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kblincoln's review
4.0
3.5 stars, actually.
I've never read a beta hero like Trevor before. His emotional inner dialogue, his constant fascination with heroine Chelsea, it was fun to read. I like how he was geeky-cool, willing to be hurt in defense of others, but largely physically inept.
Chelsea, the heroine, on the other hand is bad-ass. Punk band rocker, archeology students, taker-over of kisses in secret submarine broom closets and pushing Trevor against the wall so she can have her way with him.
I dug them both.
But i was confused a lot. There's two secret worlds at war that Trevor only knows about, and things get fuzzy here because they're all stories and secrets and not real to him-- and thus to me, either. And there's confusing political loyalties and agents and alot of characters jumping to conclusions on a variety of micro and macro levels with very little evidence, and with such confidence that it bugged me sometimes.
The biggest ones tended to be Chelsea jumping from 0 to 60 to major conclusions a punk rocker archeology undergrad should have NO way of knowing. Like, when they're being attacked and she's all like "well I know everyone is still alive because this secret society attacking us that I had no idea about just an hour ago definitely will not kill us because they need us" and "I just made the find of the century (and this also bugged me because technically SHE didn't find it, the ensign on the bridge found it) and now I know immediately that I must tell the Captain of this secret submarine to not tell anyone about it because, you know, global upheaval".
I felt like I existed in a fog about the plot at times, and other times I really didn't care because Chelsea and Trevor were so cool to hang out with.
Your mileage may vary. If you have a high ambiguity tolerance about plot and unexplained character actions/motiviations, then you'll enjoy hanging out with them as much as me. If you need a cohesive plot and some consistency to make it easier to suspend disbelief....this one may not be for you.
Ends on a major cliffhanger. While there's some getting jiggy in the broom closet, the actual culmination of their physical attraction is all metaphor and sparkly lights, so fairly safe for your teenagers to catch you reading.
I've never read a beta hero like Trevor before. His emotional inner dialogue, his constant fascination with heroine Chelsea, it was fun to read. I like how he was geeky-cool, willing to be hurt in defense of others, but largely physically inept.
Chelsea, the heroine, on the other hand is bad-ass. Punk band rocker, archeology students, taker-over of kisses in secret submarine broom closets and pushing Trevor against the wall so she can have her way with him.
I dug them both.
But i was confused a lot. There's two secret worlds at war that Trevor only knows about, and things get fuzzy here because they're all stories and secrets and not real to him-- and thus to me, either. And there's confusing political loyalties and agents and alot of characters jumping to conclusions on a variety of micro and macro levels with very little evidence, and with such confidence that it bugged me sometimes.
The biggest ones tended to be Chelsea jumping from 0 to 60 to major conclusions a punk rocker archeology undergrad should have NO way of knowing. Like, when they're being attacked and she's all like "well I know everyone is still alive because this secret society attacking us that I had no idea about just an hour ago definitely will not kill us because they need us" and "I just made the find of the century (and this also bugged me because technically SHE didn't find it, the ensign on the bridge found it) and now I know immediately that I must tell the Captain of this secret submarine to not tell anyone about it because, you know, global upheaval".
I felt like I existed in a fog about the plot at times, and other times I really didn't care because Chelsea and Trevor were so cool to hang out with.
Your mileage may vary. If you have a high ambiguity tolerance about plot and unexplained character actions/motiviations, then you'll enjoy hanging out with them as much as me. If you need a cohesive plot and some consistency to make it easier to suspend disbelief....this one may not be for you.
Ends on a major cliffhanger. While there's some getting jiggy in the broom closet, the actual culmination of their physical attraction is all metaphor and sparkly lights, so fairly safe for your teenagers to catch you reading.
chylu's review
5.0
THIS BOOK!!
I had the privilege of reading this book early and couldn't put it down. I hadn't read any New Adult spec fic/SFF before and this was the best introduction. Immediately I connected with the Chelsea, an archaeology student by day and rock musician by night (having lived a bit of that lifestyle myself :). The way she experiences and handles her emotions, and her voice in general kept me turning pages. She's so relatable. The second POV belongs to Trevor, whose chemistry with Chelsea was authentic and sweet and frustrating and believable all at once. I also haven't read a lot of dual-POV 1st persons where I felt a deep but individual connection to both characters, but Gunn makes this happen with ease. The stories of Atlantis have always fascinated me, and I knew *nothing* about the Lemurians before so it was a great way to dig deeper into a fascinating mythology with such a unique twist. There's nothing else like this out there and I can't recommend Gunn's storytelling enough. If you love NA, or SFF, or *both*, this is one you don't want to miss!!
