Showing posts with label Sunshine Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sunshine Series. Show all posts

Friday, July 18, 2014

Sun Damage Review

Sun Damage by Nikki Rae (ARC Review)
Self Published March 28, 2014
2.5 Chipped Fangs

"If death was as simple as the Author describes, why did the characters care so much about it?"

Synopsis -

Life wasn't what Sophie was expecting, so why should death be any different? 

She’s come back from swimming between the two, and every problem she left is still there. And then some.

There’s the human world, where she has a brother on the verge of ruins, band mates all set to go on tour, and people she thought she wouldn't be seeing for a long time showing up.

Then there’s her new world, where she’s seeing and hearing things that should not be heard or seen. Where Myles knows more about her than she could have ever guessed. She still doesn't know exactly why Michael is tormenting her, but somehow, everything is connected.

The monsters are closing in on all sides and the question is, will Sophie be able to defeat them before it all ends?  (Goodreads)

Review -

The final book in the Sunshine Trilogy, Sun Damage, wraps most things up, though still not all.  Readers will see the growth of the Author in her words, as they flow much more smoothly than that of the first two books, Sunshine and Sun Poisoned.  While I know the story is strictly how the author views the fantasy world in their mind, a little dose of reality in the pages goes a very long way.   That is not really seen in these pages, at least not enough.  It would be a wonderful world indeed if when one dies they could still interact with the living, even if just in dreams, whether they are of the supernatural nature or not.  That being said, if that truly is the case in this world, why would any of them care whether they died or not, seeing as how life, even unlife, will go on with them still in it.   How could the living be expected to just move on, when the loved one they thought to have lost is still with them, and not just as a memory?  Also, if it were as simple as that, why did Sophie's father not come to her and help her deal with the situation he essentially put her in?

Sophie finally learns the truth of her blood, the reason Michael wants to kill her.  She also learns that pretty much every word from out of Myles' mouth has been a lie.  Upon learning this, she decides she wants nothing to do with him.  Not a very smart move considering she is now a brand new vampire who is about to go on a cross country tour on a bus full of humans, oh, and did I mention she hasn't even properly fed yet.  Sophie has not been able to consume any type of blood, bagged, animal or even from a live donor.  Hmm...what type of blood would that leave?  Sadly, it takes them a very long time to figure that one out, and poor Jade almost pays the price.  And the final showdown finally comes to a head with Michael.

I would not recommend this book to hard-core vampire fans, but I would to fans of novels like Twilight and The Immortals (the one with that dimwit Ever).  This novel would have been so much better had the author took a few different turns along the way.  When death is downplayed to the point where it really has no meaning, the reader loses interest in whether or not any of the characters live or die.  But, in between the lines readers will see the potential for a great author.  Here's to hoping for better in her next series.




Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Sun Poisoned Review

Sun Poisoned by Nikki Rae (ARC Review)
Self-Published June 28, 2013
2 Chipped Fangs

"Never judge a book by its cover, you may be disappointed."

Synopsis -

Sophie’s life has changed. She’s moved to New York, she’s playing music for new people, and she’s making new friends. Then there’s Myles, and the fact that he is now her boyfriend—and everyone knows it.

She’s not exactly normal, living in a half-human, half-vampire world, but she’s finally, truly happy. However, some parts of Sophie and Myles’ old lives still hide in the dark, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.

Sophie’s having nightmares again, but they aren't about her; Myles is hiding something as well, something Sophie isn’t sure she wants to know.

And one lie will change everything.

No matter how hard she tries to cover up the marks her monsters have left behind, they never truly go away, and Myles’ monsters are no different.

Once again, Sophie’s caught between life and death, but this time, only she can save herself.  (Goodreads)

Review -

Book 2 proves to be better than Book 1, though not by much.  Not sure whether or not to like Sophie, hate her or not care about her one way or the other.  And there are so many aspects to this story that I am really not even understanding.  For one, why in the world does this girl sleep so much.  We're talking anywhere from 14 hours to 2 days.  And the cutting thing, I get it, I did it, but not at such a young age.  If it had began after her rape, that I may have been able to understand, it didn't.  This is coming from someone who has a mother who hates her, a father that was never around, molested at a young age and raped at sixteen, the same age Sophie was.  So yeah, I have room to talk, been there done that and all that jazz, and its not a subject I take lightly.  No worries though, all it took for her to stop was her boyfriend who's not really her boyfriend to tell her to.

