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The Luminaries #1
Kinetic
Being strong is one thing. Being an unlimited source of power is quite another.
Genetically altered by the Organization, Annie Fox takes down criminals CIA-style with her luminary strength. With nothing to mend but her broken heart, she is relentlessly pursued by her boss Derek Lake. Just when Annie is about to give him a chance, her ex-husband unexpectedly comes out of hiding.
A wanted man, Nick Logan is a cold-hearted murderer who is considered enemy number one, and orders are clear: kill on contact. He is more powerful than ever and threatens the lives of those she holds most dear. His plan? Get his hands on Annie and use her Kinetic energy to destroy them all. When Annie finds herself with an opportunity to end him, she pauses, horrified by the scars covering the face she once loved. A split second that will cost her everything…
Genetically altered by the Organization, Annie Fox takes down criminals CIA-style with her luminary strength. With nothing to mend but her broken heart, she is relentlessly pursued by her boss Derek Lake. Just when Annie is about to give him a chance, her ex-husband unexpectedly comes out of hiding.
A wanted man, Nick Logan is a cold-hearted murderer who is considered enemy number one, and orders are clear: kill on contact. He is more powerful than ever and threatens the lives of those she holds most dear. His plan? Get his hands on Annie and use her Kinetic energy to destroy them all. When Annie finds herself with an opportunity to end him, she pauses, horrified by the scars covering the face she once loved. A split second that will cost her everything…
336 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2013
About the author
S.K. Anthony
4 books76 followersS.K. Anthony (Shanny) is a make-stuff-up-er, an award-winning author, and podcaster who lives in New York. She is a wine connoisseur, which just really means she knows she loves it, and a caffeine addict. When she isn’t busy with her family, she finds herself being transported into the world of imagination. Well, either that or running away from spiders . . . she is convinced they are out to get her!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
November 16, 2014
"Strenght is one thing. But unlimited source of power is quite another."
Being a fan of kick ass, full of angst and mystery books, Kinetic caught my attention, not only because of stunningly beautiful cover, but also cause of the blurb that made it sound like the fast paced book I needed to read. And I wasn’t disappointed. Full of adrenaline, fights, secrets and danger, Kinetic made my heart beat a lot of faster. This sit gripping novel has a great paranormal twist that make Kinetic even more out of this world reading experience.
Annie Fox works for Organization, that is like paranormal CIA sector. She has abnormal strenght that make her almost invincible in fight, but her physical power, is nothing when her ex-husband that went bad and is extremely dangerous for whole world, is attacking Organization and wants her back.
Despite the fact years has passed since Nick broke her heart, the sight of him, still has some power over her. When they saw each other again, Annie couldn’t end him. She paused, terrified of what will happen now, when Nick’s planning something really bad. And the fact that her boss makes it known that he wants Annie in his bed, make her life’s interesting for sure. Now she has to face her fears and past, find out what’s really happening and who’s really the director in her black scenario.
There is no minute to feel bored, because trouble are always on it’s way to find the main character, Annie. This fantastic, funny and incredibly fierce character, made it hard for me not to cross my fingers for her and worring about her well being. It was like watching one of horror movies, when you yell at the character to not do it, to not to go there, but silently you want to know what will happen when she’ll do it anyway.
Well mixed dose of romance and life trouble made this book even more interesting and head spinning. And as I can't really reveal who's the man of Anne's heart, here is the quote that made me grin and swoon.
"We all have cracks and missing pieces, but I do love you".
Kinetic is must read for fans of action, suspense, endless conspiracies and kick ass stories that can easily blow your mind. This is a book for every adrenaline junkie that needs his/hers next fix.
More reviews on Smokin' Hot Book Blog and my Facebook Page
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July 29, 2014Kinetic blog tour, happening September 16th–28th, 2013!
September 26, 2013
2.5 stars
(This review is also posted on my blog, Tempest Books.)
Kinetic by S.K. Anthony is an urban fantasy novel about something that I've never read about before...luminaries. I honestly had no idea what luminaries were, and at first I thought that they were part of the paranormal world, like witches or fairies. But, no, luminaries are like....superheroes.
Normal people with special powers who come together to save the world from the bad guys!
The problem was, I'd found my heart staring at me through one eye, and I'd lost my shit.
Can I just say how much I loved all of the characters in this book? I did think that most of them were pretty static, but I adored Annie, Nick, Kevin...everybody! And I'm super excited by the fact that the next book in the series is going to be focused on Kevin, because he was my favorite character.
I never wanted to be one of those girls again, the ones who live for love or die for it. No, love no longer had any place in my empty chest.
While some people have this shelved as a "new adult" novel, I really don't think that it is. It's more of an urban fantasy that has two or three adult scenes. So, yes, this book is for 18+, but it's not new adult or romance at all. The love triangle between Annie, Nick, and Derek is important, but it's really only a background plot. It's all about the superpowers!
I really liked how things were constantly happening in this book. I was kept very entertained throughout, but it wasn't overly action-packed. I did think that it was a little bit predictable, though. There weren't any big surprises with where the plot was headed, and I knew beforehand which characters were going to turn out to be "bad" and which ones would be "good." But there was a CRAZY scene at the end of the book that was incredibly intense and had my heart racing, and I definitely did not see what happened in that scene coming. I even might've gotten a little bit teary-eyed!
The wounds in my skin had long since healed. The wounds in my heart? There are none. Too many holes had been dug inside for far too long. Nick was that last shovel, and there was nothing left.
One thing that I noticed about this book was that the quality seemed to take a bit of a downward spiral. At the beginning of the book, I was blown away by how awesome it was. But between the middle and the end of the book, I thought that the dialogue was poorly written (it was almost like I could tell that the book was being written, if you know what I mean...the characters weren't speaking like normal people) and there started to be a lot of plot elements that were way to "convenient." Like, oh, so-and-so just happened to be somewhere right at this exact moment, and then I happened to have these random files that give us all this information, and we just happen to be related. Stuff like that.
I also thought that the scientific part of the book could've been fleshed out a bit more. While I loved the idea behind this book, the plot was a little bit confusing because I couldn't totally understand why and how,/i>, scientifically, certain things were happening. I know that there's obviously not a scientific explanation for these superpowers, since it's not real, but I wish that there had been a little more background information given about the confusing things that were going on.
But while there some things that I might've changed about this book, overall I was really impressed with Anthony's action-packed and unique debut novel, and look forward to continuing on with the series.
You and I aren't a matter of ifs and whys. You and I are inevitable.
(This review is also posted on my blog, Tempest Books.)
Kinetic by S.K. Anthony is an urban fantasy novel about something that I've never read about before...luminaries. I honestly had no idea what luminaries were, and at first I thought that they were part of the paranormal world, like witches or fairies. But, no, luminaries are like....superheroes.
Normal people with special powers who come together to save the world from the bad guys!
The problem was, I'd found my heart staring at me through one eye, and I'd lost my shit.
Can I just say how much I loved all of the characters in this book? I did think that most of them were pretty static, but I adored Annie, Nick, Kevin...everybody! And I'm super excited by the fact that the next book in the series is going to be focused on Kevin, because he was my favorite character.
I never wanted to be one of those girls again, the ones who live for love or die for it. No, love no longer had any place in my empty chest.
While some people have this shelved as a "new adult" novel, I really don't think that it is. It's more of an urban fantasy that has two or three adult scenes. So, yes, this book is for 18+, but it's not new adult or romance at all. The love triangle between Annie, Nick, and Derek is important, but it's really only a background plot. It's all about the superpowers!
I really liked how things were constantly happening in this book. I was kept very entertained throughout, but it wasn't overly action-packed. I did think that it was a little bit predictable, though. There weren't any big surprises with where the plot was headed, and I knew beforehand which characters were going to turn out to be "bad" and which ones would be "good." But there was a CRAZY scene at the end of the book that was incredibly intense and had my heart racing, and I definitely did not see what happened in that scene coming. I even might've gotten a little bit teary-eyed!
The wounds in my skin had long since healed. The wounds in my heart? There are none. Too many holes had been dug inside for far too long. Nick was that last shovel, and there was nothing left.
One thing that I noticed about this book was that the quality seemed to take a bit of a downward spiral. At the beginning of the book, I was blown away by how awesome it was. But between the middle and the end of the book, I thought that the dialogue was poorly written (it was almost like I could tell that the book was being written, if you know what I mean...the characters weren't speaking like normal people) and there started to be a lot of plot elements that were way to "convenient." Like, oh, so-and-so just happened to be somewhere right at this exact moment, and then I happened to have these random files that give us all this information, and we just happen to be related. Stuff like that.
I also thought that the scientific part of the book could've been fleshed out a bit more. While I loved the idea behind this book, the plot was a little bit confusing because I couldn't totally understand why and how,/i>, scientifically, certain things were happening. I know that there's obviously not a scientific explanation for these superpowers, since it's not real, but I wish that there had been a little more background information given about the confusing things that were going on.
But while there some things that I might've changed about this book, overall I was really impressed with Anthony's action-packed and unique debut novel, and look forward to continuing on with the series.
You and I aren't a matter of ifs and whys. You and I are inevitable.
November 10, 2015
I was confused in the beginning. What is a Luminary?
Children are chosen when they are in their teens and receive injections to develop their abilities. Not everyone can be altered and join the Organization.
Annie is called to investigate a breach in security at Worldsafe, where the rich people secreted the most secret of secrets.
She is a badass and loves her work with the organization. She is KINETIC. She has a great teammate in Beth. Annie has strength and Beth has speed. Beth can catch the perpetrator and Annie can kick their ass. Beth has her back and covers for her when she refuses to kill Nick.
The characters – some good, some bad and some down right evil.
We have conspiracies and betrayals. Who do you believe and who do you trust?
Who is lying and who is telling the truth?
I am not sure what I was expecting from Kinetic, but it wasn’t what I found. There were no big surprises, but the “children’s” struggle to grow up and make the right decisions tested them. They had to grow up fast and had only themselves to rely on.
I love superheroes and magic and enjoyed my time reading Kinetic. I will be going on to read Book II, Static.
I received a copy of Kinetic by S K Anthony in return for an honest review.
To see more visit http://www.fundinmental.com
Children are chosen when they are in their teens and receive injections to develop their abilities. Not everyone can be altered and join the Organization.
Annie is called to investigate a breach in security at Worldsafe, where the rich people secreted the most secret of secrets.
She is a badass and loves her work with the organization. She is KINETIC. She has a great teammate in Beth. Annie has strength and Beth has speed. Beth can catch the perpetrator and Annie can kick their ass. Beth has her back and covers for her when she refuses to kill Nick.
The characters – some good, some bad and some down right evil.
We have conspiracies and betrayals. Who do you believe and who do you trust?
Who is lying and who is telling the truth?
I am not sure what I was expecting from Kinetic, but it wasn’t what I found. There were no big surprises, but the “children’s” struggle to grow up and make the right decisions tested them. They had to grow up fast and had only themselves to rely on.
I love superheroes and magic and enjoyed my time reading Kinetic. I will be going on to read Book II, Static.
I received a copy of Kinetic by S K Anthony in return for an honest review.
To see more visit http://www.fundinmental.com
September 19, 2013
Brilliant, action-packed, fast paced with unexpected twists!
Annie Fox is a strong, independent badass character which was a change to the usual weak heroines. She works for the Organization to take down the bad guys, the Organization injected her and genetically altered her to make her stronger and have powers to take down criminals.Everyone genetically altered gains a different power and become one of the luminaries.
Being strong is one thing. Being an unlimited source of power is quite another.
But what happens when Annie has to fight against her ex-husband who is supposed to be a killer. Will she be able to do the job she was born for? He is more powerful than anyone out there and he wants Annie..What happens when Annie lets him slip? When attacked Annie struggles with the thought of killing him and finds that she still has feelings for him, she cant kill him and things become much more complicated..
Will Nick take Annie's power and destroy everyone?
Or is there a whole lot more to this story?
The story is told from Annie's POV and is written in first person which is perfect for me!
