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lynseyisreading's review against another edition
3.0
Come over to the dark side.
This was soooo much fun! It's got to be one of the most entertaining YA/NAs I've read in a long time. It had a heroine I loved who managed to find her inner badass, even surrounded by people who were determined to bring her down. It had a new supernatural twist with wraiths being enemy number one, and a league of enforcers called The Mortal Machine tasked with keeping them under control. It had a forbidden and complicated romance that was just gah! *dies* Seriously, if you're looking to escape into a book for a few hours, one that will put a grin on your face and entertain the heck out of you, this might just be it!
I really loved the worldbuilding used in Darkside Sun. It's always nice to see new ideas being used instead of the same old same old, and wraiths coming from an alternate dimension attempting to posses human hosts is definitely a new spin for me! One I really enjoyed. Another really great aspect was the interplay between all the members of The Machine. There were some twisty, untrustworthy ones in there, some blatantly bitchy ones, but also a few who were kind of adorable. But the best part of all has to be main characters (and love interests) Addison and Asher!
Addison's personality jumps right off the page. She's just so endearing and likeable. Asher is a little more complicated and closed off, but I absolutely loved the snippets of his back story that we got which showed some of the reasons why he is the way he is. Of course, Asher is also a bit of a butthead for much of the book, and continually makes bad decisions, ignoring all advice to the contrary. Never more so than at the end! I guarantee, the ending of this book will have you SCREAMING for more! I need need need need need need to know what's going to happen next!
A highly recommended, highly entertaining read. - 5 Stars ★★★★★
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This was soooo much fun! It's got to be one of the most entertaining YA/NAs I've read in a long time. It had a heroine I loved who managed to find her inner badass, even surrounded by people who were determined to bring her down. It had a new supernatural twist with wraiths being enemy number one, and a league of enforcers called The Mortal Machine tasked with keeping them under control. It had a forbidden and complicated romance that was just gah! *dies* Seriously, if you're looking to escape into a book for a few hours, one that will put a grin on your face and entertain the heck out of you, this might just be it!
I really loved the worldbuilding used in Darkside Sun. It's always nice to see new ideas being used instead of the same old same old, and wraiths coming from an alternate dimension attempting to posses human hosts is definitely a new spin for me! One I really enjoyed. Another really great aspect was the interplay between all the members of The Machine. There were some twisty, untrustworthy ones in there, some blatantly bitchy ones, but also a few who were kind of adorable. But the best part of all has to be main characters (and love interests) Addison and Asher!
Addison's personality jumps right off the page. She's just so endearing and likeable. Asher is a little more complicated and closed off, but I absolutely loved the snippets of his back story that we got which showed some of the reasons why he is the way he is. Of course, Asher is also a bit of a butthead for much of the book, and continually makes bad decisions, ignoring all advice to the contrary. Never more so than at the end! I guarantee, the ending of this book will have you SCREAMING for more! I need need need need need need to know what's going to happen next!
A highly recommended, highly entertaining read. - 5 Stars ★★★★★
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
magencorrie's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars!
*eARC received from NetGalley/Entangled in exchange for an honest review*
My Thoughts:
I’m going to be totally honest. I had my doubts about this one. I was back and forth if I should read this one when I was offered the chance. And you know what, I’m so flipping happy I took that chance! I love New Adult books, and it’s so hard to find New Adult reads that deal with the more paranormal world. So this one was right up my alley!
First of all, Darkside Sun deals with some amazing elements. It deals with the dead, wraiths, ancient civilizations, parallel worlds, and a hidden society of people who fight against the dead. As I said, right up my alley! The world is complex and deals with a lot of elements, but I really enjoyed getting wrapped up in those elements!
I really liked the main character Addison. At first, she comes off as a dorky, shy unconfident mess. For a long time she has been dealing with these strange events. Events like random darks holes that materialize out of nowhere that bring about a biting cold and scary creatures. Her life has never been normal and she always thought she wasn’t the most stable person. That made me really feel for her. I instantly started rooting for her and wanted to see where her story would go.
