Nick reviews Origin

Origin

by Jessica Khoury

Release date: September 4th 2012

Publisher: Razorbill

Edition: Hardcover 394 pages (purchased)

Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home--and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.

Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia's origin--a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.

Origin is a beautifully told, shocking new way to look at an age-old desire: to live forever, no matter the cost.

Likes:
What a pleasant surprise this book turned out to be. From a book that I thought would be a lovey book with some sci-fi tossed in, this was the opposite of it. This book is heavy on the sci-fi with some "non-overbearing" love elements to it. If you know me, I'm not much into all that lovey gooey stuff in my books. I don't mind a romance to be present but I do not like books where that is all it is centered around. This book is just that and it does it well. I love the main character. Pia is one of my favorite type of characters. The type of character that discovers the world for the first time at an older age. Kind of like Quorra from Tron Legacy or Rapunzel from Tangled. Stuck in a place locked out from the real world only hearing pieces of what that real world is like. They are fun and I love to watch them discover things that are old to an every day human being but very new to them.

                                          "You know Jules Verne? What's he like?"

Another favorite part of this book was that the whole story was one big conspiracy. Boy, I love me some conspiracies. Hiding the truth for the so-called "greater good" of life. Making things that certain people want them to be and not how they should be by just leaving well enough alone. It always makes out for a better, more sinister villain. Those are the best kind.



Dislikes:
Okay, so, you could get after me again for this dislike section. I don't really have any dislikes again. There are some names of certain beings in the story that can get confusing at times but that was more certainly my fault and not the story. The names can be tough to pronounce and remember in your head but it's part of the tribe of people that are encountered in the story.


Who would I recommend this to:
If you are like me and believe that sci-fi is on the rise in YA and you are excited about things like that, read this book. If you LOVE conspiracies like any sane human being should, you will love this book. If you like stories with a real plot tossed in with a small bit of romance, this is also for you too. It is a great story than I think deserves plenty of praise in 2012.

P.S
I have to add this on this review as a "Thank you" to my quite epic sister-in-law for getting me this book and having it signed by the wonderful Jessica Khoury at the Austin Teen Book Fair. Oh yeah, I also loved reading this book because it had a wonderful new book smell. Just saiyen. :D

Nick reviews Flesh & Bone

Flesh & Bone
by Jonathan Maberry
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: September 11th 2012
Edition: Hardcover 469 pages

What the inside flap says...

Reeling from the tragic events of Dust & Decay, Benny Imura and his friends plunge deep into the zombie-infested wastelands of the great Rot & Ruin. Benny, Nix, Lilah and Chong journey through a fierce wilderness that was once America, searching for the jet they saw in the skies months ago. If that jet exists then humanity itself must have survived…somewhere. Finding it is their best hope for having a future and a life worth living.

But the Ruin is far more dangerous than any of them can imagine. They are hunted by fierce animals escaped from zoos and circuses. They must raid zombie-infested towns for food and medical supplies. They discover the very real truth in the old saying: In the Rot & Ruin…everything wants to kill you.

And what is happening to the zombies? Swarms of them are coming from the east, devouring everything in their paths. These zoms are different. Faster, smarter, infinitely more dangerous. Has the zombie plague mutated, or is there something far more sinister behind this new invasion of the living dead?

In Flesh & Bone, Benny Imura, Nix Riley, Lou Chong and Lilah the Lost Girl are pitted against dangers greater than anything they've ever faced. To survive, each of them must rise to become the warriors Tom trained them to be.

Likes:
   OH!! If anyone has caught on by now, I love me some Jonathan Maberry. I just love his writing and his ability to expertly tell a story. This book is no exception. It is just as great as the previous two in the series. What it makes up for in the loss of a certain favorite character of mine (I'm still sad about that) it makes up for with one of my favorite type of villains. That's right, there are multiple of them. My favorite thing about those villains is that they truly believe what they are doing is for the greater good of man-kind. No matter how evil and vile everyone else around them believes they are, they live their lives thinking they are doing the right thing. They even make it into some kind of religion. One that they believe they are doing the handywork of god and it is how god wants things to be. 
   Like I mentioned before, I'm still not happy with my favorite character being gone but Mr. Maberry makes up for it by adding Joe Ledger into the story. If you don't know of Joe Ledger, see my review of Patient Zero. He is a great character and he comes along in this book at the right time and even explains on what the heck is going on a little bit in what caused the event that made the world the "Rot & Ruin."