At the start I felt like eh why is Annie not letting go of Nick and just going for Derek I mean he left so she should start to move on and everyone thinks he is good for her.He was nice to her and seemed like he was in love with her and had been for a long time, I didn't like how she kept pushing him away even though at times he was really pushy and weird! I was like go for Derek C'mon your ex-husband left you and is a so called "Killer" and "Evil Psychopath"
But then you meet Nick and its like Omg Hellooo hot Nick..Derek who??
I don't even care if you are burnt pft Nick is like a million times better than Derek.You find out everything is not how its said to be and there is a lot we don't know, it leaves you feeling paranoid thinking who is really evil? Can we trust him? Omg what if they are all in on this evil plan? :O
"Because you will forgive me, you have to. You and I aren't a matter of ifs and whys. You and I are inevitable."
I loved the Annie and Nick scenes! They were hot, funny and just brilliant..Even when they where fighting oh Nick is a funny man!
I loved both Nick and Annie..okay I loved Nick more only because Annie I felt shouldn't have kept pushing everyone away but I understood with all that happened in her past its only normal to act like that.
Now Nick ahh Nick I loved all his parts and wanted soo much more I would have love to read some parts in his POV and be in his head.
"For goodness sake! Just tell us what happened to you to turn you so evil," she shouted.
"I'm not evil. I'm just misunderstood," he said as his lip curled up.
I really liked the other characters too Annie had great supportive friends who always stood by her I even liked Lisa..Yes that bitch they all hate..yup her!
Derek's dad gave me the bloody creeps *shudders* What the hell is wrong with him?
Bring on the next book cant wait to find out what will happen..in Kevin's story..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**ARC provided by author for an honest review**
Check out my blog for more reviews!
http://zakirrahsbookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zakirr...
Annie Fox is a strong, independent badass character which was a change to the usual weak heroines. She works for the Organization to take down the bad guys, the Organization injected her and genetically altered her to make her stronger and have powers to take down criminals.Everyone genetically altered gains a different power and become one of the luminaries.
Being strong is one thing. Being an unlimited source of power is quite another.
But what happens when Annie has to fight against her ex-husband who is supposed to be a killer. Will she be able to do the job she was born for? He is more powerful than anyone out there and he wants Annie..What happens when Annie lets him slip? When attacked Annie struggles with the thought of killing him and finds that she still has feelings for him, she cant kill him and things become much more complicated..
Will Nick take Annie's power and destroy everyone?
Or is there a whole lot more to this story?
The story is told from Annie's POV and is written in first person which is perfect for me!
At the start I felt like eh why is Annie not letting go of Nick and just going for Derek I mean he left so she should start to move on and everyone thinks he is good for her.He was nice to her and seemed like he was in love with her and had been for a long time, I didn't like how she kept pushing him away even though at times he was really pushy and weird! I was like go for Derek C'mon your ex-husband left you and is a so called "Killer" and "Evil Psychopath"
But then you meet Nick and its like Omg Hellooo hot Nick..Derek who??
I don't even care if you are burnt pft Nick is like a million times better than Derek.You find out everything is not how its said to be and there is a lot we don't know, it leaves you feeling paranoid thinking who is really evil? Can we trust him? Omg what if they are all in on this evil plan? :O
"Because you will forgive me, you have to. You and I aren't a matter of ifs and whys. You and I are inevitable."
I loved the Annie and Nick scenes! They were hot, funny and just brilliant..Even when they where fighting oh Nick is a funny man!
I loved both Nick and Annie..okay I loved Nick more only because Annie I felt shouldn't have kept pushing everyone away but I understood with all that happened in her past its only normal to act like that.
Now Nick ahh Nick I loved all his parts and wanted soo much more I would have love to read some parts in his POV and be in his head.
"For goodness sake! Just tell us what happened to you to turn you so evil," she shouted.
"I'm not evil. I'm just misunderstood," he said as his lip curled up.
I really liked the other characters too Annie had great supportive friends who always stood by her I even liked Lisa..Yes that bitch they all hate..yup her!
Derek's dad gave me the bloody creeps *shudders* What the hell is wrong with him?
Bring on the next book cant wait to find out what will happen..in Kevin's story..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**ARC provided by author for an honest review**
Check out my blog for more reviews!
http://zakirrahsbookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zakirr...
March 5, 2014
I'm sorry guys. This just wasn't the book for me, I guess.
My main gripe is that this is a new series, right? I mean there are no other books about the Luminaries. This is the first book to the series. I should have no idea what Luminaries are, what they do, or what kind of world they live in. Nothing, nada, no habla ingles.
So when an author throws the reader into a new universe without any sort of build up, without laying down some cards, I get understandably confused. Which leads to frustration. Which leads to rereading. Please don't get me wrong. I like to reread books. At the end. When they're already finished. When a book is so good, I just can't put it down yet. (Divergent did this to me.) I do not like to reread to clarify something going on in the novel. To go back and forth between the pages for things to make sense. This is what this book did to me.
I was thrown in and I drowned. Fast. (I even reread the first 70-something pages. Just stopped where I was and started over. Didn't help.)
Then came the characters. Many of the characters were bland for me. Vanilla pudding bland. And in a large cast of characters, I quickly became confused as to who was who. This happened much too frequently. For instance our MC, Annie, has two best friends. And they were interchangeable. No, really. You could have swapped them around and they would still be exactly the same. There was no character to these characters.
And speaking of the main character. Ughhh! No, just no. There are so many things I disliked about Annie, I was sincerely hoping that both love interests would just turn away from her and be with better, more deserving people. But alas, it didn't happen.
I feel bad because when you look at the reviews on goodreads, there are many positive reviews. I'm sad that I can't be one of them.
I will admit that the only reason this book has more than one star is because of that gorgeous, eye-catching cover. I wish the inside was just as pretty.
Provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. Thank you!
My main gripe is that this is a new series, right? I mean there are no other books about the Luminaries. This is the first book to the series. I should have no idea what Luminaries are, what they do, or what kind of world they live in. Nothing, nada, no habla ingles.
So when an author throws the reader into a new universe without any sort of build up, without laying down some cards, I get understandably confused. Which leads to frustration. Which leads to rereading. Please don't get me wrong. I like to reread books. At the end. When they're already finished. When a book is so good, I just can't put it down yet. (Divergent did this to me.) I do not like to reread to clarify something going on in the novel. To go back and forth between the pages for things to make sense. This is what this book did to me.
I was thrown in and I drowned. Fast. (I even reread the first 70-something pages. Just stopped where I was and started over. Didn't help.)
Then came the characters. Many of the characters were bland for me. Vanilla pudding bland. And in a large cast of characters, I quickly became confused as to who was who. This happened much too frequently. For instance our MC, Annie, has two best friends. And they were interchangeable. No, really. You could have swapped them around and they would still be exactly the same. There was no character to these characters.
And speaking of the main character. Ughhh! No, just no. There are so many things I disliked about Annie, I was sincerely hoping that both love interests would just turn away from her and be with better, more deserving people. But alas, it didn't happen.
I feel bad because when you look at the reviews on goodreads, there are many positive reviews. I'm sad that I can't be one of them.
I will admit that the only reason this book has more than one star is because of that gorgeous, eye-catching cover. I wish the inside was just as pretty.
Provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. Thank you!
May 31, 2017
Plot. This book could be described as a sci-fi thriller with a twist of romance. It revolves around Annie Fox and is told from her perspective. She is this crime fighting machine that takes down the villains that no ordinary human can. She is gifted with strength and seems to really be able to beat just about anybody. She has a heartbreaking past as the love of her life left her, filed for divorce, and then turned evil and killed a lot of people. Soon she is dealing with her boss, mysterious happenings in the company, and the return of her one true love; her ex-husband.
The author focuses a lot of the first half of the book on Annie’s struggle to really believe that her ex-husband is evil and that she has to kill him. She knows that it’s the right thing to do, but she has a hard time following through. Also, her boss is coming on to her and she decides to go out with him to numb the pain of her divorce and her confusion with aforementioned ex-husband. A lot of Annie’s inner turmoil is focused on what she believes is right and wrong and trying to figure out what exactly is the truth and what was constructed by those who want to control her and her powers.
The author wrote a really good plot line for this story. It was a different twist on a superhero story that could have turned out very bland and boring. One thing that I constantly noticed throughout the book was the humor that was apart of the book. The book definitely had its mysterious and serious moments, but in-between there were these little attempts of humor and a general lightening of mood.
Annie Fox. Annie had a strong sense of right and wrong and it took a lot for her to see the grey and the reasons behind each action. She saw killing a group of people as wrong, but is it wrong when they were inherently evil and focused on a weapon that could kill people? There were several moments where Annie had to question her own values and morals to see what was right in front of her.
Characters. I loved how all of Annie’s friends were so supportive of her and really tried to get her to see what they saw in her ex-husband and in the company. They supported her decision and were willing to risk their own lives to follow her example.
One thing I didn’t expect was how Annie’s boss and his father would play into the book. Annie’s boss was not as threatening as the book went on (all though he did seem to interfere with Annie’s relationships). It was his father that surprised me on what his true influence was and how he played into the book. ( I don’t want to give too much away so I’m going to stop now Winking smile)
Ending. The ending was interesting because it went to a level that was kind of unexpected in this book. I wasn’t expecting for the closing of the book to have such a dramatic closing especially with the humor that was shown throughout. So, if you plan on reading this book, be ready for a surprise at the end!
The author focuses a lot of the first half of the book on Annie’s struggle to really believe that her ex-husband is evil and that she has to kill him. She knows that it’s the right thing to do, but she has a hard time following through. Also, her boss is coming on to her and she decides to go out with him to numb the pain of her divorce and her confusion with aforementioned ex-husband. A lot of Annie’s inner turmoil is focused on what she believes is right and wrong and trying to figure out what exactly is the truth and what was constructed by those who want to control her and her powers.
The author wrote a really good plot line for this story. It was a different twist on a superhero story that could have turned out very bland and boring. One thing that I constantly noticed throughout the book was the humor that was apart of the book. The book definitely had its mysterious and serious moments, but in-between there were these little attempts of humor and a general lightening of mood.
Annie Fox. Annie had a strong sense of right and wrong and it took a lot for her to see the grey and the reasons behind each action. She saw killing a group of people as wrong, but is it wrong when they were inherently evil and focused on a weapon that could kill people? There were several moments where Annie had to question her own values and morals to see what was right in front of her.
Characters. I loved how all of Annie’s friends were so supportive of her and really tried to get her to see what they saw in her ex-husband and in the company. They supported her decision and were willing to risk their own lives to follow her example.
One thing I didn’t expect was how Annie’s boss and his father would play into the book. Annie’s boss was not as threatening as the book went on (all though he did seem to interfere with Annie’s relationships). It was his father that surprised me on what his true influence was and how he played into the book. ( I don’t want to give too much away so I’m going to stop now Winking smile)
Ending. The ending was interesting because it went to a level that was kind of unexpected in this book. I wasn’t expecting for the closing of the book to have such a dramatic closing especially with the humor that was shown throughout. So, if you plan on reading this book, be ready for a surprise at the end!
April 16, 2017
I really wanted to like this book after having read the synopsis and I was more than happy to see it for free on amazon. The reviews were mixed but I didn't read a lot of them to see what they were about. I kind of wished I had done it.
I haven't read a book about 'super powers' in ages and was really looking forward to see how the author would implement them into the story world. Since there was no real introduction what Luminaries are about I was pretty confused in the beginning and unfortunately, I didn't get better. I believe a good story about super powers is based on some kind of system. There was really no system here - without much explanation people just started to adopt other people's powers and developed new ones. I felt cheated because where is the sense in having a certain power if anyone else also can have it.
The next thing about the book that annoyed me was the agency the Luminaries worked for. It was cringe-worthy at times because with people like this no agency would have worked. Ever. But obviously they were more important/better than any other agency. Honestly, I love to read about personal relationships between members of an organization but this story just took it too far. A stalking and abusive boss? Mobbing and actual hurting of colleagues? The list would go on but rather leave it here.
The worst thing, in my opinion, was the relationship between characters and the characters itself. I couldn't relate with Annie at all. Some of her background story was interesting but I never understood why she did certain things and sorry, but being hot for someone is no excuse just to forget about everything else. I didn't care about Nick either and felt that a lot of the minor characters were just there to get the story going. In my opinion, a lot of things happened without a reason and I was more than once confused by the author's way of telling what was happening.
