Very Interesting and Unique Concept!
923809
Originally Posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts (goes up on December 10 - this is an early review, which is what I RARELY do)

Disclaimer: Review copy provided by Curiosity Quills Press via Netgalley for review  Thanks!

  Okay, wow. I'm so behind with writing reviews, I kind of slacked off a little... along with other factors (the not so controllable factors).

  On the bright side, I actually did catch up with my reading schedule during Thanksgiving Break. Like I said, best thing ever invented. The inventor deserves a hug.

  Back to talking about Darkness Watching. It's a very interesting and unique concept with demons and sorcerers/magic-users (it could be witches. Most common name used throughout the book are those two, so feel free to correct me) in a school setting  well, particularly a college setting. It's making me a bit curious about how the British school system works. Well, I'm a tad bit confused on that... the dictionary wasn't  and isn't  entirely friendly. I might understand the book better then.

  *brushes off and doesn't even count since it's a random, erudite-ish thought of mine...*

  Speaking of the book's setting, it seems that most of the time, the characters are in a club. And getting drunk. Not that the main character, Ashlyn (aka Ash), is.... but speaking of Ash, she seems to be the type that easily succumbs to peer pressure. She is still, however, a strong heroine.

  Random thought, but Leo apparently reminds me of Rick Riordan's Leo Valdez from The Heroes of Olympus series. Their humor and personality  and their namesake! (now I just need to find out if this particular Leo is Spanish...)  are almost the same, they could probably pass as twins.

  Imagine that. A demigod and a sorcerer.... O_o It's not a bad thing; I kind of enjoy Leo as a character (from both series now). :3

  In terms of grammar, it's virtually spotless, aside from a few tiny mistakes here and there. Nothing distracting though (I'm assuming it's not an ARC since it was on Netgalley after the publication date...). :)

  In the overall view though, I enjoyed reading Darkness Watching; it's a fresh take with the combinations of demons and sorcerers/magic-users!
2097913
I found this book very interesting. It is different from other books but that makes it intriguing and a great read!
4122535
What an interesting concept!  I started "Deer in Headlights" just before bed one evening and could not put it down mostly because of the concept.  In the land of vampire books and Fifty Shades wannabes it was refreshing to finally read something so original.  In this story, the gods compete with each other for tokens, using mortals as their pawns in what could be compared to a game of human chess.  Because there are so many gods it is easy to see that the author was smartly opening themselves up for endless possibilities in regards to future books in this series.  Personally there is nothing I love more than a good series and I can't wait to read the next installment in Ms. Hart's anthology!
4616721
The premise of this story may seem farfetched, but I found it to be a very interesting read.  It's psychological and thought-provoking.  The concept (a human mind inside a chimp body - and not all that was chimp is gone) is unique.  The book may be marketed for young teens, but the writing is adult in its complexity and the fact that there is no kid-speak.  Generally I prefer my science fiction to have spaceships and aliens, but I enjoyed this book and would read it again.  I hope those who read the negative reviews of this book will keep an open mind and give it a chance (if they are fans of scifi).  I think I understand the themes this book covers better now in my 40's than I would have as a teen.  If you enjoyed "Flowers for Algernon", then my guess is that you would like this book.
4089791
First of all, oooh cool! Love the new add-ons for reviewing on Amazon! Second, I really enjoyed reading this book.  It's certainly not my usual read, but nonetheless, I was completely hooked. It's such an interesting concept and I think the author did an incredible job jumping into this unique character.  If you're not familiar with Garcia's work, you might want to start with some of his earlier books, but if you're already a fan of his, there's no reason to not get this book.  I believe you'll love it.  I never want to giveaway too much in a review, (and yes, I was that jerk who accidentally spilled the beans to a friend about that infamous death scene in the first book of A Song of Ice and Fire) but I think if you read the back of the book, you'll get a pretty good feel for what's going on in this one.  Like I said earlier, super cool concept, executed like only Ren Garcia knows how.

Looking forward to reading more of his books!
4039237
4.5 Stars

This was truly different than anything I've ever read. It's a story told from multiple POV's throughout the book, but the author has done it in such a way that it's very easy to follow. I was a little thrown by the first-person telling at first, but once I got used to the different sections and each individual character, I really enjoyed the fact that it was written that way.

It's an interesting concept - essentially avenging a friend's death by daring each other to do outrageous things - I found that the characters I initially didn't like ended up becoming my favorites.

I think the story got a little rushed at the end. There's a pretty significant event that happens about 75% of the way through, and I wish that whole thing had been stretched out a bit more. I wanted to dive deep into the characters' thoughts and reactions about it. Regardless, it was a story that I enjoyed reading and that made me think.
3707389
Chronicles: The Library of Illumination contains few short stories that revolves around a very special kind of library. I loved this idea, that some of the books can come to life and the characters from them can visit us. I liked especially the appearance of Dr. John Watson. How I wished it could happen to me! ;)
Although the characters are teenagers, they don't feel like one. Maybe Jackson sometimes but Johanna is a very mature for a girl her age.
Each story was exciting and different, I think I liked "Doubloons" and "Casanova" the most.
It was a good read and I'm looking forward to the next!
368324
I enjoyed this book very much.  Very unusual concept that kept me turning the pages.
317133
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I thought this book was a really interesting idea. While I've seen a lot of zombies in popular culture, I thought that the Estranged were a unique take on the zombie theme. And it was especially interesting that it took the form of an addiction... but I didn't really see much evidence of Kalei's reluctance about physical contact.

I did feel that the start of the book was really strong. I found Kalei really easy to relate to and empathise with... and her memories of what had happened to her family made her attempted crusade against the Estranged believable.

I would have liked to see a bit more of Kalei's relationships with the other characters before she was infected. There were only a couple of short snippets of her life before and those made it harder for me to connect emotionally with some of the minor characters.

I liked a lot of the Estranged characters Kalei met, in particular Terin and Shenaia. Both of them were really intriguing characters and there was a lot of mystery surrounding them. I wasn't actually sure any of them could be classed as 'good' characters, but I felt that the struggle they experienced with the darkness was detailed especially well.

I did feel that there was a lot that was glossed over. For instance, a lot of Kalei's interactions with people weren't mentioned until right before the character showed up at an important moment. And for all that Kalei was a police officer... I felt that she didn't really put things together very well. Or make connections I felt she should have done.

I really liked the idea of the darkness in the nails and how they formed different patterns depending on the personality of the Estranged. I also really liked the descriptions of how the darkness worked... and how it was something the Estranged had to battle against.

Although I was left with more questions by the end of the book (and would have liked to know more of the history of the Estranged), I am curious enough to want to read the next book in the series, since this did end on something of a cliffhanger.
2328039
I LOVE the idea of the Grim Reaper being in the form of "life force debt collectors". The concept of getting a "hit" for a price and enhancing your life is also unique.

Lirium pretty much plays by the rules, only taking a "transfer", i.e. the person who's dying who he's supposed to collect life force from, when he's assigned to them. Sure he bargains away some life force for a price, but that's legal. What's not legal is a "mercy transfer", or giving life force while unsupervised or unapproved. When he does only one, he finds out why they're illegal.

What a unique world full of science fiction and intrigue. My only complaint is that this is a short, b/c it has potential to be an awesome full length novel!
3555656
The idea for this book amazed me. What would you do if we could early profile criminals and seek out their intentions early on in life to keep watch before they commit the crime? That is exactly what this book is based on. You take a bunch of high school kids, ask them some questions and the lab spits out a list of whom would be "The Predicted".

The premise of this book very much intrigued me. To comprehend actually being able to do this had me on the fence. On one hand it would be great to shove the would be criminals to the side and never have to worry about violence. On the other hand , the world would turn into chaos and those poor people would get thrown into a category without even doing anything wrong yet. This is exactly how the book is portrayed.

