// Quick Review // Corinth 2642 AD is an imaginative, mysterious, and thoughtful novel that will left me stunned with its brilliant and complex characters, fantastic mystery, and real life implications.
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// Other Information // Publisher: GenZ Publishing Page Count: 296 pages Release Date: September 21, 2021 Series: I am desperately hoping that Corinth 2642 AD will be a part of a series, but I cannot confirm or deny that it will be. Genre: Fiction, Young adult, Adult, Mystery, Science fiction, Dystopian
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// Book Description (via Goodreads) // In the year 2642, no one person is ethnically like the other. Globalization, war, and other catalysts have given birth to a diverse and multi-ethnic new world.
Not everyone feels this new society is ideal, though. A select group creates their own colony—a pureblood, white supremacist cult complete with arranged marriages and heavily guarded borders. Cara yearns to escape her life in the colonies. For as long as she could remember, the seven colonies, led by her imperial grandfather Julius Bull, have only had one mission: protect the bloodline from contamination and produce the next generation of survivors. So, Cara makes a run for it.
Desperate to keep her dissidence quiet for fear of potentially inciting a power struggle within the colonies, Bull brings in Jimmy Matoo—a Special Investigator from San Francisco whose brother was found dead near one of the colonies the same night Cara disappeared.
For Matoo, the visit to Corinth, Oregon, is eye-opening. He has never seen a white person before and is shocked by their ideas of imperialism, racial purity, and the prospect of arranged marriages in the 27th century. Desperate to find out what really happened to his brother and his connection to Corinth, Jimmy learns that dozens of young people, all destined for loveless, arranged marriages, have gone missing over the years, and some had been found dead on the outskirts of Corinth.
With the clock ticking, San Francisco’s Detective Matoo’s missing persons investigation soon becomes a fight for survival—turns out the residents don’t like a brown fellow in their midst. Can he find Cara, figure out what happened to his brother and save the Bull-Smiths from the Cabal before it’s too late? Maybe. But first, he must find out who in the colony has the means and connections to smuggle the dissidents out without being detected because it could be the difference between life and death.
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// Characters // The novel follows the story of Jimmy Matoo, an ex SFPD Special Investigation employee, who is now working through the grief of losing both of his brothers, Vir and Aric. Jimmy is hired by Julius Bull, the leader of a hidden colony called Corinth. The Bull family (which includes Julius, Rebecca, Jonathan, Florence, Cara, and Isaac) is the prime example of what a family in Corinth should be: white, straight, cis, and breeding.
All of Schaefer’s characters were complex, unique, and real. While I cannot go into the complexity of each character without spoiling the novel or making this review look like an essay, I do want to say that the way in which Schaefer wrote her characters sets up the rest of the novel to be highly thought invoking and intriguing.
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// Writing and Setting // The atmosphere of this novel is very heavy, realistic, and a darker reflection of our world. Schaefer’s writing perfectly brings this to life by being descriptive but not overbearing with details.
The world that Schaefer has created is phenomenal. The world outside of the colonies sounds like as close to a utopia as one can get. Outside of the colonies is One World, a world in which multiethnicity and diversity became a normal thing all over the world. Corinth and the other colonies were created by racist Caucasians to protect their bloodline from being ‘contaminated’ by the blood of non-white people. Corinth is a hellhole of misogyny, racism, and homophobia that I cannot even imagine spending one second in. The women in Corinth are essentially just baby-making machines. They’re limited on exercise, arranged to marry people, etc…. all just so the population of Corinth can rise.
However, here is an example of how diverse and accepting One World is, because I hate Corinth after spending an entire novel there:
"People no longer identified themselves by ethnicity. We were no longer Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, or biracial. We had become a beautiful multiracial generation. A generation that came to be known as One World."
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// Plot // As I mentioned, Matoo is hired by Julius Bull to come to Corinth. For what, you may be asking? Well, Bull’s granddaughter Cara, golden child and role model for Corinth, ran away from the ugly home she had endured for the entirety of her teen years. I’m just saying, I would do the same. But for Bull, this is potentially scandalous. If they don’t get Cara back, Bull’s power in the colonies could be challenged even more than they already are.