Dislikes:
   You know, I really had to stop and think about this one so that I wouldn't be able to use my previous "Maberry" cop out and say that I didn't dislike a thing in this book. Didn't want to make that excuse old and used. So after much thought, I did think of some small gripes. 
   As much as I praised the villains in this story and how I loved their purpose in the story, there were times where they were pretty annoying. It seemed like as soon as things calmed down and the characters were getting somewhere, they would pop up again. At times I was like, "Holy crap! Let these kids do something besides worrying about you crazies every five minutes!" 
   My last small gripe is not really a gripe at all. It was more of me being a whiny baby and not accepting the fact that my favorite character is gone and is not coming back. Heck, even the characters in the story are having the same issue. Especially Benny. Oh Benny, I know your pain.


Who would I recommend this to:
  I would only recommend this wonderful book to the folks who have read the first two. If you haven't read the first two, don't you dare touch this yet. You will spoil such a great story. If you haven't read the first two, seriously, what the heck is wrong with you? It's a wonderful story with great characters and a wonderful different take of zombies in a very dystopian America. I have reviewed the first two and you can check them out here and here.

Nick reviews Robopocalypse

Robopocalypse
By Daniel H. Wilson
Publisher: Doubleday
Release Date: June 7th 2011
Edition: Paperback 338 Pages

What Goodreads has to say...

In the near future, at a moment no one will notice, all the dazzling technology that runs our world will unite and turn against us. Taking on the persona of a shy human boy, a childlike but massively powerful artificial intelligence known as Archos comes online and assumes control over the global network of machines that regulate everything from transportation to utilities, defense and communication. In the months leading up to this, sporadic glitches are noticed by a handful of unconnected humans – a single mother disconcerted by her daughter’s menacing “smart” toys, a lonely Japanese bachelor who is victimized by his domestic robot companion, an isolated U.S. soldier who witnesses a ‘pacification unit’ go haywire – but most are unaware of the growing rebellion until it is too late.

When the Robot War ignites -- at a moment known later as Zero Hour -- humankind will be both decimated and, possibly, for the first time in history, united. Robopocalypse is a brilliantly conceived action-filled epic, a terrifying story with heart-stopping implications for the real technology all around us…and an entertaining and engaging thriller unlike anything else written in years.

 Likes:
         We have all heard or read about how the world will be taken from us by the machines that we create. Movies like Terminator and I,Robot (Mmm, Asimov) all easily show how messed up we could all be if the machines or in this case, Robots, were to become self-aware and take us over. Though none of them quite do it the way Daniel H. Wilson's Robopocalypse does it. My favorite part and the key reason why I wanted to read this book was the way this story is told. Instead of one solid story, the story is told through individual "recordings" by a single entity as recorded by security cameras or other means that kept records of the events as they transpired. So, instead of just following one person or a group of people, you get to watch, or in the case, read about the events that lead up to and take place after the robots "open up" on humanity. You get to read about a lot of characters and, at first, you think you could get lost amongst the stories being told about different people. That is where the author does a wonderful job of tying in all the stories together and having them relate to each other in some way. You also get to go back to characters you meet time and time again to see how they are progressing with their lives and how important their actions are in the war against the robots.
        There are some very likeable characters. It made reading about the characters feel very personable and it helped you feel exactly what these people were going through. In these stories, you feel everything from sadness to compassion. Triumph to sacrifice. Oh and the sense of creepiness from the main robot, Archos, is crazy. This book does a wonderful job of making feel the emotions of the people in this dystopian world ruled by robots.

