Book Review: Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen

Mira Books
TBP: Jan. 29th 2019
384 Pages

Kin Stewart is an everyday family man: working in I.T., trying to keep the spark in his marriage, struggling to connect with his teenage daughter, Miranda. But his current life is a far cry from his previous career…as a time-traveling secret agent from 2142.

Stranded in suburban San Francisco since the 1990s after a botched mission, Kin has kept his past hidden from everyone around him, despite the increasing blackouts and memory loss affecting his time-traveler’s brain. Until one afternoon, his “rescue” team arrives—eighteen years too late.

Their mission: return Kin to 2142 where he’s only been gone weeks, not years, and where another family is waiting for him. A family he can’t remember.

Torn between two lives, Kin is desperate for a way to stay connected to both. But when his best efforts threaten to destroy the agency and even history itself, his daughter’s very existence is at risk. It’ll take one final trip across time to save Miranda—even if it means breaking all the rules of time travel in the process.- Goodreads

Wildly creative. I was extremely impressed with this book from the moment I began reading nothing prepared me for the emotions I felt while reading.

This book is unlike any science fiction book out there. If it wasn’t for the whole time traveling aspect of it, it would be considered science fiction. Obvious? Yes. But what specifically I mean is although the time travel is the thing that is holding the book strong, it isn’t the most important aspect of it nor is it the biggest. It’s the foundation for the book and it grabs your attention but it doesn’t keep it.

What keeps your attention is Kit. Talk about a man, who is confused as all crap but only wants to do what is right and protect his family (both of them). His range of emotion and sometimes desperate measures pulls at your heart string or at least it did mine. I got so frustrated when it seemed like everyone was against him. They were completely unsympathetic for an error on their part. The entire time I was like really, you expected him not to live a life? 18 years sent by.

Beyond this, not a whole lot happens in this book. As previously mentioned, the time traveling aspect is a foundation and its the pink elephant in the room but there are only two situations where time traveling actually happens. Did I want more? No. It was the perfect amount for what I believe the novel was trying to get at.

But what was the novel trying to get at? Family, love and what a person is willing to do for the family they should have technically never had.

Overall, a smooth novel with some great transitions. Emotionally charged, amazing detail and a cute minor romance.

4 Pickles

Book Review: The Door That Lead to Where by Sally Gardner

Delacorte Press
To Be Published Nov. 8, 2016
288 Pages

AJ Flynn has just failed all of his exams but one. Considered a failure by his mother and at 17 years old, he believes there is no hope for him. When he receives a job as a junior clerk at a law firm, he believes there is a future for him.

While working, he finds a key with his name on it and that key leads to 1830. With the help of his two best friends, AJ goes to explore and realize the year may have changed but love and hardship has not. When they discover a crime, only they can solve, the three embark on an adventure not like anything they would have imagine.  

Let me start off by saying that I loved this cover. The book was originally published last year and the cover wasn’t that exciting but this was.

I loved the premise of this book, which is why I picked it up. However, this was a difficult read. It was long and it was slow. There was also something about AJ that didn’t seem real. His tone of voice was indifferent for too long in the book.  There wasn’t a display of huge emotions and that bothered me. It made the book harder to continue. But I kept reading because the author did a really good job of not answering a question and giving me the burning need to find the answer.  I love when authors do that. It is a skill not everyone has perfected.

The same goes for the lack of predictability. There is always a hint at the future of certain characters or an ending. The trick is to not make it so obvious that the reader will see it. Unfortunately, because I saw it, the ending did nothing for me. Beyond that the ending overall was a weak attempt to lead into a second book.

The pace was very slow. I can see the attempts to pick up the story but it didn’t exactly work out. AJ as well as his two best friends, weren’t the most interesting characters. I did, appreciate their differences and their similarities. It made sense that there were friends.

I wanted so much more from this book. It really could have been, easily, a five pickles book but it wasn’t there.

2 Pickles

Book Review: Waylaid by Kim Harrison

Pocket Star
To Be Published April 4, 2016

This is a novella featuring two characters from the Hollows and the Peri Reed Chronicles.

The magic of the Hollows runs full force into the technological sophistication of The Drafter when a device capable of carrying a city’s data stream pulls Rachel, the bounty hunter witch of the Hollows, between realities, marooning her in a world where the supernatural holds no sway. To get Rachel and Jenks home, Peri, the dangerous renegade of 2030, must decide what will chart her future: her blind trust in those who grant her power, or her intuition telling her to believe. -Goodreads

*Short Review

I picked this book up because it was a short read and I don’t recall ever reading anything by Kim Harrison. So this was an introduction and to say the least I wasn’t impress. To put it bluntly, I didn’t like this book.

There could be several reasons why I didn’t like this book and the biggest one is probably because I do not know anything about the stories: Hollows and the Peri Reed Chronicles.  So I am guessing there is some strong disconnect there. But I don’t feel that it is my problem. Why? Because it is the author’s job to make me feel familiar with the plot and the characters.

I couldn’t grasp the story; not only because I felt displaced but also because it felt like a rush job. Do not get me wrong, I thought in the short amount of pages, the author was able to develop a story but it felt slightly all over the place and it felt like the author was trying too hard. Also to be perfectly honest I just didn’t like it.

