The Alpha Drive - Netgalley Review

The Alpha Drive

by Kristen Martin

The reader is taken to the year 2055, where half the world's population is living in an alternative reality, Dormance. Emery and her friends are experiencing life in Dormance and it is not until Emery leaves for boarding school that Torin, a young hacker on the outside, makes contact with her and both work together to wake up the world.

The concept and idea for the basis of the book are brilliant and novel. However, the author fails to build the characters and the world they live in. The reader is pretty much taken straight to the action and into the (often very intense and strange) friendships and relationships. You are not entirely sure which side is playing which and I am honestly still not 100% certain why or how "dormance" came about. The story touches on several obviously important things and then fails to explain this importance and relevance. I am hoping that the sequel will reveal more, not only about the characters themselves but also about the world they live in and how these items are connected. There is definitely huge potential here to build on this and to expand and get readers drawn in, but more details are needed.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for providing an ARC in exchange for honest feedback.

The Girl In The Ice - Netgalley Review

The Girl In The Ice

by Robert Bryndza

Robert Bryndza ensures that DCI Erika Foster makes an entrance with style. A solid 4 1/2* read for me.
After suffering personal trauma, DCI Foster is called in to take charge of a London murder investigation. The daughter of an influential Labour peer and Lord of the house is found brutally murdered, in a remote location. DCI Foster has to overcome many obstacles and get a new team on board to solve this case.
The story easily flows, the pace at which events unfold keeps the reader engaged and interested. What appears to be, is not always what it is and the reader is lead along the many twists and turns of this intricate plot. How are the deaths of 3 young prostitutes, 1 "local character" and 1 young upper class  woman connected?
I am looking forward to see what case DCI Foster will solve next.
The only thing that slightly dampened my enjoyment of this book was the unnecessary use of a profanity several times. I am not referring to the "garden variety" swear word, but the heinous, vulgar one. While, in one instance, I could see it as a way to portray a character and the mannerisms, the other two uses were (in my opinion) unwarranted and took from the overall impression of the book rather than add.