Dislikes:
      Despite from the obvious harsh reality of the book having to end, there was only one small little issue I had with the book. There was a character that I really enjoyed reading about named Nine Oh Two. I loved hearing the story from his perspective. It was fun to read but I wish he was in the book a bit longer. He is introduced and doesn't last too long in the story due to what he does. He was such a joy to read about that I wish he was in the book just a bit longer.

Who would I recommend this to:
      If anyone has a love for science fiction, I would forcefully and passionately thrust this book into your hands. If you are looking for an unique read, I would do the same actions mentioned above into your hands as well. This is a wonderful book that just should not be passed up. I honestly hope that when this comes to the big screen, that it retains some of the joys that made this book so awesome to read.

*gives Steven Spielburg the evil eyes*

P.S. I know, one of these days I'm going to review a book that I did not absolutely love. I wouldn't go about holding your breath until then though. I don't like to read/finish bad books. :)

Nick reviews Ready Player One

Ready Player One

By Ernest Cline

Publisher: Random House NY

Release date: August 16 2011

Edition: Hardcover 372 pages

What the inside flap says...

It's the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune--and remarkable power--to whoever can unlock them.

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture he loved--that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday's icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes's oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt--among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life--and love--in the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.

Likes:
     Saying I "liked" this book is a huge understatement. Seriously, I loved this book so much that this review is going to be so darn one-sided. I can't help it though. I just can't find anything bad about it.

                                                        Even if I did this...

                                                I still wouldn't be able to find $#!t.

      This book is full of so much nerd love. It would be so hard to point out every bit of it on one blog. It is literally a swan song to 80s pop culture. Music, movies, and video games all skillfully wrapped up into a very fun story. Reading this book really made me wish the virtual world of OASIS existed. That is even without the contest that was put inside it to win the riches of the creator after he passed away. Speaking of the creator of the game itself, James Halliday, I could not help but imagine him as Steve Jobs. Halliday was just as much of a visionary in the story as Steve Jobs was in real life.
      The conversations that take place amongst the characters in the story reminded me of growing up so much. Constantly quizzing each other facts from certain movies or games just to make the other feel superior felt right at home. There were even moments that literally made laugh out loud. I'm sure Jenny looked at me a few times while I read this book to further confirm that I was still weird.
     The author does a great job in the writing and truly has you feel for his characters. He does an amazing job with the villain of the story. Holy crap, I so hated this guy. Heck, the company he owns and uses to try to take over OASIS received even more hate. They were just so well written. I would have to say I couldn't have hated a corporation as much as I hated the one in this book. NERD RAGE!


Dislikes:
Nope, still haven't found $#!t. LOL


Who would I recommend this to:
    First and foremost, the nerds. This book was personally written and gift-wrapped for you. Literally, if this book doesn't relate to you in some nerdy way, get the heck out of my stereotype! As for the non-nerds, if you are willing to give video game/sci-fi space opera a try, I'm sure you will be very pleased with the story that is here even without understanding the nerdy references.

Nick reviews TimeRiders

TimeRiders 
by Alex Scarrow
Published by Puffin
Release Date: February 4th 2010
Edition: Kindle Edition, 412


What GoodReads has to say: 

Liam O’Connor should have died at sea in 1912.
Maddy Carter should have died on a plane in 2010.
Sal Vikram should have died in a fire in 2026.

Yet moments before death, someone mysteriously appeared and said, ‘Take my hand ...’

But Liam, Maddy and Sal aren’t rescued. They are recruited by an agency that no one knows exists, with only one purpose—to fix broken history. Because time travel is here, and there are those who would go back in time and change the past. That’s why the TimeRiders exist: to protect us. To stop time travel from destroying the world... 