Matoo accepts the job despite Bull’s obvious prejudices because of the fact that Bull has information regarding his brother, Vir’s, recent death for which Matoo has no explanation. When he arrives in Corinth, Matoo is met with situations he has never faced, people who hate him, and a need to discover the spiderweb that is Corinth.
Corinth 2642 AD is fast paced and never with a dull moment.
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// Overall Review // The world-building, characters, and plot are all perfectly combined to create an expertly reflective novel that I hope will have a sequel. I need to know, I really do.
// Quick Review // While not exceeding my love of the first novel in the series, The Last Place on Earth presents a fresh and broad array of challenges that Katy Nicholas’ lovable characters must endure. Nicholas’ latest book is full of suspense, mystery, and high-stakes. After reading As the World Falls Down‘s sequel, I cannot wait for the third novel in this unpredictable series.
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“Trouble was coming, looming on the horizon like a violent storm. And we were directly in its path.”
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// Other Information // Publisher: Witchlight Press Page Count: 330 pages Release Date: March 20, 2021 Series: Cities in Dust #2 Genre: Fiction, Adult, Young adult, Apocalyptic, Post-apocalyptic, Dystopian, Science fiction, Romance
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// Book Description (from Amazon) // Five years on from a devastating virus, Halley Clarke and Nate Reynolds find themselves back in Siren Bay where they fell in love. The peace is soon shattered when Halley begins to experience strange visions. The London community isn’t fairing much better either-Claire is missing, and not even psychic-conduit Eve can find her. Fortunately, Halley’s new abilities prove useful in locating the runaway teen. But what has spooked Claire enough to make her flee? As Halley’s visions intensify, a ghost from her past reaches out. He has the answers Halley so desperately wants. But he also has a story to tell her which comes with a dire warning; the broken man is heading to London, and it will have fatal consequences for someone Halley loves unless they can change the course of the future.
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// Characters // While full of characters from the first novel (Halley, Nate, Eve, Claire, and the rest of the crew), The Last Place on Earth is also full of new and unfamiliar characters that left me curious. Nicholas does a great job of adding fresh twists to their story while still taking their series in one direction.
If you are not familiar with Halley, the main character, to-be mama bear, and all-around badass, then you are missing out. Halley was my favorite character in this novel due to her unmistakable motivation to protect everyone she loves. She is utterly selfless, which I really admire. And, would it really be a review of this novel if I didn’t mention Nate? The perfect man for Halley? No, it wouldn’t be. Nate is, again, amazing. He is kind, understanding, smart, and a total sweetheart.
I enjoyed how the love between Nate and Halley, even in the darkest of times, shines through. Nicholas does a great job of making their characters realistic and making it feel like Halley and Nate are right in front of you, acting out the chaos that can be found within the novel’s pages.
Introduced in this novel, most importantly, is Halley’s father. After reading As the World Falls Down I was desperate to discover the story behind Halley’s heritage, and The Last Place on Earth delivered it to me. The novel actually changes POV’s at one point, about 47% through, to Sam’s, where we learn about his past. His section was my favorite part of the novel because it was something fresh and unexpected. Plus, it answered so many questions that had been left unanswered after the first book.
One thing I want to acknowledge is that the characters are incredibly intertwined in this series in the past and present. It becomes especially evident during the switch to Sam’s POV. It’s one of the little things that I thought was really neat.
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“There was no way that we would all come out of this alive. No matter what we did. No matter what scenario played out.”
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// Writing and Setting // Nicholas’ writing has a way of drawing one in with a pleasant introduction, just to engulf you in a world of chaos and horrors.
Once again, the world of the Cities in Dust series is magnificent. It is dark and yet bright, despairing yet hopeful. The Last Place on Earth adds more to the world Nicholas created, yet also creates new questions about it.
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// Plot // The book picks off right where As the World Falls Down ends. Halley and Nate have just found Rebecca, Halley’s aunt, dead. Halley is devastated and not ready to return to the rest of the survivors, so she and Nate take a stop at the place where they first met. After some recuperation, Nate and Halley travel back to the rest of the survivors to find that chaos has erupted. Claire is missing, a strange man may bring about the decimation of their family, and Halley keeps seeing spectral figures. Halley must navigate the past to learn how to best fight against foes in the future.
