(Book Review) Karma’s Children: Discovery by Maverick Moses // Spoiler-Free

I received an advance reader copy of ‘Karma’s Children: Discovery’ from the author in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own.

Title: Karma’s Children: Discovery (Karma’s Children #1)

Author: Maverick Moses

Genre: Dark Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Mastermind Resource Group

Goodreads Synopsis: After a tragic accident leaves a fellow high school student dead, Krista, Klause, and Kevin Atwood find themselves linked to each other, and entangled in a mysterious force that threatens
the lives of those around them.

Their mother, the physical embodiment of Karma, herself, has no idea what’s happening to her children—which leaves Krista, Klause, and Kevin alone to discover the purpose of their potentially sinister birthright.

Now, thrust into the grey area of a world that seems black and white on the surface, the children struggle to figure out the true nature of their dangerous new abilities, while getting pulled by two opposing forces hoping to corrupt their hearts and guide them against the other.

Will the Atwood siblings figure out how to control their powers before anyone else gets hurt? Or will they become corrupted by the darkness of their newfound abilities?

The first of a twisted urban fantasy trilogy, Karma’s Children: Discovery is wrought with hidden desires, evil in disguise, and action-packed mystery—perfect for fans of Kendare Blake and Kim Chance.

Review

The writing style was a bit odd to me at first and it took me a few pages to get into the characters’ heads. It was a bit slow in the beginning but it did pick up the pace. I realised it was written in third person omniscient which I am not too familiar with. I usually cannot sync with the style but this book made it easy for me to understand, and it wasn’t that chaotic.

 

I felt like it had too many characters and I couldn’t keep track of each and every one of them. I wish the author had toned it down. Or maybe I am not used to reading about so many characters all at once.

 

All in all, I love the plotline as it is different. I love originality! It gave me some Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children vibes because of its intensity, level of darkness, and the richness of an unusual story. It is action-packed and has a retro feel to the tone of the story and characters. And that kept me entertained throughout.

 

I rate this 4/5.

 

If you are fans of Derek Landy’s The Demon Road Trilogy and Ransom Riggs’ Miss Peregrine Home for Peculiar Children, I recommend this series.

 

“Karma’s Children: Discovery” is out now!!!

 

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Book’s Links

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(Book Review) Through Her Eyes by Sophie Fahy // Spoiler-Free

I received an advance reader copy of ‘Through Her Eyes’ from the author in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own.

Title: Through Her Eyes

Author: Sophie Fahy

Genre: Mystery/Suspense

Publisher: Blossom Spring Publishing

Synopsis:
LIFE IS NOT ALWAYS BLACK AND WHITE, SOMETIMES IT’S A THOUSAND SHADES OF GREY.

Seventeen-year-old, beloved Alyssa Darlington has always been a party girl: quick-witted, fierce and very smart; with a strong future ahead of her. But after surviving a brutal attack at her best friend’s end-of-summer house party, the only thing that seems fitting for Alyssa is revenge.

AND WHEN THIS BECOMES HER TWISTED REALITY, IT’S EASY FOR THE SHADOWS TO TAKE OVER.

After something so traumatic, Alyssa struggles to stay at the top of the social ladder – climbing to the top is hard – trying to stay there while, newly, partially blind, is even harder.

There’s a weight upon her shoulders.

Quietly searching for answers, Alyssa unlocks memories and reveals secrets that should have been buried.

THREE SUSPECTS. ONE LOVE.
A WHOLE LOT OF FAMILY DRAMA

Review

I am not a fan of reading prologue but this one made me want to turn the page and read what is going to happen. It hooked me.

 

Though the beginning pulled me into the story until a few pages in, the pacing began to slow down. But the narrative still kept me engaged in the story. A lot was going on. Some were intense, some weren’t.

 

I like that the story focused on developing the characters, getting to know them. I feel there’s too much on the romance side which I didn’t enjoy. For me, I prefer reading slow-burn romance so when it comes to love in books, I am very picky.  I also wish the story focused more on the difficulty of being disabled. I wanted to see the pain in the family’s eyes, the struggle and how would they cope with it. I wanted to see more emotions and supportive moments with friends.

 

Despite all this, that didn’t make me stop reading it for I wanted to know who was behind this. I like how Fahy played around, twisting the truth here and there, confusing me. It was fun — guessing who the culprit was. Although I sensed a twist in the end, aha, I didn’t figure out who had done it. I love it when the author steers me into thinking it was someone else who was the culprit. Even so, this was a good mystery with a side of drama and romance.

