New Romancer Issue #1 by Peter Milligan and Brett Parson

Title: New Romancer

Author: Peter Milligan

Artist: Brett Parson

Series: New Romancer #1

Source: Bought

Goodreads

Rating:

Fired from a cushy job in Silicon Valley, Lexy becomes a coder for New Romancer, an Internet-dating app that’s seen better days. To create fake profiles, she plunders characteristics from history’s most notorious lovers. Using little-known writings by Ada Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer, Lexy pushes the boundaries of coding and accidentally unleashes history’s greatest lover: Lord Byron. Online dating meets courtly love in this paranormal rom-com by Vertigo veteran writer Peter Milligan and rising art star Brett Parson (Tank Girl).

~MY THOUGHTS~

I picked up this comic on a whim. I was already at the comic store, and it was one of those trips where nothing new was coming out in the series I was already reading. So, I started to browse the wall with the back issues. I came across the cover of this one, and just decided to go with it. That is honestly how I find most of my comics, because I have such a small background in comics, that I don't really have a "usual" type just yet. So, I picked up the first issue of New Romancer and took it home. It sat on my desk for a few days, and finally I decided to pick it up....

WOW. I was completely surprised by how much I truly enjoyed this. The writing was spot on, and the art was fantastic. I loved the storyline and the different layers I think this comic series will have. I love the prospect of getting to see from the various dead poets perspectives, and can't wait to pick up issue 2! 

I was not expecting that ending, but boy did it make this reading experience awesome! I don't think I would have liked this as much if it hadn't taken that turn at the very end. But at the same time, it's that drastic sharp turn that has me a little wary. I will definitely be continuing on with the next one to see how the author and artist takes this story.

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Title: Angelfall

Author: Susan Ee

Series: Penryn & the End of Days #1

Source: Bought

Amazon

Goodreads

Rating:

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

~MY THOUGHTS~

Sometimes, we just read a book at the right time. And everything about it just kind of clicks. That's what happened with me when I read Angelfall. I have had this book since it's release back in 2012, but it has sat unread on my shelf. I have seen all the hype when it was first released, and heard everybody talking about it. And to be honest, after I bought the book, I wasn't really all that interested in reading it. So, it sat, and sat. And recently, I saw Nicole over at Girlygirlbookworm read it, and it reminded me that I also own it. And I have been in such a horrible reading slump of late, that I was willing to try anything! And I'm certainly glad that I did. Angelfall was exactly what I needed, and more!

I'm not going to go too deep on what this book is about, as it's got reviews (both raving and bad) all over the place. I am going to say, that going into it I was expecting a light fallen angel book with aspects of apocalypse. But what I got was so much darker. This book is straight up bad angels all over the place, killing for the sport. There are gangs, and later in the book there pops up God only knows what kind of creatures. And holy hell was this book compelling to read the more because of it. I felt that the darkness of the book added to why I loved it so much. At times I had trouble reading bits and pieces, and sometimes it felt as if Susan Ee was ripping out my heart with the descriptions, but I kept reading. I had to. I had to know what happened to Penryn and Paige and her mom...and Raffe!!

That leads me to what cinched this book for me. I was completely attached to all of the characters. I needed to see them all to safety, or at the very least know what happens to them. And Susan Ee sure knows how to pull characters through the ringer!!! This book is packed with action and twists that I didn't expect to happen. I felt that Raffe and Penryn's relationship, if you can even really call it that for most of the book, is completely real. And Penryn's motives throughout the book are for one person, Paige. And I never felt as if she lost sight of her end game. Which is honestly a breath of fresh air, because usually in these types of books, enters hot supernatural boy and "Why was I heading this way again?" But Penryn kept her head, and for that I am grateful. 

I loved the side characters, especially Dee-Dum. And would love to see more of them in the next book. I love when authors are able to get you excited about more than just the pair of main characters story. 

This lost half a star for me because at the beginning, the descriptions of the angels, especially there wings, was a little over the top for me. I had a really hard time being scared of an angelic being with orange wings or tiger striped wings. And that was kind of conflicting with the whole, angels came down and wiped out the world vibe I was feeling. Also, the short chapters lended to pulling me out of the story each time I flipped to a new one. I had to finally stop reading chapter numbers to be able to continue reading without interruption. Once I did that, the story flowed so much better, even with the short chapters. And that last bit was a me problem, and not necessarily a story problem.

