Shadow Fall (Shadow Fall #1) by Audrey Grey

The asteroid hurtling toward the earth will kill billions. 

The Emperor and his Gold Court will be safe in their space station, watching from the stars. The Silvers will be protected underground. But the Bronzes must fight it out at the Shadow Trials for the few remaining spots left on the space station. 

When an enigmatic benefactor hands Maia Graystone a spot in the Trials, she won't just get a chance at salvation for her and her baby brother, Max: She gets to confront the mother who abandoned her in prison, the mad Emperor who murdered her father, and the Gold prince who once loved her. But it's the dark bastard prince she's partnered with that will make her question everything, including her own heart. With the asteroid racing closer every day, Maia must trust someone to survive.

The question is who?

Review

I found Shadow Rise on NetGalley, and it looked so good that I decided to actually buy this book when I couldn't find it at the library or anywhere else online for free.

If you have read some of my previous posts, you may know how cheap I am. This is only the second book I've actually bought in years... like a lot of years.

Just to emphasize how significant it is for me to BUY a book, here an excerpt from my post about the one other book I've bought in the past at least 7 to 10 years:

I have not actually purchased a book in years. Anything that I can't get from the library or request to read and review, I usually just wait until I can. To emphasize my point, let me give you an example, a few of the best series I've read in the past couple of years, I was literally DYING to read the next book in the series. Even after being super upset at having to wait 6 months to a year for the next book to be released, I waited until I could download a copy through the library, even though there were a ton of people that had it on hold in front of me, and it ended up taking at least another couple of months. 

Now that I have given you a little insight into just how cheap I am when it comes to reading, let me reiterate it for you: I BOUGHT this book!!

When I started this book, I still had a little bit of a book hangover after reading the Graceling series, and I was looking for another book that would help cure it. This was a good choice!

As some of the other reviews on GoodReads pointed out, this book does have some similarities to The Hunger Games. However, it is definitely not a complete replica.

This book has a very unique concept: there is an asteroid that is weeks away from destroying the world, which has turned into a dystopia in anticipation of Pandora (the asteroid), with an evil Emperor leading them all to their doom in "Uploaders" that look like caskets. In there, people will upload to the consciousness of the Chosen 100.

The Chosen and the Goles, the elite, or at least the ones that aren't suspected of sympathizing with the rebels or using banned technology, all get to ride out the end of the world on a space station.

I really liked this book, but I also felt like the author could have added more explanation into some places. It was still great, though!

I ♥ ♥ ♥ Riser! He was my favorite.

I'm glad I have the next book on hand (thanks again, NetGalley!) and don't have to wait to see what happens next!

I will post my review of the sequel to this book, Shadow Rise, in a few days. 

       

Numers Game by Rebecca Rode

Treena is nervous for Rating Day. A single number will brand her forever - a valuable citizen, or a pathetic waste of space. Her top-Rated boyfriend is confident their scores will coincide so they can attend academy together. But when the big day arrives, her true number shocks everyone. 

To get her life and boyfriend, she must go undercover and expose a military spy. Doesn't sound too hard, except that someone wants her dead. And then there's Vance, the mysterious soldier with a haunted past and beautiful brown eyes. Together, they discover a dark numbers conspiracy, one that shatters the nation's future. Treena must join up with Vance if she is to survive the dangerous game of numbers - and the terrible war that rages within her heart.

About the Author:

Rebecca Rode is the international bestselling author of the Numbers Game trilogy and Love Right, a sweet romance. Her published works also include the inspirational book for mothers, How to Have Peace When You're Falling to Pieces, and various freelance articles in the Deseret News, Provo Daily Herald, KSL.com, Family Share, and Schooled Magazine. She loves cheesy martial arts movies, chocolate-banana shakes, and good old fashioned romance. Rebecca lives with her husband and four children.

Check her out on Twitter and Facebook!

