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ellelainey's review against another edition
5.0
Book – Light Shaper (Haven Prime #2)
Author – Albert Nothlit
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages – 340
Cover – Gorgeous!
POV – 3rd person, multi POV
Would I read it again – Yes!
Genre – Sci-Fi, Adventure, Apocalypse, Alternative History, MM Romance
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY DSP PUBLICATION, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
To start, I have to say that I'm not going to compare this to book 1. I could, but it feels like these books, though a series, need to be evaluated on their singular merits. Each focuses on a different Haven, each differently effected and alternating in time/advancement since the Cataclysm. Therefore, it's unfair to compare the post-apocalyptic world of book 1 with the 200+ years later advanced, but relatively normal, life of book 2.
Saying that, this book takes place almost directly after book 1, so 200+ years after The Cataclysm, in a modern world.
With brand new characters (none of the Crew from book 1) and a new Haven (III, but also involving IV, which we know from book 1 was the only other Haven, with VII, that was overrun by the centipedes), we entered a new world with no centipedes, more desert and a new challenge.
Kyrios was being used fruitlessly (as he'd see it), his fragment in Haven III, Atlas, being used for simulations for those who could afford it. The world building, here, was incredible. Not only did it build on what we had already learned from book 1, but it also introduced us to new concepts and expanded on what we already knew. The only thing even remotely similar to this book is Minority Report (with the simulation aspect). From the Otherlife concept, to the compound, the Shadow and the Night Market and Slums, nothing was skimmed over, when it came to detail, planning and relevance to the advancement to the story.
Thankfully, I was already familiar with some aspects because of book 1, so was able to adapt to them quicker. But, even if I hadn't been, everything was nicely explained in a way that anyone new to the series could understand the concepts, without massive, complicated explanations.
I loved that we explored Haven Prime in a little more depth, without going there. I sense that may be the final destination for the series, but I appreciate the hints and clues we get as to its importance. The same goes for Atlas, who is a little more forth coming with the sly attitude than Kyrios was before.
The Shadow, in a similar way, is much more of a deadly, frightening 'evil' than the centipedes, because he's much more alien. At least the centipedes had been considered an evolutionary/scientific advancement. The Shadow is much more unpredictable and widespread.
Unlike book 1, there are only a few POV's here, and all in 3rd person. Rigel and Barrows are the main and predominant POV's, while we also get Dr Fey and Tanner when they become relevant. I like this format for this book, since there was a lot less going on and it was less complicated POV wise, with far fewer characters. It was helpful that Rigel referred to 'Barrows' by his first name, Steve, so that we could easily and quickly tell their POV apart.
Character wise, I loved both of the main characters and I finally got my romance. However, just like book 1, it was appropriate to the characters and plot. It was also YA, so great for all ages. The flirting and jealousy were fun to read. I also really liked that the MC's both had disabilities – Rigel's was physical, while Steve's was mental. As someone with a painful, invisible disability like Rigel's, I appreciated the way he was written – frustrated, accepting, but also strong despite it all. And I loved that Steve never outwardly pitied him, even when they were strangers.
Plot wise, I have to admit that I found the second half of the book much more exciting. This was just because of the world building and the time needed, to get to know the characters and their situation. For this reason, I appreciated and approved of the much shorter length, compared to book 1. Neither felt too long. This one was just as long as it needed to be; no more, no less.
I did notice a few misplaced commas and speech patterns that could be an accent/way of speaking or a spelling issue - “I got to” and “and we got to”. I would accept it as speech and not mention it at all, except it was mostly Rigel, who is described as a city boy – well spoken and well mannered. However, as this is an ARC, I'm not taking this into account for the rating, as I have no doubt they'll be corrected before the final publication.
Overall
I loved it. The MC's were new and original; their struggle interesting and built upon what book 1 already gave us, while leaving room for more.
The romance and world building were fantastic. The Epilogue had me grinning like a loon and I enjoyed the whisper of Haven VII and the centipedes, while exploring the new threat of the Shadow.
I can't wait for book 3!
Favourite Quote
“Rigel smiled, and to Barrow the world seemed a little brighter.”
Author – Albert Nothlit
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages – 340
Cover – Gorgeous!
POV – 3rd person, multi POV
Would I read it again – Yes!
