Waiting On Wednesday #149: Stars Above, by Marissa Meyer

This is a weekly event hosted by

Jill @ Breaking the Spine!!

It showcases future releases which

we book bloggers

are eagerly anticipating!!

Here's my choice for this week!

Stars Above

(The Lunar Chronicles 0.5, 0.6, 1.5, 

3.1, 3.6 )

Marissa Meyer 

Hardcover, 400 pages

Feiwel & Friends

February 2, 2016

Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Retellings, Romance, 
Science Fiction, Short Story Collections,
Young Adult Fiction

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.

--
"The Little Android": A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid", set in the world of The Lunar Chronicles.
"Glitches": In this prequel to Cinder, we see the results of the plague play out, and the emotional toll it takes on Cinder. Something that may, or may not, be a glitch….
"The Queen’s Army": In this prequel to Scarlet, we’re introduced to the army Queen Levana is building, and one soldier in particular who will do anything to keep from becoming the monster they want him to be.
"Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky": Thirteen-year-old Carswell Thorne has big plans involving a Rampion spaceship and a no-return trip out of Los Angeles.
"The Keeper": A prequel to the Lunar Chronicles, showing a young Scarlet and how Princess Selene came into the care of Michelle Benoit.
"After Sunshine Passes By": In this prequel to Cress, we see how a nine-year-old Cress ended up alone on a satellite, spying on Earth for Luna.
"The Princess and the Guard": In this prequel to Winter, we see a game called 'The Princess'.
"The Mechanic": In this prequel to Cinder, we see Kai and Cinder’s first meeting from Kai’s perspective.
"Something Old, Something New": In this epilogue to Winter, friends gather for the wedding of the century...

Why I'm waiting on this one!

I haven't yet read The Lunar Chronicles, and
I could kick myself for not doing so!!
Well, I do have the first two books
in this VERY hot series, which 
means I'd better get with it!!
Now I not only have Winter to look forward
to, but this AWESOME collection, too!! 
I have heard SO many great things
about this series, and I'm making a very firm 
New Year's resolution to  
start reading it at last in 2016!!

What do you think of my choice?

Leave your link below, so I can
come check out your pick(s)!

Blog Tour Book Review: Falling, by J. Bennett

Welcome to this stop 

in the tour for Falling 

(Girl with Broken Wings, #1),

sponsored by

Innovative Online Book Tours!!

About the Book

Falling
(Girl with Broken Wings, #1)
J. Bennett
Trade Paperback, 236 pages
Endeavor Writing
July 20, 2013
Dystopian Fiction, New Adult Fiction, Paranormal Fiction, Science Fiction, Thrillers


Book Synopsis:  Maya knew something was wrong.  The stranger's glowing hands were a big tipoff.  When the stranger murders Maya's boyfriend with a single touch, drags the college sophomore to an abandoned storage unit, and injects her with a DNA-altering serum, Maya prays for a savior.  Instead, she gets a double helping of knight-in-not-so-shining-armor when two young men claiming to be her half-brothers pull off a belated rescue.  Now Maya is swiftly transforming into an "angel", one of the scientifically-enhanced, energy-sucking creatures her brothers have spent their whole lives trying to destroy.  Maya's senses sharpen, her body becomes strong and agile, and she develops the ability to visually see the emotions of those around her as colorful auras....beautiful auras....tempting auras.  Struggling to control the murderous appetite that fuels her new abilities, this reluctant protagonist must find a way to accept her new condition and learn to trust her angel-hunting brothers as she joins them in their fight against the powerful and destructive creatures.  On the up side, at least Maya's eldest brother has stopped trying to kill her. 

Amazon US/Amazon CA

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

My Review

There are so many positive adjectives I can apply to this novel, I scarcely know where to begin.  It's totally exciting.  Dramatic.  Vividly intense.  Poignant.  There are humorous passages, as well.  Need I add that it's an utterly riveting, page-turning read?

The cover perfectly illustrates the drama and darkness of this fascinating novel.  I love the picture of the girl desperately clutching her temples, as she gazes at her winged reflection on the ground, with the two mysterious figures in the background.  As for the title, the heavily stylized letter "F", in the word, "Falling" is amazingly done, and very effective.  