Myles now knows about what happened with Jack, and to Sophie's surprise he sticks around.  He also moves her and her friends to New York to become a true band.  At least that's the story he gives her.  What he is really doing is putting them under protection.  Though even that doesn't ultimately stop Michael.  When there is a will there is always a way, and this time someone she loves will get caught in the crossfire.

Book 2 does have a little more action and is not as drawn out, but still gives the reader no answers.  It drags out the inevitable and makes one want to strangle the main character that much more.  Bringing in even more characters and raising more questions that never get answered, not even in the final book.  And Myles turns out to be a liar extraordinaire, the things he keeps from Sophie are things he has no right to.  Letting her believe Michael was dead is only the tip of the iceberg.  

Book 2 could have used some more work, but it does at least flow just a tad bit smoother, and shows some of the characters with a little more depth.

On to Book 3...

Sunshine Review

Sunshine by Nikki Rae (ARC Review)
Published January 28, 2013 by Author
1 Crooked Fang

"Think Twilight without the sparkles, only worst."

Synopsis -

Sophie Jean is pretty good at acting normal. She can pretend she’s not allergic to the sun. She can hide what her ex-boyfriend did to her. She can cover up the scars she’s made for herself. Ignore anything. Forget anything.

Then Myles enters her life, and he has more than a few secrets of his own. Sophie discovers that when she's with him she is feeling too much. Remembering too much.

It’s one thing covering up her own dark past, but does she really need to worry about people finding out just how much Myles likes her? Or that despite how much she doesn’t want to repeat past mistakes, she kind of likes him back? Not to mention the fact that she now has to conceal that Myles drinks blood-that he says he’s about four hundred years old.

But Sophie can deal with this little glitch, no problem. Even if she’s putting the few people she loves at risk. Suddenly, those who were monsters before are just people, and the monsters? They’re real. Now being a normal human being is the least of her problems. Now she has to stay alive.  (Goodreads)

Review -

Truth be told, I had the hardest time finishing book 1, and I skimmed through quite a bit of it, let alone making it all the way to the end of the series'.  If it wasn't for the synopsis, one wouldn't even really know what the book was about until the middle, almost the even of the book.  Substance was pretty lacking, story-line left much to be desired, but worst of all was that there was so much potential for this to be a great series', unfortunately....

Book 1 starts off telling readers who Sophie (Sunshine) is.  A teenage girl who is deathly allergic to sunlight, but not for the reason that most readers would be thinking, it being a vampire book and all.  Even after reading the entire book, readers will be no closer to learning where exactly her allergy is from.  Sophie besides having to deal with blisters as opposed to Acne, she also must deal with a mother who wants her to be someone she's not, an ex-boyfriend who committed the unspeakable and no-one who truly understands what she's going through.  So upon meeting Myles and him telling her he too had a sun allergy when younger, only he grew out of it, it seemed as though finally there was someone who truly did understand.  Little did she know at the time that his allergy was far from genetic.  

It seems that all is only the beginning of her troubles, enters Michael.  Michael is one of the oldest vampires, and he also the craziest, and most deadly, his blood is poisonous to humans and vampires alike.  And when it comes to Sophie he is dead set on killing her, which shouldn't be so hard since she's only human.  And, lucky for Sophie, it probably wouldn't have been if wasn't so into his games.

As I previously stated, this book had extreme epic potential, but I found it sorely lacking.  Events were too drawn out, the words didn't exactly flow they more choppy than anything.  Readers will find themselves wanting to reach into the pages and wanting to just kill this chick themselves and put everyone out of their misery.   This book is definitely a Young Adult, Adult Paranormal fans who also enjoy YA, especially ones that are truly vampire lovers, will not enjoy this series though they probably wouldn't even make past book 1.  Though if you are like me and just have to finish a series once you've started it, either do the whole thing in one fell swoop, or not at all.  

As you read each book, readers will be able to see the growth in Nikki Rae's writing skills.  That it itself made me grateful that I did finish.  As the series progresses, so does she.  So here's to looking forward to her next series. 

On to Book 2...



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