I was definitely not okay with the way women were presented in this book and I didn't find one character I was actually cheering for. The book certainly has an interesting idea and does have a lot of potential but the way the story went just annoyed me to no end.
I only finished the book because I can't just not finish a book. I'm actually glad I paid no money for it.
I haven't read a book about 'super powers' in ages and was really looking forward to see how the author would implement them into the story world. Since there was no real introduction what Luminaries are about I was pretty confused in the beginning and unfortunately, I didn't get better. I believe a good story about super powers is based on some kind of system. There was really no system here - without much explanation people just started to adopt other people's powers and developed new ones. I felt cheated because where is the sense in having a certain power if anyone else also can have it.
The next thing about the book that annoyed me was the agency the Luminaries worked for. It was cringe-worthy at times because with people like this no agency would have worked. Ever. But obviously they were more important/better than any other agency. Honestly, I love to read about personal relationships between members of an organization but this story just took it too far. A stalking and abusive boss? Mobbing and actual hurting of colleagues? The list would go on but rather leave it here.
The worst thing, in my opinion, was the relationship between characters and the characters itself. I couldn't relate with Annie at all. Some of her background story was interesting but I never understood why she did certain things and sorry, but being hot for someone is no excuse just to forget about everything else. I didn't care about Nick either and felt that a lot of the minor characters were just there to get the story going. In my opinion, a lot of things happened without a reason and I was more than once confused by the author's way of telling what was happening.
I was definitely not okay with the way women were presented in this book and I didn't find one character I was actually cheering for. The book certainly has an interesting idea and does have a lot of potential but the way the story went just annoyed me to no end.
I only finished the book because I can't just not finish a book. I'm actually glad I paid no money for it.
September 29, 2013
I've seen this book around a lot lately and the blurb insisted that I buy it. The main character, Annie, works for the Luminaries Organization (a.k.a. the Org) and uses her super strength to solve crimes, help out other government agencies, that sort of thing. Her boss has also spent the last few years trying to get Annie to go out with him. When her ex-husband and wanted murderer, Nick Logan, shows up the Org warns Annie that he is after her and her unlimited supply of power.
Right from the start I didn't like Derek Lake, Annie's boss. He is really pushy and the times where he appeared arrogant I couldn't stand him. However, this only secured my place on team Nick Logan, even though he and Annie are divorced and she hates him. Nick is dangerous and wanted for multiple cold-blooded murders and the Org is doing everything they can to catch him after he attempts to steal something from a top-secret vault.
Annie is quite funny and a strong heroine (one of my favorite kind) who prefers solving situations with her fists. Nick smashed her heart when he up and left three years ago, but when he returns she can't find it in her to kill him on sight. As the story progresses it becomes clear that somebody is lying to Annie and her friends/colleagues. Somebody is after Annie and her power, somebody who isn't Nick, so they team up to unravel all the lies and secrets that surround them.
The action was engaging and the plot flowed really nicely; I read it in a day. I absolutely loved all of the characters but Nick and Annie were my favorite - the scenes with them were my favorite. However, the ending was a bit abrupt but I liked it and it worked relatively well; I would have liked a bit more explanation or information about the second to last scene, but it wasn't vital. Kinetic has strong, funny characters and the genetic mutation was a nice change from the usual fantasy I read.
New Adult/Adult
4/5 stars
Right from the start I didn't like Derek Lake, Annie's boss. He is really pushy and the times where he appeared arrogant I couldn't stand him. However, this only secured my place on team Nick Logan, even though he and Annie are divorced and she hates him. Nick is dangerous and wanted for multiple cold-blooded murders and the Org is doing everything they can to catch him after he attempts to steal something from a top-secret vault.
Annie is quite funny and a strong heroine (one of my favorite kind) who prefers solving situations with her fists. Nick smashed her heart when he up and left three years ago, but when he returns she can't find it in her to kill him on sight. As the story progresses it becomes clear that somebody is lying to Annie and her friends/colleagues. Somebody is after Annie and her power, somebody who isn't Nick, so they team up to unravel all the lies and secrets that surround them.
The action was engaging and the plot flowed really nicely; I read it in a day. I absolutely loved all of the characters but Nick and Annie were my favorite - the scenes with them were my favorite. However, the ending was a bit abrupt but I liked it and it worked relatively well; I would have liked a bit more explanation or information about the second to last scene, but it wasn't vital. Kinetic has strong, funny characters and the genetic mutation was a nice change from the usual fantasy I read.
New Adult/Adult
4/5 stars
September 16, 2013
Kinetic was a wonderful read. The main character Annie is genetically altered so she takes down criminals with her luminary strength. She is a kickass heroine! She is pursued by Derek, a hunk of a man. But things get complicated when her ex-husband returns. UH OH! Nick is a murdered and wants Annie. But not to have in his life but to use her Kinetic energy.
Annie is fearless and I was taken with her right away. I loved Derek for perusing her and never giving up. And I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Nick, even though he was a big baddie.
S.K. Anthony delivered a well thought out story that kept me turning each page to see what else happens. I look forward to more from her. I am dying for more!!!
Annie is fearless and I was taken with her right away. I loved Derek for perusing her and never giving up. And I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Nick, even though he was a big baddie.
S.K. Anthony delivered a well thought out story that kept me turning each page to see what else happens. I look forward to more from her. I am dying for more!!!
Shelved as 'on-hold'
July 22, 2016Kinetic and Static are both currently for free on Amazon and they sound really interesting in my opinion. Can't wait to dive in tomorrow :)
March 28, 2022
This just wasn't the right book for me, I guess.
My main criticism is that you start out and are shoved into a world and don't learn what's actually going on. That's really frustrating when you have to keep re-reading stuff because you think you missed something. But you read it 2x times, 3x times and realize it's not getting any better.
You're thrown into it and you're overloaded.
Then came the characters. Many of the characters were bland to me. Unfortunately, there were also a lot of characters so I quickly lost track of them. For example, our main character, Annie, has two best friends. And they were interchangeable. No, really. You could have swapped them out and they would still be exactly the same.
So I couldn't get into this book, consequently it didn't pick me up. But the cover is a real feast for the eyes.
Provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
My main criticism is that you start out and are shoved into a world and don't learn what's actually going on. That's really frustrating when you have to keep re-reading stuff because you think you missed something. But you read it 2x times, 3x times and realize it's not getting any better.
You're thrown into it and you're overloaded.
Then came the characters. Many of the characters were bland to me. Unfortunately, there were also a lot of characters so I quickly lost track of them. For example, our main character, Annie, has two best friends. And they were interchangeable. No, really. You could have swapped them out and they would still be exactly the same.
So I couldn't get into this book, consequently it didn't pick me up. But the cover is a real feast for the eyes.
Provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
June 19, 2015
In her debut novel S.K. Anthony introduces us to the Luminaries who are part of a secret organization who are tasked with government jobs that no one else can succeed at:
Annie Fox was saved from a bad foster home situation when she was a teenager and brought into the Org to start her training, she knew that it would eventually lead to her changing all the way down to her DNA. When Annie was genetically altered she gained strength, unlimited strength and energy courses through her body and she has spent years learning how to harness this strength to take down the criminals of the world. But there is one thing that all the strength in the world cannot heal, her broken heart. Her husband (ex-husband now) betrayed everything that they both knew and he is on the run from the Org and Annie has vowed to be the one to end his life, but a split second can change everything, some feeling really never go away as much as you would want them to as Annie finds it hard to kill someone that she has loved, but she knows he is a bad man, right? Annie finds herself questioning everything which puts her and her friends in danger, all for a love that no longer exists right?
I was really really excited to read this book, the premise sounded interesting , I thought that Anthony was going to add something new to the Urban Fantasy genre, however, I think that Anthony only succeed on part of this (Note: the above is my premise of the book not the one that the publishers used so the following criticism are based upon their premise). First off, I think that the Luminaries idea was very interesting/cool, the thought that people could be genetically enhanced in order to get different powers, but you never know which power you are going to get beforehand, you can get anything from super strength to healing to being able to teleport. Very cool, makes you wonder what in your DNA would cause you to get certain powers. Now here is the fuzzy part as it is never really explained how this process works or even how it happen or discovered. There is about 1 page that describes an asteroid coming to Earth and the particles from it being turned into a liquid that is injected into people to create the powers. It was something along those lines (I think), all I can say is that I was really scratching my head when I read that ONE PAGE. I think that maybe Anthony did not think this part out enough and just tried to squeeze it in there. Maybe it is something she wants to address more in later books, but I think it is something that should be discussed right up front.
My disappointed with the premise is that it made me think that this was going to have some romance elements in the book but that it was not only going to be based on romance but the hunt for her ex husband who has been killing people and stealing the secret from the Org. This is not the case. Instead what we seem to get a book that is mainly romance based, with the characters trying to figure out what is going on, but you never have the lead character, Annie, doing any sort of investigative work (as she is basically under house arrest), she receives all her information from the secondary characters and if there was danger to them, she never really learns or experiences things first hand. This book may revolve around Annie, but I felt like she never really does anything in the whole book, minus the beginning and ending.
I will say that the latter quarter of the book started to redeem itself as it became interesting again and there was some much needed action that was missing. The majority of the book felt like it was soap opera, where nothing really substantial ever happened. What made it even more odd was the passage of time sometimes between the chapters. They would start out with "One month later" or "Four months later", I mean there are some serious things that are supposed to be occurring, what has happened in those months, why has it taken so long to find this information or come up with a plan of what you should be doing. I just felt it was an odd approach to the novel. Overall I found myself getting bored with the novel and I did not really want to pick it up to finish it (I did, but I think that sentence says everything).
To begin with I was fan of Annie, the opening scene was priceless and I thought maybe we have another Gin Blanco type here take no prisoners, someone betrays you you take them out, and then she fell off the deep end. Yes, she is a great fighter, but I found her too complacent with the rules that are set out for her, even when she knows that they are bogus. Then I found some of her reactions to situations to be off and just she could not get over things even when she is showed evidence to counter what she thought she new.She just was hard to relate to, and just lacked the spark to be a lead character, plus having her cloistered in her house for most of the book while the secondary characters did the leg and dirty work also hindered everything as you do not get any other point of view in the book other than Annie's. Maybe if Anthony would have had the views from some of the other characters as they completed missions this book would have flowed better and been more interesting.
Those who want something new, and that is more romance soap opera than mystery you will probably enjoy this book. Personally this book was not for me and I would not continue on with this series, even though I think that Anthony could have had something great here if it was executed a different way.
Cheers!!!
If You Like This,
Check These Out Too:
Annie Fox was saved from a bad foster home situation when she was a teenager and brought into the Org to start her training, she knew that it would eventually lead to her changing all the way down to her DNA. When Annie was genetically altered she gained strength, unlimited strength and energy courses through her body and she has spent years learning how to harness this strength to take down the criminals of the world. But there is one thing that all the strength in the world cannot heal, her broken heart. Her husband (ex-husband now) betrayed everything that they both knew and he is on the run from the Org and Annie has vowed to be the one to end his life, but a split second can change everything, some feeling really never go away as much as you would want them to as Annie finds it hard to kill someone that she has loved, but she knows he is a bad man, right? Annie finds herself questioning everything which puts her and her friends in danger, all for a love that no longer exists right?
I was really really excited to read this book, the premise sounded interesting , I thought that Anthony was going to add something new to the Urban Fantasy genre, however, I think that Anthony only succeed on part of this (Note: the above is my premise of the book not the one that the publishers used so the following criticism are based upon their premise). First off, I think that the Luminaries idea was very interesting/cool, the thought that people could be genetically enhanced in order to get different powers, but you never know which power you are going to get beforehand, you can get anything from super strength to healing to being able to teleport. Very cool, makes you wonder what in your DNA would cause you to get certain powers. Now here is the fuzzy part as it is never really explained how this process works or even how it happen or discovered. There is about 1 page that describes an asteroid coming to Earth and the particles from it being turned into a liquid that is injected into people to create the powers. It was something along those lines (I think), all I can say is that I was really scratching my head when I read that ONE PAGE. I think that maybe Anthony did not think this part out enough and just tried to squeeze it in there. Maybe it is something she wants to address more in later books, but I think it is something that should be discussed right up front.
