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2.97 AVERAGE
2.97 AVERAGE
A sweet little ebook. Great characters, engaging story.
The author keeps the story going along really well. I can;t wait to read more!! Write more!
The author keeps the story going along really well. I can;t wait to read more!! Write more!
So, should you read Badlands? If you’d like to venture into a dust-and-brass filled world populated by cowboys and pilots, women warriors, and more adventure than you can fit inside your dirigible, yes…and if you’re a fellow fan of Firefly, let’s make that hell-yes, because this world will pull you in and leave you wanting more.
Catch the rest of the review on my blog, Dark Side of the Covers
Catch the rest of the review on my blog, Dark Side of the Covers
Ever gets interrupted pre dinner party by a siren going off at the fortress. The prisoners have escaped and are fighting their way free. When she and her guards get there, she hears of the queen's assassination and realises she must find the princess heir to the throne. She ends up aboard the Dark Hawk and finds herself strangely attracted to the captain but she must fight her attraction and get on with her mission. But can she stop herself if he's also attracted to her?
I loved this story so much. Loved Ever and especially loved the world Seleste has built for the characters. It's just my type of place (without the war and fighting), the steampunk/clockwork style that she's going for just reminded me of Return to Oz. I like the steampunk look so I had no problem with the imagery. Hmmm, I wonder if I could have found a new Hallowe'en costume?
I may be wrong here, but knowing the author likes a certain space-cowboy Captain, I felt there was a bit of Firefly/Serenity influence going on as well. Whether there was or not, does not change my opinion of the book, it was fun to read and I didn't want it to end. In fact, I'm still disappointed that it was over so soon.
I loved this story so much. Loved Ever and especially loved the world Seleste has built for the characters. It's just my type of place (without the war and fighting), the steampunk/clockwork style that she's going for just reminded me of Return to Oz. I like the steampunk look so I had no problem with the imagery. Hmmm, I wonder if I could have found a new Hallowe'en costume?
I may be wrong here, but knowing the author likes a certain space-cowboy Captain, I felt there was a bit of Firefly/Serenity influence going on as well. Whether there was or not, does not change my opinion of the book, it was fun to read and I didn't want it to end. In fact, I'm still disappointed that it was over so soon.
The world was actually interesting and had potential, but the writing was just soooo baaad. The characters actions made absolutely no sense most of the time and while I appreciate trying to write a strong female lead, this backfired big time since she turned out to be scared and submissive whenever Spencer was being hot enough.
In many ways this felt like a first draft instead of a finished book.
In many ways this felt like a first draft instead of a finished book.
Badlands by Seleste deLaney is a novella and the first in her series Badlands. I’m not sure what compelled me to pick this up. It’s short so I won’t say it was a horrible waste of time. Entertaining for the most part but it felt rushed and hard to put together.
This must have received some good feedback though because it was turned into a series with the second being released this year. Please note I don’t often read novellas, so I may be criticizing something that is normal for this style.
Warning: Spoilers!
The book begins in a a confusing manner. The setting isn’t described very well but I was able to determine they were in a desert type of region. A battle breaks out within the first couple pages and the next thing you know Ever is half naked and leaving her comrades behind to fulfill a special mission of princess rescue. Dehydrated, exhausted, and wounded, she rests on a rock formation sending out an SOS via crossbow.
POV swap - Captain of an airship (a Zeppelin?) spots the SOS signal from Ever. Before I realize what’s going on, she’s on the ship. Rewind: how? Good question… which I’m still not sure of the answer to. One of the crew members seems to have jumped from the vessel while tethered to catch her mid-fall. The only problem I have is that it was never described she fell from anywhere. Still half naked they drag her in to receive medical care. She ends up spending almost the first of the book half naked.
The second half of the book involves more man vs self while Ever battles her feelings for the captain and somehow sleeps with one of the crew members in the process. (¬▂¬) eehhhhh…..
Eventually she owns up to the feelings, of course they’re mutual and all is well. After a run in with mechanized birds (insert steampunk half bird/half machine here), the princess is found and the return trip begins. It gets a little exciting here with the betrayal and tiny love triangle (of which I never expected). The final shoot out ensues and right when you think it’s all over, happy ending epilogue.
Did I go too far into this? It wasn’t easy keeping my thoughts together with the book all over the place. I didn’t hate it and as I said before, I don’t read novellas so perhaps this is the norm when regarding the pace and detail. With this in mind I won’t be picking up anymore in the near future, but I will be reading her second book since it’s twice the length and continues in the same world. The story, characters, and environment were interesting enough, I just wish for more detail and less rush.
This must have received some good feedback though because it was turned into a series with the second being released this year. Please note I don’t often read novellas, so I may be criticizing something that is normal for this style.
Warning: Spoilers!
