Night Fall [Book #3 in DeMille's John Corey Series]

As I've stated before, you do not have to read the prior books, but I recommend doing so, not only because they are that good, but because John Corey is such a great character.

Just as The Lion's Game was different from Plum Island, so too is Night Fall different from the first two books. In fact, this book is a fictional story centering around the true story of TWA Flight 800.

DeMille, as always, does a terrific job of sucking you into the mystery, and just wait until you read the jaw-dropping ending!

The Risen

Just a reminder that my book reviews are also on MeWe - mewe.com/i/jasonberry6

Over Spring Break, the family and I went to St. Augustine, FL. Even though I already had a couple of books chosen for the trip, I decided to drop by Barnes & Noble, one more time, before heading out. I discovered this book in their Bargain Section - only $5 (hardcover)!

While not your typical "beach read", I decided to give this one a shot, as the last couple of books that I've read were on the light side.

I have always loved tales of Spartacus, and I devoured this book. It is superbly written! (This is the first novel that I have read by Durham, and it won't be the last.) The book starts off, right away, with the slaves' uprising, and each chapter/section is written from a different characters point of view. The view point shifts between the slaves and the Romans, with time-shifts in between.
It is almost like a big compilation of short stories that intertwine within themselves to make a complete novel.

Definitely head out to your local Barnes & Noble and check their Bargain Books for this great deal. Also, fair warning, this book will make you want to re-watch the Starz television series Spartacus.

Here is the book's synopsis since it tells you all you need to know:

In this thrilling and panoramic historical novel we see one of the most storied uprisings of classical times from multiple points of view: Spartacus, the visionary captive and gladiator whose toughness and charisma turn a prison break into a multi-cultural revolt that threatens an empire; his consort, the oracular Astera, whose connection to the spirit world and its omens guides the uprising’s progress; Nonus, a Roman soldier working both sides of the conflict in a half-adroit, half-desperate attempt to save his life; Laelia and Hustus, two shepherd children drawn into the ranks of the slave rebellion; Kaleb, the slave secretary to Crassus, the Roman senator and commander saddled with the unenviable task of quashing an insurrection of mere slaves; and other players in a vast spectacle of bloodshed, heroism, and treachery.

In the pages of The Risen—the term the slaves in revolt have adopted for themselves—an entire, teeming world comes into view with great clarity and titanic drama, with nothing less than the future of the ancient world at stake. No one brings more verve, intelligence, and freshness to the novel of the classical age than David Anthony Durham.

4/5 Skulls

Night Shift

A good conclusion to the Midnight, Texas trilogy.

As a fan of the television series, I was expecting that the 2nd season was based off of this final book (since the 2nd book was completely different than the show). However, this is not the case. Once again, the book is completely different. I do have to say that the writers of the 2nd season came up with a good story, on their own, utilizing these great characters. I will reiterate though, as enjoyable as the books are (I will say that the 2nd book is my favorite of the three), I still feel that the show is better, which is rare.

Either way, you can't go wrong. Both the books and the show are entertaining in their own right, and I wouldn't mind more of either.

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Day Shift

Book 2 in the Midnight, Texas trilogy.

This book is completely different than the second season of the television show, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. While I very much enjoyed Season 2, the book had much more mystery surrounding it. (The only thing the same with the show vs the book is the building of the Midnight Hotel - nothing else, which makes me wonder if perhaps Season 2 was actually based on Book 3? Guess I will have to find out.)

This book is much more character driven than the first book, expanding on what was laid out in the first book, and as I already mentioned, there is a good mystery within the story. Also, there are two different tie-ins with the Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) series, which I loved!

Looking forward to Book 3!

The Line Between

The Line Between is a fantastic book! An excellent adventure/thriller that continues to move along at a faster and faster pace. Tosca Lee has created a wonderful story inhabited by fabulous characters, and the science behind her epidemic is fascinating!
Highly Recommended

Another thing that I want to mention is that this is a clean read. I am passing it along to my youngest daughter (14) to read next, as I don't have to worry about explicit language or sexual situations.

Also, unless I am mistaken, I remember reading somewhere that this story has already been picked up as an upcoming television series. If so, it has the potential to be amazing!

5/5 Skulls

Here is the book's synopsis:

In this frighteningly believable thriller from New York Times bestselling author Tosca Lee, an extinct disease re-emerges from the melting Alaskan permafrost to cause madness in its victims. For recent apocalyptic cult escapee Wynter Roth, it’s the end she’d always been told was coming. 

When Wynter Roth is turned out of New Earth, a self-contained doomsday cult on the American prairie, she emerges into a world poised on the brink of madness as a mysterious outbreak of rapid early onset dementia spreads across the nation. 

As Wynter struggles to start over in a world she’s been taught to regard as evil, she finds herself face-to-face with the apocalypse she’s feared all her life—until the night her sister shows up at her doorstep with a set of medical samples. That night, Wynter learns there’s something far more sinister at play and that these samples are key to understanding the disease. 

Now, as the power grid fails and the nation descends into chaos, Wynter must find a way to get the samples to a lab in Colorado. Uncertain who to trust, she takes up with former military man Chase Miller, who has his own reasons for wanting to get close to the samples in her possession, and to Wynter herself. 