My disappointed with the premise is that it made me think that this was going to have some romance elements in the book but that it was not only going to be based on romance but the hunt for her ex husband who has been killing people and stealing the secret from the Org. This is not the case. Instead what we seem to get a book that is mainly romance based, with the characters trying to figure out what is going on, but you never have the lead character, Annie, doing any sort of investigative work (as she is basically under house arrest), she receives all her information from the secondary characters and if there was danger to them, she never really learns or experiences things first hand. This book may revolve around Annie, but I felt like she never really does anything in the whole book, minus the beginning and ending.
I will say that the latter quarter of the book started to redeem itself as it became interesting again and there was some much needed action that was missing. The majority of the book felt like it was soap opera, where nothing really substantial ever happened. What made it even more odd was the passage of time sometimes between the chapters. They would start out with "One month later" or "Four months later", I mean there are some serious things that are supposed to be occurring, what has happened in those months, why has it taken so long to find this information or come up with a plan of what you should be doing. I just felt it was an odd approach to the novel. Overall I found myself getting bored with the novel and I did not really want to pick it up to finish it (I did, but I think that sentence says everything).
To begin with I was fan of Annie, the opening scene was priceless and I thought maybe we have another Gin Blanco type here take no prisoners, someone betrays you you take them out, and then she fell off the deep end. Yes, she is a great fighter, but I found her too complacent with the rules that are set out for her, even when she knows that they are bogus. Then I found some of her reactions to situations to be off and just she could not get over things even when she is showed evidence to counter what she thought she new.She just was hard to relate to, and just lacked the spark to be a lead character, plus having her cloistered in her house for most of the book while the secondary characters did the leg and dirty work also hindered everything as you do not get any other point of view in the book other than Annie's. Maybe if Anthony would have had the views from some of the other characters as they completed missions this book would have flowed better and been more interesting.
Those who want something new, and that is more romance soap opera than mystery you will probably enjoy this book. Personally this book was not for me and I would not continue on with this series, even though I think that Anthony could have had something great here if it was executed a different way.
Cheers!!!
If You Like This,
Check These Out Too:
May 27, 2023
Supernatural action adventure
Romantic adventure among Elementals, well written tale that is character and dialog driven revolving a strong female Lead. Action packed with little exposition as the story evolves from the POV of the gifted MC
Romantic adventure among Elementals, well written tale that is character and dialog driven revolving a strong female Lead. Action packed with little exposition as the story evolves from the POV of the gifted MC
April 3, 2015
The first thing that attracted me to this book were the beautiful vivid colours of the cover...that made me read a description of the book and I entered the giveaway on the blog to win a copy-which I did win. Annie has been genetically altered by a Government Agency and uses her enhanced strength to hunt criminals, working with others who also have gifts. I had thoughts of this being a government version of X Men.
I shouldn't have got my hopes up.
I expected Annie to be a strong character, not just because of her gift but because she is a government agent. She was actually very weak, a bit whiny and couldn't seem to do anything right. She is still pining for her criminal mastermind ex husband who left and betrayed her and is now to be killed on site by the agency. So when Annie easily captures him, she goes all soft and decides to just let him go. The guy is a murderer, a psycho and you let him go so he can continue to kill and bring chaos to the world? And why does she let him go? She loves him! Aww, sweet! No, this is bullcrap. You have a job to do Annie. You either kill him or keep him subdued and hand him over to your bosses. Instead, not only does she let him go, she lets a friend lie about what happened so Annie won't get fired for letting Nick escape. For the next chapter Annie starts moaning about what a bad man Nick is and how he must be stopped. You are the one who chose to let him go! This is not a strong woman, this is a pathetic idiot!
My opinion of Annie is further enforced by the ridiculous relationship between her and Derek. Derek is her boss who wants to bed her (it's anyone's guess why) and her friends try to talk her into giving him a chance, even though she isn't interested. Annie keeps evading the issue and never really saying 'no Derek, this is NOT going to happen'. She keeps mumbling excuses about why it isn't a good idea, giving him half hearted brush offs and then moaning to the reader that he won't leave her alone and is harrassing her. SO TELL HIM NO! No, Annie prefers to be an ostrich, burying her head in the sand and thinking Derek will just go away. Then she wonders if she should date him just to prove Nick is in the past, then a page later she is wishing Derek would leave her alone, then she lets him bully her into a date. What is wrong with this women??? TELL HIM NO! She is so weak and pathetic that I wanted to strangle her for not dealing with his bullshit.
As for Derek, I couldn't stand the creepy little pervert. Putting aside Annie's mixed messages, the guy is a slimeball. He should not be grabbing her in meetings and trying to grope and kiss her when she hasn't agreed to be a couple. He sexually harrasses her, makes inappropriate comments and uses his position of boss to bully Annie into dating him. He is a cretin. Annie's friends weren't much better and I never trusted any of them. This was the working environment from hell. Lisa was such a bitch that you had the feeling she would sabotage any mission or kill someone just to make life hard for Annie. I mean seriously, can you really have someone like that in a world saving government agency type thing?
There was a serious lack of world building in this book. We are dropped right in to the plot, being told what powers Annie and her colleagues had. However I feel there is little to tell us what exactly the company is, how it developed, how the people were selected and changed, how they all came to work together-it is glossed over, mentioned briefly or totally omitted, leaving us pretty much in the dark for background. I hate long boring info dumps but having so little information leaves you asking yourself questions that you can't get an answer to. The author seems to want to devote more time to Annie's lovelife and inane relationships with her 'friends' than developing the superhero storyline, the thing I picked up the book to read. Disappointing.
The writing style as well did not really appeal to me. To really engage me as a reader you have to show me what is happening. To do that you need to slowly build the world and drag me into it, the way The Hunger Games and Harry Potter do. This didn't happen because there was too little information and what was there was told, not shown. I never engaged in the characters, I couldn't imagine if this was meant to be a dystopian future or set in an urban fantasy present. I couldn't see or feel the world or imagine what was happening. I just felt no connection to it at all.
The story itself could have been something good but I just didn't enjoy the way it was developed and presented. Sadly, I can't see me reading anything else by this author.
I shouldn't have got my hopes up.
I expected Annie to be a strong character, not just because of her gift but because she is a government agent. She was actually very weak, a bit whiny and couldn't seem to do anything right. She is still pining for her criminal mastermind ex husband who left and betrayed her and is now to be killed on site by the agency. So when Annie easily captures him, she goes all soft and decides to just let him go. The guy is a murderer, a psycho and you let him go so he can continue to kill and bring chaos to the world? And why does she let him go? She loves him! Aww, sweet! No, this is bullcrap. You have a job to do Annie. You either kill him or keep him subdued and hand him over to your bosses. Instead, not only does she let him go, she lets a friend lie about what happened so Annie won't get fired for letting Nick escape. For the next chapter Annie starts moaning about what a bad man Nick is and how he must be stopped. You are the one who chose to let him go! This is not a strong woman, this is a pathetic idiot!
My opinion of Annie is further enforced by the ridiculous relationship between her and Derek. Derek is her boss who wants to bed her (it's anyone's guess why) and her friends try to talk her into giving him a chance, even though she isn't interested. Annie keeps evading the issue and never really saying 'no Derek, this is NOT going to happen'. She keeps mumbling excuses about why it isn't a good idea, giving him half hearted brush offs and then moaning to the reader that he won't leave her alone and is harrassing her. SO TELL HIM NO! No, Annie prefers to be an ostrich, burying her head in the sand and thinking Derek will just go away. Then she wonders if she should date him just to prove Nick is in the past, then a page later she is wishing Derek would leave her alone, then she lets him bully her into a date. What is wrong with this women??? TELL HIM NO! She is so weak and pathetic that I wanted to strangle her for not dealing with his bullshit.
As for Derek, I couldn't stand the creepy little pervert. Putting aside Annie's mixed messages, the guy is a slimeball. He should not be grabbing her in meetings and trying to grope and kiss her when she hasn't agreed to be a couple. He sexually harrasses her, makes inappropriate comments and uses his position of boss to bully Annie into dating him. He is a cretin. Annie's friends weren't much better and I never trusted any of them. This was the working environment from hell. Lisa was such a bitch that you had the feeling she would sabotage any mission or kill someone just to make life hard for Annie. I mean seriously, can you really have someone like that in a world saving government agency type thing?
There was a serious lack of world building in this book. We are dropped right in to the plot, being told what powers Annie and her colleagues had. However I feel there is little to tell us what exactly the company is, how it developed, how the people were selected and changed, how they all came to work together-it is glossed over, mentioned briefly or totally omitted, leaving us pretty much in the dark for background. I hate long boring info dumps but having so little information leaves you asking yourself questions that you can't get an answer to. The author seems to want to devote more time to Annie's lovelife and inane relationships with her 'friends' than developing the superhero storyline, the thing I picked up the book to read. Disappointing.
The writing style as well did not really appeal to me. To really engage me as a reader you have to show me what is happening. To do that you need to slowly build the world and drag me into it, the way The Hunger Games and Harry Potter do. This didn't happen because there was too little information and what was there was told, not shown. I never engaged in the characters, I couldn't imagine if this was meant to be a dystopian future or set in an urban fantasy present. I couldn't see or feel the world or imagine what was happening. I just felt no connection to it at all.
The story itself could have been something good but I just didn't enjoy the way it was developed and presented. Sadly, I can't see me reading anything else by this author.
October 2, 2013
Full Blog Post @Book-Marks the Spot
Annie is a Luminary, which means she has power. Hers happens to be strength and later she will find out she has another power. I’m a big fan if X- Men and all things related with supernatural powers. So of course I loved this book. All their powers were different and I loved learning about each one. So we have Annie and her friends who work for the Organization or the Org as they like to call it and they are trying to stop a serial killer. The only is that it’s Annie’s Ex- husband Nick Logan. Talk about a bummer. He leaves her to become evil. Not something a girl wants to think about. Anyways they are trying to find him before he finds them, or just Annie because of her unique power. But some things aren’t what they seem. Something is fishy. I could tell about not quite halfway through that there was something going on behind the scenes. And then they find out the truth and it was….sick. Gosh how do I say this without spoiling the book? Let’s just say that friends will become enemies and enemies will become friends. How twisted Is that I love it! :D Oh and the moments between Annie and a certain someone *swoon* someone call the fire department. This was a fantastic start to what I know will be a great series; I can’t wait to see who the second book will be about, maybe Kevin. I really liked him. :D OH MY GOSH I almost forgot about the ending. Ugh that ending I thought it was going to go one way and I am here crying like a baby and then BAM nope not what I thought. I was like S.K. Anthony- 1 Tiffany- 0 LOL But I did my little happy dance and all was right with the world. :D
Annie was nice and easygoing. You couldn’t help but to like her. She is super strong but a total softy. Gosh I loved her. She has such a dilemma to deal with in the book. She is broken because Nick left her. She didn’t feel love until him and he ripped her heart out. I’ll talk about Nick in a minute.
Derek is a little pushy and possessive but we find out why later in the book. I think he was a swell guy but I knew he wasn’t what Annie needed. Annie likes to break the rules and he likes to follow them, Yeah not a good combo. Other than that he is a pretty stand up guy.
Nick left Annie and didn’t leave a note as to why. Oh and there’s something about him killing people. Does it make me weird that I still love him? He is goofy and sinfully sexy. I don’t care about the scars and his eye patch. It’s easy to see why Annie fell for him. Man the things we learn about him in this book. The suspense killed me!!!!
Beth: I have to mention Beth because she was the bestest friend ever. She has been there for Annie since they were 15 and stood up for her. I have much respect for her. Maybe we can get a story about her and how she met Andrew. :D Just a suggestion.
Kevin: He doesn’t come in until later in the book, but I have a little crush on him. I want to read a book about him, but then he would be taken. L He is goofy just like Nick and has a perverted mind. LOL but he is 17….and a guy. I just loved him. :D
Overall: An interesting read full of mystery and deceit!
