Review: Debris (The Veiled Worlds #1) by Jo Anderton

Debris by Jo Anderton

Copy Courtesy of Angry Robot
Already Released

Summary
Tanyana is one of the best architects in a city where everything is basically built out of things called pions or rather she was until one day she has an accident and wakes up unable to see the pions which used to follow her beck and call. Instead she must collect debris, which is a destroyer of pions. In order to find out what happens to her, she may have to find the truth behind debris.

Commentary
This novel might actually fall into a category called science-fantasy since it has the feel of a science fiction novel, but it's not based on the science of this world so it's therefore fantasy as such. I'm going to classify it as fantasy for now.

This book moves from the gorgeous creation of a statue out of pions to the filth of the living conditions of those who must collect debris. In some ways this felt really surreal as you get acclimated to this future world yet magical feeling place. I think I enjoyed the sensation though.

It managed to hit just the right combination of weirdly interesting that despite the main character being annoyingly clueless (or perhaps arrogant?) at points I ended up liking the story. I'm looking forward to more details about the world being fleshed since I feel like I have a sketch of the world that isn't quite colored in at this point.

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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Review: Curse of the Bane (The Last Apprentice #2) by Joseph Delaney

Curse of the Bane by Joseph Delaney

This is an audiobook review.

*Note this is the second book in the series. You can take a gander at the review for the first book Revenge of the Witch.

Summary
Thomas is learning more about being a spook, and now he's accompanying the Spook to Priest town where they are really not welcome. He and the Spook are going to try to take care of a monster called The Bane which has poisoned the minds of the priests in Priest Town, but of course, that's easier said than done. Also, we get to see Alice again.

Commentary
The second book in this series also had it's slightly comical moments although I think the first book did it better. There are still the elements of a horror story here so some gruesome images although toned down for a younger audience.

Delaney manages the expectations of the reader really well yet again. I love the way he builds tension for the most part. I do think some of the moments could have been a bit faster, but I think my feelings may have more to do with my impatience with listening to an audiobook though although the narrator really does a great job with the voices again. I hope he continues to voice the other books.

At this point, I am still happy with this series although I can see the style losing its luster for me. You should definitely give this series a try though.

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

Check out prices for Curse of the Bane at Amazon

Review: Blood Rights (House of Comarré #1) by Kristen Painter

Blood Rights by Kristen Painter

Copy Courtesy of Orbit Books
Release Date September 27, 2011

Summary
Chrysabelle is a Comarre, and that basically means she is really tasty blood for rich vampires. Now though, her patron (well owner more like) is dead, and she runs away unfortunately straight into the lair of another vampire, Malkolm. Unbeknownst to either of them, the death of Chrysabelle's master has set off a chain of events that will threaten the balance between the supernatural and the mortal worlds.

Commentary
The gold on the cover really made me want to stroke it, not that this really has to do with the content of the book. Anyway, Painter has built an interesting vampire society around these Comarré, and while it's not as elegant as I might wish, there turns out to be a surprising amount of depth to the world.

This story takes place in 2067 although for a good deal of it, the technology doesn't seem to reflect that since the supernatural set doesn't seem to like modern tech. I'm not entirely sure why the author chose the future as a setting if it doesn't play much of a role although there were modern-ish night clubs, which I guess required a less historical setting.

I think in some ways, Malkolm is the more interesting character although Chrysabelle also has some revelations, but she has a tad too much damsel in distress vibe for my taste. This was a political intrigue driven novel (in many respects), and well that's right up my alley, so I enjoyed this ^.^ I hope the next book is as good.

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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Review: Kitty Goes to Washington (Kitty Norville #2) by Carrie Vaughn

Kitty Goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughn

This is book 2 but there may be minor spoilers if you haven't read book 1. You should read my review of Kitty and the Midnight Hour which is book 1!

Summary
Kitty is off to Washington (as the title implies) to speak on the existence of supernatural creatures. Of course, this can't be just a simple congressional hearing because where the supernatural are involved, simple is simply not in the vocabulary.