With this book, Bennett takes on a very serious, vitally important theme -- the dangers inherent in the attempt to create 'super humans'.  I see her novel as an implied criticism of the modern movement known as transhumanism.  According to Wikipedia, this is "an international cultural and intellectual movement with an eventual goal of fundamentally transforming the human condition by developing and making widely available technologies to greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities."  Critics of this movement cite such possible negative outcomes as dehumanization, the threat of coercive eugenics procedures, threats to morality and democracy, and other grave existential risks.  

In this novel, the super humans are also monsters.  For some reason, these frightening creatures have given themselves the name of "angels".  They are more accurately described as energy vampires.  They must survive on the energy they suck from other beings, especially humans, killing them in the process.  Although they can also absorb energy directly from the sun, it's never quite enough, and 'the hunger' is terrifyingly intense.... They are also supremely arrogant,  contemptuous of those whom they consider beneath them: normal, average humans.  All this is in stark contrast to the nature of real angels, so it strikes me as very ironic, as well as presumptuous, that these beings would dare to give themselves such a name.  

In spite of the book's dark theme, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole plot, from beginning to end.  That was largely due to Bennett's deft characterizations and brilliant prose.  I was even willing to overlook the unfortunate appearance of "the F bomb" every few pages.  Believe me, it's not every day I find myself doing such a thing!

The following paragraph is a sample of Bennett's powerful, vivid prose:

"Mostly, the hunger is a song with a secret melody only I can hear.  The music clings to each breath of wind and the calm in between.  It hums along the spongy corridors of my brain, each note jumping from one stalled synapse to the next.  At night, when the sun cannot feed me its thin soup, the song grows loud as thunder captured in my bones.  Destruction concealed beneath the beauty."  (From the Prologue, pg. 3) 

Maya, the main protagonist, vividly comes to life, with her passionate, loving nature, as well as her insecurities.  In spite of these, she puts up a valiant fight to overcome the horrible hunger that now consumes her.  Her attempts to fit in and bond with her newly-discovered brothers are very touching and poignant, revealing the fact that she's still human to some extent, in spite of her transformation.

Gabe and Tarren, Maya's brothers and the novel's two other protagonists, are perfectly drawn, as well.  Gabe is the easy-going, fun-loving one, and he immediately accepts his sister in spite of her new nature.  I loved his silly Chuck Norris jokes, his witty one-liners, and the way he felt protective of Maya, in spite of her insistence that she had no need of protection.  If I could have had a brother, I would have picked someone like Gabe.

Tarren is the suspicious, tough-skinned brother.  He's always on his guard, expecting Maya to turn on either him, Gabe, or both, at any moment.  He and Gabe are always at odds wherever their sister is concerned.  Their arguments create much of the tension in the plot, since the reader never knows whether Tarren will end up eliminating Maya, in spite of Gabe's insistence that she will not end up killing them.  It was so heartrending to see Maya constantly striving to connect with Tarren emotionally, without much success.

I was somewhat uncomfortable with the brothers' self-appointed mission to hunt down and kill as many angels as possible.  But then, these angels were killing innocent human beings, and they had to be stopped somehow.  This is where the cruel realities of life can render a potentially evil situation as a morally ambiguous one.  If the brothers were to stop their activities, more innocent people would die....

The ending is open-ended, because there are, of course, more installments to follow.  I am very happy about this, since I want to read as many of these books as Ms. Bennett is willing to write!  I love her gritty characters and the way they manage to pull together, in spite of their interpersonal difficulties.  I also love the oppressively grim plot that, paradoxically, contains a ray of hope.  This is dystopian fiction at its best!

To sum up, I have discovered a bold new talent to follow!  I'm also hoping the books will make it to the silver screen in the foreseeable future; the action-filled plots, as well as the interpersonal dynamics among the three main characters, would translate well to that medium.  Fans of dystopian fiction, thrillers, and science fiction, take note!




 MY RATING:

Reviewer's Note

I would like to thank Ms. Bennett

for providing me with  a

print copy of her book.

This has in no way affected my opinion

 of this novel; I must honestly give

praise when it's really due.

In this case, it's well deserved!!

About the Author

J. Bennett is a professional copywriter and copy editor, as well as a novelist.  She lives and writes in Southern California.

Works by J. Bennett

Girl with Broken Wings Series

Falling (Book 1)

Coping (Novella, 1.5)

Landing (Book 2)

The Vampire's Housekeeper Chronicles

Employment Interview with a Vampire

(short story, #1)

The Vampire Hunter Comes to Call

(short story, #2)

Duel with the Werefrog

(short story, #3)




Online Links
Website 
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Goodreads
Amazon 





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