What Would Loki Do?

Published: November 29th, 2014

Knavery (Ripple Series #6)

By: Cidney Swanson

Williams Press

Skandor Dusselhoff uses his ability to vanish purely to make mischief.  After he takes a security job with Geneses, however, he meets other ripplers -- including one very beautiful girl held prisoner by Fritz.  Now it's time for Skandor to decide what he'll risk to free her.

Review

       This book picks up not too longer after #5 in the series, when Martina was able to break free of the toxic influence of her "Uncle Fritz" and the evil that he stood for and ally herself with Sir Waldhart De Rochefort, his son Chretien and their friends (and fellow "ripplers").  Skandor Dusselhoff is the first person we meet in this book, and he seems to have a life completely unconnected to Geneses or De Rochefort's opposing faction of ripplers.  Skandor has grown up in a summer camp, based off Norse mythology!  Camp Midgard has been a great place to grow up, and Skandor has had fun using his invisibility to further his constant question of "What would Loki do?"  But Skandor also wants more from life than just this, so he applies for an internship with the Geneses corporation, thinking he might be able to get answers about his abilities from this new opportunity.  While there, he uncovers a sleeping goddess, who he later knows as Katrin - a friend and the girl he loves.  Is Skandor able to help save her and some others being held captive or will they all pay the price?

       At first I didn't see all the connections in this one.  Not to say I didn't enjoy the story, because I did.  Cidney always writes a good story and I always enjoy it.  I did like that we got to see what was happening with Sir Walter, Sam, Will, Mickie, Pfeffer, Gwyn, Chretien, Matteo and Martina.  We still had the slice of everyone else, even with the larger slice of the plot focusing on our newest acquaintances.  I liked the dynamic between Georg who we get to see powerless and conflicted after everything that happened with Hansel in the last book.  Also, the furthering of the research and development of Fritz's drug to permanently suppress the rippler's abilities was an interesting thing to see unfold.  I think my favorite thing about this one though, was Skandor and Katrin's friendship.  Here is this boy with no real ties to any of the subterfuge going on around him and totally naieve to the enormity of it, willing to risk it all for a pretty girl.  But they actually become friends and in the end, he's willing to give himself up to save her.  The beauty of their relationship was something else, for sure.  And the twists at the end and subsequent cliffhanger was enough to make me freak out!!!  Cannot wait to read the next book and I really hope it involves a happy ending for all involved.  If you want action, suspense, science, magic and romance all in the same book read the Ripple Series.  Cidney will give you all that and more! :D

VERDICT:  4/5 

*This book was provided to by the author in exchange for an honest review.  No bribes were exchanged and this is my honest opinion.  This book is now available for purchase online, as an ebook.*

Immutable (Ripple #5) by Cidney Swanson

Published:  July 22nd, 2014

Immutable (Ripple #5)

By: Cidney Swanson

Williams Press

ASIN:  B00M1ZMJJM

Purchase Links:  Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Kobo // 

Seventeen year old Martina, raised as part of Helmann's elite Angel Corps, wants nothing more than to rebuild the life she lost because of Helmann's lies.  In a single afternoon, she discovers the truth about the woman who raised her and the boyfriend she thought she'd never see again.  Meanwhile, her Uncle Fritz Gottlieb has his eye on the Angel Corps, and he has no qualms sacrificing Martina's dreams to make his own come true.