Commentary
I think I liked this book slightly less than in the first one since there didn't seem to be much character growth for Kitty although it was fun to get to know Ben and his relationship with Cormac more. There were still the Dj shows although I think there were fewer of them, but I guess there were a lot of other things happening.

This book had more of a villain from the beginning although there were some mysteries to be discovered along the way, which made this book different since it didn't follow the formula of the first one. While not following the formula was good, I'm not sure I was as emotionally invested in this one as the first one.

So, not a bad second book although I think it could have been executed better. I'm still going to read the next book to see what happens.

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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Review: The Urban Fantasy Anthology edited by Peter S. Beagle

The Urban Fantasy Anthology edited by Peter S. Beagle

Copy Courtesy of Tachyon Publications
Release Date: August 15, 2011

Summary
Urban fantasy is an umbrella for books of several different flavors, and this anthology will give you a taste of stories from all over the spectrum.

Commentary
I didn't realize until I read this anthology how many kinda of stories fall under the umbrella of urban fantasy, and I really enjoyed the essays at the beginning of each section which introduced the 3 broad categories. A note to the reader, some of these stories are disturbing and not just in a violent way.

There were definitely stories I really liked (The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories, Julie's Unicorn, Hit, and A Haunted House of Her Own). They hit (no pun intended) just the right notes of fantastic and good storytelling. There were several that were just plain weird especially in the noir section (although that was to be expected), and I'm not sure I understood what was going on.

All in all, it was definitely an interesting sampler of stories, and I have some authors that I want to check out novels for. As an overview of what you might encounter in Urban Fantasy, this definitely achieved that although I didn't enjoy every story within.

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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Review: Eden by Keary Taylor

Eden by Keary Taylor

Copy Courtesy of Keary Taylor
Already Released

Summary
The Fall, self-evolving tech took over almost all the humans in the world into robots. Eve doesn't know anything of the world before the Fall but she is working hard to keep her small enclave alive, but the Hunters (robots who used to be humans that are actively hunting down the remaining un-turned) are coming closer with each minute so she must fight for their survival.

Commentary
The fear of the machines taking over the humans has been around for a very long time, and this is yet one more story in that mix. I found this one to be lighter in nature and perhaps more fun because of it (not that I don't enjoy the grimmer versions).

There is a good amount of world-building although it doesn't get overwhelming since it comes in pieces. I do think that there was too much time spent on Eve's indecision between her two love interests, but I liked the way things turned out so I suppose I can't complain too much.

In some ways this book is reminiscent of many of the post-apocalyptic zombie novels that are prevalent now, but for some reason, I like robots better. This one definitely has its moments so you might consider picking it up.

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

Check out prices for Eden at Amazon (The Kindle Edition is only $0.99)

Review: Angel Burn (Angel Trilogy #1) by L. A. Weatherly (Audiobook)

Angel Burn by L. A. Weatherly

Copy Courtesy of Candlewick Press and Brilliance Audio
Already Published

This is a review of the AUDIOBOOK version

Summary
Willow is a half-angel in a world where angels are kind of evil. Alex is an angel killer who has dedicated his life to bringing down the soul-sucking monsters. Fate brings the two of them together, sparks fly, and of course the world needs to be saved too.

Commentary
Ok, I'm not usually all that interested in the male love interests, but Alex, I have to admit was fun although I'm not entirely sure I liked the voicing of him in my audiobook version (since it was a female reader). Willow was very much a thrown into various situations and likes to curl up in a ball kind of girl, which probably annoyed me more because the audiobook made her so breathy and pitiful sounding most of the time. Sometimes though she would show signs of taking control, which I enjoyed although they were too rare for my taste.

I really liked the concept that L.A. Weatherly has created with angels essentially being soul-sucking demons, simply because it was a take that I had not read yet, and I think it was executed pretty well. The audiobook definitely made the story come to life more although I noticed things like how annoying Nina (Willow's best friend) sounded and how the author kept using the same phrasing over and over... and over again ("she hugged her arms around herself/around her knees/to her chest/etc..").

