Great character development in anticipation of a trilogy
923013
I've read Geoff's co-authored Marketing in the Round, and I read his blog posts each week. He is a good writer, and he brings both introspection and a desire to make the world a better place (though several charitable endeavors). Because I feel I know the "man", and I'm an avid reader of fiction in this genre, I was excited for his foray into fiction.

What was also intriguing is that I am a Christian, and Geoff had concerns that Exodus would offend Christians. Having read the book, I can confidently state that Christians should NOT find this book offensive. Crimes against humanity have been carried out through the ages in the name of Christianity; however, those crimes were always wrapped up in the egos of individuals preying upon the weak - and did NOT reflect the teachings of Christ. This book is consistent with that theme.

Geoff also does a nice job developing several of the characters in this book with the anticipation that we are going to be going on a journey with them through an entire trilogy. He is setting the groundwork for us to better understand and empathize with the characters. I can definitely already relate to Jason: a young protagonist who starts out ill-equipped for his mission, who gets thrust into a leadership role before he is ready, battles his inadequacies, rage, judgmental attitude, negligence of relationships, and "preconceived notions" on his way to becoming a true leader.

Of course, I am looking forward to the further development of the enigmatic Mordecai...who I suspect may most closely resemble my own understanding of a true Christian before this story is finished.

Finally, I'll say this book is a very easy read. The plot and character development is there, but the prose flows nicely throughout. Good job, Livingston.
3393523
R.A. Hakok's Among Wolves is a fine start on a trilogy...and here's hoping he continues the quality story telling in the subsequent volumes.  As a many year reader of science fiction, I'm afraid I was expecting an Oh-Well-Here's another-apocalyptic-nightmare, but Hakok rises above that in this coming-of-age tale of the last children on earth (or so we think) and their subtlely villainous adult care-taker/jailers.  He caught my attention from the first few pages, both with his descriptive scenes and his engagement with his main characters.  His technique of a story-within-a -story with the interspersed  Eliza chapters, and the mystery of who killed Benjamin gently prods the reader along to an aha moment when confusions are untangled, suspicions confirmed and all things evil are exposed.  I look forward to the second installment.  My one quibble with the book is whether Mr. Hakok is aiming at adult or young adult readers.  I incline towards the latter view, due to its gentle handling of a young love in bloom.  But its a good story, for any ago...even an old scifi junkie like me.
4913647
I received advanced copies of the books included in this series.  Leaving a review for this great trilogy was all my idea.

The box set includes Ever and Isa's trilogy, that makes up part of the Classical Kingdoms Collection.  I really enjoyed following Ever and Isa's story from the time they were both children through the early days of their marriage and later while they dealt with problems as a team.  The third book, Blinding Beauty, was a fantastic and really satisfying conclusion.  That said, I'm glad that characters from the trilogy show up here and there within the rest of the series.

Ever and Isa, whose first story is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, went on to have adventures in retellings of The Glass Hill and Hansel and Gretel.  There was a lot of growth for both main characters within the trilogy.  The stories were at times funny, sad, thoughtful, a little frustrating, and frequently romantic.  I highly recommend this great trilogy.
3006648
This is a gripping trilogy for those who love fantasy, science fiction and ancient legends all rolled into one story line.
The first couple of chapters moved slowly and I was wondering whether I would continue, when the real excitement started and, after that, I couldn't put it down until I finished the third book.
One annoying anatomical mistake was Sparrow's injury - if his hamstrings had been cut, he would not have been able to move around on his knees and his lower legs would have been immobile. From the injury description in the book, I assume that, in fact, his Achilles tendon or his gastrocs muscle was cut.
Other than that, a great, rollicking story.
1066693
Great characterizations, great plot development, the ending ...... You  will just have to wait! Looking forward to the third installment.
2431602
A stellar addition to one of the great fantasy trilogy's out there. This guy will be writing successfully for a long time. He captures human emotion, and draws you into the characters in a way I have never experienced quite so intensely.
3159708
Well written, good character development.  Anxiously awaiting the next book
108277
Games We Play is a great beginning to the planned trilogy. Like so many, I am anxious to find out what happens to Amanda. The fact that she uses local places in the book that is set so far into the future is fascinating. It's wonderful to see how she imagines the area to be in the future. Besides being a great romance story, the sci-fi action is great to read! Toni, you have done an amazing job!
4918660
This is an exciting start to a new trilogy bridging past, present, and future. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel, it was like peeling back an onion, different layers uncovered to reveal a bigger picture, broader story.  Excited for this series to continue to unfold!
3819368
I have been looking for a story in which to immerse myself and have found it in Red Rising. I look forward to reading the second book in this trilogy with great anticipation.
2729429
I was impressed by this series, the Light and Shadow trilogy, which was another one of my fabulous Bookbub bargains. (Er, by the way, since I talk about them so much, one might wonder if Im affiliated, but Im not. Though Ive acquired enough $0.99 and free books from them, I should probably take out stock.)

