Xenophobia by Peter Cawdron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book unfolded in an entirely new way. It was completely unexpected and kept me guessing. This is not your average first contact story.. It's about character, the best and worst of humanity, and has the most unique depiction of an alien species I've seen for a long time, which was exceedingly refreshing. I was completely wrapped up in these characters and their struggle in believable situations in war-torn Africa. This author must have done insane amounts of research and it shows. I need to read more by Peter Cawdron!

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Timebound by Rysa Walker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a well-written, clean YA time travel book. I listened to the audio book, and aside from a propensity to over-articulate the word "to," the narrator was way above average--doing a teenage girl, a teenaged boy, several adult males and, most impressively, an aging grandmother--seamlessly and with ease. I was impressed! The storyline was enthralling. I was swept up in the narrative and was sad when it was over. Lucky for me, the sequel just came out! I'm looking forward to reading it.

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The Atlantis Gene by A.G. Riddle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow. This book was fast paced and full of stuff I love: conspiracy theories, science fiction, alternate history, spies, nazis, mysterious artifacts, ancient astronauts...I could go on and on. The story centers on a woman who studies autism and a man who works for a secret spy agency. Nothing is what it seems. There are unexpected twists and turns around every corner and throughout the entire book these two protagonists are racing to stay one step ahead of the bad guys--which are an ever evolving cast of characters. I normally have a lot of trouble keeping big casts of characters straight, but this author made it simple, giving you small touchstones to bring you up to speed every time a character we hadn't seen for a while came back into play.

I loved the way a reinterpretation of past events was woven into the story. Everything from the Spanish flu of the early 20th century to the rise of the Third Reich. Science facts were treated much the same way.

Toward the end I got a bit impatient with the lengthy story found in the journal, but as that story wove into the others, I was surprised by how much I changed my mind about it needing to be there.

Overall a fantastic read. I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the Atlantis series by this author.

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