Replication - Jill Williamson

Replication was granted to me by Zondervan through NetGalley. If the name sounds familiar, Zondervan is a christian publishing company, and granted me The Merchant's Daughter a few months ago. That being said, I was pretty happy to get Replication, because Merchant gave me hope for Zondervan books.

Replication is about J:3:3, also called Martyr. Martyr is an identical clone, one of hundreds of the Jason model that are created and raised in the secret Jason Farm base. His life is surviving until he's 18, at which time his 'purpose is realized' and he is sacrificed to help create an antidote to the poisons in the real world. Or at least, that's what he's told. But after a new scientist appears in the Farms, Martyr is given the chance to dream of new things. All Martyr wants before he realizes his purpose is to see the sky--just once. He escapes, only to meet Abby: a religious girl who was forced to move near Jason Farms to meet the desires of her scientist father. Abby attempts to teach Martyr that death isn't his purpose, and that God has given him a purpose of his own.

This book...well, it's always weird for me to read a religion heavy book, and this was definitely religion based. Much of the book consists of Abby and Martyr discovering God together, and religion and conservative views are very strongly portrayed. As a person who subscribes to neither such system, it was weird for me to read. But for someone who is a conservative christian, I'm assuming that this would be a pretty big plus for the book.

The story itself was pretty awesome. I loved the idea of a giant series of clones, and I loved Martyr's entire motivation. I loved Abby's father's moral dilemma, loved the boy that Abby meets in her new school, and I honestly don't know what to say other than I loved the story itself.

As far as characters go, my favorite was definitely Martyr himself. Marty got his nickname because of his protective nature. In Replication, cloning isn't a perfect system at all. There are mistakes, problems, and flawed creations. Martyr was a protector of those flawed creations. The disabled clones, the clones that came out mentally retarded such as Baby, Martyr sought to protect them from clones that were crueler. He reminded me of a very gentle, happy dog in much of the story, which is kind of weird to say about a human character, but is still very true. His fascination with bright colors was adorable.

I'd recommend Replication to any christian reader seeking a book about spiritual discovery. I'd also recommend Replication to fans of The House of the Scorpion, as long as they're okay with the religious aspects of the novel, as the clone issues are very well portrayed in both stories. Finally, I'd recommend Replication to anyone who would be interested in a story about a completely blank slate being introduced to the world we live in.

So if any of those describe you, pick up Replication by Jill Williamson the next time you're book hunting.

Contest Collections - Happy World Book Day!

Hey guys!
If you haven't heard, today is World Book Day!
So make sure you grab a good book today, and celebrate your favorite authors.
In honor of World Book Day, here's a few random contests and giveaways I've seen around the net that you can enter to try and win something special!

Julie Kagawa, the author of the Iron Fey books, is giving away a signed copy of one of her books, The Immortal Rules. To enter, check out the url below:
http://juliekagawa.blogspot.com/2012/03/giveaway-immortal-rules-signed.html

Dot Hutchison of the Scattered Pages book blog is hosting a special contest with four chances to win. To enter, check out this blog page:
http://dothutchison.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/double-celebration-giveaway/

If you're a fan of the Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep, check out this blog, where they're giving away a copy of By a Thread:
http://www.sosaloha.blogspot.com/2012/02/aloha-to-jennifer-estep-and-by-thread.html

Today is the last day to enter the Goodreads giveaway for Slide by Jill Hathaway! Enter here:
http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/19592-slide

USAtoday is giving away Lori Foster's A Perfect Storm to commenters. Check this giveaway out at:
http://books.usatoday.com/happyeverafter/post/2012-02-27/interview-and-giveaway-lori-foster-author-of-a-perfect-storm/636125/1

And if you're an amazon prime member, the author of The Gathering is promoting the book for free. Sadly, I'm not a prime member, but if you are, check it out here:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Gathering-Aeternus-Schemata-ebook/dp/B006LDAG36/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325661771&sr=8-1

On an end note, if you're looking for more free--and legitimate--books, then make sure to check the following:
Goodreads - Goodreads almost always has some sort of giveaway going that you can enter pretty easily. The giveaway page can be found here: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway

NetGalley - If you're a fellow blogger or reviewer, then NetGalley is kind of amazing. It's entirely based around giving out free arcs to people to get the books known and reviewed. You have to request each book individually and hope that the publishing company will accept you, but I've gotten a lot of the books I've reviewed from here, and there are always some very good ones up, if you can get accepted. For example, I got Maria Snyder's Touch of Power and Julie Kagawa's Iron Knight from NetGalley in exchange for my reviews, which I think it pretty amazing.
NetGalley can be found at http://netgalley.com/

And on a random note, I heard that Heather Brewer might be giving out an arc of Soulbound soon. No promises, but if you're a fan, follow her on twitter and stalk her page. You might get lucky.