It's definitely rare for a more romance focused book to give me a positive feeling these days, and this one did achieve that so I'm giving it a thumbs up. I hope the follow-up is as good ^.^

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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Review: Leviathan Wakes (Expanse #1) by James S. A. Corey

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey

Copy Courtesy of Netgalley and Orbit
Already Published

Summary
The drumbeat of war is sounding between Mars, the Earth, and the outer colonies, a detective is looking for a girl, and an ice miner is on the run because no matter where he turns, death seems to be trying to catch him. These three events are somehow interconnected by a sinister plot.

Commentary
This is not a lighthearted read at all although there are what have been referred to as vomit zombies in this book and having them described that way somehow made the whole book less serious. This book is written from multiple points of view although it is never confusing as to which point of view you were on, which I really appreciated.

My favorite character was the detective. He had a lot of revelations about himself, and his personality was very engaging to follow. However, neither the detective nor any of the other characters ever really gave off a sense of hope, and while I'm not opposed to bleak, I'm not sure that the story was good enough to be worth the soul-sucking sensation that came with it.

I know there are a lot of people who enjoy bleak books (anyone who truly enjoyed The Way of Shadows may like that kind of sensation although this one is to a lesser degree) so I recommend it to you folks. As for me, I think I will pink up the next one, but perhaps not right away.

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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Review: The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski

The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski

Copy Courtesy of Egmont USA
Already Released

Summary
Sheridan has a talent for decorating cakes, but nothing else in her life seems to come as easily as cake decorating. Her mother left when she was young, and her father is immersed in his quest to become the next big chef star.

Commentary
There was a quite a bit of cake decorating going on in the book, and it sounded really delicious and pretty. I really wish I could see those cakes being made, and well I'm really just a sucker for anything having to do with cakes. Have I said cake enough in this paragraph yet? ^.~

Now, aside from the cake, I was annoyed with Sheridan a lot because she seemed to be stuck in her own self-pitying world, which drove all the other characters away. It was for the most part well written, but I think it was laid on too think. There were definitely times I wanted to try and slap some sense into her.

Basically, if the self-pity had been dialed back some, I would have really liked this book. As such, it was still an enjoyable and somewhat light read especially for anyone who has a cake obsession like me.

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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Review: The Quantum Thief (The Quantum Thief Trilogy #1) by Hannu Rajaniemi

The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi

Copy Courtesy of Tor Books
Already Released

Summary
Jean Le Flambeur is a thief with perhaps no equal except that he was caught, but then he was rescued by Mieli (she's mysterious). He now owes a debt to Mieli, but he must first find out who he, himself is, because before he was caught, Jean hid his own memory from himself.

Commentary
I am torn as to the actual rating I should give this book since it had moments of brilliance, but also moments of confusion. Granted, I think that if I read this book a second time it would make more sense.

The confusion mostly stems from 1) too many character viewpoints - there are over 5 different viewpoints we encounter in this book, and some of them are characters who we meet only once (although they are mentioned in passing later on) and 2) too many concepts introduced without any real explanation of what these concepts mean. We are introduced to 3 vastly different races and cultures each with their own terminology for things, and while this is a credit to the world building of the author, it is also very disorienting to read and follow for a good 50+ pages.

Of course the brilliance must also be noted, the world building, it's very extensive. Once I could wrap my head around what was going on with who and what, the concepts were a lot of fun to read about and imagine especially the idea that privacy was built into your senses so that if you didn't want to share what you looked like while in public, you would simply appear as a blur to everyone around you. The plot itself is woven out of many moving parts which come together really well and in quite unexpected ways.

So, this review is getting a bit long-winded, but I think The Quantum Thief is worth reading for those who enjoy hard sci-fi.

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

Review: Camera Obscura (The Bookman Histories, #2) by Lavie Tidhar

Camera Obscura (The Bookman Histories, #2) by Lavie Tidhar

Copy Courtesy of NetGalley and Angry Robot Books
Already Released

Summary
A man has been murdered, and something has been stolen out of his stomach. Now, every government in the world is after that object. Lady de Winter must find out who the killer was and what they were after despite the Quiet Council (her employer) not telling her anything, but this quest may prove the end of her.