Unfortunately, I was frustrated at first with the novel. It took me a while to become really intrigued by the story. For the first half of the book, none of my answers were questioned and more were introduced. The only thing that kept me reading was my need to have my questions answered. However, I am so glad I kept reading because once the POV switched from Halley’s to her father’s I became fascinated with the story. The second half of the novel was my favorite and redeemed my opinion of it. It became fast-paced and answered my questions while also delving deeper into the world of the series.
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“‘Every lifetime, no matter where in the universe you end up, you find each other. Every. Single. Time. Death is nothing but a minor inconvenience to the two of you.'”
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// Overall Review // The Last Place on Earth left me excited for the next novel in this fantastic and intriguing series.
Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
// Book Content Warnings: animal cruelty, death, murder, violence // – Please educate yourself on the content warnings for this novel before reading, as I may have missed some in my review.
// Quick Review // Thrilling and adventurous, Meg Long’s debut novel is a solid sci-fi with compelling characters and obstacles set upon an icy planet that welcomes peril at every turn.
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// Other Information // Publisher: Wednesday Books Page Count: 368 pages Release Date: January 11, 2022 Series: None Genre: Fiction, Young adult, Fantasy, Science fiction, Dystopian, Adventure, Survival
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// Book Description (from Goodreads) // After angering a local gangster, seventeen-year-old Sena Korhosen must flee with her prize fighting wolf, Iska, in tow. A team of scientists offer to pay her way off her frozen planet on one condition: she gets them to the finish line of the planet’s infamous sled race. Though Sena always swore she’d never race after it claimed both her mothers’ lives, it’s now her only option.
But the tundra is a treacherous place, and as the race unfolds and their lives are threatened at every turn, Sena starts to question her own abilities. She must discover whether she’s strong enough to survive the wild – whether she and Iska together are strong enough to get them all out alive.
A captivating debut about survival, found family, and the bond between a girl and a wolf that delivers a fresh twist on classic survival stories and frontier myths.
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// Characters // Sena is a stubborn, strong, yet imperfect young woman living on the freezing Tundar, a planet ruled by a deadly sled race for money. When we first meet Sena, she is completely against racing due to the unfortunate deaths of her moms during a race. She makes a living by stealing from the rich and makes her escapes by the rooftops of the Ket, a gambling town on Tundar. Over the course of the novel, Sena faces challenge after challenge while attempting to leave the unforgiving cold of Tundar.
I greatly admired the character development displayed in this novel. Sena deals with a lot of grief and trauma throughout the story but is able to begin to live with them rather than ignore them.
There are other great characters in this novel, but none felt as fleshed out as Sena. For a race that is ‘life-changing’, none of the other characters seem to change. Some of the other characters that Sena meets include Professor Kaassen, Tulok, Pana, Remy, and Askaa. All five of them are racing in order to study the metal promised at the end of the race (if they make it there alive).
I was somewhat confused by the relationships that Sena seems to have. At first, it seems as if a romantic relationship will develop between Sena and Temur, but very quickly their ‘romantic’ relationship dissipates. I would have been completely fine with Sena remaining partnerless through the novel (which she does), but the author seemed to want to have some love interest for her. I felt like this just really pulled away from the story unnecessarily, as it didn’t impact the plot or Sena in any way.
I cannot end the characters section without talking about Iska, the killer wolf that Sena steals rescues from a powerful gangster in the Ket. Reading about this sweet wolf just made me curl up and snuggle next to Poppy (my dog, for those of you who don’t listen to the podcast and can’t hear her incessantly bark every two minutes).
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// Writing and Setting // I am in love with the descriptiveness of this novel. I could picture the biting cold and the monstrous beasts that inhabit Tundar.
The setting is my favorite part of Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves. Cold, desolate, and almost unsurvivable. Tundar presented the perfect obstacles for Sena, which really made the progression of this novel interesting and adventurous. I don’t know if any of you have played Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds, but this novel really reminded me of the feeling I got from playing that game (which is one of my favorites, by the way). The creatures that inhabit Tundar made me as interested as Pana to understand the ecosystems of this icy Edge World planet Long created.
