Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2) by Laini Taylor

All of her life Karou wanted to know why Brimstone made her collect teeth and as with many things in life, the answer is so much more than she is prepared for.  Facing the genocide of her people, the Chimera, Karou is racked with guilt for having not only dared to love an angel but to dream of a new world.  She must now reconcile what her people think of as her betrayal, her guilt and the love she cannot stop feeling for Akiva.

Akiva knows what he has done cannot be undone and yet he dares to hope that Karou/ Madrigal's existence will mean that somehow their naive dream will bear beautiful fruit.  To the seraphim, Akiva is not simply the weapon of his father and uncle's blood lust for war and power.  The lines on his hands indicate each kill in battle and the toll ways heavily on him.  Somehow, he must make a difference, somehow he must atone.

Karou and Akiva aren't united in their struggle thanks to all that has passed between them but they cannot help but love each other from afar and dream that one day their people will find peace, even if it doesn't end in happiness for them.

Days of Blood & Starlight has a very different tone than the first book in the series, Daughter of Smoke & Bone. Where Daughter of Smoke and Bone has moments of lightness, very little of that feeling finds its way into the pages of Days of Blood & Starlight.  It seeks to ask harder questions like what survival looks like. Is there a true objective to war, or is it simply the amassing of power? Is there a point where vengeance becomes futile? Are the children of our enemies deserving of death simply for the potential that they might one day grow and wield a sword?  Interspersed with these larger questions, the tragic romance between Akiva and Karou/Madrigal plays in the background.

Both Akiva and Karou/Madrigal feel the weight of the war between them.  No matter the torture Akiva suffered at the hands of the Chimera, participating in genocide is never acceptable.  At this point, I don't really see how these two can have a happy ending. Yes, Karou/Madrigal still loves Akiva but how can she possibly have a HEA with the person who is directly responsible for the slaughter and near extermination of her people?  I am not even sure I can accept that Karou/Madrigal is still drawn to Akivia and the determination on Taylor's part to seemingly paint him as good particularly when juxtaposed to Thiago. 

Revolution Z: GB Banks & Blake Hislop

The Americans are engaged in war against Iraq and with Saddam threatening to invade Saudi Arabia, U.S. soldiers are dying hand over fist.  The military decides that in order to maintain an American presence in the Middle East, as well as maintain American global dominance, they must create the ultimate soldier.  To do this, they turn the soldiers who have died on the battle field into zombies.  A zombie military force also needs an ultimate general and so General Washington (yes, that Washington) and General Patton are brought back to life to lead the force.

Washington and Patton are men who in life not only lead but were independent thinkers.  It's not long before the two Georges decide that they are not being told the whole truth and begin to question if what they are engaged in is really for the benefit of the United States.  Though they try to keep their sentience from their creators, it's not long before the two Georges must decide whether to go along with the nefarious plot, or fight for the America they love.

There are so many problems with this book, I don't really know where to begin.  The premise is ridiculously patriotic and patently unsound.  Why in the world would a modern army think that they would need George Washington and Patton to act as generals?  Washington died in 1799 and that means that he would have no idea about modern warfare, let alone have any concept of how the modern world is run.  All of his tactics would be for a military that didn't even have a repeating rifle, let alone tanks, surface to air missals, radar, sonar etc,.  He wouldn't know what to do with any piece of technology if you placed it right in front of him. Patton, while not as an archaic a figure as Washington, died in 1945.  In the present world, the modern military is very much dependent upon modern technology, something Patton, akin to Washington, could not begin to fathom.  They might as well have resurrected William Wallace, Charlamegne, Hannibil Barca and Alexander the Great, for all the help Washington and Patton would have been able to offer a modern army.

We are never given a reason for why the two Georges are sentient above all other zombies.  We are only left with the understanding that because they were apparently so exceptional in their actual lives that somehow this translate to greater sentience in their undead lives. It's nonsense.

Washington decides to wage war on American soil; another revolution to free the people.  He leads his zombie soldiers to the Capitol.  The American people rise up against it's government and join Washington in his struggle.  We are given no reason why the people aren't running scared from the specter of a zombie military and instead choose to fight.  Beyond the experimentation of the military, there is no discussion about what life is like for the average American, or even how the supposed seeds of discontent were sown.  I have no problem with a people rising up to throw off an oppressive government, but the reader must be given a reason to believe why this is happening. It is further troubling that the conventional military would revolt to the point where the government suddenly lost the ability to launch an aerial assault on the zombie rebels.  Why are the soldiers suddenly discontent?  Oh I know, reasons. Again, no explanation was given.

