Review: The Escape Game by Marissa Myer and Tamara Moss

Author: Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss

Publisher:
Publication Date:

 Six months ago, season four of The Escape Game ended in horror when contestant Alicia Angelos was found murdered on set.

Now season five is underway, and new contestants are ready to put their skills to the test solving the show's trickiest escape rooms. There's Adi, the cryptographer; Carter, the math whiz; Beck, the wannabe game master, and . . . Sierra Angelos, the girl who got away with her sister’s murder. Or so everyone believes.

But Sierra’s not just here to win. She’s here for justice.

When the contestants begin uncovering clues that hint at the identity of Alicia’s true killer, it becomes clear that the stakes aren’t high in this competition, they’re deadly. If these teens want to win—and survive—the game, they must solve the biggest mystery of who killed Alicia Angelos?

I am a big fan of the Lunar Chronicles series.  But I haven't really been able to get into anything else that this author has written until now.  The Escape Game is a combination of reality TV and escape room madness.  After the murder of a contestant from season 4, season 5 taping of "The Escape Game" is underway.  Can Sierra figure out who murdered her sister and make it to the finale?

I thought this was a pretty fun book.  I kind of had to suspend my disbelief a few times in the book, so if you can do that, I think you will enjoy it as well.  I liked the game play.  The rooms seemed like they would be fun to explore in real life.  I also enjoyed all of the characters. I did like the multi POVs which isn't always the case.  It definitely helped me get to know each characters better.  The reveal was half of what I expected, so it nice to be a little surprised.  It was a fun read, so give it a try.

Review: Archenemies by Marissa Meyer

Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Date of publication: November 2018

Time is running out.
Together, they can save the world.
But they each other's worst nightmare.

In Renegades, Nova and Adrian (aka Insomnia and Sketch) fought the battle of their lives against the Anarchist known as the Detonator. It was a short-lived victory.

The Anarchists still have a secret weapon, one that Nova believes will protect her. The Renegades also have a strategy for overpowering the Anarchists, but both Nova and Adrian understand that it could mean the end of Gatlon City - and the world - as they know it. 

Oh Archenemies, how you disappointed me. I did enjoy Renegades and was eager to see what awaited Adrian and Nova in the sequel.  This book could have gone so many ways, but I was disappointed it didn't go any of the ways I would have loved to see.  The story picks up a little bit after the events of the first one.  And for about almost 500 pages in a 560 page book, NOTHING happens.  Really.  Nothing other than Adrian and Nova flirting with each other. I will admit to being that a part I did like because it was so awkwardly cute.  Oh and Nova repeatedly keeps reminds us she wants revenge.  That was pretty much it.

The last 60-ish pages are what saved the book for me. (Kind of)  It was a whirlwind of activity and action.  The book ends on a cliffhanger and I am intrigued enough to want to find out how it all gets resolved.  Because, without giving away spoilers, I'm not sure how all of the characters come back from that, especially Nova.  Bottom line is that this book could have been condensed down to a much shorter book.  There was a lot of filler that was unnecessary.  Maybe this could have been a duology instead of a trilogy?  The last book doesn't come out until November 2019.  I'll keep my fingers crossed. 

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Date of publication: November 2017

Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies — humans with extraordinary abilities — who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone... except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice — and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.

I am a huge fan of the Lunar Chronicles.  After finishing that series, I have come to have high expectations from this author.  I DNF'd Heartless, so I was very wary about starting Renegades.  The story is a new take on superheroes and it almost like an X-Men type story.  In it, Nova suffered a tragedy when she was six.  Her uncle raised her and she has wanted revenge against the Renegades for years.  She feels they are responsible for the murder of her family.

I actually started this book three times before I ended up finishing it.  I did ultimately enjoy the book.  However, I think it suffers from length and too many characters to keep track of in the beginning.  Add to that, they all go by two names, their given name and their superhero/villain name.  It got confusing for a bit there. I also felt like there was a little bit of a lack of world building with how the prodigies came about.  