Review

     Immutable is one of those books that gets you involved and smashes you to pieces in the process.  After reading the other books in the Ripple series (Rippler, Chameleon, Unfurl, & Visible).  But there is still a side of the story that hasn't been told - that of the children that Helmann engineered for his nefarious purposes.  We do get to see how Sam, Will, Gwyn, Sir Walter, Chretien and the others are doing in brief scenes, along with glimpses at the evil of Fritz from inside his own mind.  But the majority of this book is about Martina, one of Helmann's daughters, and an ex-member of his "Angel Corps."  When we first meet Martina, she's living in France, in the city of Nice, feeling absolutely alone and forgotten.  Two of her brothers have chosen to take a drug called Immutin from Dr. Pfeffer, who has been monitoring all of them.  It will take away their ability to Ripple permanently and they can live a normal life.  Martina herself is taking a supressant to curtail her abilties, while working in a clinic to help others.  Her other two brothers, Hansel and Georg, have refused to take the supressant and have taken off with their evil half-brother Fritz.  Martina thinks she is doing some good, using her abilties to steal from the corrupt and help her poor, underpriveleged patients in the small time frame between injections when her medicine wears off.
     But Martina is so low and depressed, all she wants is to see her beloved adoptive mother, Mutti.  When Pfeffer puts her on a plane to the Caribbean, Martina thinks that she'll be happy again soon.  But upon arriving there she discovers secrets that have been kept from her, and learns of a recent tragedy.  This sends events spiralling out of control, until a life or death situation results.  Martina is forced to seek out Pfeffer in Las Abuelitas, California.  She's thrown into the paths of Sam, Will and their friends and family, while trying to find a way to save her own loved ones.  Can they all find a way to stop Fritz from gaining information that could destroy all their lives?  Or will Martina be forced to make an impossible choice between her beliefs of what's right, and saving her loved ones?  I absolutely loved getting into Martina's head and watching her form opinions of the world around her, without Helmann's twisted philosophies to guide her.  She's very smart, but emotionally damaged and trying to cling onto the remnants of a life she doesn't have anymore.  There was some great action in this book, but I felt like it was building more towards another one than giving a resolution.  The whole thing with Fritz and the Immutin makes sense, but I did feel like it was on the backburner for a good majority of the book.  I really enjoyed seeing old friends again and making new ones.  Another favorite book from Cidney Swanson, in one of my favorite series! :D

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the author herself.  No money was exchanged for this review.*

Somebody Save Me

Published: August 3rd, 2012

Saving Mars (Saving Mars # 1)

By: Cidney Swanson

Williams Press

ASIN: B008SULWZ6

When the food supply of Mars’ human settlement is decimated, seventeen-year-old Jessamyn Jaarda, the best pilot Mars Colonial has ever seen, flies to Earth to raid for food. Earth-Mars relations couldn’t be worse, and her brother is captured during the raid. Breaking rules of secrecy and no contact, Jess finds an ally in Pavel, nephew to a government official, but their friendship only makes more agonizing the choice before her: Save her brother or save her planet?

Review

     So anyone who follows and reads these reviews knows that I generally have a pretty obvious style.  Well, I'm breaking habit for this one because it is a very special review book minions.  It's a review for Cidney Swanson's newest book, a sci-fi adventure that takes place in the future on a colonized MARS!  Our heroine Jessamyn Jaarda wants to be a pilot more than anything, so she can fly the raiding missions to Terra and do important and adventurous things.  At the start of the novel Jess is a rule-breaker, whose biggest concern is her alter-abled brother Ethan's mental comfort and getting a piece of ice for her Mom's second birthday gift (everyone has two birthdays a year due to Mars' different rotation cycle from Earth).  But when she is suspended from the flight academy for disobeying a direct order and during a celebration the food supply is decimated, she fights to be allowed to go on the mission to get enough food to save the planet - especially when the government recruits her brother because of his technological genius.  But when things go horribly wrong will Jess be able to find a way to rescue her brother and their other shipmates from a fate worse than death?  And can she trust the help she receives from Pavel, the nephew of a corrupt Terran government official?  Worst of all will Jess have to choose between saving Ethan or saving Mars and everyone they left behind? 

     When Cidney sent me an e-mail asking me to read and review this novel for its upcoming release, I was SUPER excited.  Ever since I finished reading the Ripple trilogy I knew that Cidney was definitely and author to watch and that I would be reading any other books she had published.  This is reminiscent of Rippler, with the strong female main character and the sci-fi premise, but that's where comparisons stop.  Jessamyn Jaarda is a rash, young daredevil who has led a sheltered and happy existence on Mars.  She thinks she understands the precarious position of Mars Colonial, but until the food supply disaster, it's obvious that she isn't quite aware of it as much as she thinks.  I loved that Jess was a take-action sort of hero, ready to do whatever it took to save her home and her family.  I understood her protective spirit toward Ethan - I think it's something that every sibling feels to a really great extent.  Even if you don't get along with your brother(s)/sister(s), most of the people I know would take a bullet for them (I know I would).  Ethan himself was portrayed as a very strong character as well, unlimited in his possibilities on Mars in a way that I hope will someday be a major reality on Earth.  In our society he would most likely be diagnosed with autism or Asperger's, but on Mars he's recognized for his brilliant mind and technological capabilities (called only alter-abled). 

