Morrighan's Book Reviews: Mini-Review Monday: Heritage & Monster's Children

Monday, May 8, 2017

Mini-Review Monday: Heritage & Monster's Children

A new meme hosted by yours truly! Mini-Review Monday, for those sleepy Mondays that you just can't seem to write a whole review. Brain not ready to deal with the week? Still asleep from the weekend? No problem- post a mini-review, or a few at once, and get those books you read over the weekend out of the way!
fantasy book reviews

Heritage
By Addie Hunter
Series: Transcend #1
Paperback: 197 pages
Publication Date: March 28, 2017
Publisher: Self Published / Createaspace
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ✰ ✰ ( 3 out of 5 Stars )

Arhaus, Nevada is a small town on I-70 that currently has more superheroes than trees. After an accident in the summer of 2012, six teens gain superhuman abilities and quickly decide to put them to good use and become heroes in a world that's since lost its good opinion of people with abilities. As if that weren't enough trouble trying to keep their powers hidden from their friends and family, they're going into their senior year of high school. Strange symbols begin appearing all around town, a new kid moves in, someone threatens to bomb the news building, and Dave still can't find a date to his senior homecoming. Blaise hopes that they can figure out who keeps setting all these fires, and Kat just wants to graduate in one piece. The first novel in the Transcend series, Heritage sets up a universe full of the supernatural, following the lives of six friends as they begin to find out the world is much bigger than it once seemed.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much Addie for the chance to read your work (:

The idea of this book, 6 teenage superheroes saving the world while still attending high school was a great concept. I loved the idea, and I really wanted to love the book too. There were way too many times when I was left scratching my head though. The opening scene was never explained. Like, why did this doctor have Julie tied up, trying to get information out of her. It was confusing and I still have absolutely NO idea why or when this happened. I enjoyed the characters for the most part; Julie was definitely my favorite with her give no fucks attitude that was only a mask for her own personal issues. Her sarcasm and wit was well written. The other teens, although having major roles, kind of floated in the background of the story. I didn't like how the lead-up to prom was so long and drawn out. The entire prom scene was anti-climatic and definitely not worth the multitude of pages discussing it. There were a few hints to Julie being in love with Kat, and I kept hoping for some kind of reveal in that direction. Hopefully, that relationship can progress in the next books in this series. I enjoyed the action scenes, and I hope for more background story about their powers and Zach's role as well. All in all, I would absolutely read the next book in this series and I look forward to learning more about this world that Addie Hunter created.

"Stargazing was probably his favorite thing to do, aside from hero work. Looking at them, he just felt so present--so here, so grounded, so thoroughly rooted that it was like the stars were keeping him here. That they were the reason behind everything."

Monster's Children
By Dan Hansen
Series: The Trickster's War #1
Paperback: 304 pages
Publication Date: April 17, 2017
Publisher: Self Published / Createaspace
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ✯ ( 4.5 out of 5 Stars )
| Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble |
| Official Site | @DandanHansen |
Categories: Mythology, Magic, Review Copy

The Queen of Order and the Trickster gods originally formed an alliance to defend against the dreaded beast they called the Monster. That alliance was dashed with the Monster’s defeat. The war that erupted with the alliance’s dissolution has ripped the land apart for millennia. With recent defeats the Tricksters face an unpleasant truth. They need the help of their most malicious and feared member. They need Spider and her Chosen to win this war.
Jamie is the newest Chosen of the Spider. Having spent her childhood struggling to fit within society, Jamie has been set free from hiding behind masks. As she learns to contend with the power within her so to must she come to terms with her feelings for her alluring teammate Nettle.
Jamie and her team must discover what makes them so special before they fight against those that would bring Order to a world meant to stay wild and free. Most importantly she must learn what it means to be a monster’s child.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Dandan for the wonderful opportunity to read Monster's Children. I absolutely loved it! The story is fresh and so unexpected. I have read so many books based on mythology, but it is almost always mythology that everyone is familiar with. Familiarity is sometimes a good thing, but the recycling of the same idea tends to become maddening if encountered enough. Native American mythology is rare in the fantasy genre. I fell in love with the stories within stories in this beautifully written book. The Trickster Gods and their roles in the world, trying to maintain freedom and wildness and stifle the spread of order. It is a beautiful analogy of our world today, without coming out and smacking the reader in the face with it. Order; conformity of society, the belief that if you don't fit in with everyone else, you will become society's outcasts. The fear that is always drilled into us from birth through the media; do it our way or we will make sure your existence means nothing. But, I'm rambling..

I loved the characters, although I didn't really like how race was a huge issue at the beginning. I guess the author was trying to make a point that all of the races of the world would need to come together to fight this common enemy, but at first, it kind of put me off. I was worried that it would be an issue throughout, but thankfully, it was rarely mentioned again. There are five chosen Champions of the Trickster God, Spider. She is the most vengeful of the four Trickster Gods, and the most powerful. The Chosen are given pieces of her power to use in the war, and it makes them almost unstoppable. The other Gods fighting Order all have their own problems to face, and have almost given up.

"Coyote fights a guerilla war against a great black snake upon the land."

I absolutely love how the issue of pipelines and oil drilling pops up throughout this book! The great black snake prophecy has come to pass, and the war against it is happening now, all across the world. (#nodapl) I also enjoyed reading about the sweat lodge ritual, as I have never taken part in one and have always been interested in the ideas and meaning behind it.

"In your life, you will learn many ceremonies and many ways. It is good to embrace those that have meaning for you. Own yourself and your ways; do not own others. We should not claim to own things that belong to others; we merely borrowed it for a night, to share what needed to be shared."

There is a lot of philosophy thrown in here and there as well; Socrates and Plato, along with the idea of universal good and universal evil. Don't worry, it wasn't stuffy and outdated! It was written beautifully, and as a long-time reader, I love a book that makes me question everything. The fantasy aspect and the story were so well written that the philosophy only added to the story. The action scenes were too quick for me though, and that is the only reason I am giving this book 4.5 stars instead of a full 5. I wanted more fighting and adventure! The book ended way too quickly for me; I absolutely cannot wait until the next one comes out. This book is wonderful and I highly recommend reading it. Anyone who enjoys mythology and magic would love it, and come out on the other side with a greater understanding of the issues our world faces today. Thank you again Dandan for this book, and I can't wait until the second in The Tricksters' War Series is released. <3 fantasy book reviews

2 comments:

Joy May 8, 2017 at 8:24 PM
These two sound great. I love superheroes and mythology. Must look into both books!
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Review Request Policy

First and foremost, I am nothing if not honest. I cannot promise my review will be positive, but I will be professional about a negative review. I accept all genres, save for non-fiction and poetry, although I do prefer fantasy and science fiction. I more often than not will only read physical copies because I do not own an EReader, but will occasionally accept EPUBs.

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