Library Love – The 100 by Kass Morgan #kassmorgan #the100

Posted on October 30, 2024 by fundinmental

MY REVIEW

I might be predisposed to loving The 100 by Kass Morgan, because I have seen the TV series. I loved it, so I checked The 100 out from the library. I was bummed, because I’ll have to wait for Book II.

I have been reading a lot of apocalyptic, dystopian, and science fiction stories and loving them. I quickly because immersed in the story and involved with the characters. The tension created kept me flipping pages and the pace never let up.

100 juvenile delinquents were sent back to Earth to find out if it was safe to come back after the nuclear devastation. The Phoenix is running out of everything and is beginning to fall apart. The last of the human race is at stake and the leaders do some gross and disgusting things, sacrificing the few to save the many. They have no limits to how far they will go.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

No one has set foot on Earth in centuries — until now.

Ever since a devastating nuclear war, humanity has lived on spaceships far above Earth’s radioactive surface. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents — considered expendable by society — are being sent on a dangerous mission: to recolonize the planet. It could be their second chance at life…or it could be a suicide mission.

CLARKE was arrested for treason, though she’s haunted by the memory of what she really did. WELLS, the chancellor’s son, came to Earth for the girl he loves — but will she ever forgive him? Reckless BELLAMY fought his way onto the transport pod to protect his sister, the other half of the only pair of siblings in the universe. And GLASS managed to escape back onto the ship, only to find that life there is just as dangerous as she feared it would be on Earth.

Confronted with a savage land and haunted by secrets from their pasts, the hundred must fight to survive. They were never meant to be heroes, but they may be mankind’s last hope.

Genre: Action, Adventure, Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction
327 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 3, 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Series: The 100, #1
Setting: The Colony, Earth
Characters: Clarke griffin, Wells Jaha, Bellamy Blake, Glass Sorenson, Octavia Blake

ABOUT KASS MORGAN

Kass Morgan studied literature at Brown and Oxford, and now resides in Brooklyn, where she lives in constant fear of her Ikea bookcase collapsing and burying her under a mound of science fiction and Victorian novels.

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$50 GC – Pulse by B A Bellec @sdbooktours @b_bellec

Posted on August 26, 2024 by fundinmental

In the year 2040, a mysterious creature is unleashed at the world’s biggest music festival…

Pulse

Book One

by B.A. Bellec

Genre: Dystopian SciFi Horror

In the year 2040, a mysterious creature is unleashed at the world’s biggest music festival…

“Bellec’s descriptions are phenomenal, brutal, and heart-stopping. There were parts that made my skin crawl, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away. . . I needed more!”

– Jessica Scurlock, Author of the Pretty Lies Series & Pulse Beta Reader

Pulse is a plot-driven multi-POV dystopian sci-fi horror thriller set in 2040, centered around a corporation, a creature, and a music festival. Think Fyre Festival, Black Mirror, and X-Files combined. The story deals with themes of capitalism, consumerism, business, politics, pandemics, climate change, activism, and technology while bouncing between a diverse group of characters sure to entertain almost anyone. The book is already being praised for its fantastic use of horror, engaging world-building, and genre-bending approach utilizing some screenplay-like formatting. This is the first entry in a new series with the sequel well underway.

B.A. Bellec writes with a unique, modern, minimalistic voice. He is the author of Someone’s Story, his award-winning debut novel called a masterpiece by multiple reviewers. Never afraid of a challenge, Bellec switched genres to bring you this dark vision that simmered in his mind for years.

Awards:

IAN Book of the Year Finalist Horror (Nov 2022)

B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree (Apr 2022)

The Wishing Shelf Adult Fiction Finalist (Apr 2022)

Literary Titan Seal (Jan 2022)

Reader Views Seal (Dec 2021)

Readers’ Favorite Seal (Dec 2021)

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

**Check out the author’s music on Youtube that is either inspired or tied to his novels!**

Pulse

Book Two

by B.A. Bellec

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic SciFi Horror

The fate of humanity rests in the hands of a few.