Commentary
This is another one of those weird feeling books although most of the weirdness seems to stem from its steampunk elements. It is also fairly gruesome so reader beware although it's no worse than The Hunger Games so if you were ok with that book, you'll be ok here.

The world created in this story has a lot of depth, but at the same time because the main character Lady de Winter is kept in the dark it also feels like there are mysterious holes in understanding the world. Also, because there are many different groups vying for the missing object, it feels like there should be a lot of political jockeying, but it's almost entirely missing since Lady de Winter goes into everything with guns blazing (or hoping that she could be shooting something).

I certainly enjoyed the worldbuilding parts of this story, and the weirdness was actually appealing to me. It was at times, however, confusing and perhaps missing some subtleties to the characterizations.

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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Review: The Hourglass Door (Hourglass Door Trilogy #1) by Lisa Mangum

The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum

Copy Courtesy of Shadow Mountain Press
Already Released

Summary
Abby's life is pretty good; she's got a very nice boyfriend, an assistant director position at her high school, and she's going to go to the same college as her best friend. Of course, perfect things are meant to be broken, and when Dante, the new foreign exchange student, enters her life things go a little weird. In fact, the world itself may be threatened by a centuries old time travelling machine.

Commentary
Ok, the author managed to bring Leonardo Da Vinci into this, and for some reason, that made the whole book better (despite it's likely gimmicky-ness). Of course, I'm fascinated by time travel in general so that helped too although the time travelling itself didn't actually play that big of a role.

I enjoyed the mystery surrounding Dante especially because it didn't go with recent popular paranormal themes and also the slightly surreal tone to the book. The romance also grew slowly and somewhat more realistically which is always a plus in my book. I do consider this book to fall more towards fantasy rather than science fiction despite the time travel.

My only real gripe with the book was the ending. It seemed so devoid of even little happinesses that even though I know there are books following which will likely rectify that feeling, I can't help but be disappointed, and less than stellar endings tend to break the spell of the book for me. Yes, I'm a hard woman to please, but I'm looking forward to reading the next book.

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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Review: Vesper (Deviants #1) by Jeff Sampson

Vesper by Jeff Sampson

Summary
Emily Webb's story starts on the day a classmate called Emily Cooke is shot and killed when she suddenly develops an alternate personality and super powers. Is it the other Emily's ghost come to possess her or perhaps something more...

Commentary
This book flips back and forth between Emily sitting in an interrogation room, and her telling the story of why she's in that room. I find that books that do this back and forth flipping in time are fun to read since it builds the anticipation and gives various perspectives without having the reader follow multiple characters. So, I definitely enjoyed that part.

I think Emily's normal personality was too timid as a heroine while the alternate personality was too brazen although I suppose the contrast is supposed to give the reader a stark delineation of the two personalities. I feel that this left each of the personalities more simplistic, but I did enjoy the ride it took me on.

Also, the way the story plays out is somewhat unexpected, at least it was for me, which I think I've mentioned before is something I prefer ^.^ I'm looking forward to the next book although I hope Emily's character does develop some more depth.

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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Review: Pathfinder (Serpent World #1) by Orson Scott Card

Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card

Summary
Rigg is special. It's not only that he and his father live by themselves off in the forest nor is it that his father teaches him about astronomy, finance, economics, political intrigue, and physics which are hardly useful topics for a life of fur trapping. No, Rigg is special because he sees the paths that all living creatures have taken, ever.

Commentary
If this were any other author, I think I might've given it a higher score. Card though, I hold to an entirely different standard because he has written some amazing books. This one, in comparison to his other works, is not quite as epic. You've got your standard smart kid, Card loves writing about unnaturally smart kids, and you have the double narratives which happens in a lot of Card books which gives depth to the story as a whole.

Standard though, for Card is still really good. His characters are interesting, and he comes up with novel scenarios for his characters to play in. No, it's not the standard parts of this book that are bad. It's the fact that I didn't react strongly to anything in the book. There were no scenes of immense emotion, which Card is so good at writing. Where were they Mr. Card? WHERE?! I say because I know you have them in your best books, and this one was lacking its moments.

