Three years after the event that shattered the world as we know it, Sam is still walking the desolation of post-apocalyptic America. While he no longer has his father-figure and guide, Hikari, or his beloved Aimi; he is on a mission to find Grace, the only friend he may have left. She, however, is in the depths of hell; and, even if she is still alive, after experiencing its torments she may never be the same again.

Aided by the Watcher, Samyaza, and with an unexpected new ally, his fight to protect the innocents continues. However, new friends might not be enough to save him from the latest horror his father, Satan, has unleashed on him.

Tribulation is the second book in the [intlink id=”8812″ type=”post”]Rapture [/intlink]trilogy and, like its predecessor, the action begins right from the start. With the world already set up from the previous novel, the plot commences from the first few pages as well. It is a refreshingly exhilarating way to start a book and suits this action-packed series well. Back-story is worked in as the novel progresses so, while readers starting out with Tribulation will be able to understand the events, those who have read Rapture won’t get bogged down in scenes from the past.

As he has proven in Rapture, Simpson is a master at crafting battle scenes. In Tribulation, he shines again. The way Sam sees and interacts with his surroundings in battle is almost poetic. The atmosphere and settings stand out as well; the widespread desolation almost taking on a life its own. It makes for some incredibly creepy build-up and some stunningly vivid fight scenes. New demons are introduced, far more terrifying than those in the previous novel, and that amps up the terror factor too.

While the plot has deepened and the danger and risks are both higher; Sam hasn’t developed enough as a character to meet the challenges. He makes the same mistakes he did last time. Not physically, but spiritually. He makes pacts with creatures he can’t trust without regard for the consequences and, at times, it seems as though he has no understanding of the Bible; breaking covenant and then wondering why he’s punished for it.

As a character he works well. Despite whatever heritage he has, he’s a good person. Those around him have more darkness in them than he does, though he does not seem to see it. Without Aimi and Hikari to lean on, I really wanted to see him branch out emotionally and rely on other people. Though he considers doing this with Grace, he has no understanding of complexities in relationships and can or will not adapt to her brokenness. He has developed so much as a character physically; adjusting his methods of fighting and applying them to different foes. It adds appealing depth and substance to the tale, making the battles stand out from one another. Without the accompanying emotional development, it feels as though only half of the potential is being met.

The Grace and Sam plotline is the most interesting development in Tribulation. Grace seems to be the only person in Sam’s life who isn’t perfect. She’s not the angel that Aimi is; always sweet and pliable. So willing to do what Sam wants that he doesn’t need to ask her. She’s confused, cranky and lashes out at those nearby; and she’s not afraid to show all of those facets of herself. Despite Sam’s anxiety about her behaviour they have a bond that will hopefully strengthen in the final novel, Apocalypse.

Anyone who enjoyed Rapture will love Tribulation. As fast-paced as the first, this novel treads a darker road. It expounds on the mythology; casting both Heaven and Hell in a more uncertain light than they had been. By the end of it, you’ll be waiting for Apocalypse.

Tribulation – Phillip W. Simpson

Pear Jam Books (December, 2012)

ISBN: 9781301374595

After reading [intlink id=”7629″ type=”post”]Pure by Julianna Baggot[/intlink], I pretty much dread post apocalyptic novels. I hope I never come across anything that graphic and disturbing again. So when Lisa, Krista and I were trying to figure out the book club books for the first few months of this year and Fragments by Dan Wells hit the radar, I knew I would have to go and get myself a copy of Partials so I knew what I was facing and if I could hack it.

Not only could I hack it. I tore through this book, cover to cover, in under 14 hours. I was able to close the book, go to sleep and not have horrific nightmares.

Now this is not to say it’s a sugary sweet tale of romance, love and devotion. It is raw and heart breaking and scary… mainly because, as with so many post apocalyptic novels, it is not totally outside the realms of possibility.

The goodreads blurb says…

“The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials–engineered organic beings identical to humans–has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.

Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what’s left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she’s not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them–connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.”

