Lisa Mantchev

Glenn Dallas

Welcome to Cyrene, a city where energy is currency and music is the lifeblood of its young citizens. Everyone lives on the grid, and the residents of the world's largest playground are encouraged to pursue every physical and emotional pleasure imaginable. Vee is the lead singer of the Sugar Skulls, an all-girl band that is Corporate's newest pet project. Micah haunts the city like a ghost after an overdose of a deadly illegal street drug knocks him off the grid. When Micah and Vee forge an immediate, undeniable connection, their troubled worlds collide. Trading concert stages for Cyrene's rooftops and back alleys, they have to evade vicious thugs and Vee's possessive manager as they unravel the mysteries connected to their dark pasts. And before the curtain falls, Micah and Vee will bring the city to its knees in their desperate bid for love, home, and a future together.

Sugar Skulls

Eleanor Luhar

I've been reading this for over a month now, so sorry it's taken me so long to post this review!

First of all, I'd like to give a huge thank you to Skyscape for allowing me to read this book for free, returning my honest opinion, through NetGalley.

26153085
Sugar Skulls by Lisa Mantchev and Glenn Dallas - eBook, 333 pages - Published November 10th 2015 by Skyscape
The thing that really drew me into this book is the cover. I mean, it's seriously gorgeous. This whole "Sugar Skull" thing is a bit of a trend (or has been) and honestly, I kind of like it. I mean, I'd never go out like that, but you must admit that this face paint looks stunning.

I won't lie, it took me a while to get into this. I didn't really understand quite what was going on. Eventually, it did begin to make sense, and I can tell you now that this is a book about a city - closed off by the Wall - where many drugs are legal, and energy is collected via thrum collectors. Vee, one of two protagonists/narrators, is the lead singer of the band Sugar Skulls, performing to create thrum (or whatever term they use). She gets mixed up with Micah, an off-the-grid guy who does drops for shady characters, trying to hunt down the dealer of some dodgy drug that killed his friends.

So although it was a bit all over the place at the start, it did all get explained in the end. The back story with Vee and Damon - her band's manager - is shocking, but does make you realise why things are the way they are. As for Micah and the loss of his friends... Again, that really does explain a lot of his actions.

I really like the idea of Cyrene, with "over-the-Wall" drinks and music, and a load of kids allowed to party and drink and take whatever drugs they want to their hearts' galore. Vee isn't my favourite character ever, as she seems a bit too bitchy at times, but she's strong and independent and emotional, too. Micah is caring, if a little rash sometimes. And Damon... Damon is, well, a douche.

While the premise of this novel is great, I just didn't fall in love with it. I didn't sit there for hours refusing to put it down. I didn't hate it, but there just wasn't anything particularly special in the way it was written. Yeah, the alternating views of Micah and Vee gave us a nice insight into their individual lives, and yes there was some lovely descriptive writing, but that's about as good as it gets. So, being somewhat generous here, I'll give Sugar Skulls 3 out of five stars.

Sugar Skulls

Reviews