What I loved about Addison is this girl’s determination. When she gets thrown into this freaky world she acts like, to me, how I normal person would act. Yes, she accepted everything quite easily, but she’s been dealing with the paranormal since she was a little girl. So that made all the supernatural elements believable and her reactions believable as well. And she definitely developed so much throughout the book. By the end, she wasn’t that unconfident girl anymore; she was really strong and ready to fight.
Now, Asher Green really came off as this big freaking ass! And just, wow, I really wanted to hit him. But like Addison, my emotions for this character were conflicting. I enjoyed him, hell, I really loved his character (he be sexy man). But how he acted throughout most of the book pissed me off. However, when I learned about his past, his demons, and his fears, I did understand his character better. That made me realize he wasn’t that bad of a guy, just has some issues. And like Addison he did develop a bit in the story, though not as much as her. And what he did at the end, well, it made me cry. I cannot wait to see where his character will go.
The pacing does start out a bit fast and Addison is instantly thrown into the more paranormal world right away. But that didn’t feel forced or unnatural, as I mentioned before. I do wish Asher’s character got a bit more development, but I understand him a lot better now. The world the author created is really complex and deals with so many aspects, and though a lot was thrown at me, it didn’t leave me too confused. I did figure out a few plot twists, but that didn’t take away my joy of reading the book. I actually read this one in one day. Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down. And I loved that this book didn’t focus all its attention on romance, it focused more on the world and the plot of the series.
All in all, I adored Darkside Sun. It was filled with action, a really interesting paranormal twist, a sweet romance I can’t wait to see bloom, and a cast of interesting characters. And the ending left me craving for the next book! I definitely recommend this one to those who love New Adult paranormal reads.
*eARC received from NetGalley/Entangled in exchange for an honest review*
My Thoughts:
I’m going to be totally honest. I had my doubts about this one. I was back and forth if I should read this one when I was offered the chance. And you know what, I’m so flipping happy I took that chance! I love New Adult books, and it’s so hard to find New Adult reads that deal with the more paranormal world. So this one was right up my alley!
First of all, Darkside Sun deals with some amazing elements. It deals with the dead, wraiths, ancient civilizations, parallel worlds, and a hidden society of people who fight against the dead. As I said, right up my alley! The world is complex and deals with a lot of elements, but I really enjoyed getting wrapped up in those elements!
I really liked the main character Addison. At first, she comes off as a dorky, shy unconfident mess. For a long time she has been dealing with these strange events. Events like random darks holes that materialize out of nowhere that bring about a biting cold and scary creatures. Her life has never been normal and she always thought she wasn’t the most stable person. That made me really feel for her. I instantly started rooting for her and wanted to see where her story would go.
What I loved about Addison is this girl’s determination. When she gets thrown into this freaky world she acts like, to me, how I normal person would act. Yes, she accepted everything quite easily, but she’s been dealing with the paranormal since she was a little girl. So that made all the supernatural elements believable and her reactions believable as well. And she definitely developed so much throughout the book. By the end, she wasn’t that unconfident girl anymore; she was really strong and ready to fight.
Now, Asher Green really came off as this big freaking ass! And just, wow, I really wanted to hit him. But like Addison, my emotions for this character were conflicting. I enjoyed him, hell, I really loved his character (he be sexy man). But how he acted throughout most of the book pissed me off. However, when I learned about his past, his demons, and his fears, I did understand his character better. That made me realize he wasn’t that bad of a guy, just has some issues. And like Addison he did develop a bit in the story, though not as much as her. And what he did at the end, well, it made me cry. I cannot wait to see where his character will go.
The pacing does start out a bit fast and Addison is instantly thrown into the more paranormal world right away. But that didn’t feel forced or unnatural, as I mentioned before. I do wish Asher’s character got a bit more development, but I understand him a lot better now. The world the author created is really complex and deals with so many aspects, and though a lot was thrown at me, it didn’t leave me too confused. I did figure out a few plot twists, but that didn’t take away my joy of reading the book. I actually read this one in one day. Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down. And I loved that this book didn’t focus all its attention on romance, it focused more on the world and the plot of the series.