I could really feel the heat of frustration from Kira through her inner dialogue and her actions. I found myself wanting to throw the book more than once. I didn’t even mind the minor foreshadowing that occured a few times through the novel, I guess some of it was a little predictable, but only because you learn which characters to expect the worst from and they certainly didn’t disappoint in their grrrr factor.

Being a young mother myself, the thought of having the government telling my daughter she has to have her children at an even younger age than I had her, made my blood boil. Then the fact that the infants would ALL die was beyond the highest level of despicable. As far as tropes* go it has to be the worst one to be used in such an effective way. I forgive Dan for using it, mainly because the whole point of the book was to stop it from happening.

Dan has woven a wonderfully eerie world for his story to unfold. His characterization is in in-depth and believable. Kira was suitably intelligent and kind hearted and she’s going to evolve like crazy in Fragments. I am thoroughly looking forward to April to see how Kira continues to kick some serious butt.

*explanation of this Trope

http://www.thedanwells.com/

Paperback,International First Edition, 470 pages

Published March 1st 2012 by HarperCollins (first published January 1st 2012)

ISBN 0062135694 ISBN13: (9780062135698)

Thanks so much for inviting me on today!  I’m very excited to answer the questions and share a bit of myself with you all!

Do you have a favorite book you read over and over throughout the years?

Yes!  Jacqueline Carey writes adult books (warning, VERY adult books!) and I am a HUGE fan of her Kushiel’s books.  These are three different trilogies but they start with Kushiel’s Dart.  The second book is my most favorite though.  It’s called Kushiel’s Chosen and is an AMAZING fantasy book with epic travel, pirates (who doesn’t love pirates!), romance that will sweep you off your feet and a world that will totally blow your mind!  You can find the first book, Kushiel’s Dart, on goodreads HERE.  Just be warned that the beginning is slow, but it’s SO worth sticking with it!  Aw, I just want to reread them right now!

What is your favorite new trend in YA? (Dystopian, Angels, Vampires etc)?

Fantasy.  It seems like high fantasy is becoming more and more popular in YA and I love it!  I have found it to be my current favorite genre.  But I’m an eclectic reader, that may change. 🙂

If another blogger from another country visited you, where would you take them to visit first?

First of all, Powell’s bookstore.  At least if they are reader.  Well, probably even if they aren’t 😉  I’m just over the bridge from Portland Oregon and Powell’s is downtown so we can also hit up Voodoo donuts (if we don’t mind standing in a long line) and the waterfront.  I don’t have any pictures of those places, sorry!  But the next place is the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon side.  From the Vista house you can see down in the valley of the Gorge and it’s GORGEOUS.  There’s also a ton of waterfalls you can stop and visit, including Multnomah Falls, which is the most famous.  *The picture included is just one of the many smaller falls.*  I’m lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the US!

Tell us about a local author you enjoy reading.

I’m very active with the local author scene and try to attend as many events as possible.  I even run a blog (a different one called Novels, News and Notes From Your Northwest Readers) that features authors in the Pacific Northwest.  One of my all time favorites is Lisa Schroeder.  Her newest book, Falling for You was just released and is stunning, you must read it!  While this newest one is not in verse, her other YA books are.  She also writes adorable middle grade books and even children’s books.  We love them all!  Lisa is just one of many amazing authors from the Portland Oregon area though!

Thanks so much and I hope you’ll take the time to stop by my blog, Candace’s Book Blog, where I blog about a very mixed bag of books.  I read mostly YA but there’s some MG and adult books mixed in with an occasional children’s book as well.  I also run CBB Book Promotions where I do blog tours and other book publicity (cover reveals, find reviewers, pretty much anything…).

Candace

Candace’s Book Blog & CBB Book Promotions

http://www.candacesbookblog.com

Twitter: candacemom2two

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CandacesBookBlog

Also co-founder of: http://novelsnewsandnotes.blogspot.com/

How lucky were we to have 2 books of the Soul Seekers series by Alyson Noel on our shelves in 2012?