I had the privilege of reading this book early and couldn't put it down. I hadn't read any New Adult spec fic/SFF before and this was the best introduction. Immediately I connected with the Chelsea, an archaeology student by day and rock musician by night (having lived a bit of that lifestyle myself :). The way she experiences and handles her emotions, and her voice in general kept me turning pages. She's so relatable. The second POV belongs to Trevor, whose chemistry with Chelsea was authentic and sweet and frustrating and believable all at once. I also haven't read a lot of dual-POV 1st persons where I felt a deep but individual connection to both characters, but Gunn makes this happen with ease. The stories of Atlantis have always fascinated me, and I knew *nothing* about the Lemurians before so it was a great way to dig deeper into a fascinating mythology with such a unique twist. There's nothing else like this out there and I can't recommend Gunn's storytelling enough. If you love NA, or SFF, or *both*, this is one you don't want to miss!!
urlphantomhive's review
2.0
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
Chelsea didn't mean to teleport. But did she mean to be such an annoying character?
Atlantis and Lemuria. Both sunken continents and at war with each other. In this mess Chelsea teleports, to a very secret navy base in the middle of the ocean. But don't worry, only Chelsea is special enough to succeed.
Chelsea annoyed me. If there ever was a character that was so special and had such powers and didn't question anything. She immediately leaves her family and former life behind in order to be with Trevor, her insta-love. The only other thing she finds important is her career in archeology.
I still believe the premise was promising, but since it is one of those blurbs that gives away at least half of the book, it never got really exciting. I've been reading some reviews and they are all very positive so it would seem I was the odd one out, because at times I really was struggling. I never felt the drive to continue and it was fine for me to put it down (even for days at a time). It was not what I expected and frankly, I was a bit disappointed with Gyre.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Chelsea didn't mean to teleport. But did she mean to be such an annoying character?
Atlantis and Lemuria. Both sunken continents and at war with each other. In this mess Chelsea teleports, to a very secret navy base in the middle of the ocean. But don't worry, only Chelsea is special enough to succeed.
Chelsea annoyed me. If there ever was a character that was so special and had such powers and didn't question anything. She immediately leaves her family and former life behind in order to be with Trevor, her insta-love. The only other thing she finds important is her career in archeology.
I still believe the premise was promising, but since it is one of those blurbs that gives away at least half of the book, it never got really exciting. I've been reading some reviews and they are all very positive so it would seem I was the odd one out, because at times I really was struggling. I never felt the drive to continue and it was fine for me to put it down (even for days at a time). It was not what I expected and frankly, I was a bit disappointed with Gyre.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
shh_reading85's review
3.0
Cross posted on Shh I am Reading
I received this book from the publisher Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for an honest review.
I had some trouble with this book at first. It took me about 60 pages to finally draw me in. Normally, teleportation and mythology draws me in immediately. It was well worth the wait because it turned out to be a good book, despite the high and low pace of the book.
I actually enjoyed the male to female protagonist POV in this book. It gave both characters a bit more depth, although I did find Trevor to be annoying in his affections and I felt Chelsea didn’t find her voice or affection for Trevor until near the end of the book. So a lot of the affection parts were one sided. It made the insta-love a bit gag worthy.
I think that Chelsea’s reactions to suddenly teleporting to Trevor on SeaSat5, after Trevor rescues her, were well justified. She didn’t accept her abilities too quickly. Even when she developed more abilities, she was rightfully freaked out about these abilities.
Trevor made some serious errors in this book and he struggled to admit that he was in the wrong. Chelsea was a far better character for she was able to admit her faults, strengths and weaknesses.
I was unaware of Lemuria being a lost land like Atlantis. That was quite an interesting tidbit for me. I hope that in the next novel, Lemuria is touched on more.
There was some confusion about who Trevor worked for, who the bad guys were and who the good guys were. It became a bit of a jumble at the end.
Despite the issues in the book, it was a good book and a new take on adding mythology and mythological creatures and abilities.
I received this book from the publisher Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for an honest review.
I had some trouble with this book at first. It took me about 60 pages to finally draw me in. Normally, teleportation and mythology draws me in immediately. It was well worth the wait because it turned out to be a good book, despite the high and low pace of the book.
I actually enjoyed the male to female protagonist POV in this book. It gave both characters a bit more depth, although I did find Trevor to be annoying in his affections and I felt Chelsea didn’t find her voice or affection for Trevor until near the end of the book. So a lot of the affection parts were one sided. It made the insta-love a bit gag worthy.
I think that Chelsea’s reactions to suddenly teleporting to Trevor on SeaSat5, after Trevor rescues her, were well justified. She didn’t accept her abilities too quickly. Even when she developed more abilities, she was rightfully freaked out about these abilities.
Trevor made some serious errors in this book and he struggled to admit that he was in the wrong. Chelsea was a far better character for she was able to admit her faults, strengths and weaknesses.
I was unaware of Lemuria being a lost land like Atlantis. That was quite an interesting tidbit for me. I hope that in the next novel, Lemuria is touched on more.