 The main characters were interesting and fun. I liked the aspect of them having "origin" stories.    I loved Adrian, yet Nova took a bit of time to grow on me.  Liking a villain is hard for me, but I ended up sympathizing with Nova in the end.   There is a blurred line between good and evil.  It's not always clear which side everyone is on.  What is clear is that the rise of the superheroes and the defeat of the anarchists has made regular citizens complacent.  They have stopped learning how to rely on themselves and wait for superheroes to take care of everything.  What a great commentary on the problems of today.   
I will read the next book, Archenemies, which comes out in November. Renegades ended in a cliffhanger (of course), so I have to see how it all plays out. 

Joint Review: Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher:  Fiewel + Friends 
Date of publication:  February 2, 2016

The enchantment continues....

The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories—and secrets—that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies?

With nine stories—five of which have never before been published—and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer’s upcoming novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

I listened to all the stories and mostly they were all pretty good.  I didn't really care for the one entitled The Little Android.  It didn't have any of the characters from previous stories, so it was just sort of a random story.  I guess it would have been ok, but it didn't go with all the rest.  In general, all the stories kind of had the feel of writing exercises or experiments that had been put aside and then they had all been gathered up for this one last book.  They were good to read, but I guess it just sort of seemed like a last gasp of a series that the author and publisher just can't give up.   That said, I was happy to hear the little snippet of Heartless and I'm definitely looking forward to that!

Honestly, I only picked this one up for the last story. So, I can't really comment on the rest of the stories.  I really liked "Something Old, Something New".  I was hoping for an epilogue that showed the couples getting after the events of Winter.   This one was perfect and just what I needed to walk away from the series feeling satisfied.  I got my HEAs and can walk away a happy woman!

Kari's Most Anticipated Reads for 2016

Autumn's Most Anticipated Reads for 2016

Kari's Top 10 of 2015

I know I complained last year that it wasn't a great year for books.  This year was slightly better, but not by much.  I was able to find 10 books that stood out for me this year.  I'm looking forward to 2016!  Maybe you will discover a new great book from this list...

Autumn's Top 10 of 2015

Kari and I have discussed repeatedly how this year pretty much sucked for books.  I couldn't come up with 10 books that deserved to be in a Top Ten.  Don't even get me started on the Goodreads winners this year...

So I came up with 7 really good books I read this year.

Joint Review: Winter by Marissa Meyer

Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Date of publication: November 2015

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

I know Winter is one of the most anticipated books of 2015 for both me and Autumn. The book isn't really totally focused on Winter as all 8 of the main characters get equal time in the over 800 pages of the book. That's right, 800 pages.  I swear when I finished I felt like I had run a marathon.  If I was rating the book I would have to take a half star off for length.  I think there were scenes that could have been cut short or cut out all together.  But, that is just me being nit-picky.

In the end, I loved the story.  I remember when I finished Cress, I spent time  trying to figure out how it would all come together.  I won't give anything away, let's just say the author did a great job of world building and bringing all of  the elements together to make sense.  I have enjoyed the spin the author has put on each of the fairy tales in the series.

If I had to choose, I would say favorite couples are Wolf/Scarlet and Cinder/Kai.  The other two weren't as strong as I would have liked, but they were still enjoyable.  Each of the couples have some very touching scenes throughout the book.  I'm sad to see the series end, but I have to say, I did enjoy the journey immensely!

I agree with Kari, even though I'm so anti-never-ending-YA-book-series, this one was fantastic.  I've enjoyed every single book in this series and I'm sad this is the ending...or is it?  There's an author's interview at the ending of the audiobook that hints at another book or short story to come.  

I also agree with Kari that this book got entirely too long at times.  I felt like it was the author not wanting to let go, which I can understand.  Honestly, most readers probably won't care because at this point they're loyal to the story.  It got tedious and repetitive and could have used at more heavy handed editor.

If you haven't read this series yet, I would start.  If you're looking for a Christmas gift for a reader in your life, get this!!

Joint Review: Fairest by Marissa Meyer

by:  Marissa Meyer
published by:  Feiwal + Friends
publish date:  January 27, 2015

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.

Fairest is sort of a prequel in the Lunar Chronicles.  It tells the story of how Queen Levana comes to power.  Fortunately, a lot is explained in this book because frankly, so much time has passed since I've read some of these Lunar Chronicle books, I don't remember how all these characters relate.  This book did a good job of illustrating the family dynamics between Levana, Cinder and the new character Winter.   This is is a good book to tide the LC fans over until Winter come out.  I think you might be surprised at how sympathetic you might feel towards Levana after hearing her story.