Now, it's a perfectly good read although Card does like to have characters ramble on a bit and one up each other in battles of mental superiority, which to your reader who wants to just stop thinking, may be a bit much. So, despite my ranting, you should still read it because it's good just not Card at his most awesome.

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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Review: The Second Duchess by Elizabeth Loupas

The Second Duchess by Elizabeth Loupas

Copy Courtesy of NAL Trade
Already Published

Summary
Barbara of Austria has become the second duchess of Ferrara, but even before she has wed the Duke, Alfonso d'Este, the rumors of how his first wife died are whispered all around her. While Barbara only wishes to revel in her elevated station as the head of a prominent household, the question of how the first duchess perished plagues her every thought, and Barbara will risk everything to find out the truth.

Commentary
The beginning of The Second Duchess is pretty slow moving. The story is more of a murder mystery that happens to be set within a historical context rather than a story of wealth and nobility that happens to have a murder mystery within it. For me at least, this was a bit off-putting because I had hoped for more political intrigue and less playing the detective. Once the actual mystery got going though, this actually turned out to be an interesting read.

It is very likely that you will find the ghost of the first wife (oh yes, she's there and can't do anything but comment on what's happening in the story) annoying as she was a very spoiled (VERY) little girl. Granted, I'm sad that she died, but that doesn't make me like her more. Barbara though starts out somewhat naive and gets bolder and more fun to read as the book goes on.

If you have a thing for mysteries, you will probably enjoy the novelty a mystery in a historical fiction setting. The murder mystery itself was an enjoyable puzzle to try to guess at. I, at least, didn't really expect the ending, but then again I don't read too many mysteries so perhaps it will be more obvious to you ^.^

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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Review: Dark Mirror (Dark Passages #1) by M.J. Putney

Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney

Copy Courtesy of St. Martin's Griffin
Already Published

Summary
In London Society, magic is scorned and shunned in the ranks of the nobility but welcomed among the commoners. Lady Victoria Mansfield wakes up one morning to find that she is floating. Unfortunately for her, this means she will be exiled to Lackland Abbey, a school to 'reform; those tainted by the touch of magic. Lackland Abbey though, is a strange place with its own secrets which for Victoria, could make all the difference in the world.

Commentary
I really enjoy stories about London Society. The parties, the intrigue, and the strange rules for some reason always tickle my fancy so when I picked up this book I was very happy to find many of those things in place with a twist of their being magic.

I have to admit, the characters are a bit underdeveloped and I can't quite connect with them although they were fun to read about so that made up for it. The mirror aspect of the story was also fun although having the main character be basically the only one who can use it reliably was a bit deus ex machina (I could overlook it though).

This story wavers a bit between being a serious read and something much more lighthearted which may have been the reason I didn't love it. I still think it was a fun read though, and I did enjoy my time with it so I wouldn't scratch it off my TBR if I was you.

Star Rating: 3.8/5.0 (yes the rating is not on my normal scale, but as it is numeric, you can probably get a good sense of what the rating means ^.^)

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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Review: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Summary
Emotional pain describes Andi's current existence since she lost her little brother. Only when she is playing music does the pain subside for a little while. Because she cares about nothing else, she's about to be expelled from her prestigious prep school, and in an effort to get Andi to do something, her Dad takes her to Paris. Andi discovers the diary of a girl who lived during the French Revolution, and in sharing the anguish of this long dead girl, she finds life again.

Commentary
The thread of music which runs through this entire book heightened the experience of reading this book. I definitely enjoyed although I'm not much of an audiophile. There are a lot of references to various composers, singers, and bands, but the references are by and large accessible.

I also really enjoyed what history of the French Revolution there was as well as the depictions of the various emotional states of the Royal family as well as the commoners. The diary format of the girl in the revolution really helped to delineate which story was happening and to give a very in-depth look into her anguish.