All in all, I adored Darkside Sun. It was filled with action, a really interesting paranormal twist, a sweet romance I can’t wait to see bloom, and a cast of interesting characters. And the ending left me craving for the next book! I definitely recommend this one to those who love New Adult paranormal reads.
erinarkin20's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
Darkside Sun was a book that was brought to my attention and when I read the summary I was intrigued (hence the shelf it is on). I was pleasantly surprised with this story – there were some good and not so good parts (from my point of view) but in all, I thought this was a good book one for this series and I am interested to see where Adams goes with it.
Addison has always felt different – at least since she was six years old when she started seeing weird things happening to the walls in her house and other odd things coming through them. Now that she is in college it is a bit more difficult to hide the crazy stuff and on the day that we are introduced to her, she is headed to her Ancient Civilizations class which is taught by Professor Green. It also happens to be the day that she loses 30 minutes of her day with no idea what the heck happened. As she gets to class late, she realizes that Professor Green is going to make an example of her. What she doesn’t know is that something will come through the rift and expose her secret to Professor Green.
As the story unfolds, Addison finds out that Green is more than just a professor. He is part of a secret society called the Mortal Machine that has been tasked with protecting the world from wraiths and ensuring they don’t cross over and ultimately take over this world. As Addison is pulled unwillingly into this world, she is also threatened with losing the only person who has meant anything to her, her dad.
Green drags her into the Machine and slowly comes to understand just how much power Addison possesses. Mostly because, as we come to find, he has been watching her for years and know she can not only see the rift, but she can see the wraiths that are coming through. This is a big deal because no one else can do this. To keep her in line, he continually threatens to take away her identity and memories not only for her protection but for her dad’s. In the end, she does give in and decides that she will help if they promise to protect her father.
Addison was a bit confusing. She was quiet and allowed people to walk all over her at times and then there were other times where she was forceful and stood up for herself. I liked her more when she stood up for herself and as she started to grow into who she is and became comfortable with the power inside her, she became a more interesting character. I am interested to see what changes with her in the next book as she went through a lot and without giving away the end, I have a feeling that what happened will make an impact.
I’m not really sure how I feel about Asher Green. I get it…he is fighting hard against the draw he has toward Addison based on the things he has been led to believe by the Machine but the way he spoke to her and at times, treated her, made me cringe. I wish there were more of the parts where he wasn’t so cold and withdrawn from Addison. It might have made the feelings these two had for each other more believable. With that said, the ending was a killer and I can’t believe what he decided to do.
I liked the secondary characters and thought they added something to the rest of the book. Sofia and Remy are great and balance out the personalities of the other Sentinels. Where most of them are standoffish and don’t interact well with others, these two adapt to Addison’s personality and the human things she brings to the Machine, like touching, talking about things and just being human. I do have a feeling there is more to the Colonel than has been explained and I am curious to learn more about him.
I am interested to see where Adams goes with the rest of this story as there are still quite a few loose ends. Izan and his motives were not really resolved as he kind of disappeared at the end of the book. Additionally, we find out more about Addison’s mom but I’m hoping we get more exposure to who she was and where she is now. Obviously there is more to come with Asher and Addison but I just don’t know what and based on the ending, you can bet I will be checking out the next book to learn more. If you like a fast paced, paranormal that has some definite UST, you might like this one.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.
Darkside Sun was a book that was brought to my attention and when I read the summary I was intrigued (hence the shelf it is on). I was pleasantly surprised with this story – there were some good and not so good parts (from my point of view) but in all, I thought this was a good book one for this series and I am interested to see where Adams goes with it.