Pulse: Book Two is the conclusion of B.A. Bellec’s dystopian sci-fi horror duology. This time around we are tapping into iconic stories like The Stand, Station Eleven, Cloud Atlas, Contact, and The Road to add elite and ambitious scale. Our chaotic journey picks up moments after the first book ends with action from the second you start turning the pages, but if you thought you knew where the story was going, leave your expectations at the door and ask yourself this one question: how would an autonomous droid defeat a monster?

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

Someone’s Story

by B.A. Bellec

Genre: YA Coming of Age

In his literary debut, B.A. Bellec writes an endearing coming-of-age tale about a group of weirdos that find and save each other from the dark depths of their minds. Someone’s Story is literally Someone’s story, as in a first-person narrative of a teenager that calls himself Someone. As he struggles to ﬁnd a new footing in a new space, we encounter the many ups and downs of modern teenage life, the diﬃculties that adjusting to adult feelings brings, and a few tear-jerking surprises along the way.

Littered with music, mental health, friendship, loss, meditation, advice, pop culture, and even inspiring an EP, there is so much nostalgia, inspiration, and depth here it is hard to absorb it all. Cozy up somewhere warm and enjoy!

Awards:

Reader Views Reviewer’s Choice Young Adult Book of the Year (March 2021)

B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree (Apr 2022)

Readers’ Favorite Young Adult Book of the Year Finalist (Sep 2021)

Next Generation Indie Book Awards YA 17+ Finalist (May 2021)

Literary Titan Seal (April 2021)

The Wishing Shelf Red Ribbon (Feb 2021)

Shelf Unbound Notable Indie (Dec 2020)

Readers’ Favorite 5 Star Seal (July 2020)

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

Bryan “B.A.” Bellec’s debut novel, Someone’s Story, won the Reader Views Reviewer’s Choice Literary Award for Young Adult Book of the Year. Someone’s Story is a coming-of-age novel about teen mental health. One of the aspects that makes Bellec’s projects unique is he includes musicians in his novels and then he actually produces the songs as his book goes through the editing stages. You can find that music on his YouTube channel. His second novel, Pulse, was released in 2021 and has been receiving strong reviews. That novel is a genre flip with dark dystopian sci-fi horror peppering the pages. Pulse is the start of a new fictional universe Bellec will write in for years to come!

Website * Youtube * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$50 Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Review – Nothing Close To Home by Nissa Harlow #nissaharlow #nothingclosetohome

Posted on July 25, 2024 by fundinmental

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I was quickly caught up in the characters and story line. I do love apocalyptic and dystopian fiction novels and Nissa Harlorw has written a good one in Nothing Close To Home.

The Rift blew through Kenyonville, giving young people the ability to shoot pink energy from their fingertips. They were quarantined and all the adults abandoned them, leaving them to their own devices.

Lea has teamed up with Niesha, Viktor, Click and Buddy. There is safety in numbers, but how long can they last? It’s been 3 years since the Rift and scavenging is depleting Kenyonville’s resources.

Nothing Close To Home by Nissa Harlow has all the things I love in an apocalyptic and dystopian novel…hunger, thirst, and danger. I didn’t think of it being a series when I first picked it up, but I quickly realized the story is far from over.

I can hardly wait to see what comes next.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Nothing Close To Home by Nissa Harlow.

GOODREADS BLURB

Don’t get caught.

Twenty-year-old Léa Young is hungry. In the three years since the Rift tore through her hometown of Kenyonville, gifting the young people with strange powers and causing most of the mature adults to flee, she’s learned to depend on nobody but herself. It’s hard to trust anyone when each interaction could be her last. Desperate for food, she takes a job ripping off a rival boss on the far side of town. The last thing she plans on is getting caught.

Besides the ability to shoot pink energy from his fingertips, Viktor has another superpower: being annoying. But he’s also close with Niesha, the boss who runs the territory on the northeast side of town. Léa’s not about to be picky; if making a fake alliance gets her something to eat, she’s not going to let a little thing like Mr. Tall, Dark, and Infuriating stand in her way.

