Broken Skies by Theresa Kay

"Thirty years ago, civilization collapsed. Few survived.
Ten years ago, the aliens arrived…and stayed.
One year ago, I killed two men and went a little crazy.
Today, the aliens took my brother and I will do anything to get him back." 

Until recently, the E’rikon have remained segregated in their city and ignored the few humans who have tried to engage them, that was until now... They have taken Jax’s brother. After the aliens have taken him she finds that she wasn't the only one left behind. One of the aliens was also left.  Coming to some sort of an agreement, they decide to work together to get her into the alien's city. That seems like it would be the hardest part of their journey... it's not. In this world where alien and human are at odds, the connection forming between the two could have major consequences. What started off as a rescue mission sets a chain of events in motion which threatens everyone one earth. 

We were fortunate to be asked by Theresa Kay to give this book a try in exchange for an honest review. Below we are going to post both of our views on Broken Skies. 

Angela's Review

All I knew about Broken Skies was that it was being compared to The Lux Series a lot... If you know anything at all about me you know that The Lux Series is my favorite series. And yeah it is very comparable, but too me it was more like The Lux Series, The Dustlands Trilogy, Taken, Alienated, and The 5th Wave had some kind of crazy sex party and during which a baby was formed and that baby turned out to be Broken Skies. Yeah it's that insane. On top of all of that I am a known Alien obsessed freak so I have very high standards when it comes to alien books... All that being said... I LOVED THIS BOOK! I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT.

Starting off with the characters. Jax is this fiery strong willed sassy redhead that you will love. Her loyalty and determination are absolutely amazing. Her character growth is off the charts! She is strong; yet weak at the beginning, but by the ends transforms into the leading lady that you wanted and you'll be standing behind. Her attitude is much like mine aka very sarcastic, and made it very easy for me to connect with her. Lir... OH LIR... I loved him. The second he appeared and was described I knew I was in love. Normally it's the characters I have to worry about falling in insta-love, nope this time it was me. whoosh, SWOON. Even when I hated  him I loved him. The relationship between the two is what really makes this story, and I have no complaints about that. Their relationship is an emotional roller-coaster that I want to ride on another 50 times. They don't have insta-love just insta-like and it was to cute for words. I like how their relationship builds, what it becomes, and how it is left at the end. At one point when they are in the Alien city and things happen with Lir (can't say what because spoils) that I seriously screamed....

It's just so good. The sub characters like her twin brother Jace, her family friend Flint, and Lir's cousin Rym were all strong and well rounded. I especially liked Rym. Pretty sure if some kind of side story or novella was written from his point of view I would eat that junk right up. The next thing I loved about Broken Skies was the world building. It wasn't anything over the top. It was just enough to get it's point across and then left it so you could fill in the rest yourself, and I loved that. Their journey never feels forced or rushed, another plus side too this story. With strong characters, and a strong story you think that is all I would really have to say about this book but its not... My favorite thing about Broken Skies is that Theresa has given us something new to the alien genre!!! AND THANK YOU!!! She gave us a new spin on what aliens look like. Their hair color was brillz, their eyes amaze, but the fact that they have these scales on their backs leading into their hair line was something that I thought at first hear was going to be odd... NO LOVED IT!!!!! Never thought a man with scales could sound sexy, but I loved being wrong about that.... And I know I've said this before as well but I don't care Imma say it again... I DON'T WANT TO LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE IF ALIENS DO COME HUMANS AND ALIENS COULDN'T BE TOGETHER!!!!! I seriously love them that much. And who are we kidding I know we all hope aliens come and that they look like Lir, Daemon Black, and Evan Walker. BEAM ME UP HOTTIES!!!! AM I RIGHT?!?!

The plot is fast paced and constant, leaving you with a "never a dull moment" feeling. The story starts small and just keeps building up and up until the ending leaves you breathless. No it didn't per say leave on a cliffhanger but just about as close as you can get too one. Action packed, no emotion left un-felt, and super suspenseful... Too me the ending was left at the perfect moment.

 I can not wait to read book two in this series, and hope that Theresa will bless us with more chances to read her work... Theresa Kay was born to write. She might be an "under known" author right now, but I have no doubt that that will end soon. 

10/10 Stars 
-Angela

Leah's Review

I'm not as big of an alien fanatic as Angela, but I do love some romantic action packed alien stories. When Theresa contacted us and described this as a post-apocalyptic scifi novel that is like Lux.... Well, SOLD.