There is a lot of angst going on in this book some of which I think I could have done without. The ending also wrapped up a lot neater than I would have liked since it was one of those everyone wins happy endings.

In general, this is pretty different from the YA books I've read lately and that made it a lot more interesting. If you don't like a good deal of historical information and/or angst though, you might want to pass on it.

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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Review: One Foot in the Grave (Night Huntress #2) by Jeaniene Frost

One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

*Note: The summary contains some spoilers if you haven't read the first book (Halfway to the Grave). You should read my review of Halfway to the Grave.*

Summary
Cat is now working for a super-secret division of the FBI, but without Bones by her side. She still kicks some serious vampire butt, but there is a gaping emptiness to it. Then, someone sets out to kill her, which in and of itself, is nothing special, but this someone knows much more than the ought to.

Commentary
I definitely finished this book with a grin o my face because those things which were good in the first book were still good in the second one. Cat is still awesome in her bad-ass vampire hunting role, and Bones, oh yes he is in this book (it wouldn't be right without him), is still delicious and British.

The major issue I had with One Foot in the Grave is the ending. Most of it was good, but the pacing, exchanges, and results right at the climax came across as less believable, silly and mostly a way to extend the scenes rather than good storytelling.

Fans of the first book will still want to read this, but the ending of this one makes me wary of the following ones. I worry that they will quickly decline in quality.

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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Review: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Summary
What happens to those who are forgotten? What happens to things lost? In London, these things and people fall between the cracks to end up in London Below. Richard saves a girl from this otherworld and wakes up to find that everything about his life has changed. Now, he must survive this strange new world that lives in the shadows of his former one.

Commentary
Gaiman writes many interesting worlds which are at once strange and familiar. The books that I have read of his always add a twist to the modern world. This one for instance, creates a world which exists only in the shadows of London. He takes familiar things from around London and adds a dimension of other to them which makes it easy to fall into this new world.

Neverwhere has a sort of Alice in Wonderland whimsy to it albeit with a slightly more sinister and adult edge. The way he inter-meshes the two worlds is nothing short of genius. I really enjoyed reading about the Floating Market where people from all over the underworld come to trade and conduct business in very interesting places.

Despite the novelty of his work though, I find myself not loving his books. I believe this is because I feel a sense of apathy toward his characters, at least for this book that was the case. They're interesting, and I liked reading about them. But, I'm not so lost in them that I get really nervous when they are in danger; I don't feel like I'm truly rooting for them. His work is still worth reading for its detailed and ingenious world-building.

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

This is one of the books I've read and reviewed for the fantasy mini-challenge. Progress 13/13 books. I'm finished!

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Review: State of Mind by Sven Michael Davison

State of Mind by Sven Michael Davison

Copy Courtesy of Bedouin Press and To Press and Beyond
Release Date: 3/1/2011

Summary
Former Officer Jake Travissi was kicked out because he skirts the law when he's making arrests, and now he is part of a program where a pchip is installed in your brain so that he can get back in. The pchip is a glorious little PDA in your head, and it has some nasty little secrets. As Jake's life spirals out of control, he and a handful of people race to uncover the sinister plot behind the p-chip.

Commentary
In some ways, this book is hard to read as it is meant to appeal to cyberpunk lovers. Thus, it is not a frivolous kind of book. You really have to pay attention to what is going because some scenes are really fragmented, and it’s hard to keep track of what is going on.

The whole story has a frenetic pace which adds nicely to the ultra-realistic feel as the Jake’s ability to figure out reality starts to fall to pieces. The pace also matches the building anxiety throughout the story.

Some of the book’s ‘hacking’ descriptions are a bit hand-wavey since it doesn’t go into great detail of how the software works, and the way it describes the way the people on the Jake’s side exploit loopholes seems rather implausible. This bothered me somewhat especially because this is more of a hard sci-fi book than many of the other books I've been reviewing lately.

I do think that the story/plot is pretty interesting, and it's a good look at the bad stuff that could happen with a chip implanted in the mind despite all the cool stuff that it could achieve.

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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Edit: This is now a book review party post!