by Lisi Harrison
[Monster High #1]
The monster community has kept a low profile at the local high school, but when two new girls enroll, the town will never be the same. Created just fifteen days ago, Frankie Stein is psyched to trade her father's formaldehyde-smelling basement lab for parties and prom.Short review, it's a Young Adult novel, about young teenage monsters living with their secret monster community, but attending a normal high school. High on angst and idiotic behavior, about trying to be true to yourself, and low on trying to really understand one's self. Good for the Young Adult crowd, and decently well written with polish. Annoying that that that the story arc is broken up into rather short books. Probably a good recommend for the Twilight type crowd, but not for me.
But with a student body totally freaked out by rumors of monsters stalking the halls, Frankie learns that high school can be rough for a chic freak like her. She thinks she finds a friend in fellow new student Melody Carver-but can a "normie" be trusted with her big secret?
by Sheryl Nantus
Saving the world is easy for a superhero—unless you’re a fraud.The concept/plot reminded me of bit of Playing for Keeps, although it's more accurate to say the concept is identical to Other People's Heroes and In Hero Years... I'm Dead. Superhero fights are fake, designed to keep real violence down to a minimum. The only problem is, when someone turns up who doesn't know it's fake, the whole world goes down the drains. While not unique in concept, the plot is different enough from the other novels I listed to be enjoyable on it's own. Also like all the other novels, the status quo is dumped by the end, to reveal a much more random world later, one that should lead to some rip-roaring super adventures. Another decently well written novel by a newcomer, one worth the price. Recommended for the Superhero enthusiasts.
Jo Tanis fights evil—and it’s all just a show. The Agency captures her and others like her, pitting them against each other in staged fights.
When Earth comes under attack, suddenly it becomes deadly real. Millions are going to die unless Jo can cobble together a team from the surviving supers. Including Hunter, who seems to know more than he should.
Forcing former enemies to work together is the least of Jo’s problems. She must decide if Hunter is friend or foe—and become a real superhero.
by James Maxey
Richard Rogers wakes one morning to find himself transformed into an invisible man. Suddenly thrust into a new life as a superhero called Nobody, he fights alongside two stunningly sexy superheroines – Rail Blade and the Thrill – in an effort to thwart the evil schemes of global terrorist Rex Monday. Sparks fly, adrenaline pulses, whole cities fall, but in the end, Nobody gets the girl!Short review: A fun highly stylized look at if Dr Manhattan of Watchmen hadn't come back blue, but as a normally looking human, whose still a god. Okay, not quite what the novel is really about, the main villain and his origins really remind me of Dr Manhattan from Watchmen. While the hero, is the Invisible man, only really just the man whose not real. Fun to read, although a little complex at some points. But a good short novel from the author of Bitterwood.
by Ian Whates
[Noise #1]
On the brink of perfecting the long sought-after human/AI interface, Philip Kaufman finds his world thrown into turmoil as a scandal from the past returns to haunt him and dangerous information falls into his hands. Pursued by assassins and attacked in his own home, he flees.Reminded the most of Peter F Hamilton's books, for it's complexity and the interweaving of high technology into a rip-roaring space opera. Unfortunately, of the two books in the duology, I liked the first book much more then the second. The first book felt like a much more conventional mystery in a sci-fi universe with a lot of characters intermixing, but still all on their own paths and plots. While the overall picture remained a tantalizing mystery. While also not non-stop action, what there was of it, was also much more straight forward and believable. I'd give it an A for effort and writing style, and recommend it to those who like a more complex plot, with some good space opera style action scenes. But really, skip the second novel, and let your imagination fill in what you think was going to happen.
Leyton, a government black-ops specialist, is diverted from his usual duties to hunt down the elusive pirate vessel The Noise Within, wondering all the while why this particular freebooter is considered so important. Two lives collide in this stunning space-opera from debut novelist Ian Whates!
Ian Whates
[Noise #2]
While mankind is adjusting to its first ever encounter with an alien civilisation – the Byrzaens – black ops specialist Jim Leyton reluctantly allies himself with the mysterious habitat in order to rescue the woman he loves. This brings him into direct conflict with his former employers: the United League of Allied Worlds government.
Scientist and businessman Philip Kaufman is fast discovering there is more to the virtual world than he ever realised. Yet it soon becomes clear that all is not well within the realm of Virtuality. Truth is hidden beneath lies and there are games being played, deadly games with far reaching consequences.
Both men begin to suspect that the much heralded ‘First Contact’ is anything but first contact, and that a sinister con is being perpetrated with the whole of humankind as the victim. Now all they have to do is prove it.
Because in this the second novel, what was complex, just becomes kind of shallow and one track, with the plot although still following several characters, barely veered off the now much more narrow plot track. Without reading the ending, I could fore see where the plot was going, and how annoying the whole two book set seemed.
So if you've got to read the end of the duology, then I'd recommend the novel. But like I stated above, save the money, let your imagination write a better plot for you.