Addison has always felt different – at least since she was six years old when she started seeing weird things happening to the walls in her house and other odd things coming through them. Now that she is in college it is a bit more difficult to hide the crazy stuff and on the day that we are introduced to her, she is headed to her Ancient Civilizations class which is taught by Professor Green. It also happens to be the day that she loses 30 minutes of her day with no idea what the heck happened. As she gets to class late, she realizes that Professor Green is going to make an example of her. What she doesn’t know is that something will come through the rift and expose her secret to Professor Green.
As the story unfolds, Addison finds out that Green is more than just a professor. He is part of a secret society called the Mortal Machine that has been tasked with protecting the world from wraiths and ensuring they don’t cross over and ultimately take over this world. As Addison is pulled unwillingly into this world, she is also threatened with losing the only person who has meant anything to her, her dad.
Green drags her into the Machine and slowly comes to understand just how much power Addison possesses. Mostly because, as we come to find, he has been watching her for years and know she can not only see the rift, but she can see the wraiths that are coming through. This is a big deal because no one else can do this. To keep her in line, he continually threatens to take away her identity and memories not only for her protection but for her dad’s. In the end, she does give in and decides that she will help if they promise to protect her father.
Addison was a bit confusing. She was quiet and allowed people to walk all over her at times and then there were other times where she was forceful and stood up for herself. I liked her more when she stood up for herself and as she started to grow into who she is and became comfortable with the power inside her, she became a more interesting character. I am interested to see what changes with her in the next book as she went through a lot and without giving away the end, I have a feeling that what happened will make an impact.
I’m not really sure how I feel about Asher Green. I get it…he is fighting hard against the draw he has toward Addison based on the things he has been led to believe by the Machine but the way he spoke to her and at times, treated her, made me cringe. I wish there were more of the parts where he wasn’t so cold and withdrawn from Addison. It might have made the feelings these two had for each other more believable. With that said, the ending was a killer and I can’t believe what he decided to do.
I liked the secondary characters and thought they added something to the rest of the book. Sofia and Remy are great and balance out the personalities of the other Sentinels. Where most of them are standoffish and don’t interact well with others, these two adapt to Addison’s personality and the human things she brings to the Machine, like touching, talking about things and just being human. I do have a feeling there is more to the Colonel than has been explained and I am curious to learn more about him.
I am interested to see where Adams goes with the rest of this story as there are still quite a few loose ends. Izan and his motives were not really resolved as he kind of disappeared at the end of the book. Additionally, we find out more about Addison’s mom but I’m hoping we get more exposure to who she was and where she is now. Obviously there is more to come with Asher and Addison but I just don’t know what and based on the ending, you can bet I will be checking out the next book to learn more. If you like a fast paced, paranormal that has some definite UST, you might like this one.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.
jasmyn9's review against another edition
4.0
The world of Mortal Machine is amazing. I loved the concept of the rifts, the secret society, their abilities, and the strange creatures that hung Addison. She started seeing rifts when she was young, but never imagined just what they really were and why they seemed to follow her. She's a great character, full of emotion and reality. So when that reality cracks (literally) she goes into a strange spiral, and only her stubborn streak seems to keep her sane and moving forward.
Asher is a dick. Even when he's being nice he's a dick. He seems to have his reasons and we get a glimpse of these near the end. I've seen this labeled a romance, and perhaps it turns into one, but right now it definitely isn't. Lots of romantic elements floating around, but definitely not what I would call a HEA or HFN ending.
The members of Mortal Machine are all quite unique in their own ways. From the outfitter to the soldiers, each personality adds a little something to the world and Addison's perception of what is going on. One of them is up to no good though - some serious no good. And when Addison tries to find out who it is, she finds out all sorts of crazy stuff about herself.
I love how Jocelyn Adams revealed new aspects of the characters. It had such a natural flow and while much of it was a surprise, it all made sense and really clicked together as soon as it happened. Her trail of breadcrumbs was impeccable. I need to find out what happens next now!