Spoiler
Where to begin. This is a short novella in a separated, steam punk style United States. The narrative is from two points of view, the leading lady Ever and the man she meets, Spencer. I always enjoy multiple POVs, not just for seeing the story from the eyes of another person, but for seeing the main character that way.The book begins in a a confusing manner. The setting isn’t described very well but I was able to determine they were in a desert type of region. A battle breaks out within the first couple pages and the next thing you know Ever is half naked and leaving her comrades behind to fulfill a special mission of princess rescue. Dehydrated, exhausted, and wounded, she rests on a rock formation sending out an SOS via crossbow.
POV swap - Captain of an airship (a Zeppelin?) spots the SOS signal from Ever. Before I realize what’s going on, she’s on the ship. Rewind: how? Good question… which I’m still not sure of the answer to. One of the crew members seems to have jumped from the vessel while tethered to catch her mid-fall. The only problem I have is that it was never described she fell from anywhere. Still half naked they drag her in to receive medical care. She ends up spending almost the first of the book half naked.
The second half of the book involves more man vs self while Ever battles her feelings for the captain and somehow sleeps with one of the crew members in the process. (¬▂¬) eehhhhh…..
Eventually she owns up to the feelings, of course they’re mutual and all is well. After a run in with mechanized birds (insert steampunk half bird/half machine here), the princess is found and the return trip begins. It gets a little exciting here with the betrayal and tiny love triangle (of which I never expected). The final shoot out ensues and right when you think it’s all over, happy ending epilogue.
Did I go too far into this? It wasn’t easy keeping my thoughts together with the book all over the place. I didn’t hate it and as I said before, I don’t read novellas so perhaps this is the norm when regarding the pace and detail. With this in mind I won’t be picking up anymore in the near future, but I will be reading her second book since it’s twice the length and continues in the same world. The story, characters, and environment were interesting enough, I just wish for more detail and less rush.
A novella I couldn't put down. A hard woman in a deadly world, full of action, clockworks, and a blooming romance. I really enjoyed!
*****FULL REVIEW*****
When the male criminals along with other men dressed as soldiers attack, Ever has to do what she doesn't want and run from battle. Her focus now as she leaves her female troops fighting, is to bring the Princess home to the Badlands to rule as the Queen was killed. Ever signals the regular supply airship, Dark Hawk, as it arrives, warning against the United States attacking ship and for her escape. Captain Spencer Pierce, working to pay off his ship and on his last trip, picks up the bloodied woman he finds, willing to help her. Ever needs to find Princess Laurette and bring her back safely before the attackers find her, or get to Ever first.
Ever is one hard woman. In this world, she has to be. A world where the United States is divided and she patrols the badlands. The place that the states send their exiled criminals to, and Ever's job is to find them, capture or kill them. She guards from the prisoners getting out and the ones coming in. Ever has many views on men, and is tough on them too. And I like that hardness in her. She is my kinda character.
Ever doesn't approve of marriage, feels it's a distraction to the woman warriors. Reading about Ever reminds me of an Amazon Princess Warrior. She is strong and always ready for a fight, doesn't matter in what degree of dress she is in. These Amazon warrior women are of the steampunk era; not ones armed with god forged weapons - truth lasso, bulletproof bracelets, boomerang golden tiara and such, but with pistols, crossbow, and knives on her belt and in her boots. This is one woman out for the fight, and to win at any cost. Ever is the Wonder Woman of Steampunk in the Badlands.
We start off into action. Quickly we learn Ever needs to leave, and she battles her way out. In this quick start it takes a little to catch who's where and what's happening, but it catches your eye and keeps you flipping to quickly learn what all is present in this world. The quick movement, action, and hardness of Ever kept me enthralled to quickly get to the end to know what happens. I did have a little bit of a time trying to see the world at the very beginning and what exactly Ever's position was, but it is all detailed as you read along, so it will all come to light soon enough.
I slipped right into this story and harsh world. A little romance with steampunk and clockwork along with the threat of death and worry. I kept reading to know what happens, the rest of the world around me falling away bringing me to the harsh rocky quiet of the Badlands.
If you are curious about this character, I highly suggest reading the short story, Just A Man, with Ever on the authors site. If you like hard characters, Ever is the one for you. But you get a taste of her determined and clear thinking in the short story. And hopefully Ever and the Badlands are the story for you.
*****FULL REVIEW*****
When the male criminals along with other men dressed as soldiers attack, Ever has to do what she doesn't want and run from battle. Her focus now as she leaves her female troops fighting, is to bring the Princess home to the Badlands to rule as the Queen was killed. Ever signals the regular supply airship, Dark Hawk, as it arrives, warning against the United States attacking ship and for her escape. Captain Spencer Pierce, working to pay off his ship and on his last trip, picks up the bloodied woman he finds, willing to help her. Ever needs to find Princess Laurette and bring her back safely before the attackers find her, or get to Ever first.
Ever is one hard woman. In this world, she has to be. A world where the United States is divided and she patrols the badlands. The place that the states send their exiled criminals to, and Ever's job is to find them, capture or kill them. She guards from the prisoners getting out and the ones coming in. Ever has many views on men, and is tough on them too. And I like that hardness in her. She is my kinda character.