4 Stars!!!!!!
Annie is a Luminary, which means she has power. Hers happens to be strength and later she will find out she has another power. I’m a big fan if X- Men and all things related with supernatural powers. So of course I loved this book. All their powers were different and I loved learning about each one. So we have Annie and her friends who work for the Organization or the Org as they like to call it and they are trying to stop a serial killer. The only is that it’s Annie’s Ex- husband Nick Logan. Talk about a bummer. He leaves her to become evil. Not something a girl wants to think about. Anyways they are trying to find him before he finds them, or just Annie because of her unique power. But some things aren’t what they seem. Something is fishy. I could tell about not quite halfway through that there was something going on behind the scenes. And then they find out the truth and it was….sick. Gosh how do I say this without spoiling the book? Let’s just say that friends will become enemies and enemies will become friends. How twisted Is that I love it! :D Oh and the moments between Annie and a certain someone *swoon* someone call the fire department. This was a fantastic start to what I know will be a great series; I can’t wait to see who the second book will be about, maybe Kevin. I really liked him. :D OH MY GOSH I almost forgot about the ending. Ugh that ending I thought it was going to go one way and I am here crying like a baby and then BAM nope not what I thought. I was like S.K. Anthony- 1 Tiffany- 0 LOL But I did my little happy dance and all was right with the world. :D
Annie was nice and easygoing. You couldn’t help but to like her. She is super strong but a total softy. Gosh I loved her. She has such a dilemma to deal with in the book. She is broken because Nick left her. She didn’t feel love until him and he ripped her heart out. I’ll talk about Nick in a minute.
Derek is a little pushy and possessive but we find out why later in the book. I think he was a swell guy but I knew he wasn’t what Annie needed. Annie likes to break the rules and he likes to follow them, Yeah not a good combo. Other than that he is a pretty stand up guy.
Nick left Annie and didn’t leave a note as to why. Oh and there’s something about him killing people. Does it make me weird that I still love him? He is goofy and sinfully sexy. I don’t care about the scars and his eye patch. It’s easy to see why Annie fell for him. Man the things we learn about him in this book. The suspense killed me!!!!
Beth: I have to mention Beth because she was the bestest friend ever. She has been there for Annie since they were 15 and stood up for her. I have much respect for her. Maybe we can get a story about her and how she met Andrew. :D Just a suggestion.
Kevin: He doesn’t come in until later in the book, but I have a little crush on him. I want to read a book about him, but then he would be taken. L He is goofy just like Nick and has a perverted mind. LOL but he is 17….and a guy. I just loved him. :D
Overall: An interesting read full of mystery and deceit!
4 Stars!!!!!!
November 2, 2013
The Luminaries Series has a firm foundation and a great start with its first book in the series, Kinetic by S. K. Anthony! Genetically altered in the womb, a group of humans gifted with super-human abilities are part of an organization that fights on the side of right, or so they are told. When one member goes rogue, not only does he become an enemy to destroy, he has broken the heart of the wife he left behind. Annie is tough, her ability is super-strength, and she has fought hard to recover from the devastation that Nick heaped on her when he walked out. Only with the support of her closest friends, other luminaries, has she been able to move on. Imagine the kick in the gut when Nick shows up again, as the enemy and the team’s job is to defeat him, any way possible. But are things as they seem? Who is the real villain? What is really going on at the Org?
S. K. Anthony has a hit as far as I’m concerned! Her writing is edgy, fast-paced and full of vividly painted scenes that have just the right amount of action, while letting the reader imagine how each power is utilized, kind of like having your own unique set of super heroes. Aside from these enhanced abilities, each character feels real, feels right, as if they could be walking down the street next to you. The Org brought them together, but the loyalty and closeness almost feels like “Friends” on steroids, each going to bat for the other when needed, stretching the envelope. Of course, there are the square pegs that don’t fit the mold, but even that felt real. The romantic tension, was not over-the-top, it was a very important part of the story, but not the main thrust, and it felt right, intense emotional conflict in small doses. And don’t let me forget the humor, priceless!
Kinetic is a refreshing journey into the paranormal genre! I received a review copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.
Series: The Luminaries, Book 1
Publication Date: September 18, 2013
Publisher: S. K. Anthony
ISBN: 1492128759
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Page Count: 336
Connect with the Author: www.skanthony.com
Available from: Amazon / Barnes & Noble
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.
S. K. Anthony has a hit as far as I’m concerned! Her writing is edgy, fast-paced and full of vividly painted scenes that have just the right amount of action, while letting the reader imagine how each power is utilized, kind of like having your own unique set of super heroes. Aside from these enhanced abilities, each character feels real, feels right, as if they could be walking down the street next to you. The Org brought them together, but the loyalty and closeness almost feels like “Friends” on steroids, each going to bat for the other when needed, stretching the envelope. Of course, there are the square pegs that don’t fit the mold, but even that felt real. The romantic tension, was not over-the-top, it was a very important part of the story, but not the main thrust, and it felt right, intense emotional conflict in small doses. And don’t let me forget the humor, priceless!
Kinetic is a refreshing journey into the paranormal genre! I received a review copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.
Series: The Luminaries, Book 1
Publication Date: September 18, 2013
Publisher: S. K. Anthony
ISBN: 1492128759
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Page Count: 336
Connect with the Author: www.skanthony.com
Available from: Amazon / Barnes & Noble
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.
September 24, 2013
Posted at Oh My Books!
Isn't the cover beautiful? I'll admit I saw it and immediately wanted to know more about this book! :) I was invited to write a review as part of the tour, so here it is:
Annie Fox is genetically altered. That means she is super strong, but still got hurt from her ex husband, Nick. He just left her and turned to be a murderer, who is now after her to use her Kinetic energy. Annie is being protected by the Organization, her friends who all have been genetically altered too and have different powers. Derek, her boss, is specially worried about her since he likes her. When she finally give him an opportunity to date, her ex husband Nick shows up full of scars.
The story was great. Annie is actually younger than me, just 24, but after the divorce she have been healing her heart. She isn't ready to start a new relationship, she's still in the hate zone. When she sees Nick again, all hurt but acting mean, she still can't kill him. Her friends are not helping, since they think Nick may not be the bad guy. But Annie doesn't want to believe that, because then what other reason he had to leave her?
This book is full of twists. Not only Annie is confused and hurt, but she's also trying to find out who is the real bad guy. Maybe Nick is not bad, only misunderstood. Maybe he just want to protect her. But that doesn't stop her from dating Derek, as a disguised of course, until she knows who she can trust.
I liked their powers. Each character have special abilities but they discover that with training they can learn to use each other abilities. Annie is extra special because her energy doesn't seem to end, and that's why someone wants her, to use her unlimited energy. Between learning to use her new powers and discovering who is really after her, she most decide if Nick is guilty or if he's really telling the truth and still loves her.
It's a fast book to read. It's original and has lots of action and twists, but it's mostly conversations and I like more descriptions when I read. I want to know more about the characters, I don't even know how some of them look. Also, I didn't really enjoyed the love triangle because I didn't fall in love Nick or Derek. I think Nick did things without any reason and didn't think twice before hurting Annie, but later said if was for her protection...And Derek is too intense, he didn't take no for an answer. I also think the ending was too abrupt....I don't want to give you spoilers but there is a fight and suddenly everyone is having their HEA. Wait, how did they get there?
Overall, Kinetic is an enjoyable read, fast paced, interesting, full of action and with a very strong protagonist. If you enjoy that in your urban fantasy / paranormal books, then Kinetic is for you!
Isn't the cover beautiful? I'll admit I saw it and immediately wanted to know more about this book! :) I was invited to write a review as part of the tour, so here it is:
Annie Fox is genetically altered. That means she is super strong, but still got hurt from her ex husband, Nick. He just left her and turned to be a murderer, who is now after her to use her Kinetic energy. Annie is being protected by the Organization, her friends who all have been genetically altered too and have different powers. Derek, her boss, is specially worried about her since he likes her. When she finally give him an opportunity to date, her ex husband Nick shows up full of scars.
The story was great. Annie is actually younger than me, just 24, but after the divorce she have been healing her heart. She isn't ready to start a new relationship, she's still in the hate zone. When she sees Nick again, all hurt but acting mean, she still can't kill him. Her friends are not helping, since they think Nick may not be the bad guy. But Annie doesn't want to believe that, because then what other reason he had to leave her?
This book is full of twists. Not only Annie is confused and hurt, but she's also trying to find out who is the real bad guy. Maybe Nick is not bad, only misunderstood. Maybe he just want to protect her. But that doesn't stop her from dating Derek, as a disguised of course, until she knows who she can trust.
I liked their powers. Each character have special abilities but they discover that with training they can learn to use each other abilities. Annie is extra special because her energy doesn't seem to end, and that's why someone wants her, to use her unlimited energy. Between learning to use her new powers and discovering who is really after her, she most decide if Nick is guilty or if he's really telling the truth and still loves her.
It's a fast book to read. It's original and has lots of action and twists, but it's mostly conversations and I like more descriptions when I read. I want to know more about the characters, I don't even know how some of them look. Also, I didn't really enjoyed the love triangle because I didn't fall in love Nick or Derek. I think Nick did things without any reason and didn't think twice before hurting Annie, but later said if was for her protection...And Derek is too intense, he didn't take no for an answer. I also think the ending was too abrupt....I don't want to give you spoilers but there is a fight and suddenly everyone is having their HEA. Wait, how did they get there?
Overall, Kinetic is an enjoyable read, fast paced, interesting, full of action and with a very strong protagonist. If you enjoy that in your urban fantasy / paranormal books, then Kinetic is for you!
September 25, 2013
“So basically, what you’re saying is that we’re like the CIA, but with powers?”–-Kevin
“Something like that, sure.”–-Annie
Annie hasn’t had the easiest life: raised an orphan with a tough upbringing in unhappy foster homes, recruited into a training center and dealt with bullying, and was dumped by the love of her life in a heart-breaking divorce at twenty. It’s a good thing she has the strength to survive. Oh, and I literally mean strength. As in, can bench press a bench-pressing body-builder in her sleep. Of course, life is still a tangle as Annie finds herself stuck in the middle of a power-hungry megalomaniac’s future plan while trying to avoid being a part of the love triangle with her stalkerish, obsessive boss and her psychotic, murderous ex-husband. Desperate times call for…some serious coffee.
Billed as New Adult Urban Fantasy, I would actually call Kinetic an adult Superhero fantasy since reading this felt like I was visualizing one of the superhero/paranormal shows on the CW. The dialogue is fantastic (my favorite aspect of the book), the friendships and characters are identifiable and feel real, and the romance is filled with angst (and fairly clean with fade to black). The science behind their abilities are explained easily and are thought-out, and I liked how there were summary paragraphs to summarize days so we didn’t have to read about every single detail while the dialogue brought us back into the story and kept us there.
The everyday displays of powers were fun to read and made it seem like this really was a possible world where the powers were just a normal part of the characters’ lives. The storyline had an air of danger and mystery as Annie and her friends discover the truth behind their upbringings, which makes them reevaluate friends and coworkers. No one is sure who to trust anymore as betrayals are revealed and surprise loyalties are formed.
I found the book to be extremely entertaining, and Annie is now one of my favorite heroines. While I love her and her friends, I did feel like the villains were too one-dimensional and way too evil to be believable. But still, I did enjoy the story and am glad that some of the more questionable characters were able to redeem themselves. Although this is billed as a series, it can be read as standalone since there doesn’t feel like there’s more of Annie’s story to tell. However, I’m looking forward to reading more about the characters and seeing what the storyline will be in the next installment. If you like superheroes, definitely check this one out! This is a 5 out of 5 for me.
(Originally posted on my blog; I received an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
“Something like that, sure.”–-Annie
Annie hasn’t had the easiest life: raised an orphan with a tough upbringing in unhappy foster homes, recruited into a training center and dealt with bullying, and was dumped by the love of her life in a heart-breaking divorce at twenty. It’s a good thing she has the strength to survive. Oh, and I literally mean strength. As in, can bench press a bench-pressing body-builder in her sleep. Of course, life is still a tangle as Annie finds herself stuck in the middle of a power-hungry megalomaniac’s future plan while trying to avoid being a part of the love triangle with her stalkerish, obsessive boss and her psychotic, murderous ex-husband. Desperate times call for…some serious coffee.
Billed as New Adult Urban Fantasy, I would actually call Kinetic an adult Superhero fantasy since reading this felt like I was visualizing one of the superhero/paranormal shows on the CW. The dialogue is fantastic (my favorite aspect of the book), the friendships and characters are identifiable and feel real, and the romance is filled with angst (and fairly clean with fade to black). The science behind their abilities are explained easily and are thought-out, and I liked how there were summary paragraphs to summarize days so we didn’t have to read about every single detail while the dialogue brought us back into the story and kept us there.
The everyday displays of powers were fun to read and made it seem like this really was a possible world where the powers were just a normal part of the characters’ lives. The storyline had an air of danger and mystery as Annie and her friends discover the truth behind their upbringings, which makes them reevaluate friends and coworkers. No one is sure who to trust anymore as betrayals are revealed and surprise loyalties are formed.
I found the book to be extremely entertaining, and Annie is now one of my favorite heroines. While I love her and her friends, I did feel like the villains were too one-dimensional and way too evil to be believable. But still, I did enjoy the story and am glad that some of the more questionable characters were able to redeem themselves. Although this is billed as a series, it can be read as standalone since there doesn’t feel like there’s more of Annie’s story to tell. However, I’m looking forward to reading more about the characters and seeing what the storyline will be in the next installment. If you like superheroes, definitely check this one out! This is a 5 out of 5 for me.
(Originally posted on my blog; I received an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
September 16, 2014
Let me start by saying that I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this book in a giveaway here on Goodreads! I was quite excited when it came in (along with some awesome extras: pen, journal, and bookmarks, all of which I have used)!
Let me also apologize for the ridiculously long time it took me to read this. I feel absolutely terrible that I just got around to it. It seemed like EVERYTHING came up when I was trying to get to this. All of a sudden, I had so much work, and a trip to Europe I planned a year or so ago came up, and I've just had absolutely no time lately.
But I, thankfully, finally got around to reading it!
(There may be a few very minor spoilers in this.)
So, the good:
I really enjoyed the plot and concept itself. Typically, I can guess who to trust and who not to pretty early, but this one kept me guessing for sometime. I was constantly asking myself: What if she's just hypnotized? What if this? What if that? It was confusing, but great! And the concept was quite intriguing: orphans saved from their tragic lives and given superhuman power? That is right up my alley! Plus, I really liked some of the characters. Annie, Nick, and Kevin particularly. Even, eventually, Lisa. And, oh Lord, was I upset at the end! (insert incoherent feels babble here)
And, can we just talk about the cover for a moment? How gorgeous is that?! I love it! The color scheme is so perfect, and I love the girl's (I assume it's Annie) pose! To me, it fits the book quite nicely which isn't something that always happens. And it looks absolutely fabulous on my bookshelf!
And, the bad:
"Bad" almost seems too harsh to me for this section, but it parallels with "good", so I'll get over it... Anyway, the writing style wasn't the best, in my opinion. I felt like the sentence structure could have had more variation and more details could have been added. Also, in parts, it seemed to not have much transition between scenes and concepts. Besides that, there were a few tiny details that didn't make sense to me, but I could have just missed something.
All these are things that can be worked on by Anthony, and, for me, did not take away much from the book. In most cases, the plot and characters are more important to me; hence the four stars for this book.
I'll be looking out for the next Luminaries book! S.K. Anthony, you better hurry up! I don't know how long I can wait! ;)
Again, I apologize for how long this took! Normally I fly through books, but that just hasn't happened these past few weeks (months? Oh my, months!). Now, I have to read something for school. Joy. (It's actually something I want to read, but just not at the moment.) And then I'm off to the next giveaway book I won! Hopefully, I'll have more time to read in the coming weeks.
Let me also apologize for the ridiculously long time it took me to read this. I feel absolutely terrible that I just got around to it. It seemed like EVERYTHING came up when I was trying to get to this. All of a sudden, I had so much work, and a trip to Europe I planned a year or so ago came up, and I've just had absolutely no time lately.
But I, thankfully, finally got around to reading it!
(There may be a few very minor spoilers in this.)
So, the good:
I really enjoyed the plot and concept itself. Typically, I can guess who to trust and who not to pretty early, but this one kept me guessing for sometime. I was constantly asking myself: What if she's just hypnotized? What if this? What if that? It was confusing, but great! And the concept was quite intriguing: orphans saved from their tragic lives and given superhuman power? That is right up my alley! Plus, I really liked some of the characters. Annie, Nick, and Kevin particularly. Even, eventually, Lisa. And, oh Lord, was I upset at the end! (insert incoherent feels babble here)
And, can we just talk about the cover for a moment? How gorgeous is that?! I love it! The color scheme is so perfect, and I love the girl's (I assume it's Annie) pose! To me, it fits the book quite nicely which isn't something that always happens. And it looks absolutely fabulous on my bookshelf!
And, the bad:
"Bad" almost seems too harsh to me for this section, but it parallels with "good", so I'll get over it... Anyway, the writing style wasn't the best, in my opinion. I felt like the sentence structure could have had more variation and more details could have been added. Also, in parts, it seemed to not have much transition between scenes and concepts. Besides that, there were a few tiny details that didn't make sense to me, but I could have just missed something.
All these are things that can be worked on by Anthony, and, for me, did not take away much from the book. In most cases, the plot and characters are more important to me; hence the four stars for this book.
I'll be looking out for the next Luminaries book! S.K. Anthony, you better hurry up! I don't know how long I can wait! ;)
Again, I apologize for how long this took! Normally I fly through books, but that just hasn't happened these past few weeks (months? Oh my, months!). Now, I have to read something for school. Joy. (It's actually something I want to read, but just not at the moment.) And then I'm off to the next giveaway book I won! Hopefully, I'll have more time to read in the coming weeks.
February 3, 2016
This is one of the best paranormal romance stories I’ve read in quite a while and I literally could not put this book down until I had read every single page! This is a unique and very well written story involving a team of supernaturally enhanced humans who are brought together in order to fight to protect humanity from any danger or serious threats. These individuals are referred to as Luminaries and they are all contacted by the agency while living in the foster care system and provided with a scholarship to a special training program. This is where they will be able to hone their special and unique skills effectively transforming them into lethal weapons and superheroes. This particular story focuses on Annie, who is a member of this team and she’s been recently made a target by her ex-husband and now bad guy Nick. Nick used to be a member of her team and he betrayed her in a big way when he left one day without a word, except for the divorce papers he left her on the kitchen table. Now it’s three years later and it seems as if he’s traded sides since he’s been fighting against the Luminaries and killing her friends and teammates. She’s been given the order to kill him on sight and while she understands that this is something that needs to happen, her heart’s still not sure what she should do since she still feels something for the big jerk. Her boss and the head of her team Derek has been pursuing her relentlessly and won’t take no for an answer. While he’s a nice guy and not bad looking at all, she just doesn’t feel anything for him and suspects it might be because she’s still holding out hope for the killer she used to be married to.
This book went in a total different direction than I was first expecting and I loved being caught off guard by this. Every time I thought I had it all figured out another twist would be thrown into the mix and I’d be right back where I started. There’s tons of non-stop action and suspense throughout this entire story and it grabbed my attention from the first page and refused to let go until the very end. I must say that I am extremely pleased with how everything worked out in the end and I wouldn’t change a single thing. This book has everything, including criminal masterminds, danger, several twists and turns that kept me guessing the entire time and pretty incredible characters that it’s impossible not to fall in love with and I couldn’t get enough! I cannot wait to read the next book in this series and I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially anyone who has any interest whatsoever in paranormal books.
This book went in a total different direction than I was first expecting and I loved being caught off guard by this. Every time I thought I had it all figured out another twist would be thrown into the mix and I’d be right back where I started. There’s tons of non-stop action and suspense throughout this entire story and it grabbed my attention from the first page and refused to let go until the very end. I must say that I am extremely pleased with how everything worked out in the end and I wouldn’t change a single thing. This book has everything, including criminal masterminds, danger, several twists and turns that kept me guessing the entire time and pretty incredible characters that it’s impossible not to fall in love with and I couldn’t get enough! I cannot wait to read the next book in this series and I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially anyone who has any interest whatsoever in paranormal books.
September 20, 2013
First of all, the cover: I know everyone is talking about it. So let’s be honest, it’s beautiful. And it paints a perfect picture of what the book is about.
Now let’s get to the book. I opened the book and was instantly reading about an action scene, which was simply badass. Our main character, Annie Fox is an awesome revel who has a lot of personality, sassiness, wit…and a great super power.
In the story, we have a good-guy bad-guy thing going on. Of course, the bad-guy being Nick, Annie’s ex-husband, (the ass—he walked out of her life and left her with nothing but a broken heart and the divorce papers). Nick, as we know, is trying to get to Annie for some reason, which we don’t know yet. But, no worries, the good-guy, Derek (handsome him), will try his best to protect her, along with her army of friends. They have powers, too. Oh, yeah.
As we get deeper into the story, Annie uncovers truths coming from the bad-guy, Nick. Some truths are pretty. Some truths are not. What I liked about these three characters was that Annie was right in the middle of the love battle. She wasn’t quite over her love for Nick, neither was Nick over her, but she also like Derek (or so she made me believe). I think she works her magic really well when it comes to knowing who to choose and why, which is good in a book that has any sort of love interest.
I liked the book, but I feel like it fell short. I wanted to get a little more details about the characters, fall into Annie’s arms and just connect with her deeply. I think she tried her best, but being such a revel didn’t allow her to express freely what she felt on many occasions. I would have loved the read more of the book. Honestly, I think it could have used a few more pages, because I wanted to read more.
There is a plot twist, which I liked, but I don’t want to tell you about it! I know, I’m evil. So you must read it! But someone in the story does have an evil plan. Very evil plan….
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I opened three times and finished it. Now that autumn is upon us, I feel like I can take it outside, sit and read it all over again.
Maybe this time I’ll imagine about the future of handsome Kevin, who can, by the way, transport things from one place to another.
Not to brag, but the book does mention something about panties and Kevin. Okay, this is making me jealous. I wonder when S.K. is publishing HIS story.
While we wait, definitely get a copy of KINETIC and read it. It is the perfect read for an autumn afternoon.
Now let’s get to the book. I opened the book and was instantly reading about an action scene, which was simply badass. Our main character, Annie Fox is an awesome revel who has a lot of personality, sassiness, wit…and a great super power.
In the story, we have a good-guy bad-guy thing going on. Of course, the bad-guy being Nick, Annie’s ex-husband, (the ass—he walked out of her life and left her with nothing but a broken heart and the divorce papers). Nick, as we know, is trying to get to Annie for some reason, which we don’t know yet. But, no worries, the good-guy, Derek (handsome him), will try his best to protect her, along with her army of friends. They have powers, too. Oh, yeah.
As we get deeper into the story, Annie uncovers truths coming from the bad-guy, Nick. Some truths are pretty. Some truths are not. What I liked about these three characters was that Annie was right in the middle of the love battle. She wasn’t quite over her love for Nick, neither was Nick over her, but she also like Derek (or so she made me believe). I think she works her magic really well when it comes to knowing who to choose and why, which is good in a book that has any sort of love interest.
I liked the book, but I feel like it fell short. I wanted to get a little more details about the characters, fall into Annie’s arms and just connect with her deeply. I think she tried her best, but being such a revel didn’t allow her to express freely what she felt on many occasions. I would have loved the read more of the book. Honestly, I think it could have used a few more pages, because I wanted to read more.
There is a plot twist, which I liked, but I don’t want to tell you about it! I know, I’m evil. So you must read it! But someone in the story does have an evil plan. Very evil plan….
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I opened three times and finished it. Now that autumn is upon us, I feel like I can take it outside, sit and read it all over again.
Maybe this time I’ll imagine about the future of handsome Kevin, who can, by the way, transport things from one place to another.
