Review: Mack

Mack by Christina Bauer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mack may be human, but he also runs a league of vampire hunters.  It has been a regular part of his life until recently.  A magical city is about to reopen and Roman wants to use what is inside El Dorado to make an army of vampires.  These vampires do more than just kill people; they look like the last person they killed.  Roman wants to take over the world and fill it with vampires and he knows that Mack is looking for him; so he goes after Kaps, the woman Mack loves.  Mack tries to protect Kaps by breaking up with her, but since Kaps is a dragon shifter, she isn’t one to stay on the sidelines.

 

Mack is the sixth book in the Angelbound Offspring series.  Each new book takes readers deeper into a character in the Angelbound world.  One may think that there isn’t anything new to explore, but then a new book comes out and we are surprised.  There is action and romance and these characters continue to fight for the greater good and protect humans and non-humans alike.  Mack is a great continuation of the series and we have at least one more book destined to be written.

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Review: Crank Palace

Crank Palace by James Dashner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Newt has survived a lot.  He’s been in the Glade, the Maze, the Scorch, and even inside WICKED!  Now Newt has the Flare and he doesn’t want his friends to watch him lose his mind.  While the Gladers are in Denver, Newt leaves with only a note telling them goodbye.  Newt soon discovers that life on the street isn’t much better than what he has already been through.  While on the run he meets Keisha and her son.  Will Newt risk helping them out of their troubles?  How will Keisha and Dante change how Newt faces the world?

 

Crank Palace is a novella in The Maze Runner universe.  The events that take place in this story would have taken place towards the end of The Death Cure (book 3).  Dashner takes us into the mind of Newt and helps us understand what the Flare was like.  Newt may not want his friends to see his decline, but he also knows that he can’t just let things happen.  This novella is a quick read that will leave readers thinking long after it is finished, especially since we are in the middle of Covid-19 when it is released.

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Review: Concrete Rose

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maverick thinks he has everything under control.  He has a great girlfriend, he is about to start his senior year of high school, and he does a little side dealing to make some extra cash.  His life begins to unravel when he finds out that a one-time hookup has made him a father.  Now that Mav has a baby that depends on him, he decides to stop selling drugs, finish school, and raise his son.  He quickly finds out that it isn’t easy to do any of those things, but he wants to prove everyone wrong.  It isn’t easy being a young black man in Garden Heights and Mav must determine who he wants to be.

 

Concrete Rose is the prequel story to The Hate U Give.  Thomas has taken readers back seventeen years before the events of the first book to give background and insight into the father we later see supporting his daughter.  Even though this is a prequel book, it can be read before or after The Hate U Give.  The family drama and hard choices portrayed make this coming of age story a great read for all readers.  I’m sure everyone who loved The Hate U Give will quickly devour Concrete Rose.

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Review: The Ever After

The Ever After by Amanda Hocking
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ulla finds herself returning home on a plane with a month’s worth of memories missing.  She remembers finding her father, but everything after that is surrounded by a haze.  She quickly learns that her friends have also lost this time when they returned from the same trip separately.  When Ulla thinks she has found a sister, a new adventure is begun, but will she find any answers this time?  As the few truths she has are turned on their head, what else will Ulla discover about her past?

 

The Ever After is the third and final book in The Omte Origins trilogy.  This spin-off of the Trylle series gave a lot of closure, but also makes me sad to have no more adventures in this fantastic world.  Hocking’s world-building gave her access to unlimited storylines and these adventures were fun and exciting.  The Omte Origins can be enjoyed on its own, but this third installment must be read after the first two books.  The Ever After is a great fantasy adventure that was well worth the wait.

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