Léa thinks she’s got everything figured out. She knows she doesn’t want an alliance.

But maybe what she needs is more important than what she wants.

Genre: Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Fiction
176 pages, ebook
Expected publication July 23, 2024 by Nimble Hope Publishing

ABOUT NISSA HARLOW

Nissa Harlow wanted to be a writer from the time she was a small child, but it took a while before she finally did anything about it. In the meantime, she worked as a volunteer day-camp counsellor, a movie extra, and a digital-photo editor. She even once worked on a conveyor belt in a chocolate factory (which was as stressful—and delicious—as it sounds).

These days, she lives in British Columbia, Canada and writes stories about friendship, love, and healing, all embellished with a touch of the fantastic.

Website / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest

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What Does It Mean To Be Human? The Reenchanted by Surit Dasgupta #suritdasgupta #thereenchanted

Posted on June 28, 2024 by fundinmental

Amazon / KindleUnlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Short stories and novellas are harder for me to review than a full length novel. Sometimes, an author doesn’t have time to fully flesh out the story, making it seem as if they are skimming over the details. That is how I felt when I first began The Reenchanted by Surit Dasgupta. It took me a while to figure out what was going on. The good thing is….the more I read, the better the story became.

The Reenchanted by Surit Dasgupta feels like a nice blend of science fiction and apocalytic/dystopian reading. The characters struggle to find out the meaning of life, when they have moments of clarity. Otherwise, they are drugged to become more amenable.

All in all, I was satisfied with the story, especially that last half to third, where the characters were really put to the test. Want a story that takes you outside the norm? Give The Reenchanted by Surit Dasgupta a try.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Reenchanted by Surit Dasgupta.

GOODREADS BLURB

The Traveler and Seven are mere spokes in the wheel of a city called Sanctuary. Their lives are uneventful and without conflict, but soon something causes them to start asking questions. Can human beings exist meaningfully in a world without personality? Can a person ever truly be free? What does it mean to dream? What does it even mean to be a human person? These questions do not bode well with the authorities and soon the Traveler and Seven are forced to embark on a journey that will change their lives forever.

Genre: Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Metaphysical Science Fiction, Science Fiction
175 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 25, 2022

ABOUT SURIT DASGUPTA (from Amazon)

Surit Dasgupta is a contributing essayist for ANeighborsChoice.com. He has also written on cultural and literary topics for numerous publications such as Foundation for Economic Education and Libertarian Christian Institute. He currently lives in Kolkata, India.

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Review – They Left Magic In Their Wake by Marilyn Peake @marilynpeake

Posted on June 25, 2024 by fundinmental

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The depth and detail of Marilyn Peake’s character development and world building makes the story come alive on the pages. The book centers around five tribes. Some of the people are imbued with magic, some not. Some are alien, some are not. The groups do not interact…until…they are chosen.

We open with Zadie, and I am immediately engrossed in her world. I cannot imagine going through what she does, and doing it alone…until her friend Nora shows up. It is rare to have a friend as loyal and giving as Nora.

Marilyn Peak has wrapped the apocalyptic/dystopian chaos in magic and science fiction. Us humans have wreaked death and destruction on Earth. I love books that bring the real world into fiction, making me wonder…What would I do in their place?

“You guys really messed up your home turf, didn’t you? What’s the expression? You shit where you eat.”

Marilyn Peake has laid a solid foundation for the series and I am excited to see where she takes it.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of They Left Magic In Their Wake by Marilyn Peake.

GOODREADS BLURB

At the end of the world, there will be magic.

Earth has been decimated by climate change. Humanity has fractured into isolated tribes. A child born in the southwestern desert of the United States appears to have magical powers, a strict taboo in his part of the world. In four other locations, people discover magical items. No one knows how they work or where they’re from. Although these strange objects capture the imagination, using them is risky and dangerous.