Genre – Sci-Fi, Adventure, Apocalypse, Alternative History, MM Romance
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY DSP PUBLICATION, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
To start, I have to say that I'm not going to compare this to book 1. I could, but it feels like these books, though a series, need to be evaluated on their singular merits. Each focuses on a different Haven, each differently effected and alternating in time/advancement since the Cataclysm. Therefore, it's unfair to compare the post-apocalyptic world of book 1 with the 200+ years later advanced, but relatively normal, life of book 2.
Saying that, this book takes place almost directly after book 1, so 200+ years after The Cataclysm, in a modern world.
With brand new characters (none of the Crew from book 1) and a new Haven (III, but also involving IV, which we know from book 1 was the only other Haven, with VII, that was overrun by the centipedes), we entered a new world with no centipedes, more desert and a new challenge.
Kyrios was being used fruitlessly (as he'd see it), his fragment in Haven III, Atlas, being used for simulations for those who could afford it. The world building, here, was incredible. Not only did it build on what we had already learned from book 1, but it also introduced us to new concepts and expanded on what we already knew. The only thing even remotely similar to this book is Minority Report (with the simulation aspect). From the Otherlife concept, to the compound, the Shadow and the Night Market and Slums, nothing was skimmed over, when it came to detail, planning and relevance to the advancement to the story.
Thankfully, I was already familiar with some aspects because of book 1, so was able to adapt to them quicker. But, even if I hadn't been, everything was nicely explained in a way that anyone new to the series could understand the concepts, without massive, complicated explanations.
I loved that we explored Haven Prime in a little more depth, without going there. I sense that may be the final destination for the series, but I appreciate the hints and clues we get as to its importance. The same goes for Atlas, who is a little more forth coming with the sly attitude than Kyrios was before.
The Shadow, in a similar way, is much more of a deadly, frightening 'evil' than the centipedes, because he's much more alien. At least the centipedes had been considered an evolutionary/scientific advancement. The Shadow is much more unpredictable and widespread.
Unlike book 1, there are only a few POV's here, and all in 3rd person. Rigel and Barrows are the main and predominant POV's, while we also get Dr Fey and Tanner when they become relevant. I like this format for this book, since there was a lot less going on and it was less complicated POV wise, with far fewer characters. It was helpful that Rigel referred to 'Barrows' by his first name, Steve, so that we could easily and quickly tell their POV apart.
Character wise, I loved both of the main characters and I finally got my romance. However, just like book 1, it was appropriate to the characters and plot. It was also YA, so great for all ages. The flirting and jealousy were fun to read. I also really liked that the MC's both had disabilities – Rigel's was physical, while Steve's was mental. As someone with a painful, invisible disability like Rigel's, I appreciated the way he was written – frustrated, accepting, but also strong despite it all. And I loved that Steve never outwardly pitied him, even when they were strangers.
Plot wise, I have to admit that I found the second half of the book much more exciting. This was just because of the world building and the time needed, to get to know the characters and their situation. For this reason, I appreciated and approved of the much shorter length, compared to book 1. Neither felt too long. This one was just as long as it needed to be; no more, no less.
I did notice a few misplaced commas and speech patterns that could be an accent/way of speaking or a spelling issue - “I got to” and “and we got to”. I would accept it as speech and not mention it at all, except it was mostly Rigel, who is described as a city boy – well spoken and well mannered. However, as this is an ARC, I'm not taking this into account for the rating, as I have no doubt they'll be corrected before the final publication.
Overall
I loved it. The MC's were new and original; their struggle interesting and built upon what book 1 already gave us, while leaving room for more.
The romance and world building were fantastic. The Epilogue had me grinning like a loon and I enjoyed the whisper of Haven VII and the centipedes, while exploring the new threat of the Shadow.
I can't wait for book 3!
Favourite Quote
“Rigel smiled, and to Barrow the world seemed a little brighter.”
the_novel_approach's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second book in the Haven Prime series, and while reading them both is important if you want to continue with the series, I’m going to throw out the idea that you could read this book as a standalone if you’d like, and then read the first book (Earthshatter) afterward, if you liked the second. The series as a whole is science fiction, more specifically, horror/thriller, but while Earthshatter focused on a group of individuals thrust into an apocalypse setting, Light Shaper has only two points of view, Rigel and Barrow, and has a gay arc, which Earthshatter didn’t have (there were some hints of a gay arc, but they were barely-there hints, and nothing concrete). So, you can decide which to start with, but I enjoyed starting with Earthshatter.
