Last month Samantha Boyette requested a copy of Beneath Angel's Wings for review. There was one copy left from the five I had offered up on Goodreads, so I happily sent it her way. Samantha then posted a very kind and enthusiastic review on her blog, Amazon and Goodreads - you'll find the link in my last post.
I contacted her to say thank you and, being a YA author herself, she asked if I would like to read and review one of her books. I was somewhat hesitant, because once someone gives you a glowing review, it can be awkward to be honest if it turns out you didn't like their book as much as they liked yours. Still, I checked out the synopses of Samantha's books and they all sounded appealing, especially her latest release - Prime - which features zombies! Now, I have not always been a zombie fan, but in the last five years or so I have really learned to love this genre, in movies, tv and books, so I was eager to read Samantha's YA zombie story.
I was not disappointed. I loved Prime and was eager to post a review. My only regret about Prime was that it had no LGBTQ content. (Though the fan-fiction author in me desperately wants to write an LGBTQ follow-up for two of the characters, and I think Samantha left the door open for something like it, but that's not part of the story so it can't be part of the review.) However, I noticed that Samantha wrote another series of stories that do feature a relationship between two girls, so to keep the reviews here within the LGBTQ team, I bought a copy of the first book in the series - Morning Rising - and decided to review it as well. Happily, Morning Rising was every bit as good as Prime. I would highly recommend both of these books to YA readers. Read the reviews below for details.
Prime is a zombie apocalypse tale told from the points of view of two siblings - thirteen-year old Simon and his twenty-something sister, Alice - who were in two different locations when the viral contagion spread. Over the course of the story, the siblings eventually discover that they are both among the survivors, and they strive to reunite. I won't bother with a story synopsis because I don't want to spoil it for other readers. What I will say is that Samantha Boyette is an excellent writer and storyteller. The back-story of the virus is perfect; the characters (both good, bad, younger and older) are well drawn; and the plot is exciting and fearless. No one is sacred. Characters die, including ones we are rooting for to survive. Survivors are not always nice to each other, and the author shows us the worst of humanity as well as the best. This was a truly gripping read with a satisfying ending. Definitely a five star read!
Morning Rising is fantasy that takes place both in our human world and in a parallel universe which is made up of three separate kingdoms: Daylands, Nightlands and Inbetween. Kara, the main character, starts out believing she is just an average teenage girl in love with another girl, Dylan, who she thinks she met by coincidence. She soon discovers that she and Dylan are not human and that they have been in each other's lives from a very early age, and have been fated to be together through a powerful bond of love which, in fact, makes Kara Dylan's protector. Through Kara's flashbacks we see how the relationship between the two girls developed in the human world, where they had no recollections of their earlier lives. Through her view of current events we see what happens as Kara attempts to rescue Dylan from the ruler of Inbetween, who seeks to harness Dylan's powers to conquer the other two kingdoms. Again, I don't want to reveal too much about the plot, but much like prime, I found the story gripping and felt compelled to read on to see what happened next. I really liked the relationship between the girls, especially since neither was portrayed as perfect, and Dylan in particular made some truly questionable choices. I also loved Baron and other allies who take great personal risks in order to hep Kara in her quest. This is the first story in a series, and I'm very much looking forward to reading the next installment. Another five star read. :)
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