Wrap-Up: May 2013

Lots of great reads this month! Though my favorite was definitely Beautiful Redemption, the fourth novel in the Beautiful Creatures series. =) 

Faceless

NightCard, a private genetic engineering agency, has been creating experiments with a multitude of astounding abilities. Experiment 1343, or “Faceless” as he calls himself, is one of them. He was genetically designed with the ability to rip his face off and morph it into anyone he can imagine. His hyper-reflexes, along with diverse martial arts training, make him the perfect spy. Craving freedom he escapes to Paris in search for the woman he met and fell in love with as a child. NightCard sends the Four Kings, their best assassins, with orders to bring him back dead or alive, and they may be closer than he thinks.


The girl he met as a child was treated for a psychotic break. Her unbelievable story about a man who could tear off his face had her parents believing she was crazy. She grew to be a beautiful artist, and her collection of art features a faceless man dancing with a woman. Spade, one of NightCard's Four Kings is a lover, as well as a fighter with a habit of spending too much time with too many women. He has been searching for something to quench his hunger. Spade befriends a man that's in desperate need of help getting the girl of his dreams, not realizing it's the very man he is supposed to be hunting.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Faceless by Dustin Sanchez is a novel that takes readers into the realm of genetic manipulation where spies and assassins are created by unlocking the secrets of their DNA. In this fast paced thriller, an engineered spy who can morph into anyone he's ever seen escapes into the real world. When other modified assassins are sent after him, it's becomes a fight for life and love. 

Faceless is the main character of the novel. He's loyal, loving, and persistant. Traits that make him a likeable character but a failed experiment. Readers will become emotionally tied to him as he tries to find the girl he fell in love with as a child. The strength of his character is magnified when he's beaten and threatened by the very people that created him as they try to break his resolve. Yet he repeatedly defies them. 

I think readers of science fiction will love this novel. Though, the dialogue is a bit strained at times and is often flogged with adult-only speech. The sexual scenes are very detailed which could make some readers uncomfortable with the writing style. However, the type of novel Sanchez writes does call for this adult focused style. I think many readers of both the sci-fi and thriller genres will enjoy this book as long as they know what to expect. 

Rating: 3/5 Cups

Faceless (NightCard Saga)

Book 5 of the 2013 Genre Variety Challenge 

Teaser Tuesday (61)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Faceless (p.77 of PDF)
   - Dustin Sanchez


She tried to remember when she was childish like that. When she thought things like freedom were important.

WWW Wednesday (51)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

01. Currently Reading:
Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The final book in the Beautiful Creatures series. After everything that's happened, good and bad, it all comes down to this. Excited to see how the characters can redeem themselves and perhaps even save someone that seemed so lost.

02. Recently Finished:
Unfolding Soul by Dennis T. Maglinte. A collection of poetry that explores the ways of the world by asking questions and seeking answers with an open mind.

03. Reading Next:
Faceless by Dustin Sanchez. When an engineered spy escapes to find his lost love, assassins are sent to finish him off. It'll come down to blows when they all finally meet. Hoping this fantasy thriller will satisfy!