Not to brag, but the book does mention something about panties and Kevin. Okay, this is making me jealous. I wonder when S.K. is publishing HIS story.
While we wait, definitely get a copy of KINETIC and read it. It is the perfect read for an autumn afternoon.
March 30, 2014
*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
I was excited to read this book based on its synopsis but I was sorely disappointed. I am not proud for what I'm about to say, but... it happens. *sigh* I didn't finish this book. Not even close. I read at least 50 pages, skimmed another 50 and put it down... like I said, I'm not proud for doing so.
I try my hardest to see a book through from start to finish, I very rarely put a book down, but I simply could not get into this one. I figured I knew what I was getting myself into by all the rave reviews but... clearly my expectations differ greatly. I tried to immerse myself in this "mystical" world, but it was so underdeveloped and unemotional that I couldn't force myself to go on.
Every single story ever created gives some sort of backdrop for the reader so they know, "oh hey! its in modern times 2014" or "cool, its during the time of cavemen" whatever it is, it is brought up early in the story so the reader knows what is going on. Did I miss that part?.. It would be nice to know if this is supposed to be "current times" or "the future." Was I not paying enough attention? Because I have no idea what era this is supposed to be in, and I have no Idea if it's supposed to be "realistic earth, with a twist" or "this is a dystopian society in the near future" or "this is not earth." What are the Luminaries? I don't get it. There was extremely little explanation on this "topic" (??) and yet, this is apparently what the whole series is about. Doesn't make much sense to me...
In high school, an English teacher of mine would always yell at students for "showing, not telling" and I never truly grasped what she meant. I found out today. Looks like Mrs. B wasn't crazy after all, this book is filled with "telling" and it was rather irritating. Within those 50 pages that I actually read, it drove me crazy how the narrator was recapping things that happened instead of providing the simple conversation... it made me lose interest.
The other problem I had was the fact that there was no chemistry between any of the characters... everything felt forced. Even the main character sounded unnatural! The conversations were very cut and dry, awkward and choppy... it's not the way normal people talk. The characters all appeared cold, unemotional, and dull, all of which halted my reading.
This book was lacking for me. I feel bad for not seeing it through, but I honestly don't see myself picking it back up again. Hopefully you will have more luck with it than I did.
I was excited to read this book based on its synopsis but I was sorely disappointed. I am not proud for what I'm about to say, but... it happens. *sigh* I didn't finish this book. Not even close. I read at least 50 pages, skimmed another 50 and put it down... like I said, I'm not proud for doing so.
I try my hardest to see a book through from start to finish, I very rarely put a book down, but I simply could not get into this one. I figured I knew what I was getting myself into by all the rave reviews but... clearly my expectations differ greatly. I tried to immerse myself in this "mystical" world, but it was so underdeveloped and unemotional that I couldn't force myself to go on.
Every single story ever created gives some sort of backdrop for the reader so they know, "oh hey! its in modern times 2014" or "cool, its during the time of cavemen" whatever it is, it is brought up early in the story so the reader knows what is going on. Did I miss that part?.. It would be nice to know if this is supposed to be "current times" or "the future." Was I not paying enough attention? Because I have no idea what era this is supposed to be in, and I have no Idea if it's supposed to be "realistic earth, with a twist" or "this is a dystopian society in the near future" or "this is not earth." What are the Luminaries? I don't get it. There was extremely little explanation on this "topic" (??) and yet, this is apparently what the whole series is about. Doesn't make much sense to me...
In high school, an English teacher of mine would always yell at students for "showing, not telling" and I never truly grasped what she meant. I found out today. Looks like Mrs. B wasn't crazy after all, this book is filled with "telling" and it was rather irritating. Within those 50 pages that I actually read, it drove me crazy how the narrator was recapping things that happened instead of providing the simple conversation... it made me lose interest.
The other problem I had was the fact that there was no chemistry between any of the characters... everything felt forced. Even the main character sounded unnatural! The conversations were very cut and dry, awkward and choppy... it's not the way normal people talk. The characters all appeared cold, unemotional, and dull, all of which halted my reading.
This book was lacking for me. I feel bad for not seeing it through, but I honestly don't see myself picking it back up again. Hopefully you will have more luck with it than I did.
March 17, 2014
Kinetic as the title suggests was full of energy. It was fast paced and totally enjoyable. The whole concept of luminaries was so original and unique. It was so far away from the usual vampires, werewolves and nephilim. Nowadays when people come up with original concepts the story normally falls short because they spend all their time and talent developing the powers and abilities of the characters that they forget to focus on the essence of the characters. They forget about the part that really matters and the part that forms the true connection with the reader; I'm happy to report that S. K. Anthony is NOT one of those people.
Her portrayal of the characters was wonderful and I really felt like I got glimpse into the minds of all the characters. Annie is the perfect heroine and I honestly loved her cockiness. It was so refreshing to find some one who loved to kick butt and was so damn proud of it. She was like the female Bruce Lee or something. She was the strongest heroine I've ever come across (You'll understand my pun after you've read the book).
I totally did not see a few of the twists coming in this book and when it happened I was practically a blubbering mess because all my theories that I had formulated just crashed and burned. I don't want to say much about Nick and Derek because I don't want to be spoilery. But I'll just this one thing I always fall for the bad guy.
For a first time writer, Anthony is not bad at all. Her story is excellent and at the end of the day we fall in love with the story and how much soul it encompasses. I fell in love with the love that I saw in this book. My heart ached for Annie and though I'm only 16 I felt every slice of pain that she felt. She was totally kick ass and cocky, but she also had a compassionate side that makes her even stronger.
I really wish Annie gets a second book I want to know more about her ... future with ... the person that she ended up with. Overall this book was actually a blizzard of events, heartbreak, anger, turmoil and love. All wrapped up with a shiny blue sci-fi ribbon. I can't wait to read S.K. Anthony's future works.
Rating: 3 stars
* A copy of this book was given to me by the author for an honest review.
Her portrayal of the characters was wonderful and I really felt like I got glimpse into the minds of all the characters. Annie is the perfect heroine and I honestly loved her cockiness. It was so refreshing to find some one who loved to kick butt and was so damn proud of it. She was like the female Bruce Lee or something. She was the strongest heroine I've ever come across (You'll understand my pun after you've read the book).
I totally did not see a few of the twists coming in this book and when it happened I was practically a blubbering mess because all my theories that I had formulated just crashed and burned. I don't want to say much about Nick and Derek because I don't want to be spoilery. But I'll just this one thing I always fall for the bad guy.
For a first time writer, Anthony is not bad at all. Her story is excellent and at the end of the day we fall in love with the story and how much soul it encompasses. I fell in love with the love that I saw in this book. My heart ached for Annie and though I'm only 16 I felt every slice of pain that she felt. She was totally kick ass and cocky, but she also had a compassionate side that makes her even stronger.
I really wish Annie gets a second book I want to know more about her ... future with ... the person that she ended up with. Overall this book was actually a blizzard of events, heartbreak, anger, turmoil and love. All wrapped up with a shiny blue sci-fi ribbon. I can't wait to read S.K. Anthony's future works.
Rating: 3 stars
* A copy of this book was given to me by the author for an honest review.
March 17, 2014
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Annie has powers and she has ever since the luminaries saved her from her life in orphanages and foster care and started training her to work for them. She finally had everything she wanted, including a husband who she loved, until he left her because he suddenly turned evil and didn't want to be with her. However, despite that Annie was getting along, but eventually she finds out that he is up to something that is endangering everyone. Annie knows that she has to help them catch him and find out what is going on, but it is hard when she can't help but still have feelings for the man.
First of all I am going to say that the cover is beautiful. I had a kindle version oft his book so it's not like I could look at it all that much, but it is very pretty. One of the better covers I have seen in awhile. The novel also has a pretty interesting concept. I like to read about people with powers. A lot of my novels are about people with powers. I thought it would be fun to read this one and see how S.K. Anthony's approach to them was.
Annie is also an all right character. She is an independent strong woman who knows what she believes in. Some of her reactions are a bit unrealistic, but overall she is probably the best character in the book. I just couldn't relate to her as much as I would like to because some of her reactions to things don't make sense and because at times she seems kind of stupid if you ask me.
The beginning part of this book is strong but after that is goes downhill. I often found myself to be bored and tired of all the dialogue. I found that the characters weren't all that smart and didn't act realistically a lot of the time. I predicted a lot of the twists and none of them really surprised me, which was disappointing since I did want to like this novel.
Overall I would give this book two out of five. I do not plan to read any of the other books in this series.
More of my reviews can be read on my blog Reviews For The Living And The Undead
Annie has powers and she has ever since the luminaries saved her from her life in orphanages and foster care and started training her to work for them. She finally had everything she wanted, including a husband who she loved, until he left her because he suddenly turned evil and didn't want to be with her. However, despite that Annie was getting along, but eventually she finds out that he is up to something that is endangering everyone. Annie knows that she has to help them catch him and find out what is going on, but it is hard when she can't help but still have feelings for the man.
First of all I am going to say that the cover is beautiful. I had a kindle version oft his book so it's not like I could look at it all that much, but it is very pretty. One of the better covers I have seen in awhile. The novel also has a pretty interesting concept. I like to read about people with powers. A lot of my novels are about people with powers. I thought it would be fun to read this one and see how S.K. Anthony's approach to them was.
Annie is also an all right character. She is an independent strong woman who knows what she believes in. Some of her reactions are a bit unrealistic, but overall she is probably the best character in the book. I just couldn't relate to her as much as I would like to because some of her reactions to things don't make sense and because at times she seems kind of stupid if you ask me.
The beginning part of this book is strong but after that is goes downhill. I often found myself to be bored and tired of all the dialogue. I found that the characters weren't all that smart and didn't act realistically a lot of the time. I predicted a lot of the twists and none of them really surprised me, which was disappointing since I did want to like this novel.
Overall I would give this book two out of five. I do not plan to read any of the other books in this series.
More of my reviews can be read on my blog Reviews For The Living And The Undead
September 28, 2013
Abridged from my blog, Reading the Alphabet.
4.5 of 5 stars
Annie is a Luminary, a genetically altered human, one of a number who work for the Organization. Annie developed the gift of extreme strength. During one of her Org missions, She is sent to guard a vault in Worldsafe where important secrets of important people are kept. When Worldsafe is violently broken into while Annie is there, she springs into action to catch the thieves. She’s not expecting one of them to be her ex-husband, Nick. In slight shock, Annie lets him get away, despite a kill on contact order. Despite being romantically pursued by the President of the Org, she had put up a wall to guard her heart and in one brief moment, her ex sent cracks running through its foundation. Is her life about to come crashing down? It certainly won’t be as simple as that, and if it happens, it won’t be in ways that you might expect.
First off, what an opening! By the end of Page 1, I wanted to know more Annie and what makes her tick. By the time Chapter 1 closes, readers know that she wasn’t always the way she is now, and this cemented my intrigue in Annie and in Kinetic. Annie is a complex character. The secondary characters are all complex characters too, and all in different ways. Even the tertiary characters had depth and purpose. S.K. Anthony did a great job in their development. At numerous times you’ll ask yourself, is everyone who you believe them to be at first?
If you are looking for a fast-paced, action-packed book with some timely romance thrown in, then this book is for you. I truly did not want to put Kinetic down once I started it. There are twists and turns that kept me up beyond bed time and thinking about them the next day.
Overall, this is a wonderful debut for S.K. Anthony. I can’t wait to see more in this series!
*I received a copy of Kinetic from Grapevine Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.*
4.5 of 5 stars
Annie is a Luminary, a genetically altered human, one of a number who work for the Organization. Annie developed the gift of extreme strength. During one of her Org missions, She is sent to guard a vault in Worldsafe where important secrets of important people are kept. When Worldsafe is violently broken into while Annie is there, she springs into action to catch the thieves. She’s not expecting one of them to be her ex-husband, Nick. In slight shock, Annie lets him get away, despite a kill on contact order. Despite being romantically pursued by the President of the Org, she had put up a wall to guard her heart and in one brief moment, her ex sent cracks running through its foundation. Is her life about to come crashing down? It certainly won’t be as simple as that, and if it happens, it won’t be in ways that you might expect.
