own hunger. The appearance of a strange boy who seems too much like them to be a coincidence makes things even more confusing. But as the world begins to literally fall apart around them, Michaela must accept his help, especially when she could lose the very thing she holds dearest: her sister.

Thoughts:
The Sphinx Project is a thrilling, action packed beginning to an amazing new series by Kate Hawkings which will certainly captivates its readers. The story centers on Michaela or Kayla who is a product of a secret science experiment to create a hybrid super human from the genes of various animals and combining it with human genes. As expected Kayla is the perfect super soldier but she longs to escape from the malevolent and sinister scientists who keep her and her sisters imprisoned in their facility.

The girls were given a lucky break when a massive earthquake destroys the facility which allowed them to escape but a group of zombie-like creatures from the underground cells also made their getaway to the outside world which resulted in disastrous consequences.

The pacing of the book is pretty intense and nerve-wrecking as the girls had to experience several life threatening situations which not only includes earthquake but also tsunami and a volcano eruption towards their journey to freedom. But the price of freedom is certainly high and when they were betrayed by one of their own, Kayla had to decide who can she really trusts.With soldiers hot on her trail, zombies on the loose and the world on the brink of destruction, Kayla certainly had the impossible task of staying alive and rescuing her sisters at the same time.

For a self-published work, this book is amazingly well-written, the characters are solid and the story  is so engrossing that I had a hard time putting it down! The ending is indeed a shocker and I just can't wait to read the next book.

Verdict: 4 stars.
In my Debut Author & Self-Published Reading Challenge 
Available on: Amazon

Book of the Month: August

Book of the Month is a monthly event, hosted by Book Whales. This is done to highlight one of the books we have read in the previous month.

So my book of the month is (cue drum roll please..)

Princess Academy: Palace of Stone

by Shannon Hale

My review

There's just something lovable about the characters that Shannon Hale created that makes you want to root for them. Miri is a wonderful fictional role model that every young girl should aspire to be. I hope in the future my children will cherish books by Shannon Hale as much as I do.

Review: Rift

Rift (Nightshade Prequel #1)
by Andrea Cremer
Published August 7th 2012

by Philomel
ARC

Summary from Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Ember Morrow is promised to a group called Conatus after one of their healers saves her mother's life. Once she arrives, Ember finds joy in wielding swords, learning magic, and fighting the encroaching darkness loose in the world. She also finds herself falling in love with her mentor, the dashing, brooding, and powerful Barrow Hess. When the knights realize Eira, one of their leaders, is dabbling in dark magic, Ember and Barrow must choose whether to follow Eira into the nether realm or to pledge their lives to destroying her and her kind.

Thoughts:
I have to confessed. One of the reason I decided to read this is because of that kick ass cover with the girl holding that cool Chinese ancient weapon. I just love kick ass chicks and it reminded me a lot of this movie. Same weapon. Different kick ass chick.

Okay. Before I start babbling even more. I have to confess even further. I am one of those few people who did not enjoy Andrea Cremer's Nightshade series. (Hides face). I really did not know why. I'm cool with werewolves. It's just the story is kind of overwhelming for me so when I heard that this is the prequel to the Nightshade series, I was not at all excited.

But the book really surprised me. Maybe because of the medieval setting and the feminist undertones made me really enjoy the book. Ember is a solid main character that I like instantly. She's a young woman trying hard not to conform to the norms set upon society. As a noble she is expected to marry well and produced offspring but instead she secretly harbours the dream of becoming one of the knights in a sacred group known as Conatus. I'm also drawn to the other strong female characters in the book such as Cian and Eira who serve as members of the Circle whom presides over the group and was chosen because they have excelled in their office. With intriguing plotlines, interesting characters and a hint of romance it's not hard to get lost in the book.

Yes the predictable love triangle is there but I'm just too engrossed with the paranormal elements, the ferocious beasts attacking the Conatus, magical mayhem and the action packed battle sequence to be annoyed by the romance.

Verdict: 4 stars.
In my Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge 
Available on: Amazon

Review: The Demon Catchers of Milan

The Demon Catchers of Milan
by Kat Beyer
Published August 28th 2012
by EgmontUSA
ARC from Netgalley

Summary from Goodreads:

Mia's ordinary life is disrupted in the most horrifying way possible when she is possessed by a hungry and powerful demon--and only saved by the arrival of relatives from Italy, the country her grandfather fled many decades ago. Now her cousins Emilio and Giuliano say the only way to keep her safe is for her to come back with them to Milan, to live, to learn Italian, to fall in and out of love, and to master the family trade: fighting all demons with the lore of bell, book, and candle. Milan is not what Mia expected, but it will change her forever, in this stunningly well-written novel about an American girl who, fleeing an ancient evil, finds her only salvation in her ancestral home.

Thoughts:
I immediately jumped at the chance to read this when I find out that the story is about a family of demon catchers set in Milan. And the first chapter just jumped right into the action when Mia is unwittingly possessed by a mysterious powerful demon for four days until her relatives from Italy came to rescue her with their demon fighting skills.

I would have very much preferred if the story focussed more on that very aspect but sadly the book is more about Mia adapting to living with her relatives in Milan rather than becoming this awesome demon catcher. It become very tiresome to read when all she did is learning Italian, eating  and making some Italian food and ogling that unattainable gorgeous Italian cousin who already has a girlfriend by the way.

And as much as I love the Milan setting, it is kind of wasted here since Mia is coped up in the house as she is forbidden to go out for fear that the demon will returned and possessed her once again. And the demon fighting skills is kind of lame in my opinion. It consists mainly of standing around, chanting and ringing bells for a long long time.

Nothing gets resolved in the end which is kind of surprising because I expected Mia to learn how to properly banished the demon who is hunting her. So instead of an epic showdown between the Del Torres family and the powerful demon pursuing Mia, we get some mildly creepy encounter with a tragic ghost and a history and culture lesson about Italy.

Verdict: 2 stars.
Available on: Amazon