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// Plot // Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves was fast-paced and addicting. With thrills and adventure around every corner, I could not put this novel down. As I’ve mentioned previously, the obstacles that obstruct Sena’s path to leaving Tundar behind provide exhilarating action scenes and realistic struggles.
The only complaint I had about the plot was that I felt it was a little too predictable. The big twist at the end, where Sena discovers the true nature of her mom’s deaths is kind of glazed over and I had a general idea of what she was going to discover.
Regardless, the novel was pretty cohesive and perfectly mixed its thrills with a solid storyline.
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// Overall Review // I really enjoyed reading Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves and getting to know Sena and Iska throughout their trials and treacherous adventures.
// Quick Review // As the World Falls Down takes the reader on a journey of discovery, adventure, love, and trust. A perfect beginning to the Cities in Dust series, this novel is nothing like I have ever read before.
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"Welcome to the end of the world. The apocalypse. The end times. The closing credits. The last scene of a bad B-movie to which I'd been given a front row seat."
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// Other Information // Publisher: Wild Rose Press Page Count: 408 pages Release Date: January 15, 2020 Series: Cities in Dust #1 Genre: Fiction, Young adult, Adult, Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Science fiction, Romance
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// Book Description (via Goodreads) // Years after a mysterious plague wipes out humanity, Halley Clarke leaves the safety of home to search for other survivors. She finds Nate Reynolds, a young man devastated by loneliness and despair. Instantly, there is an inexplicable connection between them, and it becomes clear that this was no ordinary virus. They soon discover they aren’t the only ones changed by the virus or guided by strange feelings or voices. Their lives and the survival of humanity rests on uncovering answers and understanding their new world. Will the truth they unearth bring them closer together or tear them apart?
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// Characters // I fell in love with practically each and every one of the characters in this novel; Halley Clarke, Nate Reynolds, and Eve being among my favorite. Oh, and when I said each and every one, that did not include Halley's asshole step-father, Andrew.
Halley and Nate's romance left me breathless; I literally love them together. Their relationship is just the perfect mix of wholesomeness and spice. And not gonna lie, we all need a Nate in our lives.
I'm not even gonna attempt to talk about everything wrong with Andrew. There's too much and too little time. Plus he's just an asshat.
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"I envied them, huddled together in a place they found comfort in, frozen in a loving embrace until they finally became dust."
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// Writing and Setting // I cannot express how amazing Katy Nicholas' writing style is. Literally, I have no words. So here is a quote just to show you how fantastic their writing is.
"...the night sky was dark and moonless, splashed with thousands of twinkling lights and the fain smudges of faraway galaxies. Unhindered by light pollution, the magnificent spectacle of the universe spread out across the deep blue yonder, observed only by the few remaining humans inhabiting planet Earth."
As for the setting, it's unlike anything I have ever seen before. Nicholas has managed to expertly combine a post-pandemic ridden world with a sci-fi and dystopian atmosphere. It is unclear when the novel takes place (or I just forgot the date), but it is definitely in modern times, if not in the future.
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"I hated that he was in so much pain, and I hated that, this time, I was the cause of it. I hated that I'd lacked the courage to leave my aunt's sooner. I hated that she'd stopped me every time I'd tried to leave. I hated knowing she'd clearly not been looking for other survivors all this time, for whatever reason. I hated my mother for leaving me. I hated Andrew. I hated the apocalypse."
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// Plot // The story revolves around Halley's goal of finding other survivors, no matter how much risk her endeavors put her at. Her goal succeeds and she finds Nate, the love of her life (and every reader's.) I thought that this turn of events, though not surprising, was very well written and I loved it.
The only (tiny) complaint I have about the plot is that the story seemed very slow in the beginning, so it took me a little bit to get into the novel. However, after that, I was hooked.
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// Overall Review // I am so excited for the rest of the Cities in Dust series. As the World Falls Down was the perfect start to a timeless post-apocalyptic series that I will be talking about to everyone I know for the rest of my life.
I will actually be reviewing the sequel, The Last Place on Earth, soon, most likely in mid-September (so many books to read and review until then.) So, look out for that!