The First City by Joe Hart

4 Stars! 
🌟🌟🌟🌟

Zoey is not the girl she once was. She’s watched too many of her friends die at the hands of their captors, been hunted, and returned from the brink of death. Now she is on a journey to find the truth about who she is.

In search of the family she never knew, Zoey learns of personal records in another facility. Zoey and her new friends travel to the missile facility, but among the records, they uncover information that leads to a new foe: the Fae Trade, a carnival of slavery and pain.

Zoey’s journey into the darkest parts of a humans mind- brings her close to the line between good and evil, and the final cost in her quest for justice might be her own humanity. 

This second book was so much better than book 1! There was action and a steady moving pace. There were a few twists, and it was a lot of fun to read. Zoey still jumps the gun on most decisions and shes always finding trouble. 

This time Zoey finds the Fae Trade. A gruesome carnival where men fight to the death to claim one of the remaining women that have been collected. There are new characters introduced. Some you love and some you love to hate. 

Overall I think everything I had issues with in the first book, were redeemed in this one! This is a pretty good series so far and looking forward to The Last City!

The Final Trade by Joe Hart

4 Stars! 
🌟🌟🌟🌟

Zoey is not the girl she once was. She’s watched too many of her friends die at the hands of their captors, been hunted, and returned from the brink of death. Now she is on a journey to find the truth about who she is.

In search of the family she never knew, Zoey learns of personal records in another facility. Zoey and her new friends travel to the missile facility, but among the records, they uncover information that leads to a new foe: the Fae Trade, a carnival of slavery and pain.

Zoey’s journey into the darkest parts of a humans mind- brings her close to the line between good and evil, and the final cost in her quest for justice might be her own humanity. 

This second book was so much better than book 1! There was action and a steady moving pace. There were a few twists, and it was a lot of fun to read. Zoey still jumps the gun on most decisions and shes always finding trouble. 

This time Zoey finds the Fae Trade. A gruesome carnival where men fight to the death to claim one of the remaining women that have been collected. There are new characters introduced. Some you love and some you love to hate. 

Overall I think everything I had issues with in the first book, were redeemed in this one! This is a pretty good series so far and looking forward to The Last City!

Girls With Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young

4.5 Stars!! 

"Demonstrate your value to those in attendance by showing how appealing a beautiful, obedient girl can be. Hold your tongue. Bat your eyes. Smile. Be best."

Just imagine for a minute if.... the dark and sadistic world of West World....


AND Handmaid's Tale....


HAD A BABY..... it would be something like- Girls With Sharp Sticks!! 

In Girls With Sharp Sticks, we are thrown into a world that seems to be on the edge of a New Wave of Dystopia. While the normal world still goes on outside the gates of Innovations Academy.. Something unworldly is happening in the Academy. 

The Academy, a prestigious reforming school for girls are taught the “essentials” to become obedient submissive wives, homemakers, etc. The girls are not allowed to question the men or "guardians." Report cards measure beauty, compliance, poise, decorum and an attitude of obedience. 

A sudden departure from one of the girls, puts Philomena and the rest of the girls on edge. Lennon Rose left without a goodbye or shoes. This starts a search for answers they didn't even know they needed! As the search begins, Mena starts to see things a little bit clearer. 

She starts to see the lingering touches, the possessiveness, hears the crude comments, and notices how the girls are being basically brainwashed and programmed to do as these men say.



This really pushes the girls closer together, even more than before, to get to the bottom of what is happening. 

The girls are treated so terrible, and its really sad bc at first none of them realize that the way they are treated is wrong. They are physically and emotionally abused and looked upon like cattle. They are limited to learning only certain things, and have no free will or freedom. 



“They’ve trained you not to believe what you’re told by others. You have to come to it on your own. I can’t wake you, Philomena.” 



TIME TO WAKE UP GIRLS!!!

I absolutely ate this little nugget up!!! There is a little something in this for everyone! Its a little mix of dystopian, sci-fi, action, mystery, and a very small bit of romance- if that's even what you would call it! The only thing that I had issues with was- I thought it could have been executed a little better - and if there would have been some heavy action scenes that would have been fab- but I guess we cant always get what we want :P Other than that, I adored it and cant wait for the next book!

Defy Me by, Tahereh Mafi

3 Stars!!
“Happiness does not happen. Happiness must be uncovered, separated from the skin of pain. It must be claimed. Kept close. Protected.”

So....where do I begin? I liked it for sure... but pretty sure this is the Shatter Me series from another dimension cuz.... WOW.



Yeah so everyone is just so watered down now. Warner is like a totally different person. Not to mention Juliet...



Whoops... I mean Ella?!?!?



Honestly I feel like what happened in this book probably could have been shortened and made into a novella. I miss the feel of the old peeps and...



Kenji was in this one because he is just what is needed when having to deal with Juliet's errr Ella's emotions- constantly all over the place.