Ever doesn't approve of marriage, feels it's a distraction to the woman warriors. Reading about Ever reminds me of an Amazon Princess Warrior. She is strong and always ready for a fight, doesn't matter in what degree of dress she is in. These Amazon warrior women are of the steampunk era; not ones armed with god forged weapons - truth lasso, bulletproof bracelets, boomerang golden tiara and such, but with pistols, crossbow, and knives on her belt and in her boots. This is one woman out for the fight, and to win at any cost. Ever is the Wonder Woman of Steampunk in the Badlands.
We start off into action. Quickly we learn Ever needs to leave, and she battles her way out. In this quick start it takes a little to catch who's where and what's happening, but it catches your eye and keeps you flipping to quickly learn what all is present in this world. The quick movement, action, and hardness of Ever kept me enthralled to quickly get to the end to know what happens. I did have a little bit of a time trying to see the world at the very beginning and what exactly Ever's position was, but it is all detailed as you read along, so it will all come to light soon enough.
I slipped right into this story and harsh world. A little romance with steampunk and clockwork along with the threat of death and worry. I kept reading to know what happens, the rest of the world around me falling away bringing me to the harsh rocky quiet of the Badlands.
If you are curious about this character, I highly suggest reading the short story, Just A Man, with Ever on the authors site. If you like hard characters, Ever is the one for you. But you get a taste of her determined and clear thinking in the short story. And hopefully Ever and the Badlands are the story for you.
The book has a pretty cool world - especially for the short DeLaney had to describe it.
The romance is obviously very rushed but with the book being about 100 pages or so, it's expected.
A cool, quick read.
The romance is obviously very rushed but with the book being about 100 pages or so, it's expected.
A cool, quick read.
Badlands takes place after the American Civil War, but things did not end the way we know it. The Badlands is a separate country populated by and run by females. The ruler is Queen Lavinia and her military is made up of badass female warriors. The American government sends all of their worst male prisoners to the Badlands to be watched over by this female government so it is the harshest place to be. An attack on the Badlands and its monarchy fuels all of the subsequent action in this book. Ever, the military commander, escapes the attack and manages to flag down a dirigible called the Dark Hawk to take her so she can get to the princess who is hidden away at university in America. On board the dirigible, she meets a motley cast of characters, including Captain Spencer Pierce. The two of them fight a mutual attraction as they both struggle to reach their goals.
Read the full review here.
Read the full review here.
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This book was just not good. I tried, I really did. I promise I did. Sadly, this book and I were just not meant to be. I did not like the characters at all. Especially Ever. I thought she was a caricature, poorly written. The same goes for the other characters. The story all around just bugged me.
This book was just not good. I tried, I really did. I promise I did. Sadly, this book and I were just not meant to be. I did not like the characters at all. Especially Ever. I thought she was a caricature, poorly written. The same goes for the other characters. The story all around just bugged me.
Ever of the Badlands is Commander of the Queen’s Border Guard. When the Queen was murdered during the attack on Badlands, Ever must abandon her fight to escape and bring back the heir to the throne. She succeeded in flagging the Dark Hawk and was brought on board.
Captain Spencer Pierce needed to complete this run to the Badlands to enable him to pay off the Dark Hawk but this is now that he can’t land in Badlands to make his delivery, this is an unlikely event. On top of that, Ever has requested his assistance in her mission albeit with a promised payment to enable him to pay off his debt but other things at play than just a rescue mission...
I didn’t have much expectation when I started reading – all I had was the publisher’s blurb which basically described the story. However, once I started reading, I got right into it. The world was a different place; it was tough and rough but also full of hope and promises. It was a fast and easy read for me because I really enjoyed it. I love the tension and the suspense; just electrifying.
I have to confess I have never been inclined to try sci-fi romance and whilst Badlands is more steampunk romance, it is my first and it has been a wonderful ride. My only complaint? It was too short! “Please sir, I want some more.” I truly hope there will be a next instalment or two... or three (!!) on this wonderfully created world.
Captain Spencer Pierce needed to complete this run to the Badlands to enable him to pay off the Dark Hawk but this is now that he can’t land in Badlands to make his delivery, this is an unlikely event. On top of that, Ever has requested his assistance in her mission albeit with a promised payment to enable him to pay off his debt but other things at play than just a rescue mission...
I didn’t have much expectation when I started reading – all I had was the publisher’s blurb which basically described the story. However, once I started reading, I got right into it. The world was a different place; it was tough and rough but also full of hope and promises. It was a fast and easy read for me because I really enjoyed it. I love the tension and the suspense; just electrifying.
I have to confess I have never been inclined to try sci-fi romance and whilst Badlands is more steampunk romance, it is my first and it has been a wonderful ride. My only complaint? It was too short! “Please sir, I want some more.” I truly hope there will be a next instalment or two... or three (!!) on this wonderfully created world.