That all being said, I highly recommend this series, which has fantastic world-building, great characters, and fast-paced plots. It also has elements of a mystery. In both books we are given the information that there was some sort of Cataclysm on Earth (I think it’s Earth?) in the very distant future (again, maybe it’s the future?), and while most of humanity was wiped out, bits and pieces of technology survived that upheaval. Over time, that technology was discovered by the surviving humans, but they didn’t completely understand how to use it anymore, or understand who made it or what its purpose was. The AI runs and monitors their cities, and it insists it’s there to protect humanity, but it becomes clear it has shady morals at times, and ulterior motives….
The world is a desert, and all the cities—run by the same ancient technology—are scattered throughout, oases in the dry, desolate climate. The AI keeps humanity alive, but something has happened in the past/is happening again, and the AI is breaking down. Admittedly, the technology is beyond ancient, and there may be some sort of virus at work. In the first book we witness the fall of one city, and in the second we witness the fall of another, and in both we see different personas of the same AI that’s fragmented itself to try and protect everyone. Or, so it says. Really, it comes across as a bad case of a personality disorder, which is worrisome considering how powerful the AI is.
Realize when I talk about the world and its history, I’m only making conjecture because not everything is clear yet. I don’t have all the pieces to the puzzle, and that’s an intentional plot device by the author. I fucking love that sort of storytelling, and it definitely has made me begging for more. I have to read the next book so I can gobble up a few more bits of information, of not only what happened during the Cataclysm but what’s happening now to the AI and the world. I can’t get enough. Basically, this series is the best thing for me—gay science fiction with a compelling mystery—and it’s been a long, long time since I’ve felt this way about any series in any genre.
I look forward to uncovering the mystery that is Haven Prime.
I did mention this book had more of a gay arc than the first, which, while welcome—because it officially made the series gay fiction—wasn’t your typical romance plotline. Don’t expect flowers or romance or even sex. These are two people who are running for their fucking lives. And admittedly, with the constraints on time and the horrors they are witnessing around them, they are both very confused and exhausted. Have patience with the poor boys. But definitely read this series. Definitely.
Reviewed by Ben for The Novel Approach Reviews
That all being said, I highly recommend this series, which has fantastic world-building, great characters, and fast-paced plots. It also has elements of a mystery. In both books we are given the information that there was some sort of Cataclysm on Earth (I think it’s Earth?) in the very distant future (again, maybe it’s the future?), and while most of humanity was wiped out, bits and pieces of technology survived that upheaval. Over time, that technology was discovered by the surviving humans, but they didn’t completely understand how to use it anymore, or understand who made it or what its purpose was. The AI runs and monitors their cities, and it insists it’s there to protect humanity, but it becomes clear it has shady morals at times, and ulterior motives….
The world is a desert, and all the cities—run by the same ancient technology—are scattered throughout, oases in the dry, desolate climate. The AI keeps humanity alive, but something has happened in the past/is happening again, and the AI is breaking down. Admittedly, the technology is beyond ancient, and there may be some sort of virus at work. In the first book we witness the fall of one city, and in the second we witness the fall of another, and in both we see different personas of the same AI that’s fragmented itself to try and protect everyone. Or, so it says. Really, it comes across as a bad case of a personality disorder, which is worrisome considering how powerful the AI is.
Realize when I talk about the world and its history, I’m only making conjecture because not everything is clear yet. I don’t have all the pieces to the puzzle, and that’s an intentional plot device by the author. I fucking love that sort of storytelling, and it definitely has made me begging for more. I have to read the next book so I can gobble up a few more bits of information, of not only what happened during the Cataclysm but what’s happening now to the AI and the world. I can’t get enough. Basically, this series is the best thing for me—gay science fiction with a compelling mystery—and it’s been a long, long time since I’ve felt this way about any series in any genre.
I look forward to uncovering the mystery that is Haven Prime.
I did mention this book had more of a gay arc than the first, which, while welcome—because it officially made the series gay fiction—wasn’t your typical romance plotline. Don’t expect flowers or romance or even sex. These are two people who are running for their fucking lives. And admittedly, with the constraints on time and the horrors they are witnessing around them, they are both very confused and exhausted. Have patience with the poor boys. But definitely read this series. Definitely.
Reviewed by Ben for The Novel Approach Reviews
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