Apolonia

Apolonia

by Jamie McGuire
Released: October 6, 2014

Published by: Jamie McGuire, LLC

385 pages

Kindle Edition

Synopsis:

Three years after Rory Riordan foiled her own murder, she still trusts no one—not Dr. Z, the eccentric college professor who has taken her under his wing; not Benji, the endearing, attractive classmate who insists on following her around; and certainly not Cy, the beautifully dark and mysterious boy who sits in the first row in Dr. Z’s Astrobiology class and asks far too many questions.

When Rory witnesses Cy being abducted by soldiers in the middle of the night, she finds herself immersed in a world that holds more secrets than she could imagine, even darker secrets than her own.

“They’d killed me, but I survived.”

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To preface this review I need to say a few things...

I claim to not like Sci-fi, Zombie, paranormal, or apocalyptic books.  BUT... When I started reading like a maniac again a few years ago a friend suggested I read the Hunger Games, which I devoured like a big chocolate cake.  Then another friend suggested I read Karen Moning's Fever Series, which was an amazing series too.  Not sure if you all have read those but they surely fit into the paranormal and Science fiction genre...so I guess I do like them!

So, when the opportunity came about for me to read Apolonia, I jumped at the chance. Firstly, because I am a HUGE Jamie McGuire fan and I have also been thinking about trying to read something different than the "normal" YA and NA that I read.  I am so glad I tried it and well, I really enjoyed it.

This story begins with us meeting Rory. 

"They killed me, but I survived."

Rory is such a strong girl.  She believes she is damaged but has put on a brave face, so she can go on with her life after tragically losing her family and best friend.   The wall she has put up has kept her from connecting with others. No connection means no loss. She has only one relationship, and that is with Dr Z.  Dr. Z was a family friend.  She is his research assistant and spends most of her time with him or alone.  At freshman orientation she meets Benji.  Rory wouldn't be defined as a friendly person, but Benji makes a point to keep tabs on her.  He often makes conversation with her and Rory is unsure of why he would do that.  "Why me"? she often asks herself.   She begins to let her defenses down and begins a friendship with him.  We watch the friendship turn into something more. 

Rory is also introduced to Cy, Dr. Z's other research assistant.  He is a new student from Egypt and Rory is drawn to him, like an unexplainable force field that makes her want to be near him and get to know him.  It's different than her relationship with Benji, but all the same, she needs to know more about him, which is so unlike her.

As in all of her books, Jamie's writing is impeccable  She has you understanding some very specific and intricate details of Dr. Z's studies. (That's where you begin to learn about the sci-fi aspect of this book).  It could have become monotonous but Jamie didn't get technical enough that she lost me.  I kept reading and reading wanting to know what exactly is going on. 

To say there was a love triangle in this book might be pushing it.  There is a "relationship triangle".  The pull that Rory has to Benji is one thing then there is the relationship pull to Cy.  At certain points in the book I was routing for Benji and other time I was hoping she would go to Cy.  Who she became and how she felt with Benji made me smile...

"Is what I am feeling a...good mood?  Do I even remember what that feels like?  Whatever it was I was completely find with me if it stuck around a while.."

The twists and turns in this book will keep you turning the pages to find out the who, the what, the how and the when answers to questions Jamie has put throughout the book. The romance that was happening throughout this book was a nice addition to the story.  And we all know Jamie knows her romance!!  This was a nice edition to the story line for a romance addict like myself. 

This book would be a great introduction to sci-fi for the hard core romance novel readers out there.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

An ARC was provided in return for an honest review. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jamie McGuire was born in Tulsa, OK. She attended the Northern Oklahoma College, the University of Central Oklahoma, and Autry Technology Center where she graduated with a degree in Radiography.

Jamie paved the way for the New Adult genre with international bestseller, Beautiful Disaster. Her follow-up novel Walking Disaster debuted at #1 on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. She has also written apocalyptic thriller Red Hill, a novella titled A Beautiful Wedding, and the Providence series, a young adult paranormal romance trilogy.

Jamie lives on a ranch just outside Enid, OK with husband Jeff and their three children. They share their 30 acres with cattle, six horses, three dogs, and Rooster the cat.

Find Jamie at www.jamiemcguire.com or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Website: http://www.jamiemcguire.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jamie.McGuire.Author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JamieMcGuire

Also - thank you to WordSmith Publicity for allowing us to review Jamie's book