Genetically Enhanced Superhumans or We Call Them Specials

~The Specials~
By Kel Pollard
Amazon

When three very different high school students are rushed to the school nurse's office with severe headaches, they realize they have something very special in common...

Kory can move things with his mind.
Heather can hear people's thoughts.
David can freeze time.

How did the powers develop? What caused them? Are they dangerous? Rogue scientist Dr. Walter Strong seems to have all the answers, but the three teenagers are wary when he tries to warn them about Ascentia, a secret organization whose sole purpose is to capture and control them by any means necessary. It is only when members of Ascentia's Specials Recovery Unit attack their homes and abduct their loved ones that Kory, Heather and David are left with no choice but to trust Dr. Strong, and to risk their lives to save the people they care about most.


Chosen at random from my extensive library of free Kindle e-books I've acquired over the years, this one looked to be an interesting YA stand-alone. Three teens suddenly find themselves with super powers and an evil secret organization bearing down on them—sounds like some campy fun, right?

Ebony Skin, as Smooth as Silk, Almost Glows It's So Radiant

~Wings of Ebony~
Book 1
By J. Elle
Amazon ~ Powell's

“Make a way out of no way” is just the way of life for Rue. But when her mother is shot dead on her doorstep, life for her and her younger sister changes forever. Rue's taken from her neighborhood by the father she never knew, forced to leave her little sister behind, and whisked away to Ghizon—a hidden island of magic wielders.

Rue is the only half-god, half-human there, where leaders protect their magical powers at all costs and thrive on human suffering. Miserable and desperate to see her sister on the anniversary of their mother’s death, Rue breaks Ghizon’s sacred Do Not Leave Law and returns to Houston, only to discover that Black kids are being forced into crime and violence. And her sister, Tasha, is in danger of falling sway to the very forces that claimed their mother’s life.

Worse still, evidence mounts that the evil plaguing East Row is the same one that lurks in Ghizon—an evil that will stop at nothing until it has stolen everything from her and everyone she loves. Rue must embrace her true identity and wield the full magnitude of her ancestors’ power to save her neighborhood before the gods burn it to the ground.


I believe I found this one through Facebook and/or new release emails from my library. Since reading Legendborn last year I'm really interested in reading fantasy woven into and around Black traditions and experiences. Other than reading the summary blurb, I really had no idea what I was getting into, or just how much this book would dig its claws into me.

She Was, After All, Soulless and Practical

~Soulless~
The Parasol Protectorate
Book the First
By Gail Carriger
Amazon ~ Powell's

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations.

First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire--and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?


I've had this one on my To-Read shelf since forever. Being a sucker for werewolves and vampires, the premise hooked me from the get-go, plus that cover image was perfection. I bought a used copy of it ages ago, but never quite got around to diving in until this month the Maven of the Eventide's (aka Elisa Hansen's) Vampire Book Club chose it as their next read (the club's review/discussion will be held March 15th at 5:30 PDT on her channel for any interested). Though I'm more on Team Werewolf than Team Vamp, this excuse was as good as any to finally take the plunge and start my first ever Steampunk series. And boy was it steamy.

You Are the Lightbringer, and Our World Is Growing Dark

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books, Furyborn and Kingsbane, or don't mind knowing MAJOR spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT

~Lightbringer~
Empirium Trilogy
Book 3
By Claire Legrand
Amazon ~ Powell's

Queen Rielle, pushed away from everything she loves, turns to Corien and his promises of glory. Meanwhile, whispers from the empirium slowly drive her mad, urging her to open the Gate. Separated from Audric and Ludivine, she embraces the role of Blood Queen and her place by Corien’s side, determined to become the monster the world believes her to be.

In the future, Eliana arrives in the Empire’s capital as a broken shell of herself. Betrayed and abandoned, she fights to keep her power at bay—and away from Corien, who will stop at nothing to travel back in time to Rielle, even if that means destroying her daughter.

But when the mysterious Prophet reveals themselves at last, everything changes, giving Rielle and Eliana a second chance for salvation—or the destruction their world has been dreading.


I've made no effort to hide how much Kingsbane's ending affected me. In fact, I've mentioned in several other reviews how depressed I was, and how I didn't plan on ever reading it again, regardless of my tradition of rereading series leading up to the latest book. It was really thanks to the audiobook that I ended up revisiting both Furyborn and Kingsbane, partly to refresh myself on the characters, but mostly so I could give a review of the audio throughout the series. And I will say, thanks in part to the year of letting my wounds heal, and having the expectation of devastation in my mind throughout the reread, I entered into this final chapter with a bit more hope than I last left off.