{Book Review} FLEDGE, Book 2 of the Junco series, by JA Huss

Book Title: Fledge, I am Just Junco, Book 2
Author: JA Huss
Publisher: indie
Publishing Date: October 1, 2012
Length: 338 pages
Source: Purchased

When given the choice to kill or die,
It’s a no-fucking-brainer.
When given the choice to obey or not,
Things get gray.
But given the choice,
To kill or save the one who saved you?
Now you’ve got my attention.
And killers don’t work well
With a conscious around to fuck things up.
So, you know…
Hope for the best, but expect the worst.
Because I’m still fucking Junco.
And I’m still at war with everyone.

Well-trained soldier or genetically engineered monster?

Junco Coot can’t even remember her trip off Earth; she was too busy being morphed into her new avian body. But reality hits her hard when she wakes up to find her new life is not what she expected. Not even close.

Tier is on trial for treason, the avian president wants her dead, her new military team is hostile, her body is being taken over by an illicit AI, and her only friend is a ten-year old throwaway boy.

In most places the avian Fledge ritual would be nothing more than mass murder, but here in the capital city of Amelia, it’s called growing up. Junco has two choices: fight to the death to prove her worth, or get sent back to Earth in the hands of her enemies.

In a foreign culture and surrounded by people she can’t trust or count on, Junco must find a way to save herself and Tier without losing her immortal soul in the process

Jaysus Effing Heck. Yeah, this is nice because I need to post this review on amazon and they frown on the words that flew out of my mouth while reading this installment in the Just Junco series. Strings of profanities that Junco herself would admire just were in a constant stream at the turmoil, the action, the everything.

This story is COMPLICATED. It gets more complicated as you learn more and more. There are so many lies and half-told truths, buried secrets, emotional badgering, and things that Junco learns about herself that you will be reeling as much as Junco is as she enters the General Fledge. It's kill or be killed in this culling tournament that decides who gets to be an Aves warrior and who does not. Junco, fresh from her morph and with no training behind her new wings, gets to testify at Tier's trial, be thrown into the General Fledge, and learn on the go.

It's a darn good thing this girl knows how to adapt.

That's what she excels at. She's not only a trained assassin and warrior, but she has the skills to adapt in every situation, shut down what she needs to shut down, and move forward. The action is incredibly well described that you nearly feel that you ARE Junco, flipping, grappling, and slicing necks wide open. You can feel her stomping down on her emotions, her glee in learning to fly, her sorrow, and her going into soldier mode. It's exactly what I hope for when I'm reading: a book that whisks me away into an alternate reality, where I'm shutting out my own world, and am lost in the one unfolding before my eyes.

Gritty? Dark? Jaysus. No. It's not just gritty and dark. It's visceral. It's breathtaking. Kindle-bruising. And addictive. I'm eager to read book 3 and hope you join me on this journey if you haven't already. Feel free to comment here or hit me up on goodreads if you need to discuss. I love Junco, I am beginning to love the 039, I'm frustrated with the 039, I'm frustrated with Junco, and the ending to this book? HOLY CRAP, JA HUSS. What are you doing to us?!

Book 1, Clutch: http://bit.ly/ClutchHuss
Book 2, Fledge: http://bit.ly/FledgeHuss
Book 3, Flight: http://bit.ly/FlightHuss
Book 4, Range : http://bit.ly/RangeHuss
Book 4.5, The MagPie Bridge: http://bit.ly/MagpieBridgeHuss
Book 5, Return: http://bit.ly/ReturnHuss

Omnibus, Books 1, 2, 3: http://bit.ly/JuncoOmnibus