This is both a fascinating character-driven and an interesting plot-driven story, wrapped in an engrossing fantasy world. Catwin, the main character, comes from a poor family, and until shes noticed by the Duke of Voltur, shes destined to amount to nothing but kitchen help. Instead, he sees potential in her and sets to training her to be his niece Miriels bodyguard and assassinwhether she wants to or not.

Her struggles with the atrocities shes forced to commit are potent and heart-rending. The uneasy friendship that grows from initial hatred between the two girls is well-crafted. They dance around one another, neither sure if the other can be trusted, but having no choice but to rely on one another.

Im not going to spoiler anything from the second and third books, but I loved how the story developed. The stakes continue to raise, as Miriel must do her uncles bidding and, well, Catwin must, also.

I rated the third book as four stars because I wasn't impressed with the culmination of Catwins prophecy: As a baby, her mother refused to raise her because she foretold that her daughter would be betrayed. A lot of that back story made no sense, and when the betrayal comes, I cant really understand why. Its almost  or completely  a self-fulfilling prophecy, and I don't really understand why the characters involved choose their actions.

Overall, I loved this series and I heartily recommend it. If you enjoy fantasy, either young adult or adult, youll enjoy the Light and Shadow trilogy. Ms. Katson is now on my list of Authors I Must Read More of If Ever My TBR Pile Diminishes.
2593570
Tying in many more characters and elements than it's predecessor, this second book of the trilogy is sure to please! I was deeply fascinated with the use of extra layered storylines and each new addition to the plot was a welcome one. One of the few true cliffhangers of the fiction genre, for my money, had me on the edge of my seat and excitedly drulling for more as I churned through it's pages. Very well put together.. I'm consoled knowing there is assuredly more to come with the third and final book of the series. Hats off to the author! Now, back to this non fiction reality of ours...
2489688
The culmination of The Rho Agenda, it finally pulls together most of the various threads of the story.  I am slightly disappointed that there are a few questions unanswered, but that mostly makes me hungry for the next books.
This trilogy is primarily fascinating because of the intriguing plot devices (alien technology granting teenagers with superpowers), but I also really like the characters.
I look forward to reading more.
797338
I cannot imagine how I can be the first person to review this marvelous new fantasy.  There should be a thousand reviews, all saying this book is an exciting opening to a new trilogy.

The Oversight is an organization in Victorian England (though of much, much older origins) that is down to few members.  It must survive to protect the world from the supranaturals, and to protect the supranaturals from the world, so to speak.  They are keepers of the Lore and the Law, making sure that everything keeps to its proper level.

A young girl with bits of her memory missing comes into their lives and the story unfolds from there.  What I loved in particular were the excellent descriptions of each character (good and bad), the amount of engagement that the author drew from me, and how much I was vested in the outcome.

The story was exciting, colorful, full of the kind of clever British writing that many of us love.  If the trilogy pans out, I will keep it on my shelves next to Gaiman, Mieville, and Harkaway.  High praise, indeed!
1121819
This is a great story and I'm hooked on finding out how this adventure ends. I just have to wait for the third part of the trilogy to be published. It has plenty of twists and turns and interesting characters to keep you going page after page. I'm not usually a fan of "paranormal" activities, but this Debunker series has me hooked. Great pacing, good description, intriguing characters.
1214904
I was invested in the characters from the first book in the trilogy, and the surprising twists and turns to the characters in the second book, kept me reading in anticipation.  Katrina doesn't shy away from the tough issues like family loyalty, but handles them with sensitivity while confronting our basic assumptions.  But diving into social issues isn't what keeps you reading to the end, it's the struggles of these characters, and how they persevere that makes you want to cheer.  The third book can't come soon enough!
2770180
Although the story-line is basic, the characters are developed very well throughout and you get much more of a sense of why certain characters act in a certain way. Every character has a little bit of a back story that explains how they came to be in this situation or how they met each other. I really enjoyed how this was done and that really drew me into the book more. The character related well and the development made them much more real and 3D for me. Each character also has a very different tone within the dialogue which helped to tell them apart from each other.

Ed Duncan focused on character development and their interactions with one another and I think that was a good choice to make because it really made the story come to life. There isn't much more he could do to develop the plot any further than he did as it is already believable and well planned out.

Personally, I found the book to be full of action and although there wasn't any suspense I still found myself lost in the book. The story flows easily off the page and is an easy read for lovers of thrillers, and those that are new to the genre.

Like every Author, Ed Duncan will improve with every piece he writes andI am very intrigued to see what he will do in the rest of the trilogy and how the characters and plot will develop further. If he carries on how he is with the character development, I think it will be a trilogy to watch out for.