Finally, if you want more contests, follow me on twitter (@Slytherling). I try to retweet the ones I see. And check back towards the end of month, and I'll do my own special giveaway. Nothing too big, since I'm still pretty small...but still something to reward the few readers I have--and appreciate. <3

Happy World Book Day, guys! And if you have a moment, tell if you liked this list, or if it's useful, so I know whether or not it would be worth doing more giveaway lists. And if you know if any that I don't, please feel free to share the details in the comments!

Thanks, and happy reading!

Monday Minireviews - 2/27/02

Welcome to MOATB's first Monday Minireview session! Monday Minis are a few quick hit reviews that I'll post once a week on any random new things I've tried. The subjects covered will usually be random things besides books, or will be books that are either very short or that I don't have as much to say about. That being said, welcome to the first Monday Minireviews!

Gotham City Impostors
In case you haven't heard, Call of Duty and Batman had a drunked one night stand, and CoD got pregnant. The result was Gotham City Impostors, a Batman themed first person shooter that is only available through downloading. This review is off the xBox 360 arcade copy that my boythingy downloaded last week.
I've heard this game described as a mistake, and honestly, the idea behind it is one that I wouldn't have personally touched. I love Batman, I love CoD, but the idea of them together...
Nonetheless, I gave it a try after watching him play it a few dozen times, and honestly? It's kind of great. I've never played Team Fortress, but I was told that this game kind of plays like that. But you know, with batman.
So far, I kind of love the different loadouts/setups you can use. I have a love for playing assassin sneaky bastards, although my love of support characters means that I'm trying to figure out the only support healing item. We'll see how that turns out.
Using an arbitrary rating system...I'd give GCI a 7/10.
...It would get another point if there was more than one female class.

His Robot Girlfriend - Wesley Allison
So I kind of love the idea of androids and that kind of thing. Love Neko was one of my favorite manga for a long time, despite being kind of pervey. I thought it was cute as hell, and went on a 'robot lover' phase where I would read anything like it.
That was a long time ago, but when I saw a legitimate book of that theme, FREE in the Barnes and Noble store...well, I couldn't resist.
His Robot Girlfriend is about a guy who...well, buys a robot girlfriend. And she takes care of him and...yeah. Spents a lot of money? I don't know, it wasn't a very memorable book.
The idea was interesting, but...well, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. The author has no idea how to write, in my honest opinion, and has a severe issue with 'show, don't tell'. There is literally no description in this book. Seriously, the entire book is 'he does this. she did this. she brought him something. they went to bed and she felt like a real girl'.
It was a disappointment, I'll tell you that much, and while I finished it to say that I had...yeah. I'd never read it again. Or recommend it. But I think In Her Name gave me hope for free books, because I probably shouldn't have expected anything good from a random free book as it is.

Hysteria - Eve Gale
So maybe, like I didn't, you don't know what 'treatment for Hysteria' means. Maybe, like me, you see this book as a random free offering, see a pretty cover, and download it out of curiosity.
Let me save you some time. Treatment for Hysteria means being given a orgasm by a doctor. I don't know why, and I don't understand the context, but apparently, that's what this book is about. So yeah.
I went into this expecting a book set in an asylum and got... a girl talking about how much she wants to ride some kind of 1800s sex mount or something. I..didn't get my asylum.
I guess, if you're into that kind of thing, you might like it?
This wasn't exactly my cup of tea. Don't get me wrong, I'm a paranormal romance junkie, so the fact that it's sexually charged wasn't the problem so much as the way it was sexual. ...It was kind of creepy, to be blunt, and like I said, not my thing.

Barnes and Noble's Nook Tablet - 16gb Version
So, as you may or may not know, my kindle was crushed a few months ago after someone who has yet to come forth decided to slam their girth down on it, then hide it in my room to cover their tracks. Being as I'm usually a e-book girl, this was a very painful few months, and since I'm going on a 16 hour bus ride next month, it seemed time to get myself a new e-reader so I wouldn't die on the way to meeting my future in-laws.
So last week I got myself a Nook Tablet, deciding to upgrade, and I'm kind of amazed. I'm not writing a full review, because...well, I'm good with a computer and such, but details of technology escape me. I'm not enough of an expert to go in depth about specs and such.
But here's what I have noticed so far:
The screen is crisp and responds quickly.
This machine is amazingly responsive. The browser moves faster than a lot of computers I've used.
The books are easy to read, and generally format very well.
The backlight is a big change from a kindle, and given the choice between the ink system and a backlight...the backlight wins.
There's not a lot of glare, which is something I was expecting.
However, the smudges on the screen from it being a touch screen are annoying. I'll have to invest in something to fix that.
There's some decent free books on here. Like I said, In Her Name: Empire was amazing.
The app market is...lacking, to say the least. There isn't even a free facebook app. Why the fuck is there not a free facebook app? Hell, there isn't even an official facebook app at all. The hell?
I miss android market.
I'm still trying to figure out that point of that random loop at the bottom corner of the machine.
I wish there was a physical back button.
And also, I'm still figuring some things out.
But yeah, if you're investing in an e-reader, I'd definitely recommend the nook tablet, even if the apps do kind of suck so far. It's kind of sexy.

