ARC Review of Megan Curd's Steel Lily

AVERY PIKE is a commodity. No, more than a commodity. Her existence is guarded at all costs.

She’s a water Elementalist, the strongest of her dwindling kind. She creates steam to provide energy to fuel Dome Four: the only thing standing between humanity and an earth ravaged by World War III. No steam, no Dome. No Dome, no life.

Or so she thinks.

That is, until a mysterious man offers her a way out of having to donate steam. A way to escape the corrupt government of Dome Four. While the offer seems too good to be true, Avery is intrigued.

But when she arrives to her new home, she realizes the grass isn’t any less dead on this side of the fence. Instead, the lies are just hidden better.

…Which means digging deeper.

When Avery enlists the help of her friends to uncover the truth, she learns that while some secrets are better left concealed, humankind was never meant to live in a cage. And when you can control the most sought after resource, you can learn to control anything…including the fate of your world.

As I'm sure you have all heard me say at some point or another, the dystopian genre isn't a genre that I normally like to read. However, in recent months I have picked up a couple of books in the genre that have shown me that even though it isn't my preferred reading material, there are some that have sparked my interest. Steel Lily is absolutely one of those books.

Megan has imbued elemental manipulation into a new world with a steampunk flavor, and I am head over heels in love with it. I can totally see the world going in that direction, minus the elemental "magic" if you will. She has this way of telling a story that makes you look at the world around you and say to yourself, "Self, if reincarnation is real, I want to come back and live in this world that Megan Curd has created within these pages, because it sounds completely badass!" No really, you'll say that to yourself while you read this book, I did. I'm not making that up. But you'll only want to do it if you can be like Avery. Trust me.

The characters in this book, Avery, Alice, Jaxon, Sari, Legs... They could be your friends, your classmates, your love interests... They are well thought out, highly developed, and each and every one of them (even the villains, yes I used the plural form) are even more pivotal to the story line than just to give it more depth. They all play a distinct role, roles that give credence to the overall theme. It's this that ties them all together, and I fear that it is this that may tear them apart.

There were places within the story where I literally laughed out loud, and then others where I found myself fighting tears. There are also places where I had to take a step back and say, "Okay, remember, this isn't real and no matter what you cannot hurt this person." Yes, readers, it was THAT intense. And THAT my friends, is a sign of a damn good book. When you want to climb into the pages and hurt someone for hurting someone else.

All in all, I am completely hooked and I now have an intense need to know where this series is going to take us. Will these fragile (because they are extremely fragile) ties that bind this group of misfits together be enough to hold them to one another? How far can they be pushed before they break? What will it take for them to learn to trust outside of themselves? Because ultimately, that is what this series will be about. Learning to trust when you can barely trust yourself.

Great job, Megan. I'm anxiously awaiting Iron Pendulum.

The Modified Review Blitz

I am so incredibly honored to host my first ever Review Blitz on this blog. You guys can't imagine how happy this makes me. I am also equally honored to have that Review Blitz be for The Modified, a new novel by the superb mother & son author duo, C.A. Kunz.

When I was asked to be a part of the Blitz, I eagerly jumped at the opportunity because Carol and Adam have come to mean a great deal to me. So, it was with great pride, and pleasure, that I accepted the offer.

If you would, please allow me to tell you a bit about Adam & Carol.

Carol and Adam Kunz make up the mother and son author duo, C.A. Kunz. They thoroughly enjoy writing about things that go bump in the night and action-packed dystopian romances while drinking massive amounts of English breakfast tea and Starbucks coffee. The author pair currently reside fourty-five minutes away from each other in the sunny state of Florida. If you would like to find out more about this duo, The Modified, or The Childe, please visit the following links:

C.A. Kunz's Blog
C.A. Kunz's Facebook
C.A. Kunz's Twitter

And now for my review of The Modified. Please hang around after, because there will be a giveaway! Yes, yes. You read that correctly... GIVEAWAY!!!! At this time, I would break out into a spastic happy dance, but I don't know that you guys want that visual, so I'll let you do your own happy dance while you're reading my review. *grins*

 What would you sacrifice to save the one’s you love? To save the one who holds your heart? To save the world?

Kenley Grayson is all too familiar with these questions.

After Earth is thrust into its first intergalactic war with an unknown race called the Bringers, our military forces begin to suffer heavy losses. Desperate for a solution, the Allied Federation issues a worldwide draft for every able seventeen year old to enlist. As Kenley turns seventeen, she finds herself thrown into the very war that took her older brother’s life.

This year’s draft is a little different than in the past though. A new program, known as the Magnus Project, has been introduced, and only the best and brightest qualify. Kenley is amongst a select few whom are chosen to join this elite group of soldiers, and as a part of this project, undergoes a modification procedure that leaves her and her peers endowed with powers beyond their wildest dreams.

As Earth continues in its struggle against the Bringers, Kenley is transported to a high-tech training facility, the Magnus Academy, to prepare for the major battle that lies ahead. It’s here that she meets the California heartthrob, and son of a legendary war hero, Landon Shaw. As unexpected feelings toward Landon begin to develop, Kenley wonders if this is the right time or place for romance to bloom, especially when those feelings start to interfere with her training.

With the weight of the world on her shoulders, Kenley is constantly reminded of how important she and the rest of the Magnus cadets are to the fate of humanity. She is one of the Modified, Earth’s last line of defense against utter destruction.

It's always been hard for me to sink into a futuristic/dystopian style book, but they made it sooo easy. The style is flawless. I actually caught myself on a couple of occasions while reading the book, staring at my hands and asking myself, "Why can't you do that?!" Obviously, it's because I myself am not modified, but a girl can dream, right? Or in this case, read.  It's an absolutely amazing story.

Upon reading the first sentence of the book, I was immediately drawn to Kenley and could only imagine that she and I would be great friends, provided I were still a teenager and we lived in the same time period. Kenley is just my kind of girl. You see, Kenley and her friends (old and new) have been tasked with saving mankind and the world. However, there is only one way to do that and it means altering not only who they are, but their biology as well. They are called the Modified, and they are pretty badass. But, it's hard to focus on saving the world when you're falling in love at the exact same time. Enter Landon Shaw. Landon is a pretty boy. He's hot, sweet, intense, and although he comes off as filled with confidence, the only thing he's truly confident about is his ability to fight in this war and the fact that he wants Kenley for himself.

 I was also incredibly impressed with not only the character development and relationships between all of the characters, as well as the plot, flow, pit falls and resolution. I, personally, don't think it could have gotten any better. No wait, I take that back. It could only get better if I had my own Galileo. I have to admit that I'm a bit jealous that Kenley has one and I don't. It's just too bad that there wasn't a Galileo bracelet tucked into the back of my Kindle case. Ah well, ya win some, ya lose some. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you one of my favorite lines from the book.

"It isn't a line, Kenley. From the first time I saw you in the crowded tram station, I knew I wanted to meet you. I felt this connection that made me want to push my way through the mass of bodies just to talk to you. I know you probably think I'm crazy or something. And I am crazy...for you."

Okay, now I need a moment. *SWOON* Fabulous, right?! If you said yes, then I can only hope that that means you're going to run off to Amazon or Barnes & Noble or even Smashwords to grab your own copy of this truly outstanding book! I know that I loved it, and it's pretty safe to say that I am impatiently looking forward to the next book in this series! Color my hooked!!!

And now for that giveaway that I promised you would be coming!! All you have to do is complete the rafflecopter, and you will be entered to win one of the following:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, happy reading, and thank you all so much for stopping by! I do hope you'll come back in the future!!! And please don't forget to grab your copy of the book! Just follow the links below!

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords