Killshot (Icarus #1) by Aria Michaels

Hey hey everyone! Sorry I've been MIA {haven't we all heard this before?}. I've been searching for a new job and stressing about my current job and dealing with things that seem to just stick around no matter how many times I try to get rid of them, so I haven't really been in the reading mood. But now I've sent out about a thousand and one applications and the current job is still stressful. At least I'm reading!

After the death of their parents, seventeen year old Liv Larson and her younger brother are separated by the foster care system. Her grades slip, her friends drift away, and she gives up on her plans for college. The only thing that matters is keeping the promise to get back to her brother. After months of solitude and anti-social behavior, Liv's best friend Riley drags her to their high school's rooftop solar flare party. Despite the beautiful lights dancing in the sky, Liv finds herself captivated by Zander, a mysterious boy with a crooked smile. For a few hours, she allows herself to feel normal again. 

That is until what should have been a small flare erupts into a massive solar storm. Cut off from the rest of the world with no sign of rescue, fear and paranoia begin to take their toll on the group. Battle lines are drawn and their ranks are divided. Soon, those left behind must embark on a perilous journey to save one of their own…but, something sinister awaits them in the shadows and it’s undeniably connected to Liv. 

Can she keep her promise to reunite with her brother? What are Liv and her friends willing to do to survive? Will their bravery and determination be enough to save them all from a rogue military unit, a terrifying virus, and the things that go bump in the night? 

Or was Icarus really the KILLSHOT?

Okay, this book has been out forever now, but I get the awesome chance to review the second book, so I jumped right on this one.

First off, can we talk about the author's name? Aria. ARIA. How beautiful is that? It also conjures up images of a certain badass Stark, so there's never anything wrong with that name.

Now we can get into the book.

Liv has problems, with a capital P. Her parents died, leaving her younger brother Beans and her to be split up into different foster homes. Liv makes a {temporary} home with the Tate's and her foster sister, Riley. She even meets Zander, an adorable and secretive boy that falls just as hard as her. But all that is shot to hell when solar storm Icarus hits, bringing with it a terrifying disease that burns people from the inside. Those that are "lucky" enough to escape that fate turn into "leeches," a zombie-like creature that only bows to an alpha. Lucky for Liv and her friends, they just happen to be traveling with an alpha.

Right off the bat, I loved this book because it took something only seen in science fiction and made it real. Liv and her friends camp out in the basement of their high school, trying to figure out a plan, and it's there that my favorite thing happens: they split up. Some of them don't believe in Liv and her plan, and they think that the best way to survive is to split up. What about this did I love so much? Ms. Michaels split up a couple, a couple that was deep in love, because one side of the pair believed in something more than Liv. Like, what! People that are in relationships have different beliefs and don't just blindly follow each other?! When did this happen? I loved it. I absolutely loved that they picked sides and then went on with their lives, trying their best o survive.

The relationship between Liv and Zander is hot and, more importantly, equal. After Icarus, the two of them change in ways that they could have never imagined, and yet they make it work. They support each other in all things and collaborate on plans. Even when Zander is all, no way, Liv, you can't do that, she's like, shut your beautiful face, Zander, I'm doing it. And he watches her go. Not only is it romantic, but it's real. I love them. And if I read the second book and something bad happens to one of them, I'm retracting my statements about loving Ms. Michaels' name.

Oh god, I'm just kidding. I'm not like that. Her name will forever be gorgeous. I'll just be really, really, REALLY sad. Was that enough really's to convince you guys that I'm not insane? Good.

Mysteries also pop up while the group makes their way through the neighboring towns in search of their families. The army shows up, to help? Maybe? You would think, right? Yeah, I did, too, until it turns around that our government might just be as corrupt as we think it is. 

Okay, now that I've worked myself into a lather, I'm going to get out of here and start the second book. I'll pop in here again next week, maybe even a couple of times, so I'll give you ample warning before I post about the second book. Promise!