jbronderbookreviews

Ninth City Burning by J. Patrick Black

Centuries of war with aliens threaten the future of human civilization on earth in this gripping, epic science fiction debut…

We never saw them coming.

Entire cities disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving nothing but dust and rubble. When an alien race came to make Earth theirs, they brought with them a weapon we had no way to fight, a universe-altering force known as thelemity. It seemed nothing could stop it—until we discovered we could wield the power too.

Five hundred years later, the Earth is locked in a grinding war of attrition. The talented few capable of bending thelemity to their will are trained in elite military academies, destined for the front lines. Those who refused to support the war have been exiled to the wilds of a ruined Earth.

But the enemy’s tactics are changing, and Earth’s defenders are about to discover this centuries-old war has only just begun. As a terrible new onslaught looms, heroes will rise from unlikely quarters, and fight back.

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Author’s Bio

Patrick Black has worked as a bartender, a lifeguard, a small-town lawyer, a homebuilder, and a costumed theme park character, all while living a secret double life as a fiction writer. While fiction is now a profession, he still finds occasion to ply his other trades as well. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts, where he likes to visit the ocean. NINTH CITY BURNING is his first (published) novel. He is at work on his next book.

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My Review

4 stars

Five hundred years ago, on Valentine’s Day, aliens attacked the Earth. The power they use is called thelemity and luckily humans can learn to manipulate it. This ability has lead to the stalemate in the war with the Valentines. Those that are discovered to be able to work with thelemity are immediately send to be trained. Then there are those that are the soldiers that fight, that that work the factories providing resources, and those that want nothing to do with this war that are outcasts. This story revolves around several people, their places in this war, and how they are doing everything they can to survive and hopefully defeat the Valentines.

This is a large world filled with lots of detail. We follow along with seven teenagers from the different corners of this new world. Each voice has their own perks, quirks, and individual reasons. I liked seeing the variety of people that now exist in this world. It was easy to follow along with each person since they were clearly defined. I will admit some were a little more annoying than others with their particular habits, but that is human nature.

The first portion of Ninth City Burning has a lot of science and explanations as to what is happening and why. This is a bit dry and overwhelming at times. But if you stick with it the book gets better.

Overall I liked this book. This is a big, new world and needs to be built which slowed the book down. Having said that, I liked the concept and the references to pop culture which had me laughing. I am definitely curious to see what happens in the next book.

I received Ninth City Burning from the publisher for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

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Finding Molly: An Adventure in Catsitting #1

by Justine Prado, Jenn St-Onge and Carey Piestsch

Fresh out of art school and creatively unfulfilled, Molly is stuck in the suburbs with her parents and their cat, Pishi. When she is offered an opportunity to cat sit, she sees it as a way to get closer to her friends who live in the Los Angeles Arts District while fulfilling her dream of making a living as an artist.

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My Review

5 stars

Molly is just out of college and trying to find her place in the world. Presently she is living with her parents are she finds a niche for her art. She finds herself creating cat portraits and ends up becoming a cat sitter. She starts saving up and manages to get an apartment in the building with her friends. But Molly is struggling and still having a hard time adjusting.

I really liked this book. I LOVE graphic novels and since I am a huge cat fan I just couldn’t say no to this book.

Molly wants to be one her own but she is almost too dependent on her parents.  I do understand the struggle to move out on your own but Molly seems to expect to find a place right away where she is an artist. I admit that I was a touch irritated with this part. Beyond that, her adventures with the cats was spot on and I loved how she eventually found her place.

The artwork was beautiful and I love how vibrant the colors were. It was easy to get drawn into the images and the story. I really loved this book and can’t wait to read more from EMET Comics.

I received Finding Molly: An Adventure in Catsitting from EMET Comics for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

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