Blog Tour: Particle Horizon: Tour of Angelhaven

Welcome to Angelhaven.

As your ship emerges from the particle displacement portal, the first thing you will undoubtedly notice is the overwhelming presence of our host planet and great benefactor: Hades. This gas giant monster is almost twice the size of Jupiter and provides us with all the raw materials for our survival and industry. Within its upper cloud decks, a great AI-controlled cloud scoop ship ploughs a furrow day and night.  It farms water, oxygen, carbon, ammonia, silicon and hydrocarbons amongst many other elements which are sent up to Angelhaven through a 3,000 mile-long umbilical. Do not be alarmed by the aurora-like firework display you see through that observation-deck window; the waves of light you are witnessing are created by Hades' vicious radiation battering against the ships' protective magnetic shield. You are quite safe.

As you round the horizon-spanning curve of Hades, the ice-moon of Clara will come into view. A lifeless, insignificant moon with few resources of any use. Uncharitable gossip amongst Havenites suggest these qualities inspired the discover of this star system to name the moon after his late wife. Yohannes Phillips' wife was indeed called Clara, but the board of AngelCorp can assure you that all founding members were fine, upstanding members of the Union of Free Worlds and her contribution to early colonisation efforts will be long remembered.

Within a few moments, Angelhaven itself will come into view. From the outside, it looks like a fairly unassuming asteroid. 15 miles-long and a shade over 4 wide, you will notice the various exterior domes and projections that give a glimpse of the class-leading industry within. From the north end cap you will see the umbilical connection to the cloud scoop thousands of miles below. At the southern end which you are now approaching, you will see the docks that lead to Angelhaven's interior.

After passing biometric and DNA security profiling, you will attend a day-long AngelCorp security briefing. As you are by now undoubtedly aware, we go to great lengths to keep Angelhaven's industry and location a secret. The captain of the ship that brought you here did not even know the displacement coordinates; these are kept on highly-encrypted keys managed by the ship AI. As you begin your new life on Angelhaven and start your illustrious new career working for AngelCorp manufacturing, you will begin to learn the importance of these measures and why your particular skills in nano-engineering and magnetic forge programming caught our recruiter's attention.

As you board your complimentary AngelCorp taxi, prepare for a somewhat disorienting spectacle! People from conventional terrestrial worlds often experience an unusual form of acute claustrophobia. The 'horizon' of Angelhaven curves upwards until both 'ends' meet, 4 miles above your head. If you feel any kind of nausea, please ask the onboard AI and you will be given an appropriate retch-suppressant to inhale.

You will be flying along the central axis of Angelhaven where a bottled sun runs the full 15-mile length of the world. Around it is a sleeve of cloud which casts shadows and rain (strictly on tightly-managed agricultural schedules) on cities and farmland 2 miles below. Angelhaven rotates to create centrifugal force sufficient to approximate one Earth gravity. You will notice that the 'gravity' is strongest on the ground and decreases to nothing the closer you get to the axis.

As you cruise within the cloud tunnel, the AI controlling your taxi will rotate your cabin to shield you from the glare of the light tube and give you the best view possible of our beautiful world overhead. Through the gaps in the cloud the first thing you will surely notice is the apparently solid band of green taking up almost a 5th of our available landmass. This seemingly solid green ring is made up of a new Union-designed wonder-crop you may have read about; Longwheat is a genetically modified alien plant making life possible on dozens of distant worlds whose hostile native biology doesn't want us there. Each long, fibrous stalk is a factory of proteins, carbohydrates and oils and almost every part of it can be synthesised into various foods or plastics.

Your taxi is now approaching the great city of New Chaldea. Perched on the northern shore of Lake Clara, it is dominated by the central, winding spiral which houses Angelhaven's most prestigious hotel for visiting VIPs and the main offices of AngelCorp. As part of your induction you will have the opportunity to sit in the low gravity board room on the 312th floor and take in the breathtaking vista whilst meeting the current board.

As you approach the northern end of Angelhaven, you will see the loading docks and a cluster of unusual-looking modules attached to the light-tube itself. This is the high-security zero G lab complex and is strictly out of bounds to all employees and citizens below alpha-level clearance.

You may also have noticed one of Angelhaven's best-kept secrets as you travel through the cloud tunnel; the teenagers flying past your window like birds are 'gliding the tube' an extreme sport pioneered by the industrious youth of our world. Using custom-designed flight harnesses, they use the peculiar centrifugal rotation and low gravity within the cloud-tunnel to perform regular acrobatic displays. These surfers of the skies are most active during the low-trade seasons when axis-traffic is lowest - wait a moment…

Wait a moment... Please forgive this interruption to your tour but an emergency announcement has been relayed across Angelhaven's network. A pair of Alliance-registered heavy freighters docked this morning have broken security protocols.

Wait a moment… You are being taken immediately to a secure location.

Wait a moment… We are being invaded...




We hope you've enjoyed  the tour of Angelhaven. We at Three Sisters and Rina's Review's are proud to be part of the Particle Horizon blog tour, all previous and future stops can be found at the Official Tour Page.

