Book Review: The Outlands

In the ruins of the world that was lies the city of Dios, a haven protected from the hostile environment known as The Outlands. Ruled by an oppressive Patriarch, the people of Dios are conditioned in fear. The smallest infraction could result in banishment to the Outlands, a fate worse than death. With his make-shift family of “Undesirables”, Jett Lasting struggles to find his place in a world where drawing attention to yourself can get you killed. His very existence is considered a crime. To survive, he must avoid guards, beggar gangs, and an ever-growing tension that could drag the whole city into chaos. Jett unwittingly becomes entwined in a plot to overthrow the government where his choices could lead to freedom or the death of everyone he’s ever known or cared about.

Book Review: Banshee

Welcome to the Enlightened States of America. WARNING! All illegals, outcasts and mutts will be turned away. Any who attempt to illegally cross our border, whether entering or exiting, will be shot on sight. The United States is gone, overthrown by a corporation known only as “the Orange.” Candor is an outcast, surviving on the outskirts of a society that has devolved into corporate tyranny. When an unexplainable entity assassinates all of the high-ranking federal officials, the struggling country is thrown deeper into a fervor of chaos. Candor comes forward to help and during the course of a government interview, he tells his story about his relationship with Banshee, an outcast like himself with some serious rage issues and some seriously strange abilities. While it is clear that Candor loves Banshee it becomes apparent that his love will never be enough to contain her.

Book Review: Knight in Paper Armor

A beautifully written YA book about a young boy, ostracized from everyone else and who has powers unimaginable, and who is saved by the confident, brave young girl he meets at school. Billy Jakobek isn't like other children--he lives as a kind of science experiment, his very existence a mystery. Natalia Gonzalez is a Guatemalan immigrant working hard to keep her family whole and well, and her life is turned upside down when she meets the strange new boy. Will their friendship and developing relationship survive what's coming?

Book Review: A Touch of Death

When a hike through the mountains goes wrong, Catherine and her SO's brother Nate find themselves in a world of trouble. Both are children of some of the richest and most influential families in their nation, but even that may not save them when they acquire a strange burning disease that may threaten the wellbeing of the rest of the citizens. Nate, a known rebel and ex-convict, believes that their only chance to survive is to flee their country and reach a place where their King has no control. But in order to reach that place, they must sneak through the entire country, not to mention survive the horrible creatures defined as mutants and rabids. Will they be able to find peace? Or will they die trying?