I really enjoyed Fairest and thought is was a great addition to the series.  I am glad that the author wrote it, because it gives us a lot more history and how everyone relates to each other.  I wouldn't recommend reading this one first because things will be spoiled for you before reading the first three.

It's a shorter book, so it can be read quickly.  I admitted to Autumn in the beginning that I felt bad for Lavana and could see how she turned so evil.  But in the end, I decided that she was just basically crazy and not much would have saved her.  The book has the first three chapters of Winter (Book 4) as a teaser bonus. Neither one of us read them so we would be surprised.  I can't wait for Winter to come out this summer!

Autumn's top 10 most anticipated for 2015

My 2 MOST anticipated books for 2015 don't have cover reveals yet.  They are Winter by Marissa Meyer.  That's book 4 in the Lunar Chronicles.  The second isn't even titled but Maggie Stiefvater is coming out with book 4 in the Raven Cycle series.  I don't know where that series is going and I don't even know why I want to keep on with that series other than Will Patton reads the audiobooks.

After those two I have:
Survive the Night by Danielle Vega
Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes
Vanishing Girls by Lauren Olivier
Sisters of Shiloh by Kathy and Becky Hepinstall
Finding Paris by Joy Preble
The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce
I Am Her Revenge by Meredith Moore

Joint Review: Cress by Marissa Meyer

Author:Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Date of publication: February 2014

In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army. 

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice. 

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

Honestly, I thought this one was the best out of the series.  I found it to be very fast paced and the story flew by for me.  All of the characters are present in the story, so it was nice that it didn't just focus on all one couple.  I loved the new couple.  Cress reminded me of Rapunzel in the movie Tangled.  She was so naive, bubbly and enthusiastic about everything. You can't help but like her.  I thought she was a great match for Thorne. The twist in how their partnership worked was cool.  

As for the other characters, I found myself liking Cinder a lot more.  I felt bad for her and the position she has been thrust into.  I hope she and Kai have a HEA in the next book. Their reunion was really cute. We get a glimpse of Luna and Winter who is the character in the last book.  Is she really crazy or is she just playing at crazy?  I look forward to finding out.

I enjoyed this book as well.  I think this has been a very well thought out series.  I like how each book focuses on a different character, yet continues the story.  This approach keeps each book fresh and doesn't necessarily make me feel like it's just one long story stretched into 3 book, just for the sake of a trilogy, or in this case a quadrilogy.  Is that the word?  

The characters and their stories were starting to tie together very well in this book.  I was really intrigued by the introduction of  Princess Winter and finding out who she is for real.  I found the description of Luna to sound like a cross between The Capitol from The Hunger Games and The Queen's Palace from Alice in Wonderland.  Book 4, currently titled Winter, is scheduled for publication in 2015.  I'm sure we'll be doing another joint review then!   

Joint Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Fiewel and Friends
Date of publication: February 2013

The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her.

Second books in a trilogy are usually not my favorite books to read, so I approached this one with a little trepidation.  I really liked Cinder and I didn't want to be let down by Scarlet.  Fortunately, that wasn't the case.  I was really pleased with this book and the book series overall.   I really enjoy how these books are different stories, but tied together.  Kari mentions the 3rd book and it sounds like another great addition to the trilogy

At first I was confused when I started the book.  It has been a while since I read Cinder, so I was racking my brain trying to remembered Scarlet from the first book.  Autumn set me straight by telling me she was a new character.  I enjoyed Scarlet as much as Cinder.  The book was fast paced and moved along pretty seamlessly.  I liked how the author tied Cinder and Scarlet together in the book.  I also liked the introduction of the Lunar/wolf  soldiers.  I just hope no vampires show up in later books.  The only thing I did not like was that we didn't really learn more about Cinder in this book. Hopefully, there will be more answers in the next book, Cress. Unfortunately, it looks like we will have to wait another year.

Autumn's Top Ten for 2011

I cheated a little and this ended up being 11 instead of 10.

So in no particular order they are:

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock
Original Sin by Beth McMullen
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
To Be Sung Underwater by Tom McNeal
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams