ARC Review: Renegade (The Elysium Chronicles #1) by J.A. Souders

5 stars
Genres: young adult, science fiction, dystopia, romance, fantasy
Format: Ebook
352 pages
Published by Tor Teen
Expected publication: November 13th 2012 (first published August 20th 2012)
ISBN: 146680095X
ISBN13: 9781466800953
Where to Buy: amazon,Barnes and Noble
View on Goodreads

Note: I received this book from Netgalley.

Summary from Goodreads:
Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie. Her memories have been altered. Her mind and body aren’t under her own control. And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.

Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.

My Review:
What did I think of the first couple chapters? Hello Little Mermaid, where is King Triton. That is exactly the impression I got, I even went back to Goodreads to read the synopsis again just to make sure this was not an alternative version of the Disney fairy tale. Once you get past the first couple chapters though it is nothing like what I was expecting. This is an amazing action packed story with twists and turns at every angle. This is definitely not the typical dystopian type of novel; it was a unique and intriguing story.

Evelyn was resilient against all odds; think of a Katniss character in Hunger Games. Her‘Mother’ was trying to create the perfect world in Elysium and used any means necessary to ensure her world was how she wanted it to be. Despite this fact Evelyn maintained a strong will and pure heart to overcome manipulation and make her own choices about right and wrong. She was constantly thinking of ways to get beyond the many changing obstacles that faced her and thought of only protecting the ones that she loved.

Gavin was a great hero, using his own instincts to guide him through and make the right decisions about whether or not to trust Evelyn. He was good on his word and a protector at heart. I loved him throughout the book and he grabbed my heart right away.

Overall, the author created a fascinating world that characters had to live in. The time frame was not exactly clear so the story is able to fit in any future time. The plot gives off a great lesson of right and wrong and standing for what you believe in and not just going with the flow.

About theAuthor:
J.A. Souders was born in the heartland with an overactive imagination and an over abundance of curiosity that was always getting her into trouble.

Because she never grew up, she decided she’d put her imaginary friends to work and started writing. She now lives in the land of sunshine and palm trees with her husband and their two children and is an active member of the RWA, SFWA, YARWA and SCBWI.

Author’s website: http://www.jasouders.com

Path to Vengeance (The Guardians, #1) by W.H. Cann

2 stars

Genres: Science fiction, adventure

Format: Kindle Edition

Published by W.H. Cann

Published in January 12th 2012

View on Goodreads

Note: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

When his brother, father and fiancée are killed by Krelathan raiders, Grogaan’s life is ripped apart, causing grief, anger and rage. He vows his revenge and sets about on his ‘path to vengeance’ by purchasing and upgrading four starfighters for him and his friends.

As a result of his intense emotional trauma brought on by his losses, he experiences troubling and disturbing dreams, leading to bouts of severe depression.

Feeling guilty over the loss of his loved ones, especially his fiancée, Grogaan avoids romantic involvement until Joeen, his brother’s former fiancée re-enters his life, causing him more emotional turmoil. This is further compounded by an unexpected encounter with Ellarna, a Senator's daughter, who he is besotted with.

A chance meeting with members of a long forgotten sect, ‘The Brotherhood of the Teragon Eagle’, on a nearby planet, together with information revealed to him by his mother, prove Grogaan’s unique abilities are due to his family heritage; an ancestor having been a respected wizard and a member of the Guardian Order.

Grogaan and his friends prove their piloting skills and spearhead the counter offensive against the Krelathan raiders. However, it’s his abilities enhanced by his gift of magic that take him and his friends on a path that impacts on the future of the galaxy as foretold by a two hundred year old prophecy; a path he begins to tread while developing a powerful relationship with one of the two women.

My Review:

To sum it up: over descriptive.  For this particular book I thought the characters were too overdone, it was like a Facebook timeline in a book.  Everything the characters were feeling and thinking was revealed.  It almost seemed like Cann was afraid that he would forget something so he made sure to put it in, sometimes more than once.  Most authors have the problem of underdeveloped characters, however, I felt this book had overdeveloped characters.

With the thoughts and feelings coming out of the characters all over the place even when there was some action in the story it was boring because it was broken up by random thoughts. 

Truthfully I found this work hard to get through.  The idea was really good and maybe if the author could tune down the thought description it would be a better read.

About the Author:

My passion for reading started from a very young age, but my interest in fantasy and science fiction started when I was a ten and my father gave me some Conan books by Robert E. Howard and the series Thongor of Lemuria by Lin Carter, and of course the arrival of Star Wars. I have loved reading ever since. Fantasy is still my favourite genre followed closely by science fiction, but my tastes include adventure, military history both fiction and non-fiction (pre 1850′s), plus a variety of others.

My foray into writing did not begin until after I suffered a back injury in 1998, and decided to have a go at writing a story to pass the time away, needless to say I became hooked and the story turned into full length novels. I continued writing when I returned to work, spending a little time each evening. I took a few years break while I immersed myself in genealogy, but finally picked up the pen (and returned to the PC) and resumed my writing in spring 2011.

I am married with two children, both having now left home, my daughter with a family of her own living in Pembrokeshire, my son living and working in Cardiff. I also have two beautiful grandchildren. I was born in Cardiff have served in the RAF as an aircraft engineer am now employed as a finance officer in local government. I live in Pembrokeshire, West Wales.

Author’s website: http://www.whcann.co.uk