Between Two Evils
If someone took everything you live for...
How far would you go to get it back?
Review: "Crossing in Time (Between Two Evils #1)" by D.L. Orton
Hey you! Yes, you! Are you looking for a new great series to start reading? What do you think about a book about love and time travel? If this combo sounds intriguing for you, then Crossing in Time should be your next read. Crossing In Time is the first book in the Between Two Evils series and D.L. Orton's debut novel.
I’m not going to bore you with the plot; the book blurb tells you all you need to know, but mainly, this is about a love story which transcends time and space and the book is centered on the relationship between Isabel and Diego, which has the power to save the world from the apocalypse.
The book is narrated in first person from three points-of-view: Diego’s, Isabel’s and Matt’s.
First, I must admit to not being a regular reader of romance and erotica novels. Typically, I avoid them, yet I enjoyed this book. Ok, I admit that the time travel played a big part in me enjoying the book so much, because I’m a fan of time travelling stories, but the love story between Isabel and Diego was really sweet, even if it feels a bit rushed at first. That’s true that some scenes (there is a healthy dose of sex scenes, especially through the last chapters of the novel) make me to feel a little embarrassed … (there are some parts with detailed descriptions) but, again, that was because I’m not a regular erotic books reader. I’m sure those scenes are nothing new for regular readers of romance and I have to admit that even though it did make me a little uncomfortable, because of the novelty, I kind of …*cough* liked *cough* those scenes *blush*.
I love the time travel aspect of the book, which was presented in a unique, believable manner and kept me engaged throughout. The only problem is that the actual mechanics of the time-travel are not fully explained, so I was left with a few unanswered questions… I hope they will be explained in more details in the next volumes. Additionally, there are some sudden temporal jumps so that way the timelines are not always clear enough.
It’s a well-paced novel, so you won’t get bored and you won’t be able to put it down until you find out what happen next. The book has plenty of humour and smart dialogues with a vast collection of puns and well-thought-out and original plot. Ah, and something that I really liked was that it’s full of epic references to pop culture (Jamie and Cersei, Princess Leia,Tardis and so on).
As for the ending, some readers will be put off because it ends on a cliffhanger, *Warning!* a HUGE CLIFFHANGER! This is the first in a series of five books, I guess..so yeah, now I desperately NEED the next volume because I’m dying to know what is going to happen next and what exactly does the relationship between Diego and Isabel has to do with saving the world!!! x.x
Crossing In Time can't be classified as belonging to one single genre, it has everything: time-travel, apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic world, action, adventure, comedy and romance.
Overall, I’m sure that I’ve finally found another great new series to read and enjoy! So don’t just stay there! Go right now and start reading it. It’s totally worth your time!!
PS: My thanks to the author D.L. Orton, because she offered to send me a copy and in that way giving me the chance of reading and enjoying this wonderful book! :D
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The Time Machine will be arriving...
...at the Book Bar in Denver on Saturday night, February 27th at 7pm.
(Word is there will be food and drinks.)
The Windup Girl
3.5 Stars + excellent world-building, engineering ideas, and cautionary tale.
+ Kink springs, Cheshires, and generippers were well done.
- Too many characters I didn't care about. I wanted to know more about the windup, but she got very little page time.
- lots of graphic violence that seemed gratuitous.
- the book doesn't have a plot: things just happen. For the first half of the book, things happen very slowly.
- the ending felt contrived.
Adventures in the Anthropocene: A Journey to the Heart of the Planet We Made
I really wanted to finish reading this book, but I refuse to pay more than ten bucks for an ebook. I'll wait until there's a copy available at the library.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
A great look through the eyes of a boy with severe autism (and a somewhat dysfunctional family). The unselfish goodness of humanity is the unexpected hero in this story. Read it and see the world differently.
The Girl with All the Gifts
4.5 StarsPros:
+ Well written, clever, mostly no gimmicks (as in "Surprise! I forgot to tell you that Dany can survive being burned up and also knows how to breastfeed baby dragons.")
+ I'm not a "zombie" genre fan by ANY stretch, but I liked the well thought out science in this one. It was mostly believable.
+ The women (and girls) in this story are strong, intelligent, and capable (as are the men.)