My review of the book can be found here.

Selso is offering a signed copy of Particle Horizon to one lucky tour follower. You can enter below.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Particle Horizon

From the blood and dust of New Jerusalem, the Legion of the LightBringer wages a galactic war against those who would replace their god. Now, the time has come for the Union of Free Worlds to make a stand. The front line is the idyllic asteroid world of Angelhaven, where the greatest mind in human history has discovered an elemental power with far-reaching implications. A power that both sides will do anything to harness.

Marine commander Gomes leads the crack Union task force. An unrelenting warrior driven by revenge and a need for answers, he hides a strange ability neither science nor religion can explain.

On the other side of the war, Aja is forced to fight for a cause she doesn't believe in to protect her own secret.

Caught between them is Una, a living machine who battles for her humanity as her world falls apart.

Outnumbered ten to one and stalked by a mysterious nemesis, all three will play a role in unraveling Angelhaven's enigma.

As the Legion invasion begins, unknown eyes watch with interest...




Three Sisters and Rina's Review's are proud to be part of the Particle Horizon blog tour, previous and future stops can be found at the Official Tour Page.

Selso is offering a signed copy of Particle Horizon to one lucky tour follower. You can enter below.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: New Girl by Paige Harbison

New Girl by Paige Harbison
My rating: 2 of 5 stars



View all my reviews



I'll admit it - I read Miss Harbison's book "Here Lies Bridget" and whereas I didn't love it, I thought it was a decent read, especially if you weren't in the mood for anything really thought-provoking. A nice, light read for a weekend, you know?

So when I saw that she had a new book out called "New Girl", I had to get it. I had just finished a book and needed something light to read for a weekend - something that would take a day or two to read at most. And whereas this book did fit that need, it was disappointing and fell short of what I think the true meaning behind the story was.

Don't get me wrong, Miss Harbison can write a mean girl like no tomorrow. In her first novel, the main character Bridget was one of those girls you just loved to hate. To be frank, she was a bitch. There was no nice way to get around that. She was loathsome, she was hateful, she was self-centered - she was every bad quality in a "mean girl" that you could possibly have rolled into one pretty little package.

Becca Normandy is the "mean girl" in this new novel. And right away, I found myself disliking her. And for the life of me, I couldn't figure out just why everyone liked her. Were they really that stupid? Were they really that blind? How could they sit there and hang out with her and not see how fake she was? How manipulative she was? How cruel she was? I know that teenagers can be a bit  disillusioned about things but this was going a bit overboard. I just had trouble believing that teenagers are really that easily fooled.

The story swaps between Becca's story and the "new girl", whose name we don't even find out until the last chapter. Becca went missing the year before while attending this prestigious academy up north. Which in return open up a spot for "new girl" to attend. However, "new girl" quickly realizes that she'll be living in Becca's shadows, being constantly compared to her and knowing that she'll never be good enough for the people around her.

"New girl", whose name is Callie, was a likable sort. She seemed to be the only level-headed person in the story. She knew she couldn't live up to what Becca left behind. And even though she tried to stand up for herself and tell those around her that she wasn't trying to take Becca's spot, she failed miserably as the others were too set in this illusion that hung over this academy that Becca would return.

I utterly despised her roommate. Dana came off to me as someone who needed a good slap across the face  or a good shaking. The way she treated Callie was just ridiculous and uncalled for. I spent most of the book thinking she needed to be locked in a mental institution and couldn't believe that the administration would even allow her to treat people the way she did.

Blake was likable - and I'm happy that at least one of the students in the academy had a level head on her shoulder. She didn't fall prey to the whole Becca ordeal and was a true friend to Callie. That was admirable.

Max and Johnny. These two boys aggravated me so much. Although after a while, I felt sorry for Max the more I read about Becca - he truly was stuck with this psycho girl who had this incredible need to control everyone. Although I do think he could have stood up more for himself - and for Callie. I was happy to see they were keeping in touch after graduation. Johnny, on the other hand, annoyed me greatly. He had already proved that he wasn't a good friend as he was sneaking around behind Max's back with Becca. He tended to lead girls on as well - jumping on Callie as soon as she arrived at the school and fighting Max for her affections. It was almost as if he had to relive the Becca thing all over again.

As for the story, it was really choppy and short, not very descriptive. The one thing that annoyed me the most about the writing was that it came off so juvenile. I know that it's a young adult novel but to refer to having sex as "doing it" then having the characters calling each other a "fucking bitch" was a bit contradictory. So they can curse at each other and call each other names but they can't say they had sex?

The ending didn't really surprise me. I figured that it could go one of two ways. To be honest, the way it went was a big disappointing. No one ever truly found out what a cruel, vindictive person Becca was and everyone went on their merry little ways in the end. It was so unfinished and so lackluster.

All in all, I was disappointed. It won't stop me from reading more of Miss Harbison's book but I do hope that a bit more thought will be put into the next one.