The five tribes at the heart of this novel:

Southwestern Desert Tribe: Zadie and Nora have fled their tribe where human reproduction is so rare, pregnant women are burned at the stake as witches. Zadie gives birth to triplets, only one born alive. The surviving infant shows signs of having magical powers, another punishable taboo.

Northeastern Mountain Tribe: Finley is a young boy too curious for his own good. Meddling with strange technology he finds in a cave, he eventually boards a flying ship that takes him far away from the only world he’s ever known.

Tribe in Akihabara, Japan: Exploring post-apocalyptic Tokyo, Emiko, Katsuki, Rin and Ko discover ancient manga and D&D items, as well as glowing cubes they mistake for dice. When the long-dead neon lights of Tokyo begin to flicker, the teenagers get caught up in the most intense adventure of their lives.

McMurdo Station Tribe—Located in the Land of Magical Ice, Formerly Antarctica: Settlers at the abandoned McMurdo Station practice a form of mysticism, their ancestors having fled religious persecution as well as the droughts and fires of Australia. Arthur Campbell and Harrison Clark are researchers studying the strange technology that runs the place.

Vostok Station Tribe—Located in the Land of Magical Ice, Formerly Antarctica: The original settlers of the abandoned Vostok Station fled the extreme heat, fires and droughts of Brazil. Years later, giant squid and a spaceship emerge from Lake Vostok as the ice begins to melt. Salvador Siqueira and his crew leave their station to investigate.

Genre: Apocalyptic and Dystopian, Fiction, Magical Realism, Metaphysical, Science Fiction
348 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 14, 2024
Series

ABOUT MARILYN PEAKE

Marilyn Peake is the author of both novels and short stories. Her publications have received excellent reviews. Marilyn’s one of the contributing authors in BOOK: THE SEQUEL, published by The Perseus Books Group, with one of her entries included in serialization at THE DAILY BEAST. In addition, Marilyn has served as Editor of a number of anthologies. Her short stories have been published in seven anthologies and on the literary blog, GLASS CASES.

Awards: Silver Award, two Honorable Mentions and eight Finalist placements in the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards, two Winner and two Finalist placements in the EPPIE Awards, Winner of the Dream Realm Awards, and eight Top Ten Finisher Awards in the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll.

Stalk Marilyn Peake: Website / Twitter

MY REVIEWS FOR MARILYN PEAKE

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Review – Lost & Found by Alex Andre #alexandre #lostandfound

Posted on June 21, 2024 by fundinmental

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I love apocalyptic and dystopian novels, so when Alex Andre offered me his books, I jumped at the chance. We start out with Lost & Found and move on to Book II, As & When. Catchy titles, right?

Yun-Mi is a teenage scavenger. Her desire is to be the best Rat. It’s an appropriate name for their group, seeing they live underground. She is immediately put in danger and I am eager to watch her grow into her adult self. The things she will go through can make any apocalyptic/dystopian lover like me cringe and shiver.

As the story unfolds, visions of The Walking Dead run through my mind. I love when I can picture the characters as the story unravels, drawing me into the world Alex Andre created. Isn’t it a common theme, using religion to manipulate and control the underlings.

I felt deep sorrow, right along with the character, at 88%. My eyes teared up and I tried to hide it from hubby. That is how powerful the end of the book is, and I have a feeling Book II, As & When, is going to be even better. I am now familiar with all the characters and the group dynamics. The details often make a book drag, but they are important to the story, so I must go through them to get to the good stuff.

I love an author that creates powerful female protagonists and able to kill off a character or two, or three, or…when necessary.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Lost & Found be Alex Andre.

GOODREAD BLURB

In a world shattered by loss of technology, survivors live off the scraps of the fallen civilization.

Ambitious young scavenger Yun-mi is thrilled that her mentor is finally taking her trading. Events take a horrific turn when his murder leads to her being sold to slavers. Driven by her ferocious determination, Yun-mi fights against her abductor. Survival depends on aligning herself with powerful allies, yet whom can she trust in the fractured society?