 

I rate this 3.5/5

 

“Through Her Eyes” is coming out on 28 August 2019.

 

Alex is signing out.

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Book’s Links

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(Movie Review) Captain Marvel // Spoiler-Free

Written and Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, with Geneva Robertson-Dworet

Produced by Kevin Feige

Music by Pinar Toprak

Cinematography by Ben Davis

Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, and Jude Law.

Language: English

Synopsis: Set in 1995, the story follows Danvers as she becomes Captain Marvel after Earth is caught in the center of a galactic conflict between two alien civilizations.

Review

I am loving this alien-themed story. I find aliens associating with human-kind-of-movies fascinating. I always wonder how do “aliens” see us when in actual truth we are the aliens to them.

 

The story line was captivating. A science fiction mixed with secret agents, aliens, and superheroes. Best combination ever. It sort of reminds me of Men in Black. I like the world building. Even though it was a few seconds to get to know the setting, it was still relevant to the story. 

 

The action scenes are fast which I like. I like the theme ‘aliens and humans’ become friends in the end. I love how Captain Marvel takes charge of her own destiny. I love the twist at the last scene. I didn’t see that one coming. I AM curious to see what kind of role she will play in Avengers: Endgame.

 

I rate this 8/10

 

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(Book Review) Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia // Spoiler-Free

Title: Eliza and Her Monsters

Author: Francesca Zappia

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Goodreads Synopsis: Her story is a phenomenon. Her life is a disaster.

In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try.

Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile.

But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.

Review

I first heard this book through Booktube and was keen to pick it up ever since I heard the synopsis.

I love the plot in the book. As a writer myself, it is interesting to read about characters who are also doing the same thing. The main storyline is her relearning what is she is missing out outside her bedroom. And that was intriguing to read! I couldn’t put the book down as I find more parts of me inside her. Yes, I agree when we are so focused on something we tend to forget the world outside our busy lives. I love Zappia for exploring this idea!

Eliza is a relatable character and I cannot wait to see what happens in the following chapters. I see many sides of me in Eliza. Me, shutting myself in the bedroom to work on my writing, and then forgetting the real world ever existed. Sure there is the internet to keep me company but that is different. It is nothing compared to talking, making new friends (or rekindling with the old) in real life. And that was what the internet cannot give me. I am pretty sure Eliza realised that on her own.

There are many lessons I learnt from this book. One of them is life doesn’t start outside your bedroom, it begins from within yourself. As Albert Einstein said, play is the highest form of research.

 

All in all, I love this book, and I rate this 4.5/5.

 

I can see myself rereading it. I like how Zappia captured the emotions of an awkward teenager. She also tackled the shades of depression and she did that well. If you enjoyed Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, I recommend this masterpiece.

 

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(Movie Review) SHAZAM! // Spoiler- Free

                                          

Shazam! ~ theatrical poster

Based on the characters from DC Comics

Directed by David F. Sandberg

Story by Henry Gayden and Darren Lemke

Screenplay/Written by Henry Gayden

Produced by Peter Safran

Language: English

Genre: Action, superhero

Starring: Zachary Levi. Asher Angel, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou,

Synopsis: Billy Batson (Asher Angel), a teenage boy who can transform into an adult superhero (Zachary Levi)

Review

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it. This movie gave me some Meet the Robinsons and The Kid Who Would be King vibes (two great movies by the way.) I was a little bit worried about the flashbacks at the start. But after a few scenes in, it was easy to navigate into the main story line. I like how the prologue gave the viewers some Easter eggs to tie in with the rest of the story. With that said, I like having a clear sense of the characters’ motivation at the back of my mind.

 

I love the characters and their relationships circling in the story. The humour especially. And the message conveyed which I thought was relatable and agreeable. It doesn’t matter where you come from, just know this that there are people around who love you. This. Is. A. Good. Message. That. Needs. To. Be. Heard.

 

The idea for the story; a boy transforms into a super adult hero whenever he says Shazam! is pretty cool. Nothing like I’ve seen before. The plot line is a little different from other superhero movies I’ve watched which is a good thing. I love a unique story!

 

I cannot wait for the sequel. Overall, I rate this 8/10.

 

That concludes my review.

Alex is signing off.

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