Review: Awakening the Nightmare by Lanie Malone

Awakening the Nightmare by Lanie Malone
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



View all my reviews

I was given this book to read in exchange for a review. I have to say that upon reading the summary for it that it sounded like something I would enjoy. And for the most part I did. Miss Malone is by no argument a good writer who can easily capture the reader's interest.

So let's start with the characters of the book. The lead character, Corinne "Cory" DeLacy quickly intrigued me. It was known right off that Cory was hiding a secret about who she was and aspects of her past which is one reason why I had trouble putting down the book as I had to find out just what she was hiding. I enjoyed this character a lot - she was strong, passionate, level-headed and caring. She took in those who needed safety and shelter, she did what she could to protect them. That in itself was admirable.

Opposite of Cory was Nick - I wasn't too crazy about him. He came off as selfish and a bit controlling to me for a big part of the book. Then did a complete 180 when he suddenly was no longer wary of a woman he knew nothing about and found himself in love with her. Whereas I'm happy they found their happily ever after, I don't think he was the best choice for someone like Cory and it came off as a bit rushed to me.

I definitely loved the cast of characters that Cory had "taken in" for protection, especially the bartender fae who despite what people may think was a large male. I wish we could have found out more about Edge as he intrigued me as well with his relationship with Cory and how well they played off of one another. I would also love to read more about Cory's father, "Belly" as she called him. Perhaps in the future, we'll see their stories expanded on if Miss Malone makes this into a series. So if I were to rate the characters in this book? 4 out of 5 stars.

As for the plot, it dragged a bit for me at first. Upon starting the book, I was a bit afraid that the story was going to follow the same pattern as many other "supernatural" books I have read and feared after a few chapters that I would be correct in this assumption. I wanted something different and thankfully mid-way through this book, it picked up and added in a few twists and turns that I hadn't been expecting. I won't ruin the storyline, though. So no spoilers here. I would give the plot a 3 out of 5 mostly due to beginning.

Cory's secret. To be honest, I had it figured out before she even told her story. This disappointed me a bit as I do like a bit of surprise when reading a book. And I think it took away a bit of a wow-factor that would have came with the admission of what she was and how she got to be that way. However, the back story was much appreciated and added to who Cory was. I would give this a 3 out of 5.

All in all, I highly suggest this book for a weekend read and look forward to other stories written by Miss Malone. A big thank you to the author for allowing me to read her novel. I appreciate it. My review was not changed in any form or fashion in regards to this.
 

Book Review: Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

Dreamless (Starcrossed, #2) by Josephine Angelini 
                            My Rating: 5 of 5 stars 
Blurb:
Can true love be forgotten?

As the only scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.

Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out—a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies' cry for blood is growing louder.

As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen's sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos.

Josephine Angelini's compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding as an unforgettable love triangle emerges and the eternal cycle of revenge intensifies. Eagerly awaited, this sequel to the internationally bestselling Starcrossed delivers a gritty, action-packed love story that exceeds all expectations.

Review:
I read Starcrossed about two months ago, I may have even yelled at the book when it ended. Thankfully I didn't have too long to wait until Dreamless was released, some Scion fans have been waiting much longer, but regardless of the wait, we were all eagerly anticipating the release.

I, for one was not disappointed, (well it COULD have been longer but that isn't the point). At 11:30 on May 29th my pre-order copy was on my Kindle, and I may have done a happy dance in my chair.  I literally could not put it down; I had to occasionally though, mostly because I didn't want it to end.

After a suspense building prologue, Dreamless begins in the Underworld and only a few days after Starcrossed ends.  I enjoy when sequels start soon after the prior book, there is less "while we were gone" to catch the reader up on, and it makes me feel more immersed in the plot when I haven't missed much of the characters lives.

Anyway, we find Helen literally going through hell.  Every night she descends into the underworld, but with waking worlds pressure of her task and the tangle of her feelings for Lucas, the Underworld she descends to is often unnavigable.

Josephine solves this for us with the introduction of a lovely (and by lovely I mean HOT) new character named Orion.

Orion is one of a few new characters introduced in Dreamless, and defiantly the most intriguing, he brings with him a love triangle and a shadowy past which I found delicious; I still haven't decided if I'm more of a team Lucas or team Orion kind of girl, if I was Helen I don't think I could choose.

Along with the new characters in Dreamless we get a bit more time with some of the original characters, there is more development to both personalities and the relationships of the other characters, both scion and human. 

I have nothing bad to say about this book, the plot thickens, the mythology deepens, and we find out more history of the scions as we get even more attached to Josephine's strong and multi-faceted characters.  New scions and gods run rampant through Dreamless building tangible suspense, I found myself chewing my nails through certain parts, cheering through others and once or twice even yelling at a character, (mostly Lucas).

 Dreamless is a fantastic sequel to Starcrossed, and I know I'll be re-reading them both a few times before the final book comes out.

Though it is labeled as young adult, and the majority of the characters are teens I recommend this series to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance or urban fantasy.