Jay Hector

Jay HectorThis was a ride. A ride I enjoyed. This was a lot of fun. The enemy, Edison Group, was pretty crazy. I didn’t like how a whole new enemy was introduced so late into the story. Also, what the heck is the Pack gonna do about Derek. Even though the ending was pretty open ended, honestly it makes sense for the time this was written. It didn’t need to be a never ending series and, honestly, it wasn’t like an HEA would make sense. Of course they wouldn’t just go back to regular life. They will always be chased so the ending makes sense to me. I’m glad Simon was not endgame; he was annoying. Chloe was annoying too but I had to let it go since she is the FMC. I’m glad I read this and I don’t regret it. 4.5

Jay HectorOh my word that was so much. Firstly, I read this based on nostalgia. When I was younger I had accidentally read the second book without realizing. Luck for me, I don’t remember it so I was able to enjoy the series wholeheartedly. I loved this read. I like how it was written; in the realistic format of a 15 year old girl. Asking too many questions and being hesitant to bring an adult into the mix fits with the FMC and makes sense as we’re following in her POV. It’s interesting enough, but those last ten or so chapters had me hooked. It felt like watching the TV show Teen Wolf all over again; just the dominoes falling in quick succession and swings tying together in spots you wouldn’t have expected. This is a good read for brief escapism if that is what you read books for. Really enjoyed

Jay Hector3.25 stars<br/><br/>The entire way through this book, I was getting quite annoyed with every character. This book starts off where the first left off, Harte and Esta going through the Brink to get out of the city and find all the artifacts Harte had sent away to other people. I will try to be as spoiler free as possible but just in case, proceed with caution.<br/><br/>The reason I was annoyed with every character was because nobody seemed capable of completing or even halfway succeeding at whatever it was they were assigned to do. A lot of situations were planned, most with flawed/biased logic as justification; yet almost all of those scenarios collapsed in seconds. Characters I genuinely thought were just one off’s became the biggest nuisances in the whole story, for way too long in the story. I was very confused how the idiot of the first book became damn near the main antagonist of the series. Irritation aside, it was an okay read. I don’t feel any strong way about it, however personally I don’t feel like it earned its pages. I own the third book so I’ll still read it but I will definitely be holding off on that for a while to read other things.

Jay HectorI don’t know where to begin. I was very hesitant going into this book. It was recommended all this time, I own the physical copy and still hadn’t touched it, and last time I tried to read a Afro Fantasy book I owned I ended up giving it a low 3 and unhaul it from my collection. When you’re reading a book, sometimes you have an idea of what you’ll end up rating it somewhere around the middle. I knew I would be rating this about a 4 star read, depending on how it ended. I’ll be damned if I wasn’t telling myself out loud “nope that’s a 5 star read” by the end. So many emotions and deep thought-provoking actions in this book. I’ve read a previous book before that relied on Afrocentric source material and that book barely got a 3 out of me as I didn’t enjoy it at all. Since as someone more connected to this source material, I felt like I would like it even less. I was wrong. This was a fantastic piece of work. Because of the way each character was written. The pain and agony that is conveyed in even the most minuscule side character is breathtaking.<br/><br/>Now, I went into this not expecting all information to be accurate or “textbook” for lack of a better term. Why? Because it didn’t really claim to be super accurate so I wasn’t gonna get my hopes up like I have with other books before. I’m an adult who understands fantasy is just that…FANTASY. No matter what, the story would be fake and veer off accuracy. Regardless of the places being the same or the names, at the end of the day, this is a depiction of a fantastical world from someone else’s brain. Source material or not, I didn’t not expect a retelling but rather a story. Which is what it is…a story. With that being said, I still would appreciate if the mythology is respected. Whether all of some of it is used, it should be shown the respect it deserves. So, things changing like “Sky Mother” and whatnot didn’t bother me as much cause again it wasn’t a textbook explaining Yoruba mythology. It is a fantasy story utilizing some of it. I don’t think it was disrespected. A lot wasn’t really used much in the actual story. If accuracy is importance to you, I wouldn’t read this as it is not super 100% a teaching or education of Yoruba mythology. If it is okay with you, I say go for it.<br/><br/>I will preface by saying I consumed this book through immersive reading, meaning I read the physical book along with the audiobook playing. I feel like I choose the best way to read this. I feel like this is the best way to consume this book imo.<br/><br/>The VA was incredible at separating the characters but also just narrating the story. The writing is so descriptive in a way that’s not excessive or overly drawn out. I was able to picture every scene in my head perfectly. I believed that every tear that was shed the characters genuinely felt. Once again, as someone so closely tied to the spiritual elements used to build this world, I am biased but that made me judge it harder. This genuinely felt like its own world which I believe is one of the single most important aspects of fantasy/high fantasy. Readers need to believe the world exists to the people in the story. I don’t think the second or even third book will keep me as this one has but I am willing to finish the series. I would definitely recommend this to anyone hoping to read a really good fantasy but also has an actual attention span. If you’ve only read novellas or books 300 pages and under, don’t pick this up. If you can’t consume the audiobook along with the physical, I suggest the audiobook. That is the better medium for some people for this story imo. If you’re capable of reading the physical book, give it a try. Expect fantasy troupes, sadness, pain, and bloodshed. If you can’t handle harsh truths and heavy themes, avoid this book.

