The Girl with All the Gifts – M.R. Carey
I first became interested in this when I heard how much Joss Whedon loved it. Then I started reading and realized it was another version of the zombie apocalyptic genre and my heart sank because it’s a genre I personally am not fond of. I kept reading however and I’m so happy I did because it’s so much more. Ten year old Melanie has only known captivity at the military base she and 30 other children are kept at. The only time they are not strapped to wheelchairs is when they’re in their cells. The soldiers are both frightened of them and hostile, and some of the children are at times taken to see the mysterious Dr. Caldwell and are never seen again. The only spot of color in this otherwise bleak existence are the daily classes with Miss Justineau. She not only teaches the children and tells beautiful stories, but she also seems to genuinely care about them. She and Melanie develop an especially close relationship and it is because of this that Melanie winds up on a journey of self discovery where at the end she realizes that instead of monsters, she and other children like her are the only hope left for a new beginning. Like other books of this genre there is a lot of blood and gore in this novel, but there are also moments of heart wrenching beauty and sacrifice. The book is both heavily plot driven, but also character driven. Just when you think you have someone figured out something surprising is revealed about them that makes your head spin. I would recommend this to fans of horror, fantasy, and science fiction.
Reviewed by Kim
Night’s End – Yasmine Galenorn
I was lucky to win this in a Goodreads contest giveaway because I really liked this series. Unfortunately this is the 5th and last book. Sigh. Night’s End picks up exactly where the last book left off. Cicely has accepted her role as Queen of the Winter Fae and likewise Rhiannon as Queen of the Summer Far. Myst has one more trick up her sleeve in her obsessive conquest of the Golden Wood and she doesn’t care who gets in her way, fae, vampires, or magic-born. Cicely and her allies have one last chance to thwart the spider queen or all will be destroyed. One thing I love about the way Yasmine writes is her characters. They always capture my imagination and I like seeing the way they develop. All the books in this series were fast paced, but Night’s End particularly so. At just under 300 pages I read it in 2 1/2 hours. Jasmine neatly tied up all the loose ends so readers won’t be left wondering about anything or anyone. I believe fantasy fans as well as fans of the Indigo Court series will be happy with this last book. If you haven’t read the series yet you definitely need to read them in order.
Reviewed by Kim