Daphne is having a hard time wrestling with herself about her feelings on "The Predicteds". She does not know what to feel or think. Especially when the love of her life may be just like them. Does she follow in the path of her friends and everyone else around her or does she create her own footsteps and step out of the box?

This book was very enjoyable and it definitely made me think. The characters were an interesting blend and the romance was unique. There was no mushy gushy love story, but an honest to goodness relationship filled with doubt and questioning.

I highly recommend this book! I have to say that one of my favorite parts of the book were the intros to each chapter. The interviews were interesting and let the reader in on a little bit more about each character.

"What else did he say?" Jesse insists, and for the second time ever, I feel uneasy with him.

"Nothing," I say.

"Daphne, they say I'm predicted, but there has to be some mistake. That's not who I am."

"I'm hearing a lot about who you are."

"And you're saying that you believe it all?"

"Jesse, I don't know."

*Thanks to Sourcebooks for the review copy for me to review this book.
3105542
The whole idea is very interesting. I really liked it. Sometimes a little bit predictable, but fun reading! Not sure about the second book of the series, guess I'll have to risk it.
2145020
The title certainly sounds weird doesn't it?  But Kennedy explains how he came up with the idea and it really is a good book!  The camaraderie between the Knight and his Squires is quite interesting to read.  Kennedy has set this book in the past but he explained rather than using the language of the past he used how people would talk today and it really was a very neat concept.  I could never really understand why people would want to spend months or years traveling to the Holy Land then spend all of their time fighting.  He gives you an incite into these characters reasons which to me was enlightening.  I'm always happy to get an early copy to review because I really enjoy how Kennedy moves the plot along and I've got to admit I find the Knights Templar a fascinating subject.  Very entertaining book.
4206057
Tackling The Imago is very intriguing and unique novel with just as interesting writing style that I am sure it will not leave you indifferent.

The story focuses on main character, Gina, a twenty year old girl and her life as she sees and feels it.
The story is well written, it is exiting and interesting, just as you expect from any good fiction novel and most important, it really draws you in. There is a wide mix of genres  everything from humor to drama, romance and more, which makes the reading even more interesting. Its a great reading and I would highly recommend it if you are looking forward to something fresh and different!
4882742
An interesting and believable concept.  Even though I am not a SciFi fan it kept my interest till the end. The characters are modern-day, some likable, some not, as in most fiction. I could almost see where this could be an actual occurrence sometime in the future.  The author may be on to something here. It certainly is a thought provoker.  Will be interesting to read the series and see where it goes.  I recommend this book to whomever is interested in th<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Discovery-Chronicles-of-Man-The-First-Age/dp/B00B76JRIM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Discovery (Chronicles of Man - The First Age)</a>e possibilities of the future.
3188389
Really great concept, though there are some frustrating aspect of the game play.  Incredible atmosphere and interesting story.  I would recommend this though to anyone interested in something different than your usual fair.
4253323
Rise of the Dibor was truly unique and thought-provoking. It takes us to a world much like our earth... only, the first people, Ad and Eva, didn't fall into the trap the Enemy set for them. But will their world now stay perfect forever? Or does the Evil One have another plan for mankind's destruction? Christopher Hopper poses wild and largely unthought-of questions, which provides for a poignant and fascinating tale... After reading the last page, on which there is a huge cliff-hanger... I am eager to pick up the next book to the White Lion Chronicles.
 The Christian allegory is quite evident in Rise of the Dibor (just with a big twist as I mentioned above), and there are so many pictures of Christianity and the struggles we face that just touched my heart.
 Violence and gruesomeness rise to height in this book, but I've learned to expect that more with men authors, :). Nothing too bad. I was quite startled as the end of the book was coming about, and right and left, everyone was... But never mind, you'll have to read Rise of the Dibor for yourself!
 From what I've heard, I believe Rise of the Dibor is independently-published. (I did notice a few grammar/spelling errors, but that hardly effects the greatness of a story!) Truly different and fascinating tale. Though it was slower-paced at some parts, the action parts had a lot of action, and so made up for it! :) I am mystified and excited to find out what happens next, in the second book, Lion Vrie!