Where the cover of Fated was all about the warm yellows and the earthy tones, Echo is all about winter. Snow flakes and a girl in a flowing white dress with really full skirts draws you in, only to have you look a little deeper and notice an ominous looking tunnel leading to god knows where.

Here’s the blurb from goodreads.com

“She inherited a magical destiny—and a mission to stop a powerful family of dark sorcerers. She never expected to fall in love with one of them.

There’s still so much Daire Santos has to learn about being the last Soul Seeker….and about herself. As her magical training becomes more intense, so does her relationship with Dace. But when she learns that his connection to the evil Richter family goes far deeper than she ever imagined, she begins to question if love really can conquer all.

Dace is painfully aware that he wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the Richters’ dark magic—and now his brother Cade is determined to use his love for Daire against him. Dace is willing to sacrifice anything to protect the girl he loves —including his own life. But will Daire allow it? And what if defeating Cade costs not only his life, but his soul too?”

I giggled with anticipation when I got this book in the mail (my mail lady thinks I’m nuts) and I couldn’t wait to turn to that first page and re-immerse myself into the world of Enchantment.

Darie’s circle of friends grows and I love to see forgiveness rather than gullibility in my hard-ass heroines. It’s also refreshing to see Daire’s Mum still being treated with respect by the author. It would have been way to easy to just throw her in the ‘parental units must fail‘ basket and be done with it.

The disturbing bits are extremely effective and the action sequences are well mapped out and easy to follow.

For those of us who love a bit of romance, there’s ample mush and kisses to keep us happy, but not so much that it’s the main focus of the plot line.

As I keep repeating, it’s always a good idea to read the series in order, to get an accurate grasp of character development and story arcs. It is with good reason that the third book, Mystic, is on my most anticipated books of 2013 list.

http://www.alysonnoel.com/

Paperback,352 pages

Published November 13th 2012 by St. Martin’s Griffin

ISBN: 0312575661 (ISBN13: 9780312575663)

Under the name Zoe, a girl pens letters to a Texan inmate on death row. Living in a different country to him, dealing with a family that is full of fights and secrets and navigating the perils of British high-school, she is worlds apart from him. In one respect, though, they are the same. Both of them have killed. The difference is that she has gotten away with it.

Thus begins a tale as mysterious as it is riveting. Through eloquent, poetic and sometimes funny letters, Zoe lets her deepest secrets unfurl; revealing to a man who is set to die the guilt that keeps her from living. It is a tale of love, lies and betrayal.

Ketchup Clouds is beautifully written and lyrical, without being too heavy. Because of the nature of this book, it is quite difficult to write an expansive review without giving too much away. At heart it is a tale of two boys who want the same girl. On a surface level it is a story that has been told since time immemorial; it is in the writing of Ketchup Clouds that Annabel Pitcher makes this story her own. She layers mysteries and family politics to build a tale that will stay with readers long after the last page has been turned.

Like Pitcher’s first novel, My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, the themes in Ketchup Clouds have a depth and darkness to them not often found in teen fiction. The voice it is written in is sweet, confused and naïve though, very much in line with a typical teenager’s reasoning abilities. While this book could easily become far too heavy, it is written with a degree of humour that negates that.

The family dynamics, as always, provided me with the main reason to keep turning pages here. Zoe’s relationships with her two younger sisters are delightful. The girls are very different to one another in age as well as in behaviour, and Pitcher’s writing takes that into account; giving Zoe’s family life a depth and poignancy not found often enough in novels. Friendships too, are accurately drawn rather than being reduced to power politics. Zoe’s friend Lauren is as rounded a character as the others. While she’s loyal and supportive, she also has her own personality and motivations.

From the first paragraph, Ketchup Clouds pulls readers in. It is a bittersweet tale of loss and redemption that will resonate with people well outside of the target age group of the novel. Zoe’s voice and the portrayal of the people around her make a perfect read for a rainy day.

Ketchup Clouds – Annabel Pitcher

Orion Books (December 27, 2012)

ISBN: 9781780620305