Will I let this be a deciding factor as to will I read any of Kim Harrison’s books? Probably not. But I know I won’t be in a rush to read them.

 

1 Pickle

 

 

Impatiently Waiting For: The Girl from Everywhere (The Girl from Everywhere #1) by Heidi Heilig

Greenwillow Books
To Be Published Feb. 16, 2015
464 Pages

Nix’s life began in Honolulu in 1868. Since then she has traveled to mythic Scandinavia, a land from the tales of One Thousand and One Nights, modern-day New York City, and many more places both real and imagined. As long as he has a map, Nix’s father can sail his ship,

The Temptation, to any place, any time. But now he’s uncovered the one map he’s always sought—1868 Honolulu, before Nix’s mother died in childbirth. Nix’s life—her entire existence—is at stake. No one knows what will happen if her father changes the past.

It could erase Nix’s future, her dreams, her adventures . . . her connection with the charming Persian thief, Kash, who’s been part of their crew for two years. If Nix helps her father reunite with the love of his life, it will cost her her own.- Goodreads

NetGalley Review: Midnight by Eve Eschenbacher

Booktrope
Published May 4, 2015
Ebook

It is Karen’s last year of high school and with her best friend, she just wants to enjoy life and feel alive. When she meets the new boy Gabriel at a party, she can’t keep her eyes off him nor can he.

After he writes his number on her skin in ink that seems to glow, Karen is introduced to a world that she couldn’t have imaged. But with this new exposure comes questionable trust and love that Karen may not be ready for.

Let’s cut to the chase. This book was a bit of a mess. Therefore, this will be a short review.

Karen should not be 17 years old nor should this book have been a high school setting.  Karen nor Gabriel was written for a high school setting; their mentality just wasn’t there and it was hard to take either one of them serious.

The story-line got confusing midway through the book. Confusing because the author was just doing too much with the alternate reality. Because of this the story felt inconsistent and honestly all over the place.

However, I was able to finish the book. The author has talent and was able to keep me interested to see what happen next to Karen and Gabriel. But their relationship was immature and it lacked depth.  To say what they really felt for each other was love is hard.

Overall,

1 Pickle 

Book Review: Endless by Amanda Gray

Month9Books, LLC.
Published Sept. 10, 2013
384 Pages

Jenny Kramer isn’t normal. When she touches someone she can see their past lives. When she makes friends with Ben, the new boy in town, they find a music box with instructions for memorization and find a connection between their past lives.

Jenny has been dreaming about her past life and that includes a boy name Nikolai. When he shows up next door, Jenny has to face a reality that not only explains her past life, but her mother’s life as well.  

I like time travel and it is something that a lot of authors attempt at and they don’t do a very good job. This is one of those times.

This was a boring read. Jenny had no real life to her which was weird considering that she was an artist. She wasn’t very lively and considering the fact that she wears gloves, I didn’t understand why she was so much of a loner.

I was confused about her because I didn’t believe her.

The story took too long to get to the meat of it and when the meat came it didn’t deliver. The romance was lackluster. I am not even sure what the author was going for with Jenny falling for a guy she dream of twice?

However, I think that the story did have potential but the author really didn’t know how to use it.

Yes, this is a really short review but overall the story gets 2 Pickles.  2 because the author tried but it didn’t work.

Kindle Review: Wander Dust by Michelle Warren

Motif Ink had an amazing pleasure to interview author Michelle Warren. If you haven’t checked out the interview yet you can here

On the day that Seraphina Parrish turned 16 things begin todramatically change. She sees a woman dressed in black that makes her feel like she’s burning alive. A group of boys are chasing after her (not in the good way) and a handsome boy that makes her trip her words is following her.

Kristine Michelle Preast
Published Nov 30, 2011
374 Pages

Seraphina thinks she is going crazy. However, when she moves to Chicago to live with her Aunt she realizes that sometimes crazy is actually normal.

I thought this book had good ideas but poorly executed. Firstly, Warren tried too hard with Seraphina. Not everything about this character was believable. For instance, for most of the book she still couldn’t believe the powers of others. She was shocked at everything new that happened and she was too dramatic. Finding out that someone can lift things with their mind and instead of keeping cool you have a completely over the top panic attack. You just found out that you can time travel and you’re freaking out about a floating object. I felt this was unneeded.

But there were good parts to Seraphina. I liked her relationship with her Aunt. She didn’t hold it against her for one not telling her about the family history or two having to start a new school again. Seraphina wasn’t a brat but she also wasn’t particle either. She makes some selfish decisions and I am pretty sure in the next book she will do the same.

Not to sound cliché I loved the handsome stalker boy. What she does with him is predictable however, I liked his personality. Although I wish he was a bit more dominate I did enjoy his presence. 

Overall I felt the book didn’t flow easily from Warren’s mind. I was bored. There wasn’t enough experimenting with her new ability, the drama came a bit too late in the story for me to fully enjoy it.

The book gets 6 out of 10. I am curious to read the second book because there is a lot she can do.

 

 

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