So yeah- Im here for the long haul but I wasn't very excited with this installment. It fell flat for me. Really hoping the last book goes out with a BANG!!

Praying for Rain by BB Easton

4 Stars!! 

“None of this matters, and we’re all going to die.” 

This was my first B.B. Easton book and I thought it was fun!! It was a new twist on The Apocalypse.



We follow Rainbow- aka Rain as our main character. Everyone has been having dreams and signs, and the Scientists swear they have figured out the date that the 4 Horseman of the Apocalypse are going to show up- April 23rd. Which is only 3 days away. 

Everything has become a waste land of abandoned cars, abandoned homes, abandoned businesses, and abandoned people. People like Rain. She isn't afraid of dying, in fact it cant get here fast enough for her. 

Wes Parker :



...has lived through every curve ball this world has thrown at him- making him a survivor.
Why should the end of the world be any different? As long as he sticks to his plan- Supplies- Self Defense- Shelter- Stranger. As long as he gets those before April 23rd, he will be just fine. And thats exactly what he finds when he returns to his hometown in Franklin Springs Georgia. 

This was such a fun quick read. It was such a unique take on the end of the world. I enjoyed the plot pacing and characters. I felt like the romance was a little rushed as far as throwing the "I love yous" around. I know it was the end of the world and all but it just seemed WAY too fast - I clearly got over that aspect - Obviously because I kept reading and enjoyed it very much! I am really looking forward to reading more from this author and cant wait for the rest of this series!! 

The Death Fields Book 1-3 by Angel Lawson

4 Stars!! 

“You do realize historically what has happened to those who can potentially save mankind? Ever hear of Jesus Christ? It’s not like he got a warm welcome.” 

Alex is a senior in high school. Shes a smart girl working her way towards becoming the valedictorian and going to Duke. Her dad is a scientist and is always working on something new and groundbreaking. Everyone in town is anxious due to the news reports of people contracting a virus that makes humans have super strength and turn into cannibals. The virus is starting to spread world wide. What she doesn't know, is that her father may be doing more than just looking through a microscope in his lab at home. 

The virus finally hits her town, and Alex's father is called in to work to help come up with a cure. He leaves Alex and her mom at home and tells them to stay home- unless he is gone longer than 2 weeks. If he isn't back, he wants them to leave and he gives Alex a package to hold on to with instructions to find her sister June who is working at a lab in Georgia. 

2 weeks have passed and the world is in complete chaos. Alex and her mom set off on a journey to find her sister. Neither are sure they are ready but time is up and its time to find out if they have what it takes to make it through the Death Fields. 

That was just the synopsis of book 1. I read books 1-3 so far and enjoyed them. Each book built upon each other and kept getting better and better with each installment. The writing was simple and easy to follow. Characters were likable and I loved the dystopian feel of it all. 

This is a survival book with plenty of action and conflict. There is a little bit of romance but not that much. In fact, its just starting to take root by the end of book 3. As far as the gore- its not bad and not scary. It reminds me a lot of any type of dystopian- concentrating mainly on the characters and their survival. I would recommend it! 

Odium Book 6 by Claire C Riley

4 Stars!!
“The only thing this world was made for was death. It’ll kill us all equally, given the chance,” he said darkly. “Doesn’t matter whether you’re a man or a woman, black or white, gay or straight. Death is coming for us all.”



Pretty much felt like that guy reading this one.... this book pissed me off so bad.. I rated it a 4 because duh - writing but like if we wanna rate this based on emotions... big fat 2! BECAUSE I AM NOT OK after that cliffhanger.

Not much has changed as far as my love for this series. I have literally been on the edge of my seat for this whole ride. The world is starting to completely fall apart around Nina and Mikey. They find themselves fighting something bigger than the zombies. But when death is all there is- Mikey and Nina both run into danger willingly. And the reader is caught up in all this mess dealing with their emotions alone. ITS SO MUCH FUN! (enter sarcasm)



The plot continues to be full of action, heartache, death and romance. There is still the constant presence of blood, gore, and terror. We see humans being worse than the deaders/zombies in this one.


Nina continues to try and work out her feelings between Mikey and Shooter.

"Shooter and I were two different people. We came from two very different worlds. And if it weren’t for the apocalypse, we never would have met."

The whole love triangle thing in the middle of an apocalypse gives me anxiety... and I need her to figure her crap out. We lost a few people and met some new ones. We see a little bit more of clans working together and seeing a bigger threat.

Overall- I'm ready for the next book. This one made me angry but also, kept me entertained. My ship is just sinking and I need it to not do that!! If you haven't picked up this series, I still 100 percent recommend you go do it!!

