"A huge space station orbits the Earth, holding the last of humanity. It's broken, rusted, falling apart. We've wrecked our planet, and now we have to live with the consequences: a new home that's dirty, overcrowded and inescapable.
What's more, there's a madman hiding on the station. He's about to unleash chaos. And when he does, there'll be nowhere left to run."
Some interesting elements in this novel, even if I wasn't terribly satisfied with it. Tracer's are couriers who deliver packages, papers, etc. around the space station, running at top speed and guaranteed not to look at whatever they are carrying.
Loved the Parkour elements that Tracer's used and wish there had been more emphasis on this. (I first discovered parkour a few years ago when I read Data Runner and was fascinated and posted some videos on that review. Parkour is a remarkable...and remarkably dangerous sport.)
I liked the main character Riley and some of the secondary characters as well, but the novel spent too much time on the dark and dirty of the space station without my having a full sense of anything. I felt as if I couldn't "see" anything clearly. A lot of action, but strangely, some of the action dragged.
An interesting book with potential, and yet, it seemed to miss the mark in many ways.
NetGalley/Redhook Books
Science Fiction/Post-Apocalyptic. July 2, 2015. Print version: 432 pages.
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"When Martha Covington moves to Amberleen, Georgia, after her release from a psychiatric ward, she thinks her breakdown is behind her. A small town with a rich history, Amberleen feels like a fresh start. Taking a summer internship with the local historical society, Martha is tasked with gathering the stories of the Geechee residents of nearby Shell Heap Island, the descendants of slaves who have lived by their own traditions for the last three hundred years."
I enjoyed the idea of trying to protect the Geechee/Gullah culture, but wasn't at all happy with the paranormal path the book took. It felt as if the author rushed the initial parts of the novel as Martha adjusts to her new job and jumped right into several events that moved the novel to areas that were less realistic.
Don't get me wrong, I love paranormal, but the historical portion of the paranormal especially, just felt silly and contrived.
NetGalley/Random House/Alibi
Paranormal Mystery. Sept. 8, 2015. Print version: 292 pages.
Tracer sounds like an interesting read. I am fascinated by Parkour too. It's too bad the book wasn't better for you.
ReplyDeleteI like paranormal in books too, but if isn't woven into the story well and comes off feeling contrived, it doesn't work for me either.
Those Parkour athletes are pretty amazing! Foolish, in many cases, but amazing. Tracer made me feel as if I was in a dim place wearing sunglasses. :)
DeleteTracer sounds intriguing. And it was a pity about The Girl in the Maze; that title sounds good though. It's the type that would call out to me to peruse it if I see it at the bookstore. ;)
ReplyDeleteThe title appealed to me as well, but the book was a disappointment. I'm not even sure where the "maze" came from....
DeleteYou always find such interesting reads on NetGalley! I need to check it out more often. Both of these sound interesting even if the Girl book was a bit disappointing.
ReplyDelete