Likes:
A book about time travel you say? Winner for me! This book was a pleasant 99 cent surprise. I knew that I would love this from the moment I started reading. The writing easily grabs you from the start and rarely gives you a few seconds to let you catch your breath. The characters are well done and very likeable. Especially the walking humanoid computer, Bob, that accompanies Liam throughout the story. Reminded me of Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation and The Terminator a few times. Also, for some reason, the person who forms the "TimeRiders" and guides them to become a great team, Foster, reminded me of Liam Neeson. If you can get me to picture any of your characters in your book like that great man, you are doing fantastic. I really enjoyed the villain in the story as well. Villains that are doing what they believe is honestly going to make the world a better place, but execute it so that it ends up causing more grief than good are my favorite. Especially when if it has anything to do with rewriting history. Even better when it involves kicking Adolf Hitler off his high horse.

Dislikes:
There was a moment or two during the time of reading about the villain, Kramer, that I was greatly confused on what or who they were talking about. Kramer and his posse are all German and they use the German language to refer to different military positions. At first, it was a bit confusing figuring out who was who in rank and who was the highest rank of them all. After awhile, it irons itself out and becomes understandable. Also, only a few times did the storytelling confuse me a bit too. It jumps back and forth from 1956 and 2001 to let you know what is going on in both time frames. Though, several of those times, it jumps back and forth from 1956 to 1957 and then back to 1956 and then forward to 2001. A bit confusing at first but that too irons itself out and makes sense the more you read.

Who would I recommend this to:
If you love YA science fiction, timetraveling, and even some history added in for fun, this book is for you. Like, for serious, if you have any way to read an eBook, go to Amazon right now and pick this book up for 99 cents. It is so easily worth the price of admission and then some. I will most certainly be continuing this series. Especially since the 2nd book has to deal with dinosaurs. Another instant winner! 

Nick reviews Dust & Decay

Dust & Decay
by Jonathan Maberry
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: August 30th 2011
Edition: Hardcover 519 pages (purchased)

What the inside flap says...

      Benny Imura and Nix Riley can't forget the jet they saw fly over the zombie-infest mountains of the Rot and Ruin. The jet meant leaving, something that Nix and Benny were going to do. Now--after months of rigorous training with Tom, Benny's zombie-hunter brother--Benny, Nix, Lilah the Lost Girl, and Chong are ready to leave their home forever and search for a better future.

       But from the start, everything goes wrong. They are pursued by the living dead, wild animals, and insane murderers, and are faced with the horrors of a rebuilt Gameland, where teenagers are forced to fight for their lives in zombie pits. Worst of all... could the evil Charlie Pink-eye still be alive? 

         

Likes:
It's certainly very tough to beat out a book like Rot & Ruin. It was an amazing zombie story and in my eyes, it could not be touched by anyone else in the YA Zombie genre. So, when I picked up Dust & Decay, the 2nd book in the series, I was expecting a lot more of the same great story that Jonathan Maberry created in the first book. Man, was I wrong. This book was even better. I will go as far as to say Jonathan Maberry is the Bob Ross of the YA zombie genre. Yes, he has painted that darn good of a zombie apocalypse. The characters are just as great if not better than they were in Rot & Ruin. Benny has done a lot of growing up and he is a bit more enjoyable to read about and not as "snot-nosed" whiny. One of my favorite parts about this book is that they include even more of the "Bounty Hunters" that exist in the Rot & Ruin. Good and bad, it's nice to see more of them around this time. Another great part about this one is that there is a lot more of the silly "Children of Lazarus" religion going on and it makes up for some quite interesting theories. Oh yeah and the ending. Just WOW.

Dislikes:
I could sit here for 30 mins again and try to think of something negative to say about this book but I just can't. Oh wait! I know! It ended. There is my dislike.

Who would I recommend this to:
Everyone. Seriously, despite it being a zombie book, it is just that good. It's more than just any zombie book. There are a lot of good things going on in this book that opens your eyes a bit about humanity and how evil people can be. It's not one of those "Zombie killing" books that are so everywhere and run-of-the-mill. This book is truly unique and is just a wonderful book to read.



        

Nick reviews Divergent

Divergent
by Veronica Roth
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: May 3rd 2011
Edition: Hardcover 487 pages (purchased)

What the inside flap says...