Odium 0.5- 4 stars!!
Odium 1 - 4 Stars!!
Odium 2- 5 Stars!!
Odium 3- 5 Stars!!
Odium 4- 4 Stars!!
Odium 5 -5 Stars!!
Odium 6- 4 Stars!!
Odium 7-TBD

Odium Book 5 by Claire C Riley

4.5 Stars!!  

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

"This world is far too dangerous for feelings, for stupid things like love. Love kills you, and equally it gets you killed."



Not gonna have much to say about this one... Other than OMG... These books are seriously like crack. And right now... Right now my emotions are on overload and I need to reign them in. You see... I love this author, for her ability to get me this emotional and this invested... She needs a standing O like - NOW.



I have had a ship from jump street and Author Riley is RAINING ZOMBIE brains ALL OVER IT. And I am not happy about it. BUT - ohhhh the conflict it brings!! And the DRAMA!! Im here for that ... MAYBE.

We started this wild journey staying in crazy walled camps, seen tree house living, psycho camps, crazy carnival people and now...in this installment we see biker gangs and cannibals. This series seriously does get better with each book. You never know what you are going to come across.



So if you have read these up until this point.. Im sure you are feeling like I am- if you're not then ... I dont even know. But for those of you who have not you may want to stop here. Cuz Im about to vent.

So you have been warned - spoilers ahead.

(view spoiler)

Odium 0.5 - 4 Stars!!
Odium 1 - 4 Stars!!
Odium 2- 5 Stars!!
Odium 3- 5 Stars!!
Odium 4- 4 Stars!!
Odium 5- 5 Stars!!
Odium 6- 4 Stars!!
Odium 7- RTC

Odium Book 4 by, Claire C Riley

4 Stars!!  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Hope: it clings on long after you want it to let go, daring you to wish for more.” We follow Mikey, crazy pants (Joan) , and Adam- who are now running for their life. They run into a lot of trouble on their way to safety. They also find a good place to lay their head for a while. Mikey is still devastated since Nina is presumed dead, and sacrificed herself to let the others get away.. He is trying to hold it all together in front of everyone but going crazy in his head. This book includes new characters that we meet at a NEO .. No ... Not that Neo silly ...(I had the same thought) NEO stands for New Earth Order. The leader of this group is Aiken and seems to be a pretty good chap. There is also O'Donnell - a woman who just cant keep her eyes off Mikey (INSERT EYEROLL HERE). And a hippie named Phil, who is obsessed with odd animals- among other interesting characters. There is multiple first person POVs in this installment. Most of it being told from Mikeys POV- which is different because we are used to Ninas POV. We get a lot of crazy going on in here. There is a shootout, and a creepy dead carnival with all shapes and sizes of CRAZY... and CLOWNS. Suspense and terror abound yet again in this fourth book. Claire takes us on the ride that never stops! Full of emotional obstacles, as well as life or death. Horror rains - and doesn't let up. With fantastic writing and so character driven you cant help but pick up the next book to see whats going to happen next! This wasn't my favorite of the series... but it was still so much fun!! It was a little depressing and all the unknown hanging in the balance had me on the edge of my seat. I just missed Nina for a long time in this book!! But the new characters were so good that .. ok sooo maybe I didn't miss her THAT MUCH. :P So many twists and turns with an ending that leaves you wanting more.. I can not recommend this series enough! Odium 0.5 - 4 Stars!! Odium 1 - 4 Stars!! Odium 2- 5 Stars!! Odium 3- 5 Stars!! Odium 4- 4 Stars!! Odium 5- 5 Stars!! Odium 6- 4 Stars!! Odium 7- RTC

Odium Book 3 by Claire C Riley

5 Stars!! “There must be sacrifices—to save the ones we love, to protect those that need protecting. We must love freely, forgive quickly, and keep pushing onward, because you never know when it will be too late.” Book 3 has been the best one yet !!! I swear these books are so good- full of twists and turns, horror, blood, gore, survival and extremely funny moments! This books literally dives right in from where you left off in the previous book and does not come up for air. Things are tense in the camp between Mikey and Nina. So Nina and Nova take a little trip to find someone they have been looking for. They end up finding something that they thought could only exist in your nightmares. They also run into a bit of trouble, and end up meeting some new VERY interesting folks on their journey. Like Joan... AkA Crazy Pants. Nora and Ninas banter in this book was so Fabulous. These books are so character driven!!! To the point that half the time I forget these are horror books about zombies!! I love that aspect so much! Both women are head strong and have "take no shit" attitudes. So they are constantly knocking heads and having the best arguments. Its amazing.. trust me. My heart is constantly on guard because you never know who might be gone next. Never get comfortable with those you love because Riley has a way of making you fall in love with her characters. Then she makes you feel every emotion possible... and a lot of times... your heart ends up exploding from pain. But... honestly- for some reason you end up not hating her for it and dying for the next book of hers. Odium 0.5- 4 stars!! Odium 1 - 4 Stars!! Odium 2- 5 Stars!! Odium 3- 5 Stars!! Ready for book 4!!