Roth

The Invasion Trilogy #2

by Jessica Frances

I was taken and left for dead on a planet far from Earth. My new nightmare is called Roth.
I have only Hank for an ally here and a burning rage that builds higher with each passing day.
But we have a plan.
One that will hopefully give humans back the Earth.
One that will ensure I get revenge for what was taken from me.
I will stop at nothing to get Earth back.
I am willing to die for this.


I made a mistake.
I sent Mattie away from Earth and now she is in more danger than she ever was there.
The threat to her life doesn't just come from my people, but from humans as well.
I have to find her.
She needs to know there is more at risk than just her life.
She carries a secret, one that would lead to our deaths if anyone found out.
If we want a future together, then we need to escape Roth and leave the war and everyone behind.


What happens when their plan begins to fail?
What will they do when a new threat presents itself, one more dangerous than anything they have ever faced before?
Will Mattie be able to survive the loss she is forced to endure?
Will Marduke be able to protect her from not only his people and hers, but also from herself?
Is there still a way to save Earth?
Is there even a way to save each other?
Or will humans fall?
Will Earth be lost to them forever?

Genres: Science Fiction, Aliens

ebook

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Reader. Author. Book Hoarder. I’m asexual. I believe in human rights. That means BIPOC and LGBT+ people matter and deserve respect and protection. Trans people exist and they deserve every right given to cis people. I believe Palestine should be free and that what is happening to them is genocide. Books are political and if you don’t like hearing that, then you’re likely on the wrong side of history. Sit in your discomfort. Banning books is barbaric and pointless. Strict gun laws save lives. Amplify important and minority voices. Keep reading. Keep learning. Keep trying to do better.

I only have facebook (which I rarely use) and instagram (which I use only slightly more). Any other social media platforms with me on them are impostors.

Reviews

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roth is book two in The Invasion Trilogy by Jessica Frances.



Book two starts up right where we ended up at the end of book one. Mattie and Hank were sent to Roth. They are forced to live in a huge tent city with all the other refugees from earth. Roth has two suns so the weather can be unbearingly hot at times. Mattie believes that Marduke and Logan are dead. She has turned her grief to anger and vengeance. She and Hank are part of a group that want to fight and win back earth. They still don’t realize that the machines aren’t the only aliens. Some of what they think are humans speak with an awkward accent, much like Marduke’s. All the humans believe that these are brainwashed humans. They don’t realize that they ARE the aliens.





Ival has taken Marduke home to Oden. Marduke is healed but kept prisoner. When his Mother visits him, she explains that all royals have had their fertility enhanced to ensure many heirs. So if Marduke has been intimate with his human girlfriend, then he needs to know there is a very strong chance she might be pregnant. Marduke is frantic to escape so he can find Mattie. But even if he gets off Oden, which planet was she sent to? How will he ever find her?



“The fight hasn’t left me, however my loneliness has. I have Marduke, and I always will.”

Marduke does eventually find Mattie but not in any way I would have imagined. They are so happy to have found one another but once on Roth, there are new horrors to face. There are the claws, a horrible creature from a planet Oden tried to take and failed many years ago. These creatures are ruthless and vile. And even worse, they discover huge nests of eggs. The claws are reproducing.



Marduke and Mattie’s love gives them strength. But Marduke must tell Mattie about the possibility of being pregnant. How will she take the news? The dangers they face on Roth are crazy, not only from the claws, but also from one of the men in their group, Kane, that doesn’t trust Marduke or Mattie. At every turn they are faced with a new crisis, each one making me wonder how they will ever get out of it. They are even forced to trust an enemy they swore to kill to survive.

“I’ll always be by your side, Mattie, no matter what.”

Each chapter is told from either Mattie or Marduke’s perspective which I liked. It helped me so much to better relate to why they did some of the things they did. And it helped me to also understand the strength of their love, of their bond. At times, though, I have to admit that their inner monologue sometimes went on a little too long. I really liked the way Jessica ends each chapter. I am in the habit of trying to end a reading session at the end of a chapter. But Jessica always ends the chapter with a little cliff hanger that makes it so hard to stop. I want to keep going to find out what is going to happen next.

This was an awesome sequel to the first book and I will be tortured during the wait to see how this all ends. Will Mattie and Marduke survive and get a Happy Ever After? Where is Hank? Will they be able to find Lisa, Logan, Hannah and the children? Will they ever be able to return to Earth? Stay Tuned to find out!