     The supporting characters like Jess' parents, Harpreet, Kipper, Lobster and Pavel all added something special to the overall story that is irreplaceable.  I was impressed by the complexity of the plot and the ease that Cidney built her world with.  It just gradually sprung up around the reader and by the ending I was immersed, unlike many books where the details are shoved in your face unceremoniously and without any flair.  Earth's obsession as a culture with youth manifests itself in a chilling process called 'rebodying.'  The process consists of the conciousness transfers of the old into the young, and vice versa at different points in the lifetime for maximum efficiency.  The idea is that youth is wasted on the young.  The scariest part is that I could actually see this happening if our society continues in it's current direction.  The setting for me was paramount to enjoyment.  It gave the book an extra level of tension to have it set on Mars instead of Earth, as a futuristic science fiction.  This reversal allowed for the showcasing of an outside perspective and gave a more empathetic feeling to me as a reader.  I loved the small details such as the colony's history, the planetary dog, the ingredients list for the ration bars, Jess eating butter and kale like they are regular foods at the banquet for the conciousness transfer teens.  The difference between the offensive Terran term "Martian" and the term they use, Marsian was a nice touch.  

     Overall, this novel was a a very high action, suspense novel where eveything that could possibly go wrong does.  The ending gave me serious chills and made me want to cry, yet cheer at the same time.  I highly recommend it to fans of YA or of science-fiction in general.  If you want a book that makes you laugh, grip your armrest, AND cry, this is the one for you.  

VERDICT:  5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the author and no favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available on Amazon.com in Kindle format and Paperback.*

Unfurl Blog Tour: Guest Post and Giveaway With Cidney Swanson!!!

Please enjoy the following guest interview of Samantha Ruiz, the main character from Cidney Swanson's RIPPLE TRILOGY. Plus, there's a great giveaway at the bottom!

1.  If you could choose to change whether or not you could ripple, would you get rid of the ability?

Honestly, no, I wouldn’t. I know that might sound crazy considering that my life could be all safe and normal if I didn’t have Rippler’s Syndrome. But think of it this way: how cool is it to be able to be invisible? And here’s the thing. It’s even more cool than it sounds. Um, that came out weird. I guess what I mean is that the being-invisible isn’t necessarily even the coolest part. Walking through a plate glass window? Hello! Now that is some crazy kind of wonderful.

2.  Sir Walter is a very interesting person to be around.  What era would you want him to give you a history lesson on?

 I don’t know anything about the era he was born into. Like, at all. Our French teacher says she’s going to tell us all about Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Provençal minstrels and how French cooking really came from Italy in the 14^th century, but she hasn’t done it yet. The 14^th century just sounds like it was a pretty cool time to be born. Well, except for the Black Plague. And all the wars. And no indoor plumbing. Okay, okay, maybe it wasn’t all that great to live in it, but I’d like to hear about it.

3.  If you and Will were a famous couple from literature, who would you be?

In my English class, we just read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen which totally rocked, BTW. Even better than the movie although Matthew McFadyen looked good. For an old dude. Will would be Darcy and I would be Elizabeth. Except, really, I’d probably have to be Darcy (a girl version) because he was lots friendlier than me at the beginning. But Will and I have the whole “miscommunication” thing going on like they did.

4.  What would you do if you could spend one more day with your Mother?

Oh. Wow. I’d spend it in Yosemite, on a sunny day, watching her paint the Merced River or Half Dome or anything, really. I loved to watch her paint. There was just something so peaceful about seeing her face change expression from frustrated to satisfied and back again. And of course seeing the canvas come alive with color. We would eat dinner at the Ahwahnee Hotel dining room. We would drive home and get Foster’s Freeze soft serve in a regular cone. Then she would read to me from Little Women until I fell asleep.

