Matthew Samuels

4.5
Book source ~ TWR Tour

A secret organization called the First Extraordinary has been keeping the world safe from things everyday citizens don’t even realize are out there. The noosphere is getting very thin though because of a rapidly declining empathy level around the world. That combined with a disgruntled former employee who has turned villain means shit is gonna hit the fan in a really big way.

What a great story!! It has everything I enjoy in a book: action, danger, great characters, multiple POVs, fantasy/paranormal elements, humor, and excellent writing. The words just flow. It’s easy to read and the plot moves along at a decent pace. I’ve read Matthew Samuels before and just love his books. I really fall into the story and am reluctant to come back out. What else is there to say? Don’t pass this one up!… (más)

Book source ~ Author. My review is voluntary and honest.

Kael and Alessia discovered Xirra in the last book. It could have ended there. I’m so glad it didn’t! As with any new change, upheaval follows. And their world of Lyra does not like change. They are a practical people and hope is foreign to them. But the Xirrans believe in hope. Well, it’s a mess. However, that’s not the only problem on their plate. A new species has shown up and it’s hostile. Wow. What dicks. Traveling through the thinnings between parallel universes in a surprising and alarming way means everyone is on high alert and doing their best not to lead the enemy home to Lyra.

Ok, seriously. When I say this is a tension-filled book I am not kidding. This new hostile species is out for blood and there’s no information as to why because they don’t communicate with anything but weapons. What the hell?! Kael and Alessia’s mission sends them across several universes that are white knucklers and there’s no way to know if the next crossing will do them in or not. Basteel and Slyph are sent off to another mission on Lyra, but then have to rush off elsewhere and it’s a fun-filled ride. And by fun I mean dangerous. And so not fun.

Full of awesome multi-planetary action, danger, tension, and terrific characters, this story is what I want in my sci-fi adventures. I have no idea what book 3 will bring (hopefully some serious alien asskicking and my favorite peeps safe and alive) but I want it as soon as it’s out. Bring it on!… (más)

Book source ~ Review copy. My review is honest and voluntary.

Kael and Alessia are from the planet Lyra. They’ve only ever known to conserve resources because they are scarce. When they develop space travel the Lyrans discover nearby planets are just as resource deprived as their own and of very little help. It takes a scientist discovering something called “thinnings” to give them hope. Thinnings are a means of traveling from one universe to another and the planets that are there. Sometimes they get lucky and find information and/or resources to use on their own planet. But in all their years of traveling they find no sentient life left on most of the planets they find. When Kael and Alessia find a clue to solving a major problem they are tasked to follow it, something that Alessia’s dad and crew tried two years before and never returned from. Will their fate be the same?

What a great space adventure this is! Completely alien, it still rings true for Earth. Lyrans are trying to scavenge other planets for resources because theirs is practically worthless. Many planets they discover are abandoned. Well, that’s never a good sign. Bringing back foodstuffs or other things that could be recycled is how Kael and Alessia make their money. It’s a dangerous job, but they are methodical and careful. That makes them one of the best teams around, but not always very profitable.

When they discover a clue on a frozen world, their leader gives them a grant to follow it. The thing is, well, Alessia’s dad and his crew, probably the best crew there ever was, set off to do the same thing two years previously and never returned. Kael and Alessia are apprehensive, but willing to try. They hire a bodyguard, Basteel, get as many supplies as they can safely carry, alter their car (technically spaceship), and upgrade their weapons then when all the lists are checked, double-checked, and triple-checked they take off.

The first couple of thinnings take them to places they’ve already been. One’s slightly dangerous and one that should not have been dangerous, but is? The space station they jump to has something very wrong with it and they have to see what that is. When they do, well. What the hell? Ok. So, this leg of the journey has proven to be very interesting. So they move on to a nice planet where there’s warehouses for explorers to restock, rest, and make repairs. Now it’s time to make the jump to the crystal planet that proved to be fatal (was it? who knows?) to Alessia’s dad and crew. They assume extreme danger and approach with as much caution as possible. Holy shit.

Each jump brings more things for them to overcome and one of them has folds in space and weird life forms that just make my brain hurt. It’s the only jump that I didn’t enjoy reading about. It is so confusing to me that even now, days later, I still don’t know what the fuck it’s all about. Anyway, that’s just a small disappointing blip in an otherwise fantastic tale of space adventuring. I love the characters, I love the world, and I love the plot. Except for that one jump to Carthusian and that’s just a personal thing of mine. I don’t do well with alternate universes, space folds/rifts, and stuff like that. My other slight complaint is the POV shifting tends to happen quickly. From one person and back again without warning. I got used to it, but it was a tad confusing at first. If you like your sci-fi filled with space travel, humor, danger, and excitement then I highly recommend you give Parasites a go.… (más)

Small Places by Matthew Samuels plodded along at a slow but comfortable pace that suited the quaint characters. If you're looking for a book that'll grant you time to appreciate the magical, charming atmosphere and settings the author created, you'll probably love this. Though I expected more action sooner, many other facets of the story held my interest well, including the exciting, otherworldly scenes, the mystery aspects of the work, and the splendid world-building. I adored the assortment of unique characters, especially the nonbinary character, Merovech. There's some profanity and mild gore, so I think Small Places is more suitable for mature young adults and older audiences.

Matthew Samuels told the story from Jamie's first-person perspective, but while Jamie was a decent, sympathetic main character, a few other characters stood out to me more. Jamie's palpable grief added extra heaviness to the work, but it was balanced out well by a good amount of humor. Despite an epic climax, the abrupt conclusion felt somewhat incomplete. Jamie's arc seemed clipped, as I was left wondering what he'd end up doing with his life. At the same time, since my other questions were answered and I could infer what wasn't explicitly stated, the ending was satisfying enough. All in all, Small Places was a delightful, imaginative urban fantasy read that I recommend to lovers of the genre.

(Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of this book from Storytellers On Tour for review purposes. All opinions in this review are my own and are honest and unbiased.)

Trigger Warning: Strong language and violence throughout, with some graphic injury detail, scenes of involuntary restraint, giant spiders, dead animals, implied cruelty to animals, some fantastical creatures of a horrifying nature, cancer, mention of previous self-harm, and an instance of a drink being tampered with.… (más)