Jessica MeatsBesprekingen

Meta and fun. A tongue-in-cheek take on the superhero genre with full awareness of storytelling tropes, even incorporating them in as plot points. I loved the idea of cats portraying aspects of storytelling (Continuity Jaguar!). And that the main hero's superpower is technicalities.

Fluffy, quick, and amusing.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.

Before I say anything about this book, this is the first one I’ve read by author Jessica Meats, and I’m obsessed with it. A pretty solid book at over 400 pages, I powered through it. I couldn’t get enough, and if I could rate this book at 10 stars, I absolutely would. I don’t have any complaints, and if this is how all of the author’s books are, I can’t wait to get my hands on more.

Check out my full review here!

https://radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com/2020/09/01/wolf-unleashed-by-jessic...

This book felt like it was trying so hard to be meta that it lost the joy of telling a story. I was incredibly intrigued by the premise so I'm disappointed. DNF.

Shadows of Tomorrow
By: Jessica Meats
Narrated by: Jake Urry
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
I really enjoyed this sci-fi book. The characters were well developed and introduced in a way that was different and interesting, I liked it and found it flowed well in the story. The plot...it was always ahead of me, and never what I thought was going to happen. So many twists, turns, unpredictable but satisfying. Lots of action, adventure, of course great sci-fi, creatures, and friendship. I haven't read any of this author's books before but I will be looking for them now.
The narrator was perfect for this book! He did the voices well and kept the action and tension for the scenes just right! Great acting. Wonderful job!!!

Full disclosure: I got a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Well bless it's heart. I did start off really enjoy this one – despite there being many, many superhero spoofs out there it came up with some original and funny gags – but it felt like the joke went on too long, and nothing kills comedy like padding.

Perhaps I'm the problem, though. Terry Pratchett was the king of this sort of comic genre literature and I've always had a love/hate relationship with his work; the impressive world-building and genuine insight are always at odds with the tendency to overextend a gag or for the comedy to undermine the tension and plot – all criticisms I could level at this book.

Were it not for the sex references I'd have said it was a great book for kids; whatever its faults, the book's got a winning joi de vivre that I think kids would get into. I'd love to read a children's book by the same author.

The Adventures of Technicality Man is a weak novella that would have made a terrific short story. The cover is gorgeous though.

This exciting science fiction story had a bit of everything: ravenous alien creatures that appear through portals, a skilled group of "defenders" who attempt to protect earth from these monsters, named "The Outsiders"; special powers, fighting and action scenes, betrayal, secrets, and even some romance.
The characters were well developed and I thought the group of defenders was made up of a good variety of different personalities. I enjoyed the relationships and the dialogue among the defenders. In particular, Cassie's story of joining the training to become a defender from her background of having been a successful athlete was interesting. The book was generally well written; the only thing that interrupted the flow a bit were the inserted back stories of each character. They were great for getting to know the characters, but I wished that information had been inserted into the story in a different way.
The end leaves a few things open, presumably to be continued in the sequel Between Yesterdays. A very suitable story for a younger audience, clean with regards to language and romance, nothing graphic.
The audiobook narration by Jake Urry brought the characters to life and made them easily distinguishable through subtle differences. The only thing I was missing here and there was a bit of emotion.
Overall, an easy to follow, suspenseful sci-fi adventure recommended for all ages.

I haven’t read anything like this before. The general idea felt fresh and original, and I particularly like the fact it was told from multiple POV as this meant you followed the story, and not everything happens to the one unlucky guy. It also helped build strong characters, making the whole story more engaging. You can tell the author knows a thing or two about computer programming and seeming I couldn’t know less, I learnt a thing or two reading this. I thoroughly enjoyed it, the twists were brilliant I was given a proof copy so I found a few mistakes (like serious instead of series) but that didn’t matter once the story got going.

However, there were a few reasons why I wouldn’t give this five stars. The opening scene is a rush of names and confusion, and turns out, an important scene to remember for later in the novel. This initially made it hard to get into and put me off a little. Also there were some places that felt rushed, where I felt it needed a little padding out for tension and for the story to feel more realistic and emotional. I also felt like this could easily be two novels, and may even be better if it was. The novel seems to pick up where the good bits are, just after all the struggling which means that the climax just isn’t as high as it could have been. That being said, it was worth reading and I loved the ending. I wouldn’t change a thing about that.

An engaging look at a near-future society, I'd recommend this book to the older end of the young adult audience. Adults may initially find the young cast offputting, especially if they're not used to YA, but if you can read past that this is a fast paced action story. The book has a strong British setting that's very refreshing, and does not pull punches. I'd be interested in seeing it released as an eBook - or maybe two, as it was originally intended.

www.solelyfictional.org

I like all sorts of books including detective/thriller types and this is a great read. A fast paced adventure with plenty of twists and surprises to keep you on your toes and to challenge the assumptions you begin to make as the story unfolds. The characters are likeable and you find yourself hoping everyone can get things resolved but knowing this can't possibly happen, or can it?

Although I wouldn't generally look in the SciFi genre having erroneously imagined that this only covered Space and Aliens I'm very glad I took this up. The technology although futuristic is perfectly believable, the author obviously knows her stuff.

Well written and yet an 'easy' read at the same time, not a combination that is always achieved. For this reason I also think it might appeal to youngsters/teens who have outgrown children's books but are only just getting into longer adult novels.

I have just finished reading Child of the hive & i belive it is the best book i have read this year. I would not recomend this book for younger children though, in my opinion i would say it is aimed at young adults say 15+. It has a great story line and there is a lot of humer, there is something for everyone. I recomend this book whole heartedly.