5.   How old would you choose to be for the longest if you decided to let rippling slow down your aging process?

This is really, really hard to answer. I mean, it would be a lot simpler if I could take all my family members along with me. But life isn’t like that, is it? Will and I have talked about this a little bit. It seems like Sir Walter has really enjoyed living his six hundred-ish years, so maybe about that long? If I remember right from Harry Potter, I think Nicholas Flamel and his wife lived around that long and then they were good with just finishing out an ordinary lifespan. So, yeah, maybe six hundred-ish.

No Continental Drift...

Published: December 25th, 2011
Unfurl
By: Cidney Swanson
Williams Press
ASIN: B006Q5TTNC


Against all expectations, Samantha Ruiz has survived attacks by two of Helmann’s deadliest assassins. She’s alive, but she’s far from safe. Helmann is planning a second Holocaust and wants Sam to play a starring role. Will, meanwhile, separated from Sam by an ocean, seeks a way to prevent Helmann’s apocalypse. Along with Sir Walter and Mickie, Will plays a deadly game sneaking into Geneses’ facilities, discovering unsettling clues as to Helmann’s plans. The clock ticks down as Will and Sam discover just how much they must be willing to sacrifice to stop Helmann. UNFURL, the powerful conclusion to The Ripple Series, will leave fans breathless.

Review

   Unfurl picks up right where Chameleon left off: Sam going back to California and Will staying in France with Micke and Sir Walter.  Sam makes her way back to the States in the company of Christian, the son of Sir Walter, who has promised to act as her bodyguard.  Meanwhile, in France Sir Walter, Mickie and Will are trying to find out why Geneses has been buying random warehouses near the demographics they despise, while keeping them seemingly unused.  Hans manages to kidnap Sam and take something from her that could allow Helmann to clone her infinitely.  It turns out that Helmann has been experimenting with new results from his 'children' - he wants them to be the ones to play savior when he unleashes his planned devastations.  Will Sam and her family be able to come out unscathed from Hans' wrath when she escapes from him, yet again?  Can they all find a way to defeat Helmann and save the millions of people he is planning genocide for?  I loved this book!  It was extremely fast-paced and actiony which made it an awesome conclusion to the series.  Not once did I get bored or annoyed with the characters or the plot.  Cidney has amazed me with her ability to keep me riveted through the entire series, where as some trilogies die painful deaths at the end of the second book.  Sam and Will's longing for each other was not overdone in my opinion - it was very tasteful and true to the way teens are.  Plus, my favorite part of the book is at the end when Sam tells him, "You are my Africa."  That is such a cute ending scene for such a beautiful series.  I liked the fact that no unnecessary character death was thrown in as a plot device and I am completely exicted to see what Cidney writes next! :)

VERDICT:  5/5 Stars  Plus my eternal friendship and lots of hugs

*I was given an ebook copy of this book by the author herself (who is awesome), in exchange only for an honest review.  This book was published December 25th, 2011.*

Chameleon...You Come and Go

Published: September 1st, 2011
Chameleon
By: Cidney Swanson
Williams Press
ISBN-13: 9780983562184


Sixteen-year-old Samantha Ruiz has a lot on her mind. The crush who kissed her but changed his mind. The BFF who thinks Sam is in an abusive relationship. The geneticist who wanted Sam dead but now wants her ALIVE. And of course, Sam’s still dealing with a tendency to disappear into thin air.
When Sam learns of her nemesis Helmann’s Nazi-like plan to establish a Thousand-Year Reign, she’s determined to fight him. Along with Will and Mickie, Sam flees to France to meet Sir Walter—their best hope for stopping Helmann’s brave new world.
But Sam isn’t any safer in France. Someone is following her. Someone invisible. Sam will have to figure out how to hide from an enemy she can’t even see.