And that concludes this edition of Monday Minireviews. Hope they were useful!

Free Friday Reviews - In Her Name: Empire - Michael R. Hicks

So a few months ago, just before my kindle bit the big one, I heard about this book being offered out as a free book. I thought it was an amazing marketing strategy, but sadly, my kindle died and I never got around to doing anything about it. But I just got a new Nook--life is good--, so I got around to reading it. Best idea I've had all week.

So in honor of Moatb's first Free Friday Review, where I'll be reviewing a random free book or item that you, my readers, can also get, I finished In Her Name: Empire today.

In case you haven't heard of In Her Name, the series is by a self published author who decided to offer the first book completely free to whoever wanted to download it. The idea is that if you like it enough, you'll go out and buy the next books in the series. This idea is genius, although that may just be because the book itself is pretty amazing.

Empire is the first book in the In Her Name series, and revolves around a boy named Reza. As a child, Reza's parents were killed in front of him by a member of the deadly alien race, the Kreelan. After he fights back against the alien, he cuts across her eye and she, for some reason, lets him live after marking him the same. Instead of death, Reza is sent to a planet the human race has turned into an orphanage, where he lives for years until the Kreelan show up and change his life once more. Reza is taken and paired with a member of the Kreelan, part of a grant experiment for the Kreelan to determine if humans have souls.

Usually, when I see a free book, I assume one of three things: it's a sample of chapters that is mislabeled as a free book, it's porn, or it's a novella. Occasionally, though, downloading a free book gives you something absolutely amazing, and this was one of those times. Empire is an amazing first part of a new series, and the fact that it was free only makes everything sweeter.
My favorite part of the book was undoubtedly the Kreelan themselves. The Kreelan reminded me very strongly of the Na'vi from Avatar. They're described as blue skinned women with fangs, claws, and long hair that they never cut. They're described as being connected somehow to one another, they're very nature related, they shun technology, and almost everything they have is hand made. Of course, they're also very different from the Na'vi: they're combat oriented, have a very bloody society, are very technologically advanced despite not using technology in daily life, and invade and destroy other races.

Honestly, I'm pretty sure I could make a case for Empire being an Alternate Universe fanfic for avatar, with some magic thrown in. That's not a bad thing, though.

The idea behind the plot is kind of a cool one. The entire reason that Reza is taken is because the Kreelan, being an advanced race, see all other creatures as animals. Because of this, Reza and several other children are taken to the Kreelan planet in order to be part of a grand experiment to see if one of them can prove that their blood can sing: that they, too, have a soul and are more than just animals.

I don't know about you, but that sounds like a pretty amazing idea, and I kind of love where Hicks went with it. Hell, there's a part of me that can't wait to see fanfiction of this book, just to see other people's takes on it.

One of the really cool things about Hicks' writing is his character progression. Empire totals over seven hundred pages on my Nook, which might not be as much on another source, but is still a pretty reasonable chunk of story. It stretches over a very long time, and details Reza and his partner's life through training, challenges, meeting, etc. What's cool about it is how well the characters are developed over the course of this timeline. Reza and his partner's relationship goes from one of master and disobedient pet to tentative friendship, and it's completely believable. Despite the fact that Reza is following the ways of a race of beings which killed his parents, at no point when I was reading did I have to stop and think 'huh. weird how he's suddenly okay with these creatures'. Instead, his progression from hating the Kreelan at the beginning of the book to slowly coming to accept them follows well, without any vast character changes. It's slow and reasonable and it makes sense.


I'm not going to say that In Her Name: Empire is perfect. Because it's not. It's self published and the author probably didn't have a professional editor. There are some mistakes, some adjective abuse, etc. But most of the problems with this book aren't in the story or the writing, so much as they're in the editing. And that's okay, because the story IS worth it.


If you liked the Avatar movie, I'd actually recommend Empire for you. If you like a mix of science fiction and fantasy in your books, then I'd recommend Empire. If you want to try something new, something that's worth the value...well, can't go wrong with free, right?