Revolution, Season Two, Episode Sixteen: Exposition Boulevard

This episode opens with Jason, Neville, Rachel and Miles still in a standoff over Monroe. Neville threatens to shoot Rachel, so Miles calls his bluff causing Neville to be surprised at how willing Miles is to sacrifice for Monroe.  Doyle comes out of the bushes with patriot soldiers, so Miles and Rachel take off after killing a few Patriots.

The next day, Neville sits with Doyle and asks for more men to continue his search for Monroe.  When Doyle balks, Neville reminds him that no one asked him to come rushing out of the bushes with soldiers last night.  Neville asserts that he needs to do this his way and reminds Doyle that finding Monroe is important to the president as well.  Doyle dismisses Truman, who is not at all pleased and reminds Doyle that he is sitting in his office.  Doyle talks about how he wanted Rachel and Neville's executied and that when he finds Monroe, he is going to ask the president for their deaths.  Doyle declares that he is not going to help Neville, though he cannot stop them.

A week later, Bass and Charlie are making their way to Willoughby.  Bass questions how Charlie finds the time to have sex with Connor and comments that her choice of lovers is interesting.  They stop when they hear sounds and it turns out to be Rachel and Miles.  Miles says that they could use twice as many guys and Bass says that they were lucky to get them.  Miles expresses surprise that Bass didn't screw them over.

They all head to camp and Gene tells Rachel that Charlie and Conner are sleeping together after watching them together.  Rachel of course quickly denies this but Gene points out that he knows something about having a wild daughter.  Really? They're doing the apple and tree bullshit over the choice of sexual partners and implying slutshaming. Umm no Revolution this is not cool.

Miles and Bass talk about Neville's alliance with the Patriots.  Miles reminds Bass that the Patriots have Neville's wife Julia.  Bass suggests that they put Neville out of his misery because Neville is apparently shadier than Miles.  Mile says that they have other things to take care of.  Miles takes Bass to see a Patriot training camp and Bass realises that all of the new recruits are kids.  Bass points out that most of the kids are from Willoughby.  Miles then points out all of the firepower that the Patriots have stockpiled, saying how much they could use it.  As they leave the area, Miles boasts about how his son behaved in New Vegas.  When Bass. heads in the bushes to use the bathroom, he finds two Patriot soldiers.  Bass of course wants to kill the two prisoners.

That night, two hundred miles away, Aaron and Priscilla have made camp for the night.  Aaron says that they will reach Willoughby in a week or so.  They sit eating apples and when Priscilla enthuses about the apple, Aaron wonders why Priscilla has been so happy since Lubbock. Priscilla points out that they have been through hell and not only did they survive, they're together. Priscilla suggests that this is a good thing and they smile.

In the oval office, the president stands over Ron, who is drawing, when Roger enters to give his report.  The President asks how things are going in Willoughby and how General Carter is doing. Roger calls Carter a silly man but the president reminds him that Carter is the commander of Texas and is not to be underestimated.  The president issues an order for the cadets to be activated by the end of the month.  When Roger assures the president that their plans are moving along well, the president reminds Roger that their plans to take Texas depends on those cadets and from there the rest of the continent.  The president say that Monroe and Miles are still at large around this pivotal camp and questions if he should trust Roger.  The president threatens to shoot Doyle, and Roger, as well as their families, if the cadets don't get onto the field. Well, talk about an imperial presidency.  Things have certainly changed.  I wonder how he gets his mandate to wield so much power.  Roger leaves and the president goes back to watching Ron.

Rachel heads to see Charlie, as Miles and Bass walk their prisoners back to camp.  Gene meets them and says that he delivered those kids.  Gene asks if Kim is okay and neither prisoner answers. Bass assures Gene that the kids are alright, as Charlie and Conner tie the kids up. Charlie asks Kim if she has seen her around town, but Kim does not answer.  Miles points out to Gene that if they hit the munitions pile that it will cause a lot of damage and give them a window to get in. Gene wonders what will happen to the town's kids. Miles says that the boot camp is bad for them but Gene points out that he practically raised those kids.  Rachel asks what the point is of saving Wiloughby, if they have to murder its children.  Bass answers that he is there to win, not save anyone.  Bass walks away and Rachel and Miles share an intense moment.