“This is not a war I plan on losing. We will win."

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT?!? HOLY COW!

[✿ℎazℯℓ - thℯ ℛock Cℎick ℱairy✿ · Rating 5 out of 5]

ROTH is everything I hoped for... and then some.

This book is such is great mixture of action, drama, romance and all other intense feelings that one can imagine! It's like watching a movie! I love how the author carried on with the story. It's timely, detailed and very heartfelt. What I love best here is how their love story was validated along with the threat to their lives. Many things became clear and the possibilities are endless for the next book.

HOW THIS BOOK FELT LIKE

I want to put it out there that this book has a different kind of feel when compared to Earth (book 1). Earth was all about trying to defend and hold on to the planet that we all grew up in. It was also all about the two main characters getting to know each other. Roth is all about surviving in another planet, knowing your priorities and loyalties lie.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT and NEW ONES INTRODUCED

I would definitely say that both Mattie and Marduke have grown up emotionally and mentally here. They both had a lot of learning to do before the end of this book. I think they both felt an array of emotions in this book.

Mattie's new condition makes her feel vulnerable, protective and yet she's still struggling with the thought of claiming back Earth. There were times wherein I felt angry with her character because she's so darn stubborn and kind of suicidal, but then she bounces back and rationalizes everything. Then I also have to step back and think of what she thinks and I forgive her character. >.< This happened lots of times in this book. I could also feel Marduke's frustration when it comes to Mattie. He's also scared to death and all he can think about is how Mattie will survive after everything. He's just so into her, it's amazing and heartwarming. He's very different from the people from his family. Aside from being the only sane one, I think he's the only one capable of having various feelings. This is why I love him though. He's different and he's not afraid to show this to Mattie.

I didn't pay attention much to the other I don't like one new character in particular. I hated Kane. He's a mean bully! Mattie rationalized his actions in the end.. but I still strongly dislike him.

MORE ACTION PARTS - check!!

I love the thrill of this book. It's like there's action in every turn. There are more creatures and what's more surprising is that the creatures and robots fight in this book! EXCITING!!!

BELIEF

This book is a test to the belief of a person. People from different countries have different beliefs. Imagine if it's another planet that we're talking about. I think that would be like a meteor-falling-on-your-head moment. Really, when I imagine talking to a person from another planet, I keep on thinking that we'll have so many barriers, they wouldn't understand me, so they'll just start shooting! Haha! I know, morbid. But the main point is, this book will make it hard for the characters to hold on to what they believe is right or wrong. It's a good thing that Marduke is so damn in love with Mattie and is willing to do all the "changing of belief"

LOYALTIES

What if you fall in love with an alien and the said alien's race captured yours? Where would you loyalty lie?

I guess one of the problems here is Mattie's and Marduke's loyalty issue. While reading the book, I can totally feel Mattie's loyalty to her home planet, Earth. It's so obvious I could almost taste it. Marduke on the other hand is more subtle. If you read between the lines, you'll see that somehow, he's proud of his history and his people. This poses a big problem to the both of them because it's a conflict of interest sometimes. Sometimes I don't know if Mattie would just drop Marduke all together and go all out in fighting their opponents. I guess she hasn't fully decided on which side she'd take... well, not until the end. I would say that I agree with her choice. :) I approve.

THE ENDING AND WHAT I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO


I like the ending. It's open ended enough that I know I should look forward to the next planet and the people in it. I also like it because somehow, they were able to wrap up some conflicts. I have great faith that my other favorite characters will be reunited. I also have a feeling that there would be more antagonists and the adventure parts will also pile up. Of course I'm also looking forward to the conclusion of their love story. That's more important to me than anything because I have grown to love these two characters. It's them against the whole universe... and I'm on their side! haha! :)

I was given an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This review can also be seen on our blog: Musings of the Book-a-holic Fairies, inc.

[Kathryn Svendsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roth is the second book in the the Invasion series. I highly recommend reading book 1, Earth first. If you'd like to read my review of Earth, you'll find it here.

Roth picks up with Mattie having been transported to Roth, and Marduke returned home to his planet of Oden. Mattie is living in what amounts to an internment camp. She reunites with Hank and they, along with a few others plan a way to break out of the camp. They are determined to somehow free themselves and get back to Earth.