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
Asher is a dick. Even when he's being nice he's a dick. He seems to have his reasons and we get a glimpse of these near the end. I've seen this labeled a romance, and perhaps it turns into one, but right now it definitely isn't. Lots of romantic elements floating around, but definitely not what I would call a HEA or HFN ending.
The members of Mortal Machine are all quite unique in their own ways. From the outfitter to the soldiers, each personality adds a little something to the world and Addison's perception of what is going on. One of them is up to no good though - some serious no good. And when Addison tries to find out who it is, she finds out all sorts of crazy stuff about herself.
I love how Jocelyn Adams revealed new aspects of the characters. It had such a natural flow and while much of it was a surprise, it all made sense and really clicked together as soon as it happened. Her trail of breadcrumbs was impeccable. I need to find out what happens next now!
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
chllybrd's review against another edition
4.0
I gave it 3.5/5 stars
The blurb does a really good job of giving a basic rundown of the book. DARKSIDE SUN started out a bit slow and confusing but picked up and I felt straitened out about 1/3 of the way in.
Addison was super stubborn for most of the book but I totally got why. She has no idea why she sees what she sees but when she has the chance to learn she doesn't take it as seriously as I would imagine she should. She is ripped away from her life and has every decision made for her. She is hunted and attacked by those around her yet steps up and learns all she can to protect herself. She falls in love with Asher but he pushes her away. She is dealing with a lot. Asher as you will quickly tell has serious issues. He's a pain in the ass that thinks he knows better than everyone else. He falls hard for Addison but doesn't think they should be together so decides that they won't on his own. He never tells anyone anything, just tells them what to do. Uggh he was annoying, but I still kinda liked him and was rooting for him and Addison once I got to know him and why he acts like he does.
I really enjoyed the storyline but the world building and flow of the story wasn't as strong as I would have liked. The ending is a killer. Pain, frustration, and a huge cliffhanger that makes you want to scream.
* This book was provided free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The blurb does a really good job of giving a basic rundown of the book. DARKSIDE SUN started out a bit slow and confusing but picked up and I felt straitened out about 1/3 of the way in.
Addison was super stubborn for most of the book but I totally got why. She has no idea why she sees what she sees but when she has the chance to learn she doesn't take it as seriously as I would imagine she should. She is ripped away from her life and has every decision made for her. She is hunted and attacked by those around her yet steps up and learns all she can to protect herself. She falls in love with Asher but he pushes her away. She is dealing with a lot. Asher as you will quickly tell has serious issues. He's a pain in the ass that thinks he knows better than everyone else. He falls hard for Addison but doesn't think they should be together so decides that they won't on his own. He never tells anyone anything, just tells them what to do. Uggh he was annoying, but I still kinda liked him and was rooting for him and Addison once I got to know him and why he acts like he does.
I really enjoyed the storyline but the world building and flow of the story wasn't as strong as I would have liked. The ending is a killer. Pain, frustration, and a huge cliffhanger that makes you want to scream.
* This book was provided free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
cheryls's review against another edition
5.0
Out of 5-stars, I give this one 10!!!
BRILLIANT! This book encompasses everything I love to read. There's an amazing love story, forbidden love and so much angst it's chokingly real. There's mystery, suspense and a fantastic dose of paranormal sci-fi as a base behind it all. Once I started, I couldn't stop. The writing is FANTASTIC! . As the story progresses everything falls into place and every character has his/her/its role. It's beautiful and heartbreaking. The ending is a semi cliffhanger and left me breathless with my heart aching. I am left with a tremendous compulsion to continue on to the next book that is IMPOSSIBLE to ignore.
Received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was not compensated for my review.
I was not required to write a positive review.
The opinion expressed is my own.
BRILLIANT! This book encompasses everything I love to read. There's an amazing love story, forbidden love and so much angst it's chokingly real. There's mystery, suspense and a fantastic dose of paranormal sci-fi as a base behind it all. Once I started, I couldn't stop. The writing is FANTASTIC! . As the story progresses everything falls into place and every character has his/her/its role. It's beautiful and heartbreaking. The ending is a semi cliffhanger and left me breathless with my heart aching. I am left with a tremendous compulsion to continue on to the next book that is IMPOSSIBLE to ignore.