Review

   When we left off last in Rippler, Samantha's life had been turned upside down.  She had discovered that her genetic material was something others were being killed for, that her Mother's death was no accident and the beginnings of insight into Helmann's truly twisted mind/experiments.  Her best friend Gwyn is ignoring her because of a wrongful notion that Will is an abusive boyfriend and Sam's just allowing it to happen.  Plus, Will had kissed her finally.  Now, Sam is dealing with the fact that Helmann's daughter Helga is trying to find her for nerfarious purposed and Will is acting like the kiss never happened.  Micke, Will and Sam go on a class trip to France and use it as an opportunity to meet with Waldhart de Rochefort, their ally (also known as Sir Walter).  There are some startling revelations, including the fact that Sam's hunch was right - when rippling they exist outside of time.  Sir Walter is over six-hundred years old and so is Helmann - they are cousins!  Things only get more interesting from there.  Throw in some journal entries from Helga AND Helmann, a multiple personality-disordered henchman and a perilous battle for their lives and you have some heart-stopping adventure.  I truly fell even more deeply in love with these characters than I thought possible.  I had a deep affection at the end of the first book, but by the time this one was over I was close to being moved to tears.  Cidney Swanson has a powerful way with words.  There were some truly gorgeous passages in this novel.  Chameleon is the perfect example of exactly what a good young adult book should be.  She is going places and I am truly honored that I was given the chance to read her works.  I am desperate for the third book now!  I have to know what happens!   I recommend this book and the one before it so highly I barely have the words.  Check it out or you'll regret missing the boat. 

Check out my review for the first book in the series: Rippler

VERDICT: 5/5  Stars and a PERMANENT place in my heart

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the author herself, via LibraryThing. No money was exchanged for this review. The publication date of this book was September 1st, 2011.*

The Ripple Effect

Published: May 26th, 2011

Rippler

By: Cidney Swanson

Williams Press

ISBN-13: 9780983562108

Samantha Ruiz has a freak gene that turns her invisible. She can’t control it, and it’s getting worse. Afraid of becoming a lab-rat, Sam keeps her ability secret, until fellow runner Will Baker sees her vanish into thin air. Will promises secrecy and help, and Sam begins to fall in love.

Together, the two discover there are worse things than being a scientific curiosity. Someone’s been killing people who possess Sam's gene. A mysterious man from France sends letters that offer hope for safety, but also reveal a sinister connection with Nazi experiments.

The more time Sam spends with Will, the less she can imagine life without him. When Sam uncovers secrets from her past, she must choose between keeping Will in her life or keeping Will safe.

Review

   Fifteen year old Sam has always been soothed and comforted by water since her earliest memories.  That turns out not to be such a good thing when she turns invisible on her cross-country team's canoe trip - while she's in the canoe with the other kids.  This starts off an odyssey of learning why she is able to turn invisible and what it means for her future happiness and safety.  The person to take the journey with her is her neighbor Will Baker who happened to see her vanish from the canoe and covered for her with the coach.  Because he knew what her genetic mutation is called and he knew more about it than she ever dreamed possible.  It turns out Will's sister Mickie was studying under a man named Professor Pfeffer, who was an expert on Rippler Syndrome, which is an offshoot of a numbness disease (Helmann's) that Will and Mickie's Dad has.  Then the Professor disappeared without a trace and the people studying Rippler's and even just Helmann's began getting killed off in what looked like accidents, but weren't.  And the only clues they really have are in a journal full of sick experiments in a indecipherable language from World War II.  Will and Sam will need all the help they can get to save one another from the danger their abilities present to their very existences while trying to figure out what really happened in the accident that killed Sam's Mom, life, friendship, and their feelings for one another.  I was truly invested in this book!  Other reviews that I've read have complained that there isn't enough action and the pacing isn't that great.  I had NONE of these problems.  I LOVED the characters, the plot and the cliffhanger at the end!  I absolutely cannot wait to read the next book, Chameleon.  The journal entries add a sadistic twist to everything you've ever heard about Nazi medical experiments and worked it into the plot in a chilling way.  Cidney's writing style read like the characters were everyday people just telling the readers about themselves.  I honestly can say that I really liked it from beginning to end.  This book is highly recommended to fans of X-Men, YA paranormal fiction and fantasy. 

VERDICT: 5/5  Stars

Book #7 of Challenge COMPLETE

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the author herself, via LibraryThing.  No money was exchanged for this review. The publication date of this book was May 26th, 2011.*