Brett Riley

Very intense. What would happen if all our technology was lost at once? If it was caused by someone who wanted to go back to the proverbial simpler times? If they then set themselves up as the spiritual leader of the Crusade? Would it stay pure, keep the vision he set forth, or become corrupted? Could anything based on such loss of life lead to good? I would have rated it higher but had a problem with the writing style but it is a very strong story and I look forward to the sequel.

A different novel, well written, a man of faith and the city he loves face a force of destruction cloaked in religious righteousness. - Interesting strong characters - has violence, scenes of torture, and a battle - story of conspiracy and rebellion.

Rubicons is the third in the Freaks series by Brett Riley but the first I’ve read. Although there are references to previous novels, they didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of this book and I did enjoy it quite a lot. I’m not sure what genre to put it in other than to say it’s a YA coming-of-age super hero story. Several teens face the challenges of impending adulthood and relationships while trying to keep their developing super powers hidden, fend off federal agents and fight a show more monster, in this case, a dragon.

The story moves at a fairly brisk pace with mostly likeable characters and deals with issues facing teens including racism and gender identity in an empathetic way. The end of the tale points to even more danger for the teens in the next book and I look forward to reading it. I listened to the audio version read by P.J. Morgan who does a marvelous job.

I received an advance audio version of this book from Netgalley and Imbrifex Audio in exchange for an honest review. show less

There are so many great things in these pages: lesser known myths, friendship, tons of adventure and tension, and even a little mystery. I wanted to love this read and have no doubt that many readers will, but while the writing was fine and characters likeable, it wasn't quite my thing.
The first pages grab right away and the pan-demigod figure (rabbit) holds tons of potential. Despite being a major part of the plot, it mostly stays in the background and watches instead of playing an active show more role. While I'm sure this served its purpose, it lessened the character for me.

I did enjoy the characters and found them likeable as well as relatable. Their friendship with its ups and downs was well laid. Their powers will also interesting and added grabbing twist on the usual teen drama...and it was this mix that dulled the belief end for me. They were bullied, since they didn't fit it (which is understandable), but their powers were nearing the ranks of those seen in X-Men, which made me doubt that anyone would be brave enough to mess with them...or that they would really feel threatened, since they know how to wield their powers. But again, this could just be me.

As said, it is a well-written enough but just didn't grab me the way I'd hoped, but I do believe other fans of this genre might see it differently and be drawn in. It just wasn't the book for me. show less