So if you think you're interested in Hick's In Her Name: Empire, even a little, then pick up your completely free copy from any of the following locations:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/In-Her-Name-Empire-ebook/dp/B0026RI9TO

Google Books: http://books.google.com/books/about/In_Her_Name_Empire.html?id=PucXedISaRkC

From the author's blog: http://authormichaelhicks.com/books/in-her-name/in-her-name-empire/

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-her-name-michael-r-hicks/1102397547?ean=2940000698730&format=nook-book

Stray - Rachel Vincent

A little late posting this, but, well, welcome to the life of a college kid and all that.

So I've actually had the second and third books in this series for about two years, but could never find the first. I finally managed it at the used book store the other day, because used book stores are amazing.

Stray is the story of Faythe Sanders, the only daughter of the South Central werecat pride's Alpha. As the only tabby, or female werecat, in her family, it's her job to one day get married to the future Alpha of the pack, then give birth to as many children as it takes to have a female. Because werecat's rarely have female children, a daughter is rare. A pride without a tabby will be destroyed by time, so they are prized and guarded for what they are.
Faythe was meant to get married and start popping out kids. Instead she abandoned her fiancee before the wedding, then ran off to college in a fight for her independence. But after a tabby vanishes, and Faythe is attacked on campus, her father pulls her back home to protect her. But Faythe has spent years clawing her way out of her pride, and she isn't willing to give up so easily, especially when it means being under the thumb of the man she left at the altar.

Let me start by saying that I kind of loved this book. Don't get me wrong; it has its problems. Boy, does this book have its problems. But they kind of don't matter to me, because I loved the package deal.

First off, the world building was fascinating for me. I loved the Pride, I loved the werecat hierarchy, and I just flat out loved the werecats...although I'll concede that werecats sounds kind of silly. The werecat thing itself kind of makes me love this book, because I adore shifters of all kind, and I particularly love the more unusual ones...or, hell, any kind that isn't a wolf or a fox, to be honest. The cats were kind of badass, all fangs and claws and black velvety awesomeness. I like the fact that, unlike in a lot of movies, the shift between animal and human wasn't some magically instantaneous and painless thing. I mean, I know that, since shifting is impossible to begin with, I probably shouldn't nitpick, but the idea of someone being able to completely change their body structure in a sudden painless instant is iffy to me. Seems a little too perfect.

Speaking of shifting, random note: I loved the fact that some of the characters in the book specifically laugh at the media portrayal of shifting. At one point several of them get to together for a movie night of shifter movies specifically for that reason. That's kind of awesome.

As far as characters go...well, this is a little harder for me, because at this point I've read more than the first book, and I want to comment on their characters throughout, but I'm trying to limit myself to what you see in the first book only.

Based on the first book, my favorite character was probably Marc. I mean...the guy gets abandoned by the girl he's supposed to marry, but still loves her and is willing to put up with her shit so that he can KEEP loving her. I don't know, the inner romantic in me kind of wants to hug this guy and not let him go. Like, ever.

Least favorite character was...hmm. Probably Faythe herself, if I'm honest. Don't get me wrong, I love this book. But the main character kind of pissed me off a few times. She gets better in the later books, that's for DAMN sure, but in this first book, Faythe is such a self absorbed twat. As tabbies are being kidnapped, including her 17 year old cousin, and one tabby is actually killed and the body left to be found...Faythe is too busy bitching about how independent she is. She's in huge danger, is actually attacked by a stray in the beginning of the book, has another tabby die, but who cares about that? Fuck that. Independence is more important, and Faythe needs to get back to college to do school things and read books. She laughs in the face of kidnapping, rape, and murder, apparently.

I mean, Faythe isn't a complete twat, I guess, as much as she pissed me off. Her craving for independence is a valid one, which is made abundantly clear in later books, and when she's actually put on the spot, she delivers. But that being said, the sheer level of self-absorbed bullshit she sprouts at the beginning of this book pissed me off.

Thankfully, this book gets better the farther you read. Faythe's dad is a badass, her mom is...a 50's house wife, apparently, her ex-Marc is a hybred badass/sweetheart, and the random guys on her ranch are all individually awesome.

And the story...I wish I could explain how amazing this story gets the further you read, but if I did, I would spoil everything. Suffice to say it gets badass and I completely loved it, at least after the first half or so of the book.

I would recommend Stray for fans of paranormal romance, because there is definitely a heap of that, although that isn't ALL the book is. I would recommend it to fans of shifters of all kinds,and I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a good paranormal series, and is willing to read through a bit of a slow start to get there. Oh! And if you love the general writing style of a YA book, but want something a little more mature, Stray is kind of perfect.

So if you're a fan of were-anythings, romance, or paranormal awesomeness, pick up Stray soon and see if you get as obsessed with Rachel Vincent's Shifter series as I did.

And keep an eye out for a Free Friday post coming up soon, as well as a video review of the Shifter's series as a whole sometime next week!