I was sucked into the book as soon as I started reading. You find out early on that Jax is pretty damaged as far as emotions and people skills go. Something really awful happened to her which pretty much changed her life and now she relies on her brother to keep her together. Once her bro is taken away by some aliens, she kicks it into high gear and sets out to find him. Problem is that one of the aliens got left behind and is now with her. He also just happens to be a super handsome, sarcastic, and charming alien named Lir (seriously, who knew a dude with a line of scales on his back could be hot... don't knock it until you read it!!).  The thing that I love about Jax is that she knows she is broken. She knows that what happened to her really screwed her up, but it doesn't stop her at any point in the book from being a complete BA. She reminds me of Katniss from The Hunger Games where she channels her hurt and pain into doing what she has to do for her loved ones. I think she is a killer leading lady.

The majority of the book follows Lir and Jax on their misadventures through the woods trying to make it back to the alien city where Jax's brother is supposedly being kept. A lot of stuff happens along the way that brings them together... then apart... then together... You get the picture. Basically they spend two weeks together hiking through the woods and almost dying several times and accidentally fall in love with each other. They have to learn to depend on each other and trust each other, but EVERY TIME things seem to be going good for them, something else happens. It was so frustrating!! It was also sort of awesome at the same time because there isn't a whole lot of insta-love going on and you have to stay on your toes to keep up with all the action. But when it happens, BAM YOU LOVE IT. Oh, and I just love Lir. I love how he could be Daemon Black's handsome witty cousin. They could get together and be sarcastic and makes girls drop their underwear all over Earth.

There are some pretty major plot twists that happen. Like, I had NO idea and was completely thrown off my game because I had no idea where the book was going to go. In short, this book was amaze-balls. I was on the edge of my seat pretty much the whole time because I had no clue where Theresa was going to take the ending. My favorite part of the book is when Lir and Jax actually get to the alien city and the time they spend inside of it. My only complaint with the book is that I wish that there would have been a little less time in their woodsy adventure and more time focused on them once they got in the city. THAT ENDING THO. Holy bananas. Talk about a cliffhanger. I seriously need book two NOW because everything ended right when you are on the edge of your seat and have NO idea where your allegiances lie.

If you are an alien lover or just a fan of scifi in general, this is definitely a book you want to pick up. It reminded me a lot of Lux, The 5th Wave, and Alienated, which btw all happen to be my favorite alien books.

5/5 stars
-Leah

"Under Known" Series and Stand-alones

We are constantly getting messages on Goodreads, Facebook, and Instgram asking us bookish related questions. Some of the most common things we are asked is "what is your favorite series?", "I'm just getting into reading again what do you recommend?", "what is something really good too read that isn't as highly known?", and other variations of these. So we decided to put together a list of our favorite book series, stand-alones, and series that we think would be good to start off with. All the series below we gave 4.5 or 5 star ratings too (9.5/10). If we have reviewed them all you'll have to do is click on the titles and it will take you straight to the review on our blog or to the review on our Goodreads.

Series: 

 
The Kricket Series by Amy Bartol 
Kricket Hollowell is kidnapped and is taken back to Ethar to face crimes her parents committed. That's not the only thing that's waiting for her when she returns. This is a new series with only one current book out, Under Different Stars. The cover for the second book Sea of Stars was just released. This is one of our favorites this year and if the cover doesn't pull you in then there is probably something wrong with you.


 
The Dark Elements Series by Jennifer L Armentrout
Layla just wants to be normal but being half demon half gargoyle with a kiss that can kill kind of makes that hard. Layla will have to decide which side she wants to fall on, good or evil. The Dark Elements series currently has only two books out and that is White Hot Kiss and Stone Cold Touch. Please don't let the names or the covers keep you from reading them. 

The Blackcoat Rebellion Series by Aimee Carter   
Kitty Doe can either spend her life as a III in misery and sell her body to get by or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country. If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked and surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstance. She will be forced to leave her life behind and suffer what comes with being famous. This series currently has two books out Pawn and Captive.

The Hunt Series by Andrew Fuduka
Gene is one of the last living humans and is hiding among a world full of vampires. When he wins a lottery that will give him the chance to feast on fellow survivors he will be stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The Hunt Series is a completed Trilogy including The Hunt, The Prey, and The Trap. If you're a vampire fan this series will be perfect for you.

The Sinner's Series by Abi Ketner and Miss Kalicicki 
Lexi Hamilton is wrongfully accused of committing one of the seven deadly sins. For her crime she is thrown into the pit to spend the rest of her life paying for her crimes. If that isn't bad enough she has been branded around her neck with a bright blue tattoo. Branded is currently the only book out in this series. Book two Hunted is set to be released next year.