Review:

This book was excellent! I wasn't quite sure what to expect, with this being my first book from The Review Chain, and not being familiar with the author. I was super impressed! I'm dying to read the sequel! 

Although there was a bit of a love triangle included in the story, I was happy with how the author incorporated it. Although she did have the all too common, two completely opposite love interests, the main character remained strong and independent, and most importantly, did not turn into a mush-brained idiot that could only focus on her love interests and competing feelings for them. If you've read any of my other reviews, you probably realized that this is my pet peeve.

I really think that this author was able to find a perfect balance of romance. It is rare to find a YA fantasy book without some type of romantic interest, and too many authors just tend to take the cliche love triangle and insert it into the middle of the book, impacting everything else. I think the author found a great way to incorporate the love triangle aspect, without making that the main aspect and taking over the whole story, which is done way too often. 

I am super excited to read more by Rebecca Rode and can't wait to see what happens next in the Numbers Game series!

I received a copy of this book for free, in exchange for an honest review. 

The Keeper and the Rulership (The Systems in the Rulership #1) by Emily Martha Sorensen

In a world where both magic and mathematics are forbidden, Raneh is growing magic, and she can't seem to stop. She'll face the death penalty if anybody ever catches her, so she hides it in the weeds of her family's land, pretending to be a typical eighteen-year-old heir. And it works.

Until the Ruler comes to visit.

An Excerpt from The Keeper and the Rulership:

"And the worst part is," Jontan went on, piling up a stack of carefully extracted slipgrass behind him, "you can't even get your magicians to help remove them! They absorb any magic that comes near."

"Uh... yeah." I pushed my magic far into the groverweed, which sucked it up eagerly. "I think I've heard that."

"I've heard, in the really bad infestations," Jontan said in a lowered voice, "they actually burn the ground to get rid of everything. Filias, roots, seeds, everything. Can you believe that?"

"Well, if the groverweed has taken over..." I began absently. The plant in front of me flourished and unfurled several buds. Blackedned lumps blossomed and spurted me with grey pollen dust that reeked faintly like ash. Argh!

Fortunately, Jontan still had his back turned. "I mean, it wouldn't be so bad if groverweed was actually useful for something. But you can't eat it, you can't make clothing out of it, and the flowers are the ugliest things I've ever seen. Have you ever seen one in full bloom?"

"Uhhh..." I stared at several in front of me in dismay. "Nope. Never."

About the Author:

Emily Martha Sorensen writes clean fantasy for every age level, particularly young adult, middle grade, and clean new adult. (Yes, there is such a thing, thank you very much! College students can have fun, clean fantasy adventures, too!)

She also draws comics: A Magical Roomate is about a wizard-in-training who's forced to go to college in our world, and To Prevent World Peace is a magical girl series from the point of view of the villains.

You can read more about her, or join her mailing list, by clicking here: http://www.emilymarthasorensen.com

Review:

I read this book in one day... really in a few hours. It was a great, easy read! It was also really well thought out. The world building was excellent, and while trying not to give much away, the positive aspects and faults of the world were highlighted nicely.

I really liked the main character. While pressure was put on her to find a husband, not only did she stick to her morals and standards, but she also didn't get dumb and goofy over any guy that gave her attention and she thought she might be attracted to. Although occasionally, I got a little annoyed at the way Renah reacted to some of the things some characters did, I couldn't get mad at it. It really fit in well with the story and portrayed the society she was raised in. 

This book was very unique in many ways, and I found it quite refreshing. It had romantic aspects, but it didn't fuss over them or dwell on them too much. 

This book was AWESOME, and I can't really find anything that I didn't like. I can say that I think it could have been longer and added a little more detail toward the beginning about Renah's world and the significance of the flowers. 

Overall, this was a great story! I was only upset with the ending, because I can't wait to find out what happens next! I just looked it up, and sequel, The Fires of the Rulership, was released in November! I can't wait to get a copy and learn what happens next with Renah and her family!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.