     In Beatrice Prior's Dystopian Chicago, society is divied into factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue-Candor (the honest), Abnegation (theselfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On a appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beattrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is-she can't have both. So she makes the choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

      During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are-and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves... or it mighty destroy her.

Likes:
WOW! I was really surprised by this book. Right from the first page, this books grabs you and pulls you in. The pacing was excellent. Very fast-paced and wasted no time diving into the nitty gritty of this story's dystopian world. I love this author's writing style. This author makes you feel the emotions the characters did when they went through them. All the characters in the story are very well written. Beatrice Prior, the protagonist of the story, is a very strong female character. Though at times she seemed kind of cruel, she was an excellent character that fought for the faction she believed she belonged to.

Dislikes:
There were some small gripes here and there that I didn't really care for too much. Like I mentioned before, Beatrice sometimes came out like a jerk but I understood why she thought or said what she said. My main gripe was that I thought the initiation part of the book took a bit longer than I thought it should have taken. It did make up for it with an amazing last 100 pages. It just seemed like it could have probably been a bit shorter and hit the awesome part of this story a bit sooner.

Who would I recommend this to:
If you are any kind of a fan to dystopian YA novels like Hunger Games, this book is so easily for you. The idea of the factions keeping things "so-called" perfect in dystopian Chicago is intriguing. Especially since there is a bit of corruption going on under everyone's noses. I won't spoil it for you but it is very good. While this book has the label of being like Hunger Games or what not, it is very different from it. I enjoyed this book very much and I cannot wait to get my hands on the 2nd one. I also might have a crush on the author of this book. Oh Veronica Roth, you are so librarian adorable. Just don't tell my wife I said that. ;)

Nick reviews Rot & Ruin

Rot & Ruin
by Jonathan Maberry
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: September 14th 2010
Edition: Paperback 458 pgs (Purchased)

What the back of the book has to say...

In the zombie-infested world Benny has grown up in, teenagers must work once they turn fifteen-or they'll lose their food rations. Benny isn't interested in taking on the family business, but he reluctantly agrees to train as a zombie killer with is boring big brother, Tom. He expects a dull job, whacking zombies for cash. What he discovers is a vocation that will teach him what it really means to be human.

    As his worldview is challenged again and again by the lessons he learns from Tom, Benny is forced to confront another horrifying reality: Sometimes the most terrible monsters are human.

Likes:
Oh man, I think I could go on for awhile on what I liked about this book. The writing was fun and the author sucked you right in with on the first page. It flowed so well. Not a single part of this book drags or slows down. The author does a wonderful job of explaining what has happened in the world without it being a huge info bomb. The characters were wonderful and very easy to like. Especially Tom. I really enjoyed his this book really gives you a different perspective about zombies and what they are. It truly makes you feel sorry for them. I really the loved the so-called "cliffhanger" that appears before the big finale that makes you think, "Holy crap, where did that come from?" It will make you crave the 2nd book, Dust & Decay.


Dislikes:
Okay, so I thought really long and hard about what I disliked about this book. This took me a good 30mins just to even muster some lame reason just for the sake of having one. Even though the author did a wonderful job of explaining everything that went wrong with world that Tom and Benny live in, he did happen to leave one very small thing out that I really hope he clears up in the next book. You know, just for a small clarification. Nothing huge though.

Who would I recommend this to:
This is easily quite possibly one of the best zombie stories that I've come across since the whole zombie craze came about. I was a hesitant about reading this because I'm really burnt out on zombies. It's just everywhere and it was honestly becoming stale. Though if you like zombies in any way shape or form, this book is very much for you. I was certainly surprised by it and if it wasn't for my Good Reads group, Rated YA-MA, having this title as the read of the month, I would have never picked it up. I am so very glad I did. It was such a wonderful read.

Nick Reviews 172 Hours on the Moon

172 Hours on the Moon
by Johan Harstad
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Release Date: April 7, 2012
Edition: Hardback 355 pgs (purchased)

Summary from GoodReads. . . .