Jay Hector<br/>It was an alright story. I didn’t get the rush or feel intense emotions like people who recommended this which was disappointing. However, I still enjoy the reading I guess. It was a tale of six folks being put together by one mastermind young man to break in a prison and break back out with a prize. A lot of the story is driven by flashbacks of how each character came to be in the place they are now and how some characters relate to each other. It didn’t feel fantastical to me; more adventure. This would not be the first thing I would think of when recommending fantasy. Also, this felt like a book series called the Last Magician; just in the similar characters, setting and surface level fantasy. There is magic but I don’t think it’s really as important (or honestly important at all) as the feelings and relationships of the characters with each other. I, personally, didn’t really get the “found family” vibes as others who recommended this to me. They were kind of mushed together for the sake of the job, which is perfectly fine; just not found family to me. I’ll continue the Duology since it’s only one more book.

Jay HectorIt was a good read, I guess. Started out pretty cool, then was pretty funny towards the middle. A few chapters before the end felt a little dragged on. FMC was cool, a bit contradictory. MMC’s entire personality is he fell for her and he has a strong need to serve. Overall, it was a solid read and would recommend for the girlies that really love romance for a fun time.

Jay HectorThis was still a fun read. While I don’t think it is the same level as the first book, it is still a solid read. Zelie is reckless, selfish and has no clue what she’s doing a majority of the time. Inan has the resolve of a worm and is as confused as he was in the first book. Amari is still my personal favorite character and she goes through a lot of internal conflicts in the book. As frustrating as the back and forth is, while reading I really thought what would be the end all be all. Both sides are still angry and killing a single figure doesn’t make everything better. So, the push and pull of what to do makes sense, no matter how annoying it can be. The ending…was something. I don’t know how to review it. It was so left field and out of nowhere. I genuinely don’t know what to make of it. Zelie and Amari’s relationship is one that I enjoy reading personally. The betrayal, the different perspectives, the conflicting decisions; I think their relationship is very interesting and complex. At some point, I may read the third one. This one, even though it was shorter, felt like a longer read than the first one. I would like to know the ending but not like I’m gonna binge it right now.

Jay HectorI don’t know where to begin. I was very hesitant going into this book. It was recommended all this time, I own the physical copy and still hadn’t touched it, and last time I tried to read a Afro Fantasy book I owned I ended up giving it a low 3 and unhaul it from my collection. When you’re reading a book, sometimes you have an idea of what you’ll end up rating it somewhere around the middle. I knew I would be rating this about a 4 star read, depending on how it ended. I’ll be damned if I wasn’t telling myself out loud “nope that’s a 5 star read” by the end. So many emotions and deep thought-provoking actions in this book. I’ve read a previous book before that relied on Afrocentric source material and that book barely got a 3 out of me as I didn’t enjoy it at all. Since as someone more connected to this source material, I felt like I would like it even less. I was wrong. This was a fantastic piece of work. Because of the way each character was written. The pain and agony that is conveyed in even the most minuscule side character is breathtaking. Now, I went into this not expecting all information to be accurate or “textbook” for lack of a better term. Why? Because I’m an adult who understands fantasy is just that…FANTASY. It is fake. Regardless of the places being the same or the names, at the end of the day, this is a depiction of a fantastical world from someone else’s brain. Source material or not, I didn’t not expect a retelling but rather a story. Which is what it is…a story. With that being said, I still would appreciate if the mythology is respected. Whether all of some of it is used, it should be shown the respect it deserves. So, things changing like “Sky Mother” and whatnot didn’t bother me cause again it wasn’t a textbook explaining Yoruba mythology. It is a fantasy story using some of it. I will preface by saying I consumed this book through immersive reading, meaning I read the physical book along with the audiobook playing. I feel like I choose the be