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Thursday, September 25, 2014

Mashup Book Review Thursday: The Athena Effect Series by Derrolyn Anderson



Amazon(The Athena Effect #1 is free for a limited time on kindle!)  Goodreads  Barnes and Noble(#1 is also free on Nook!)

Goodreads Blurbs:
The Mackenzie Legacy:
"As their story continues, Calvin and Caledonia find themselves madly in love, on the run, and nearly out of money. When Cal stumbles upon a way to cash in on Cali’s powers, their life on the road becomes a life of leisure. Despite the easy money and newfound luxury, Caledonia’s conscience begins to trouble her.

A disturbing warning only serves to confirm her misgivings, making her question her purpose in life. Finally, a shocking discovery about the true nature of her powers points the way forward, sending the two Cals on a dangerous rescue mission.

Caledonia tries her best to right the wrongs of the past, but will she only end up provoking new and even more dangerous enemies?"


The Caledonian Inheritance:
"After a winter spent in a tropical paradise, Cali and Layla are ready to put all of the drama behind them and find some meaning in life. Along with Calvin and Michael, they return to their remote property, only to discover more troubles hidden away in the bucolic wilderness.

The two Cals settle in happily, but Layla and Michael struggle with their sense of identity, each one seeking out a different coping mechanism. Just when things are starting to look up, Layla’s need to recreate the past leads her back to a dangerous place, opening the door for for evil to return. 

Will Layla’s foolish mistake jeopardize everyone’s newfound happiness?"


The Redcastle Redemption:
"Things finally seem peaceful for Cali and Calvin, but the twins are still struggling with their new-found freedom. Layla senses that more trouble still lurks in her future, while Michael's happiness is being crushed under the weight of a terrible secret.
When someone new discovers the girl's special talents, he will stop at nothing to put them to use. The cousins must face their most brutal adversary yet, and everyone is forced to fight for both their lives and their loves."


Review:
Thank you to the author, Derrolyn Anderson, for gifting me with the rest of the series after I liked The Athena Effect (read my review HERE) in exchange for an honest review!

This series is one of those hidden gems that all indie readers dream of finding.  I loved nearly everything in this series!  Because I'm such an organized person, I've devised a nice little list.

1.  I loved the endings of all three books.  They definitely weren't cliffhangers but they weren't completely closed off either.  There was just enough closure to tide me over until I read the next book!  Mind you, because I had them all downloaded to my kindle,  was able to start them one after another which basically led to this mashup review.  I can't really tell the books apart in my mind anymore because I read them one after another.  It's just one continuous story to me.

2.  Staying true to the first book, the Cal's were so adorable and amazing together.  I loved their relationship although there was more physical stuff in the rest of the series (it doesn't go into detail though for those of you who don't like that sort of thing).

3.  The 'villains' in all four books were just right.  They all made sense and they all were connected to their origin's if you catch my drift.  It wasn't like... say... the Maximum Ride series where villains were just popping up left and right out of nowhere.  This seems like a given to a lot of people but after reading that series, I'm starting to appreciate the villains role a lot more.

4.  There was some excellent action and self introspection going on.  And right now... you're thinking "those things have nothing in common, why are they in the same bullet??".  I don't really have an answer to that... sorry?  So anyway, in one of the books (well really all of them I suppose) Cali helps Layla through so much and also helps her to change her perspective on life.  That was so touching.  The action scenes were also fairly well done and weren't too intense or boring.

So.  That's all that lovely, gooey, wonderful stuff.  There was one problem I had with this series - the relationships (other than the Cal's).  It seemed like Rowan and Layla's relationship was bit of insta-love and Michael and Mina's was created for the sole purpose of just being there.  Like it was a kind of goal - if you find someone you love romantically, it will all be okay and then you can have more people on your side that will help you and worry about you!

The Final Verdict
This is a hidden gem.  Most everything from the villains to the endings were very well done.  Two of the relationship's that were created did get on my nerves from time to time.
4 stars


Quotes from all three:
"The two Cals had been thrown together by fate, united by curiosity, and forced to run by circumstance, but now they were bound together by pure true love."


"She spoke slowly, her hand on Cali's arm.  'Just tell me - What does she want'
'I have no idea,' Cali said. 'What does anyone want?'"


"'Is it any good?'
'What?'
"Star Wars.'
The look of horrified shock on Michael's face made both girls laugh."


"'Now you're dating a cop?' Michael was aghast.
'We're only friends!' Layla protested. 'Ramon is really nice.'"


"She hadn't changed his colors once."


"She stretched out her legs with satisfaction.  Now she finally knew how she wanted to use that power.  She would become the avenger of the abused, the protector of the innocent, and the defender of the helpless.  She would take the curse of her ability and turn it into a blessing."

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