 It's been decades since anyone set foot on the moon. Now three ordinary teenagers, the winners of NASA's unprecedented, worldwide lottery, are about to become the first young people in space--and change their lives forever.

Mia, from Norway, hopes this will be her punk band's ticket to fame and fortune.

Midori believes it's her way out of her restrained life in Japan.

Antoine, from France, just wants to get as far away from his ex-girlfriend as possible.

It's the opportunity of a lifetime, but little do the teenagers know that something sinister is waiting for them on the desolate surface of the moon. And in the black vacuum of space... no one is coming to save them.

In this chilling adventure set in the most brutal landscape known to man, highly acclaimed Norwegian novelist Johan Harstad creates a vivid and frightening world of possibilities we can only hope never come true. 

Likes:
There were so many things I love about this book. I love the flow of it. It was well written. I loved that the idea of the plot even though it was a little off-the-wall. It reminded me A LOT of the 1986 movie "Space Camp." The characters were well developed. I especially liked the main character Mia. The book had a very interesting twist of our nation's space history. I love books like this.

Dislikes:
THE ENDING! The book ended so terrible. It broke my heart on how bad this book ended. I also disliked NASA in this story. I let the silly plot point slide but there was one part of this book that I could not even believe NASA would suggest even doing. I mean, they are scientists. They SHOULD know their science. Atleast, I would think the author would have done some research on this particular topic.


Who would I recommend this to:
If you love science fiction or even have a slight intrest in the space program, this book is for you. I would just have to warn you about the ending.

Nick Reviews: Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith

Unholy Night

By Seth Grahame-Smith
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Release Date: April 1, 2012
Format: Hardback, 307 pages
* Note: This is Adult Fiction and is written by the same author as Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.


What the inside flap has to say:

It's one of the most iconic images in history: three men on camel back, arriving at a manger, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. An impossibly bright star in the vast desert sky above. A moment of serenity and grace. A holy night.
   But who were the Three Wise Men? The Bible has almost nothing to say about them. Not even their names are mentioned. The historical record is vague at best. How do we know they were three kings from the East? What if they were petty, murderous thieves- on the run, escaping through Judea under cover of night? Leave it to Seth Grahame-Smith, the brilliant and twisted mind behind Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, to take a little mystery, bend a little history, and weave an epic tale.
   In Grahame-Smith's telling, the so-called "Three Wise Men" are led by the dark, murderous Balthazar- the infamous "Antioch Ghost." After a brutal escape from Herod's prison, they stumble upon the famous manger and its newborn king. The last thing Balthazar needs is to be slowed down by young Joseph, Mary, and their infant. But when Herod's men begin to slaughter the first born in Judea, he has no choice but to help them escape to Egypt.
   It's the beginning of a dark and Savage tale that will see them cross paths with biblical figures like Pontius Pilate and John the Baptist, as the magic of old times gives way to the vicious empire of man.

Likes:
Practically everything in this book I loved. I felt that the pacing was perfect. The authors writing style was great. It never seemed like there was a dull moment in the book. The fight scenes, while a little graphic at times, were a lot of fun to read and they were written very well. The main character, Balthazar, was the bad boy you just had to cheer for despite him being a thief. In fact, all the characters were all well done. I kept telling my wife over and over that I was so happy to Mary have some sass to her character. One of my favorite things while reading this book was you sort of got a history lesson while reading along with fiction. I could literally go on and on about how I enjoyed this book but then this blog would be completely filled and my wife would not be pleased about that. Out of all 3 of the authors books, despite only having read just 2 of them, I really honestly believe this book would make a better movie choice out of the 3. I'm sure it would be just as fun to watch as it was to read.

P.S.  Did I mention I loved this book? Even the paper that the book jacket is made from is awesome.

Dislikes:
It ended. I really didn't want it to end. I enjoyed it that much.

Who I would recommend this to:
I would recommend this to anyone who wants a fun read and has an open mind. The book does not slander any part of the Bible in anyway.