Received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was not compensated for my review.
I was not required to write a positive review.
The opinion expressed is my own.
velvetpoison's review against another edition
4.0
* Many thanks to Entangled Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. *
Sexual Tension, Sexual Tension! SEXUAL TENSION.
...Would be my word of choice to describe this book. Although there is a lot more to the book, including weird bug men, shifting dimensions, and pulling wraiths out of humans. But the sexual tension in this book, seriously, almost killed me. The book focuses on Addison, who has been able to see between dimensions, and the things that are trying escape into ‘our’ world from other places, since she was 6. Fast forward, Addison is in college and has learnt to block out the weird things she see’s, that is until her professor (her very hot, professor!) clues in to what she is seeing and initiates her into his secret society, the Mortal Machine.
The Mortal Machine works to make sure that nothing gets through the ‘shift’ into our dimension, and that if it does, it is dealt with swiftly. But a traiter among the group may be their downfall, and Addison is the only one who can save them by harnessing her new powers and kicking some ass.
So, Addison is a pretty kickass heroine. She’s a bit of a smart mouth, and tends to have some pretty witty retorts for her oh so hot, but definitely high and mighty professor, Asher. As for Asher, he’s a pretty complex character. Most of the time he acts like a complete jerk, with his cold and calculating manner, but then there are moments that make your heart melt....and then he ruins it by acting like an ass again. But once you get to see into his past you can understand why he is the way he is and especially why he’s trying to keep Addison at a distance despite the electric chemistry between the two.
The story line, at times was a little confusing. But parallel universes, and multiple dimensions have never been easy for me to get my head around, and the way the author explained everything, actually gave me a pretty good understanding of it all. Jocelyn Adams, creates such a vivid picture of the Mortal Machine, and everything that encompasses it.
Overall I immensely enjoyed this book. The writing was superb, and kept me turning page after page long after I should have been asleep. Even though the story didn’t leave on a cliff-hanger and everything was more or less resolved, I still can’t wait to know where the story goes next, and I will be waiting patiently for the next one!
...Would be my word of choice to describe this book. Although there is a lot more to the book, including weird bug men, shifting dimensions, and pulling wraiths out of humans. But the sexual tension in this book, seriously, almost killed me. The book focuses on Addison, who has been able to see between dimensions, and the things that are trying escape into ‘our’ world from other places, since she was 6. Fast forward, Addison is in college and has learnt to block out the weird things she see’s, that is until her professor (her very hot, professor!) clues in to what she is seeing and initiates her into his secret society, the Mortal Machine.
The Mortal Machine works to make sure that nothing gets through the ‘shift’ into our dimension, and that if it does, it is dealt with swiftly. But a traiter among the group may be their downfall, and Addison is the only one who can save them by harnessing her new powers and kicking some ass.
So, Addison is a pretty kickass heroine. She’s a bit of a smart mouth, and tends to have some pretty witty retorts for her oh so hot, but definitely high and mighty professor, Asher. As for Asher, he’s a pretty complex character. Most of the time he acts like a complete jerk, with his cold and calculating manner, but then there are moments that make your heart melt....and then he ruins it by acting like an ass again. But once you get to see into his past you can understand why he is the way he is and especially why he’s trying to keep Addison at a distance despite the electric chemistry between the two.
The story line, at times was a little confusing. But parallel universes, and multiple dimensions have never been easy for me to get my head around, and the way the author explained everything, actually gave me a pretty good understanding of it all. Jocelyn Adams, creates such a vivid picture of the Mortal Machine, and everything that encompasses it.
Overall I immensely enjoyed this book. The writing was superb, and kept me turning page after page long after I should have been asleep. Even though the story didn’t leave on a cliff-hanger and everything was more or less resolved, I still can’t wait to know where the story goes next, and I will be waiting patiently for the next one!
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