His first assignment as a recruit in the religious confederation military leads Buck into the fabled City. The brutal reality he finds along the way destroys any fairy-tale notions he clings to. Rocked by the revelations, Buck sees all the fundamental ideas he’s been raised on crumbling before his eyes. Is he truly one of the good guys? Or part of the problem plaguing the land?

As Yun-mi and Buck’s paths cross, they must work together on a mission that could alter the course of history. Forced to rely on one another, can they grant their decaying world another chance? Or will Yun-mi and Buck become collateral damage?

Lost & Found is Book 1 in The E Apocrypha series.

Content warnings: coarse language, non-gratuitous violence, mild (implied) sensual descriptions.

Genre: Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Fiction
Kindle Edition
First published July 22, 2021
Series: The E Apcypha (#1)

ABOUT ALEX ANDREA (from Amazon)

Alex has lived on three continents, is fluent in three languages, suffers an unhealthy interest in linguistics, and never has enough time to get to all the books on his ever-growing To Read list.

He has always appreciated (and envied) select authors’ ability to string words into elegant sentences and tie those sentences into intricate plots.

The time has come for him to try his own hand in the craft.

The E Apocrypha is his first series of novels.

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Review – The Final Winter by Iain Rob Wright @iain_rob_wright

Posted on October 27, 2022 by fundinmental

I love the cover of The Final Winter by Iain Rob Wright…and who doesn’t love a story that takes place during a fatal weather even…in this case, a blizzard.

It is available through Kindle Unlimited.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I began Final Winter eagerly. I love the cover and the blurb drew me in. It started out slow, for me. I kept thinking, will I finish it. My mind wandered and I kept bringing myself back. I am sooo glad I did. What began as a two, or maybe even, one star read, turned into a solid three stars. I would love to give it more, but I didn’t get into the story until I was halfway through. I thought…this is a story of our humanity…how low can we go…and that’s okay. Then, the last quarter of the book SAVED it. Final Winter was definitely worth reading.

There’s also some great bonus content: seven short stories of Final Winter, each spotlighting a family during the apocalypse and the standalone short: The Peeling of Samuel Lloyd Collins, which may be short, but, most assuredly, is not sweet.

I believe I have a couple more stories by Ian Rob Wright hanging around on my Kindle. I’ll be checking that out.

GOODREADS BLURB

Critically acclaimed début novel of bestselling author, Iain Rob Wright.

What would you do if it started snowing in every country in the world? Would you panic? For a ragtag group of strangers gathered at a dilapidated English pub, the best solution is a pint of beer with a hearty shot of denial. The truth is too strange to admit; but, one by one, they will be forced to accept reality – that something sinister is lurking outside in the snow. Something no one could imagine.

Amongst those at the pub is Harry Jobson, the local drunk. Nobody would ever look to him during a time of crisis, but as things deteriorate he is forced to get a grip on his past and be the man he was always meant to be. It will be up to Harry to find answers to questions like: who just threw a body through the window with the word SINNER carved into its chest?

Not everyone is going to make it through the night – and those who do will wish they hadn’t.

Special edition bonus content – seven additional short stories set during the events of The Final Winter, plus one additional stand-alone tale: The Peeling of Samuel Lloyd Collins.

ABOUT IAN ROB WRIGHT

One of Horror’s most respected authors, Iain Rob Wright is the writer of more than twenty books, many of them bestsellers. A previous Kindle All-Star and a mainstay in the horror charts, he is a prolific producer of unique and original stories. From his apocalyptic saga The Gates to his claustrophobic revenge thriller ASBO, Iain writes across a broad spectrum of sub genres, creating both beloved series and standalone titles.

With work available in several languages and in audio, Iain Rob Wright is one of the fastest rising stars in horror, but when not writing he is a dedicated family man. Father to Jack and Molly, and husband to Sally, he is often seen sharing his family memories with his fans on Facebook.

To get 6 of his books for free (no strings), just visit: www.iainrobwright.com