From Goodreads: Twenty-five year old Ivy
Rowan rises from her bed after being struck by the flu, only to
discover the world has been torn apart in just a few short days. But
Ivy’s life-long gift - or curse - remains. For she sees the uninvited
ones - ghosts of loved ones who appear to her, unasked, unwelcomed, for
they always herald impending death. On that October evening in 1918 she
sees the spirit of her grandmother, rocking in her mother’s chair. An
hour later, she learns her younger brother and father have killed a
young German out of retaliation for the death of Ivy’s older brother
Billy in the Great War. Horrified, she leaves home, to discover
the flu has caused utter panic and the rules governing society have
broken down. Ivy is drawn into this new world of jazz, passion, and
freedom, where people live for the day, because they could be stricken
by nightfall. But as her ‘uninvited guests’ begin to appear to her more
often, she knows her life will be torn apart once more, but Ivy has no
inkling of the other-worldly revelations about to unfold.
My Rating: 3.5 hearts
Thoughts on the Novel: Having loved Cat Winters’ YA books, I was
curious to see what her adult novel, The Uninvited, would be like. Since I
didn’t bother reading the synopsis before beginning The Uninvited, I was surprised
to find out that it was set in 1918 America, a time period Winters had
already explored in her debut novel In the Shadow of Blackbirds. Like with In
the Shadow of Blackbirds, ghosts and the Spanish influenza play a role in The
Uninvited; but The Uninvited’s focus is more on how World War I affected
everyday Americans – particularly those of German background – living in America at the
time. Personally, I liked In the Shadow of Blackbirds better; but The Uninvited
is still worth a read, especially if you enjoy the combination of historical
and paranormal elements.
The
Uninvited was released in August 2015 by William Morrow.
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From Goodreads: For the Goddess of Wisdom, what Athena didn’t know could fill a book. That’s what Ares said. So
she was wrong about some things. So the assault on Olympus left them
beaten and scattered and possibly dead. So they have to fight the Fates
themselves, who, it turns out, are the source of the gods’ illness. And
sure, Athena is stuck in the underworld, holding the body of the only
hero she has ever loved. But Hermes is still topside, trying to
power up Andie and Henry before he runs out of time and dies, or the
Fates arrive to eat their faces. And Cassandra is up there somewhere too. On a quest for death. With the god of death. Just
because things haven’t gone exactly according to plan, it doesn't mean
they’ve lost. They’ve only mostly lost. And there’s a big difference.
My Rating: 3 hearts
Thoughts on the Novel: Ungodly, the final book in the Goddess War series by Kendare Blake, was a book I was looking forward to reading because I
wanted to see if my favourite goddess from Greek mythology (Athena) would
emerge victorious. With the way things ended in Mortal Gods, Ungodly starts at three separate points – in the Underworld with Athena
and Odysseus, in Kincade with Hermes, Andie and Henry, and in California with Cassandra and Calypso. I wasn’t too keen about having to read
about Cassandra without the others because she was my least favourite character
in the previous books. Also, I felt that Ungodly was rushed in terms of how
things were wrapped up, and wasn’t completely satisfied with the explanation
given for why the gods were dying.
Ungodly
was released by Tor Teen in September 2015.
