Afterimage
J. Kowallis
(The Enertia Trials #1)
Publication date: May 7th 2015
Genres: Dystopian, New Adult
Reggie’s dreams . . .
aren’t dreams.
Visions of the future flood her mind like shards of broken puzzles. Caged in her cell, every morning begins the same. She’s drugged, tortured, and images are torn from her memory by Public One.
Until the morning everything changes. The vision is different. The future’s never been about her, and now she knows they’re coming for her:
Nomads.
How will she convince them to keep her alive when Nate, their leader, doesn’t like or even trust her? To him, she’s a science experiment. A machine.
When Public One will do anything to keep her, Reggie must make a decision: remain a slave to her past, or risk her future to venture into a world more terrifying than she’s ever known.
Encender J. Kowallis
(The Enertia Trials #2)
Publication date: February 29th 2016
Genres: Dystopian, New Adult
They say you feel cold when you die.
The people I’ve killed would beg to differ.
For twenty-something Ransley, the adopted daughter of famed street fighter Estevan Benitez, fighting is all she knows. One hidden detail separates her from the endless string of her pathetic opponents: she can craft and influence heat and fire.
When she’s pitted against the strongest fighters at the infamous Argolla, Ransley faces something she never expected:
A man like her.
Roydon can duplicate himself. When the two collide in the ring, a chain of deals turns Roydon over to Public Four and he’s taken away to undergo the disturbing process of the Nexis. What it is, or what it does, no one outside of The Public knows.
Driven by guilt and a desire to release the only person she’s ever met who’s like her, Ransley isn’t about to leave him for dead—not when he might hold the answers to her missing past. Now she must trust a pair of strangers: a former military man out to collapse the system, and a woman whose premonitions could tear them all apart.
Afterimage
Rating; 4.5
I really enjoyed this book. I really like the futuristic, dystopian world that has been created. I enjoyed the majority of the characters and the way they developed as the story did. Speaking of, I like that the story was such a slow build... that details were revealed slowly rather than all at once. The lack of "info dumps" added to my reading experience and helped me stay engaged with the story and the plight of the characters. I also surprisingly liked the jump between character POVs AND that Reggie's pov was in first person while other characters were in third. For me, it built a stronger connection with Reggie.
Also the abilities... so freaking cool! I really want to see how Reggie's abilities continue to grow... She's already a badass but I'd like to see a little more development there. And in her relationship with Nate as well. Did anyone else kinda swoon when even at the beginning, she was drawn to Nate in her visions? Despite the horrible life she was being forced to live, I still found it quite swoon-worthy!
The only thing that took me out of the story a bit was that while some parts were so detailed and slow, others seemed rushed. There were times near the second half of the book that were skipped or skimmed so quickly I felt like I was skipping a chapter, time jumps that didn't quite get filled in for me. But, despite that, this was a terrific book and I was already invested in continuing this series. :)
The only thing that took me out of the story a bit was that while some parts were so detailed and slow, others seemed rushed. There were times near the second half of the book that were skipped or skimmed so quickly I felt like I was skipping a chapter, time jumps that didn't quite get filled in for me. But, despite that, this was a terrific book and I was already invested in continuing this series. :)
Encender
Rating: 5 stars!
I liked this pretty much as much as Afterimage. It was an enjoyable and gripping read. I love that Ransley is both similar AND incredibly different than Reggie. She's got her own personality and though her story is very similar to Reggie's in some ways, she's very much her own person. Roy as well... I kinda love him! Though... not the Public altered version of him... he sucked!
Again... the abilities are BADASS! Can you imagine combining all of their abilities into one person?! Scary and Badass at the same time! lol
I think the only thing that took me out of this book more than Afterimage was that relationships seemed rushed at times... but, I also UNDERSTAND it at the same time. Like, Reggie refers to Olivia as her best friend... but the two had only known each for a few days and so I got hung up on that. BUT, Reggie also lived a horribly abusive and restricting life... Olivia was the first person to show her kindness and friendship, so OF COURSE she'd latch on to a friendship. And Ransley and Roy... they knew each other a mere few hours and I could already see where that relationship was going. BUT, that was explained later on... so I do understand that as well.
Overall, both books were so enjoyable, so immersive, and I HIGHLY recommend to any lover of dystopian/scifi/new adult books! I CANNOT WAIT to read the next book... I was so freaking sad when I got to the final page and had no more to read.
J. Kowallis, the only girl of four children, grew up in northern Utah with a head full of wild stories (most often unreal). At the age of 9, she wrote her first poem, a dedication to E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. It was so intriguing, her third grade teacher requested to keep the original. Between living in various fictional worlds, and spending time on her studies, she managed to graduate from Weber State University’s creative writing program. She now lives in Utah with her Mini Schnauzer, Etta, and spends most of her time still bouncing between this world and the fantastical while enjoying delectable über-dark chocolate and lavender baths. She enjoys dreaming about, flying to, and writing about distant lands (real or unreal).
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