The Murder Complex Series by Lindsay Cummings 
In a world where the death rate is higher than the birth rate Meadow Woodson has been trained to fight, to kill, and to survive. When Meadow meets Zephyr James one of the MC’s programmed assassins thing could take a turn for the worst. Is their meeting a coincidence or part of a terrifying strategy? This is series that has just kicked off but will soon have book two released. The Murder Complex is one of 2014's must read. 
  

The Black City Series by Elizabeth Richards 
When Ash and Natalie find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths. This is a completed series with all three books available to purchase Black City, Phoenix, and Wings are definitely a series we think is more unknown than a lot of others.

Reboot Duology by Amy Tintera
Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots is dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 and is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. She loves being apart of the HARC program but that could all change when she meets Callum a 22. We both agree 100% on this Duo, it was absolutely amazing! The second book was even better than the first and everything about this series will win you over. Reboot and Rebel was more than we expected. 

The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E Pearson
Lia is on the run. Two men are after her. One was sent to marry her the other was sent to kill her. The first book in this new series The Kiss of Deception will blow your mind. It's set up so you have no idea which guy is which and when you think you have it figured out you're more than likely wrong. One of the biggest twist all year. We can not wait for book two, The Heart of Betrayal to be released.

Fire in the Woods Series by Jennifer Eaton 
When a plane crashes in the woods near Jess’s home, the boy of her dreams falls out of the sky, literally. Boy might not be the right word to describe what he is though. This is a new alien series that we both are very excited for! Fire in the Woods is a super cute and fun read for any alien lover. We have a feeling this book wont stay "under-known" for long.  

 

Altered Series by Jennifer Rush
Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the peek of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab based out of their farmhouse basement. But Nick, Cas, Trev, Sam, and even Anna aren't what you think. There are currently two books out in this series and that is Altered and Erased. The third book Reborn is set to come out next year.

Stand-Alones:

 

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
Imprisoned in a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next to hers and a list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain. Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. Em needs to stop the creation for more than just the obvious reason. All Our Yesterdays is one of the few time traveling novels that we both loved and thought played out amazingly. 
 

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma 
Lochan and Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic mother and MIA father to take care of their three younger siblings. Forced to grow up fast and to handle things kids their age should have nothing to do with, they form a close relationship... So close that they fall in love. By now I know you've heard and seen us rave about this book. Forbidden was a book that we didn't see coming and is hands-down one of the best books we've ever read.

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for it, so they decide sex is all that can happen. They're only two rules for Tate to follow: Never ask about the past and don’t expect a future. Ugly Love is a not what you think is it, and will leave your jaw dropping from the surprises that are inside. We are so excited to have found out this is becoming a movie. So pick it up before it comes out. 

 

Unteachable by Leah Reader
When Maise meet Evan at a carnival one night, their chemistry is immediate, intense, and short lived which is the way Maise likes it. Things get complicated though when Evan turns out to be her new film teacher and the couple must keep their affair a secret. Unteachable is a steamy heart-breaking novel that neither of us saw coming. 

 
 If you are really into reading Ya/Na then you more than likely have heard or have read these series. If you are new to the genre and are wanting  to get into it but don't realty know where to start these four series are great way to get introduced.

Starters:

 
The Legend series by Marie Lu
Day is a fugitive on the run from the government. June is a young and rising military trainee set to do great things. All Day wants is to bring down the system and to save his family. June just wants justice for her brothers death. A shocking turn of events uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country is willing to go to keep its secrets. This is a complete trilogy: Legend, Prodigy, Champion.


 
The Shatter Me series by Taherah Mafi
Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. When the government no longer sees Juliette as a threat and more as a weapon what lengths are they willing to go to get her to do their bidding. This is a completed trilogy: Shatter Me, Unravel Me, Ignite Me.



 
The 5th Wave series by Rick Yancey 
After the 1st wave there was only darkness. After the 2nd  only the lucky escape. The 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one. Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Cassie needs to stay alone to stay alive, but being alone is easier said than done. With two current books out in this series and a movie in the works, this series is a must have. Pick up The 5th Wave and The Infinite Sea ASAP.

 

The Selection series by Kiera Kass 
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. A chance to marry Prince Maxon. For any other girl besides America Singer this would be a dream, but for her it's a nightmare and one she's about to be living in. The Selection is a completed trilogy that is sure to blow your mind. It includes, The Selection, The Elites, The One.