Filled with action, conspiracy, romance, and questions of whom—and what—to believe, The Line Between is a high-octane story of survival and love in a world on the brink of madness.

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ICE

Generally, I prefer physical books over digital, but since the last couple of novellas that I have read have been on my Kindle app, I decided to look through my library, before choosing my next physical book. I came across this one, purchased back on September 1st! (I do eventually gets to books I buy!) I will also admit that it was the "Indie Award" sticker on the cover that stuck out.

Here is the book's synopsis:

Archaeologist Leah Andrews stumbles upon something inexplicable in southwestern New Mexico: inside a dark cavern lies an undiscovered, Native American cliff dwelling abandoned for 800 years. While twisting through one of the narrow underground passageways, Leah's flashlight illuminates the remains of a violent massacre.

Ancient human remains--all slaughtered in a long-ago massacre--cover the cavern floor, along with a number of brilliantly colored, granite crystals. The rare crystals are native to only one place on earth: a frozen mountain range in central Antarctica.

Could Native Americans have traveled to the frozen continent of Antarctica 800 years prior to the first known human exploration? If so how? And why?

There's only one person who can get Leah to those mountains in Antarctica: her estranged husband and climbing guide Jack Hobson.

At their destination they make a stunning discovery that will change history and science forever. But Leah's team is far from the only interested party.

As her secret makes its way to the highest levels of government, a race to seize the Russian-claimed Antarctic territory brings the world to the brink of nuclear conflict.

This is an interesting, fast-paced, fun read that  has great, likeable, characters and is full of action and suspense. An excellent debut novel! (worthy of its Indie Award)

This is Book 1 of a trilogy. Book 2 is already out, and Book 3 is due out next month. I will definitely be reading the next two books.

4/5 Skulls

The Sky People & Crazy Wanda + The Scribbly Man

Amazon is slacking! The reason that I follow authors on Amazon is so that I can be notified, ahead of time, when they have forthcoming releases. Earlier this week I was looking up to see if Goodkind had plans for a new Angela Constantine novel this year, only to discover that he has written two new novellas with a third on its way! Amazon never notified me of these releases. (Grrrrrrrr)

The 1st new novella is The Sky People - something new and unrelated to any of Goodkind's prior releases. (it was released on January 12th) Here is the synopsis:

Raging River, priestess of the Sun People, has just done the unthinkable.

The Sun People are bound by an ancient law, left by the long-vanished Sky People: they must never kill. To other tribes, who have no such law, the Sun People are easy prey who will not defend themselves. Their game is poached, their stores are raided, their women abducted, their men killed for sport.

But when Raging River and her sister are attacked by a Wolf People raiding party, River fights back and kills one of the warriors. Worse, she has killed the son of their chief.

Now, with the Wolf People vowing revenge and her people facing annihilation, River must do the impossible. She must prove herself as priestess. She must find the mythical Sky People.

That pretty much sums up all that you need to know. It is only 111 pages, and without giving too much away, if you have ever wondered what a Goodkind sci-fi story would be like, this one comes close.

Goodkind has created another riveting story that makes time fly by!

The second novella is Crazy Wanda. This one actually ties into the Angela Constantine stories, which is what I was looking for in the first place! (It was released on November 26th - the day before my birthday - which would have been nice to know, Amazon!!) This one is only 86 pages. Here is the synopsis:

Trouble always finds Angela Constantine.

And Angela's impulsive, hot-tempered colleague Wanda is about to cause more trouble than anyone could know.

Except Angela.

She's not like the rest of us. She sees things we don't - she can recognize a killer just by looking in their eyes. And Angela knows that sooner or later, one way or another, everyone pays for their sins. 

She'll make certain of it. 

Follow Angela Constantine in this thrilling novella of revenge and justice, as she goes down the rabbit hole after a serial killer in the making.

This one has the perfect title and is a great story! It helps you understand the importance of thinking before acting. Wanda really is crazy!

Both stories get a solid 4/5 Skulls from me.

Now, you may have noticed the third book cover. The Scribbly Man This is an upcoming novella (releasing 4/04/19) This one has me super excited, as it is continuing Richard & Kahlan's story (which ended in Warheart) Here is the synopsis, in case you want to pre-order it:

From the internationally bestselling author of the Sword of Truth series comes a new Richard and Kahlan novella.

"They are the monsters under the bed when you are little, the shape just caught out of the corner of your eye when you thought you were alone, the shadow of something in a dark corner that surprises you and then isn’t there. They stop you dead with a knot of unexpected terror in the pit of your stomach. We have all seen fleeting glimpses of them. Never long enough to see them as I saw them, but it was them. I recognized it the instant I saw it.

“We’ve all seen flashes of them, the dark shadow just out of sight. They could briefly terrify us before but never hurt us because they came from so far distant. They were never able to fully materialize in our world so we saw only transient glimpses of them, the shape of them if the light was just right, if the shadows were deep enough . . . if you were afraid enough.

“I think that the star shift has brought us closer to their realm so that they now have the power to step into our world and hurt us.” — Kahlan Amnell

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