+ The author manages to fit all the pieces together, and it makes for a satisfying ending.
Cons:
- There was a handful of times when characters did something I absolutely didn't believe (approach a zombie pushing a baby carriage and reach in to pick up the blanket; set off a flare gun knowing what it would do; refuse to shoot attacking "children"; have a child catch a fox with her bare hands; etc.) If the author wants me to believe hooey like that, he'd better make sure he sets it up first.
- Mr. Carey writes well enough that he doesn't need extra dialogue tags, and yet he insists on using them (to my annoyance.) "Demands" is used 30 times in the book, and it's not needed once.
- I preferred my first person narration to be told in first person: "I" versus "He" or "She" (not 3rd person but sort of inside the character's head.)
- The title is terrible. No allure whatsoever.
- The cover art is boring. Yawn. Is this the best you can do?
Finally, I did listen to a bit of the audiobook version. I liked it a lot except for the British pronunciations of the words ending in "a" ("data" pronounced as "dater", etc.)
All in all: I would recommend the book to anyone who likes science-based dystopian fiction.
Those Who Save Us
I wonder why the writer, editor, and publisher chose not to put the dialogue in quotation marks? I found it confusing (and annoying). Still, the mix of past and present worked except where the story felt contrived. The author did not convince me that Anna was real. Her motivations and loyalties were told rather than shown.
[spoiler] WHY would she leave bread, risking her life and her daughter when food was scarce? We never heard about the notes left (only the delivery details). How could they have been a motivation?
The question the book attempts to answer: how could so many women have stood by and watched their neighbors be murdered is answered in part (they were busy trying to survive), but the moral of the story seems to be: your best bet in difficult times is to be beautiful.
3 1/2 stars.
The Burning of Cherry Hill
Great beginning. Somewhere around chapter 7 the writing falls off. I bought the book based on the reviews and awards, but I didn't finish it. It could have used a tougher editor. And the book is nothing like the fluffy, flowery cover.
Looking for Alaska
A decent read but the ending is predictable, and there's too much smoking and drinking.
Me Before You
Will is a hero of a different stripe, but still a hero. In the end, through adversity, triumph, and even love...
This above all: to thine own self be true.
You may disagree with Will's choice, but is not YOUR CHOICE to make. It's his, and although I'm sure the author is going to take heat for it, she let him choose his own destiny. We should all be so lucky.
Living And Dying with Dogs
Heart of Darkness; Soul of LightWhen it comes to others' misery, most of us live in comfortably sheltered darkness. Duke Miller has turned gorgeous moonlight onto ghastly suffering. His lyrical, sensuous prose paints a masterpiece that is both exquisite and terrible. There are so many clever turns of phrase, so many perfect metaphors for so much pain, suffering, and inhumanity that the reader is enchanted and seduced while being repulsed and sickened.
It's a love story where beauty and atrocity linger naked in bed together, and you will want to watch their every move, listen to their every sigh., and when you are done, you will want more.
Avogadro Corp
N.B. I didn't finish the book. I found the allusion to Google to be a bit trite, but I was willing to give the author a chance to prove me wrong. This could be a good story, but there were too many grammatical errors in the first few pages. If the author wishes to compare himself to Daniel Suarez, then he needs to find a good copyeditor at the very least.
Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc.
N.B. I stopped reading after the first page. There were too many grammatical errors: I had to keep rereading sentences because they were fragmented or incorrectly punctuated. It could be a good book, but it is in need of copyediting.
 Travel, Inc. - P.K. Hrezo)
When You Were Older
3 1/2 stars: Good book that could have been a great book. In need of editing and better typesetting: "And I thought, That's my older brother."
Russell is not a believable character, and that makes it impossible to connect with him. His inner dialogue rambles and does not match his behavior. Ben is well drawn once his brain is damaged, but younger Ben is overdone and one dimensional. Most of the secondary characters don't feel authentic.
The flow of the story is good, and the book is easy to read (with the exception of a couple of sections toward the end). But, I didn't find the ending satisfying: Ben is going to be happy living in a small NYC apartment with a house cleaner as his new buddy? Not likely.
When I Found You
Strong voice; There are places where it feels manipulated (first good things happen, then bad, then good, then bad... etc.)