The ending of this book was completely mind blowing, and I can't wait to pick up the sequel. I wouldn't say it was a cliffhanger per se, I mean there is closure to the arching story. But it certainly does leave my characters in a place less desired, so I want to keep reading to find out more.

The Path by Peter Riva

Title: The Path

Series: Tag Series #1

Author: Peter Riva

Genre: Science Fiction-Cyberpunk

Source: Given for review for an honest review

Buy the book:     Amazon    Barnes & Noble    Indigo/Chapters

RATING: 4 STARS!!! 

All life on earth is about to be terminated by an entity as old as the galaxy itself. To make matters worse, Simon has broken everything already.

In a future world that is run by computer systems and that is without want, how can a man find his role? Then, if the very computers he works on to try to make them more human suddenly try to kill him, revealing a secret so vast that it affects every living soul on the planet, can that man be a hero?

These are the questions that face the stumbling, comic, and certainly flawed Simon Bank. His job is to work with the System’s artificial intelligence, making it fit more perfectly into human society so that it can keep the country running smoothly. But when the System threatens the peaceful world he knows, Simon suddenly must rush to save his own life, as well as the life of everyone on earth. Forced to reassess everything that he thought he knew, he is caught within circumstances way beyond his control.

Simon’s only hope is to rely on intellect and instincts he didn’t know he had, and on new friends, not all of them human, to change himself and all humanity. And he doesn’t have much time.

~MY THOUGHTS~

Going into this book, I was a bit skeptical. I had never read anything in the "cyberpunk" genre, and I'm fairly new to sci-fi in general, so I'm just starting to get a feel for that genre and what to expect. So, with this being new territory for me on already unfamiliar ground, I was worried. But I had no reason to be. The Path grabbed my attention from the beginning and didn't let go until I was finished.

This story was an unconventional like for me. The narrator of the story, Simon, had a unique way of telling this story. And at first I was a bit on the fence. I had seen other reviewers say how hard it was to get into the story because of the narrator and sometimes choppy way the story flowed, but after a few pages, literally maybe two tops, I loved the narrative and the way Simon was showing me. It almost made the experience more real. I'm not sure if it can be classified as 'stream of consciousness' or not because I am not well read on that type of writing style, but based on the definition and what I have heard people describe it as, this almost seemed to be like that. Simon would jump from one thought to another, sometimes with connectivity, sometimes the thoughts having nothing to do with one another. And I loved it. And like I said in the beginning of this long winded paragraph, it is kind of strange for me to like this type of style, me needing a lot of structure while reading. So props to Peter Riva for making this book so damn enjoyable that I was able to adapt my reading to fit the narrator and the story!

I loved the different aspects of the System. We learn in the first chapter or so the different changes that America has gone through since the Purge. And it's fascinating. I think that was my favorite part of the story, the different new aspects of America. One of the most interesting is how the Government works. It's all about what the citizens want. And that goest for every aspect of this world, not just the Government. The citizens essentially control the weather, when and how much they work, what they do, kids, everything. And that part of the story was my main draw.


On the flip side to that, the "technical" talk kind of went over my head. I still thoroughly enjoyed the story and the plot and had to know what was happening at all times. It just took me a bit to grasp different parts of this world because of that. Thank goodness for the glossary at the back of the book. It helped explain a lot of the different parts that weren't explained in the book.

Another kind of negative I found was the lack of remorse in the beginning. I kind of felt like the "weather abnormalities" and what happened because of it was kind of just barely talked about. And Simon didn't really seem all that bothered. Maybe a little rattled, but not enough not to go to work directly after getting off the NuEl...maybe that's just me. But I did find myself thinking about those first few pages a lot throughout the book and tying the emotions together.

I enjoyed the aspect of a computer turning on the narrator. And that isn't a spoiler, it's essentially on the back cover/blurb. What isn't on there is the awesome ride this story takes you on to get to the end. And I won't divulge secrets, but seriously do yourself a favor and read this.

This book is packed full of twists and an interesting world. I enjoyed finding out what was going to happen almost as much as I enjoyed learning about this new America. I felt like this book stood well on it's own, but at the same time I am thrilled to continue on with the series!

Author's Bio:

Peter Riva has worked for more than thirty years with the leaders in aerospace and space exploration. His daytime job for more than forty years has been as a literary agent. He resides in New York City.

Connect with the author:   Website     Twitter     Facebook

**I received this book by iRead Book Tours in exchange for my honest opinion**