There was some confusion about who Trevor worked for, who the bad guys were and who the good guys were. It became a bit of a jumble at the end.
Despite the issues in the book, it was a good book and a new take on adding mythology and mythological creatures and abilities.
xan_van_rooyen's review
5.0
I was super privileged to read an early version of this book. It had me intrigued from the very beginning and is so different from all the other New Adult books out there. If you're a fan of sci-fi or fantasy and enjoy a good NA romance, then this is one book you don't want to miss! mark your calendars for February!
liesl68's review
5.0
I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Gyre is an action packed story which takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. From working out who can be trusted and who not to a very real sense of the claustrophobia experience of being trapped and feeling powerless, and the unravelling of secrets to finding truths the author really delivers.
Highly recommended
Gyre is an action packed story which takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. From working out who can be trusted and who not to a very real sense of the claustrophobia experience of being trapped and feeling powerless, and the unravelling of secrets to finding truths the author really delivers.
Highly recommended
shutupnread's review
3.0
Surprisingly I really enjoyed this book mainly because it included mythical places aka Atlantis and Lemuria. Actually I didn’t even know about Lemuria and its mythical origins until reading this book. It was definitely something interesting.
I found the overall plot to be enjoyable – I liked the mythical lands, the super powers that these ancient races acquired, the sci-fi aspect of time traveling and the forbidden romance between the two hidden races. It was like Romeo and Juliet all over again but hopefully, without the dual suicides at the end. The one thing I didn’t really understand was what was the reason for the animosity between the Atlantean and the Lemurians. There didn’t seem to be any real reason behind the hatred between the two races yet they both went so far to destroy the other race completely. I mean, the Lemurians even went ahead to develop time traveling just so they can do so and the Atlanteans developed super soldiers to counter it. I just really want to know why though.
Trevor and Chelsea were interesting characters – their own POVs gave certain insight to the book. I’m not sure which POV I liked better since they were both very critical to the plot. Trevor’s side showed a lot of confusion because he wanted to tell Chelsea about his and her heritage but at the same time, didn’t know where to begin. Chelsea was also very confused mainly because she suddenly had all of these powers and was thrust into an ancient war between two warring sides. I guess both main characters were just mostly confused throughout the book – neither of them really knew who they could trust.
My favorite part actually, besides the whole Atlantis aspect, was the super powers. It was cool what Chelsea could do and how many different kinds of powers she really had. It was a little confusing towards the end when the other super soldier from Atlantean showed up but was somehow not as special as Chelsea. I wish there was a little more information on that. Also, how come all the Lemurians had super powers but not Trevor? And did they only have one super power each while the Atlanteans had to resort to genetic modifications to get super powers? There were definitely a lot of answered questions and many vague answers. I’m really hoping that the second book would explain more.
Overall, I enjoyed the first book and am excited to see where Trevor and Chelsea would end up especially with that little time warp at the end. Definitely a huge cliff hanger.
To read more: http://holedupinabook.blogspot.com/2016/05/gyre-by-jessica-gunn.html
I found the overall plot to be enjoyable – I liked the mythical lands, the super powers that these ancient races acquired, the sci-fi aspect of time traveling and the forbidden romance between the two hidden races. It was like Romeo and Juliet all over again but hopefully, without the dual suicides at the end. The one thing I didn’t really understand was what was the reason for the animosity between the Atlantean and the Lemurians. There didn’t seem to be any real reason behind the hatred between the two races yet they both went so far to destroy the other race completely. I mean, the Lemurians even went ahead to develop time traveling just so they can do so and the Atlanteans developed super soldiers to counter it. I just really want to know why though.
Trevor and Chelsea were interesting characters – their own POVs gave certain insight to the book. I’m not sure which POV I liked better since they were both very critical to the plot. Trevor’s side showed a lot of confusion because he wanted to tell Chelsea about his and her heritage but at the same time, didn’t know where to begin. Chelsea was also very confused mainly because she suddenly had all of these powers and was thrust into an ancient war between two warring sides. I guess both main characters were just mostly confused throughout the book – neither of them really knew who they could trust.
My favorite part actually, besides the whole Atlantis aspect, was the super powers. It was cool what Chelsea could do and how many different kinds of powers she really had. It was a little confusing towards the end when the other super soldier from Atlantean showed up but was somehow not as special as Chelsea. I wish there was a little more information on that. Also, how come all the Lemurians had super powers but not Trevor? And did they only have one super power each while the Atlanteans had to resort to genetic modifications to get super powers? There were definitely a lot of answered questions and many vague answers. I’m really hoping that the second book would explain more.
Overall, I enjoyed the first book and am excited to see where Trevor and Chelsea would end up especially with that little time warp at the end. Definitely a huge cliff hanger.
To read more: http://holedupinabook.blogspot.com/2016/05/gyre-by-jessica-gunn.html
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