First off, what an opening! By the end of Page 1, I wanted to know more Annie and what makes her tick. By the time Chapter 1 closes, readers know that she wasn’t always the way she is now, and this cemented my intrigue in Annie and in Kinetic. Annie is a complex character. The secondary characters are all complex characters too, and all in different ways. Even the tertiary characters had depth and purpose. S.K. Anthony did a great job in their development. At numerous times you’ll ask yourself, is everyone who you believe them to be at first?
If you are looking for a fast-paced, action-packed book with some timely romance thrown in, then this book is for you. I truly did not want to put Kinetic down once I started it. There are twists and turns that kept me up beyond bed time and thinking about them the next day.
Overall, this is a wonderful debut for S.K. Anthony. I can’t wait to see more in this series!
*I received a copy of Kinetic from Grapevine Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.*
September 17, 2013
First of all, look at that cover.
STUNNING.
Now, let's go on to my review.
I never thought Kinetic would be action-packed (Though it's obvious with the title). Especially the main action star is a girl. I mean, damn! It looks so hot for a girl to be that strong, fierce, and... badass. Yeah, Annie Fox is one BADASS gorgeous woman. I really adore women who are full of adrenaline and know so much about fighting. They give my heart such a rush just by reading their action scenes.
But this strong woman on the outside is one broken wife in the inside. Years ago, her husband, or rather ex-husband, Nick, left her without a clue. Just a bunch of divorce papers. She never saw him again. Not until she accidentally met him during a mission. Her husband's considered the bad guy and she needed to track him down and surrender him to the Org.
Just like other broken love stories, just the sight of Nick still gave some impact to her. She can't explain it in words but she knew in her heart that she needed to hear him out, ask a thousand questions of WHY's. She just doesn't know HOW, especially her boss feels something for her and is overprotective about her.
I love the spark between Annie and Nick. The way they fight and talk to each other, you could really tell the tension that was built between them when Nick abandoned their marriage. It's just that... Why can't Annie be a little more understanding? Ugh! After all...
I won't give any more spoilers. READ. THIS. NOW.
Kinetic will never bore you from the beginning up to the end. There are revelations that gave a "WHAT?!" reaction. Just like what the title says, Kinetic, the words becomes energy in action the moment I started reading them. It was so fulfilling that I cannot stop reading and I was surprised to realize I was down to the last pages.
Full of action and superpowers, this book is definitely a must-read!
STUNNING.
Now, let's go on to my review.
I never thought Kinetic would be action-packed (Though it's obvious with the title). Especially the main action star is a girl. I mean, damn! It looks so hot for a girl to be that strong, fierce, and... badass. Yeah, Annie Fox is one BADASS gorgeous woman. I really adore women who are full of adrenaline and know so much about fighting. They give my heart such a rush just by reading their action scenes.
But this strong woman on the outside is one broken wife in the inside. Years ago, her husband, or rather ex-husband, Nick, left her without a clue. Just a bunch of divorce papers. She never saw him again. Not until she accidentally met him during a mission. Her husband's considered the bad guy and she needed to track him down and surrender him to the Org.
Just like other broken love stories, just the sight of Nick still gave some impact to her. She can't explain it in words but she knew in her heart that she needed to hear him out, ask a thousand questions of WHY's. She just doesn't know HOW, especially her boss feels something for her and is overprotective about her.
I love the spark between Annie and Nick. The way they fight and talk to each other, you could really tell the tension that was built between them when Nick abandoned their marriage. It's just that... Why can't Annie be a little more understanding? Ugh! After all...
"Because you will forgive me, you have to. You and I aren't a matter of ifs and whys. You and I are inevitable."
I won't give any more spoilers. READ. THIS. NOW.
Kinetic will never bore you from the beginning up to the end. There are revelations that gave a "WHAT?!" reaction. Just like what the title says, Kinetic, the words becomes energy in action the moment I started reading them. It was so fulfilling that I cannot stop reading and I was surprised to realize I was down to the last pages.
Full of action and superpowers, this book is definitely a must-read!
September 28, 2013
3.5 Stars
'Kinetic' is the first book in an edgy New Adult urban fantasy series that follows Annie Fox and her fellow coworkers at the Organization. Annie and the other have been genetically altered to gain superhuman abilities. Annie's luminary ability is strength. On top of saving the day at her job and hanging out with her best friend Beth, Annie has to fend off the amorous advances of Derek, her friend and boss. Soon the Org learns that Annie's ex-husband, Nick Logan, is after a weapon to increase his abilities and do more harm to others. The weapon that he's desperate to get? Annie. Will she have the strength to do what must be done to stop Nick before he hurts anyone else? Or will her old feelings come back and bite her?
This was a fun and thrilling first book in a series that promises to have fans of urban fantasy begging for more. The plot was intriguing and had me eagerly reading to see what was going to happen next. The characters were all well written, especially the heroine Annie. She's an awesome lead - super strong, smart, devoted to her job and her friends, and does what's right - even when it's hard. She has her flaws, like all of us, but I think that made her all the more realistic and easy to identify with. The plot was definitely interesting and blended genres to make a unique story line. I loved learning about the luminaries and the history behind the program and the organization. There's a bit of something for everyone - fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy, romance, action, and adventure. There were smaller story lines that threaded throughout the book underneath the major plot. I thought it added depth to the novel and gave it layers of material. The pace was quick, but not overly fast or slow. The author used vivid descriptions and great imagery to engage the reader from the beginning. Overall, this was a great start to a promising new urban fantasy series that promises to be a hit.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
'Kinetic' is the first book in an edgy New Adult urban fantasy series that follows Annie Fox and her fellow coworkers at the Organization. Annie and the other have been genetically altered to gain superhuman abilities. Annie's luminary ability is strength. On top of saving the day at her job and hanging out with her best friend Beth, Annie has to fend off the amorous advances of Derek, her friend and boss. Soon the Org learns that Annie's ex-husband, Nick Logan, is after a weapon to increase his abilities and do more harm to others. The weapon that he's desperate to get? Annie. Will she have the strength to do what must be done to stop Nick before he hurts anyone else? Or will her old feelings come back and bite her?
This was a fun and thrilling first book in a series that promises to have fans of urban fantasy begging for more. The plot was intriguing and had me eagerly reading to see what was going to happen next. The characters were all well written, especially the heroine Annie. She's an awesome lead - super strong, smart, devoted to her job and her friends, and does what's right - even when it's hard. She has her flaws, like all of us, but I think that made her all the more realistic and easy to identify with. The plot was definitely interesting and blended genres to make a unique story line. I loved learning about the luminaries and the history behind the program and the organization. There's a bit of something for everyone - fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy, romance, action, and adventure. There were smaller story lines that threaded throughout the book underneath the major plot. I thought it added depth to the novel and gave it layers of material. The pace was quick, but not overly fast or slow. The author used vivid descriptions and great imagery to engage the reader from the beginning. Overall, this was a great start to a promising new urban fantasy series that promises to be a hit.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
October 14, 2016
At the beginning of 2016, I decided that I was going to step out of my comfort zone and try to read as many new genres as I could. Urban Fantasy is not one I’m very familiar with. One of my book bestie recommended this series to me. I knew that there was a big chance that I would add Urban Fantasy books to my bookworm radar after reading this series.
Like I mentioned, this is very different from what I usually read. My fear was that I was not going to connect with the story and that it would take me forever to get transported to the world the author created. It did take me a bit of time to connect with Annie and the other characters for the first few chapters, but I connected with them and the story after that.
Annie Fox is genetically altered and the main character of this story. Kinetic is told from her POV. She works for the Org, her power is her incredible strength and she has the pretty awesome job of bringing down criminals that are on the loose. One of those criminals is her ex-husband. When she comes face-to-face with Nick, she knows she needs to bring him down. The only problem is that she’s curious about the new Nick Logan that is standing in front her. Nick is after one thing ... Her kinetic energy. Why does he need her power? Annie is playing with fire when it comes to Nick. Will she make the right decision and follow the rules? Or will she follow her heart and risk of get burned again?
I have to admit that the beginning of the book confused me a bit. There were a few characters making an appearance at once and it was overwhelming. The author did a fantastic job at describing the Org. Annie, Nick and the supporting characters made this story interesting and kept me turning the pages. There are characters that I loved and others that I did not like so much. I was happy with how everything turned out in the story and with the twists that the author wrote. If you are looking for a book that will introduce you to the Science Fiction genre, The Luminaries Series is great!
I give, Kinetic, by S.K. Anthony, 4 fast-paced, intriguing, enjoyable stars!
Like I mentioned, this is very different from what I usually read. My fear was that I was not going to connect with the story and that it would take me forever to get transported to the world the author created. It did take me a bit of time to connect with Annie and the other characters for the first few chapters, but I connected with them and the story after that.
Annie Fox is genetically altered and the main character of this story. Kinetic is told from her POV. She works for the Org, her power is her incredible strength and she has the pretty awesome job of bringing down criminals that are on the loose. One of those criminals is her ex-husband. When she comes face-to-face with Nick, she knows she needs to bring him down. The only problem is that she’s curious about the new Nick Logan that is standing in front her. Nick is after one thing ... Her kinetic energy. Why does he need her power? Annie is playing with fire when it comes to Nick. Will she make the right decision and follow the rules? Or will she follow her heart and risk of get burned again?
I have to admit that the beginning of the book confused me a bit. There were a few characters making an appearance at once and it was overwhelming. The author did a fantastic job at describing the Org. Annie, Nick and the supporting characters made this story interesting and kept me turning the pages. There are characters that I loved and others that I did not like so much. I was happy with how everything turned out in the story and with the twists that the author wrote. If you are looking for a book that will introduce you to the Science Fiction genre, The Luminaries Series is great!
I give, Kinetic, by S.K. Anthony, 4 fast-paced, intriguing, enjoyable stars!
February 18, 2016
First off, the one thing that stood out the most from the beginning of this book is the writing, and how the book started – how you are brought into the story. I noticed there were some reviews that complained it was confusing, like there should’ve been a previous book explaining things first, but for me, that was what made this book interesting. The author didn’t hold your hand step by step, going into detailed explanations of what turns out to be VERY complicated people in a very complicated situation. Had it been written that way, I think it would have been very dry and boring, with too many ‘facts’ thrown at you. This is not what happens in this book.
In this story, you are dropped into the lives of the luminaries from the point of view of Annie Fox. Throughout the story, you slowly find out about bits and pieces of her past, the past of the organization she works for, what luminaries are, and the personalities and stories of each of them. And of course, they are faced with a serious adversary, finding MORE about their pasts and where they came from that is quite shocking to them, and trying to find out one by one who they can and can’t trust – especially Annie, when her ex-husband returns with a big story that she doesn’t know if she can believe.
This is NOT a story you can every get comfortable in. There are constant changing events and people, and right when you’re sure you can or can’t trust someone, you’re not sure again. You feel this constant roller-coaster through the entire story, and I could not have enjoyed it more.
I would imagine it would have to be difficult for an author to have such a large amount of events and characters constantly evolving, but as a reader, you couldn’t tell. The story was constantly intriguing and interesting, and I loved that I never got bored. I couldn’t pick up the second book fast enough to find out what was to come next for those characters that were left standing after such a crazy ride.
In this story, you are dropped into the lives of the luminaries from the point of view of Annie Fox. Throughout the story, you slowly find out about bits and pieces of her past, the past of the organization she works for, what luminaries are, and the personalities and stories of each of them. And of course, they are faced with a serious adversary, finding MORE about their pasts and where they came from that is quite shocking to them, and trying to find out one by one who they can and can’t trust – especially Annie, when her ex-husband returns with a big story that she doesn’t know if she can believe.
This is NOT a story you can every get comfortable in. There are constant changing events and people, and right when you’re sure you can or can’t trust someone, you’re not sure again. You feel this constant roller-coaster through the entire story, and I could not have enjoyed it more.
I would imagine it would have to be difficult for an author to have such a large amount of events and characters constantly evolving, but as a reader, you couldn’t tell. The story was constantly intriguing and interesting, and I loved that I never got bored. I couldn’t pick up the second book fast enough to find out what was to come next for those characters that were left standing after such a crazy ride.
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