Meanwhile, Marduke learns from his mother that there is a high possibility that Mattie is pregnant with his child. He is frantic to rescue her, but he's been placed in solitary confinement by his own family.

Roth was written in the same format as book 1, with alternating chapters from the points of view of the two main characters of Mattie and Marduke. I liked that because it gave the human/alien perspective as well as the male/female perspective.

If you've ever believed in Murphy's Law - you know "Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong" that seems to be the way Mattie and Marduke's luck is in this story. It is one fast roller-coaster ride that you won't soon forget. On the run from beasts and enemies, both alien and human alike, Mattie and Marduke narrowly escape with their lives, but they don't make it back to earth.... yet. You'll have to wait for the next book to see what happens.

Roth is definitely a book meant for an adult audience. There is some strong profanity used and definitely some graphic sexual scenes that leave little to the imagination. The book mainly focuses on the action though and the love-making is kept to a minimum.

There was just one little thing that irked me while I was reading the book. Every time the word "past" was supposed to be used in the text, it was always written "passed". I know it sounds the same, but grammatically it's incorrect. This occurred several times throughout the book.

Roth is definitely a book that will hold the attention of anyone who enjoys a book full of action-packed suspense. I gave this novel 4 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.

This review was published on my blog Shelf Full of Books http://kathrynsshelffullofbooks.blogs...

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roth is the second part of the Invasion Trilogy. If you have not read Earth yet - don't wait......do it now!

As book two begins, Mattie is on the planet Roth believing Marduke and Luke are dead. She is out for revenge and with the help of Hank and some other allies, plan a way to get Earth back - at any cost.

Meanwhile on the planet Oden, Marduke is plagued with guilt for sending Mattie away. His father is making his life a living hell and he needs to find a way to locate Mattie - not only to protect her, but to ensure that the secret she holds within her is protected.

Once Mattie and Marduke reunite, their situation goes from bad to worse as they encounter obstacles that include creatures that you can only imagine in your worst nightmare.

I truly enjoyed this phenomenal and mind blowing novel written by the very talented Jessica Frances. From the very first page, I was immediately hooked and could not put it down until the very last page! With compelling characters and a world that is so horrific, I could not help myself from being completely immersed in this action packed, and at times horrifying story. If you are looking for a book that will entertain as well as completely enthrall you, then look no further than this trilogy. Action, suspense, romance and some truly gory moments will be found within these pages and will take the reader on a journey that is filled with twists and turns and will test their imagination with a world that is so harsh and creatures that are beyond horrifying. But be warned, once you start reading, I can guarantee you will not be able to put down this amazing book! I eagerly look forward to the third and final installment of this epic trilogy.

- See more at: The Avid Book Collector

[Pratr- Authors · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never been so intrigued by a book but this one took me by the very first word. The love that Mattie and Marduke feels for each other is unbelievable! Earth is under attack and Mattie has met up with one of the enemy's. Only he's not a bad one they have turned on him and trying to kill him. Mattie is able to save him only to have him and her captured. She and her friend is took back to one of the planets she thinks Marduke is killed so she is planning on revenge. Only that they are not the enemy this time. When she finds Marduke they run into awful creatures. To add to the mess Marduke still has not told her that she is pregnant with his child. With the help of some friends they set fire to the forest to kill the creatures that are trying to eat them. To top it all off Ival the mean brother had found them. When that turns bad and Marduke is hurt she will do anything to save him. That includes getting Ival to help. When he tries to help the new threat comes in and takes them all. Will they be able to escape? I am so in love with this story I couldn't put it down. It is amazingly written! I give this a 5 fang review. Reviewer for PRATR.

[Kristin Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Editorial Review.

This book was so intense that I could not put it down! There was non-stop action throughout the book. Every time something happened, something worse would follow it. It was unreal what these characters had to go through.

Mattie is going through some serious issues, and like I said, those issues just get worse. Her fears and thought process, though not funny, had me laughing. They were so genuine and real, and I know I would be thinking the same things, no matter how ridiculous those thoughts were.

Then, the ending was unreal! Nothing how I imagined the plot this book would be going. I can't believe what's happening now and I am going to go insane until I get the third and final book. I can't wait! I know it will be epic!

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a kindle copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Read my review of Earth (The Invasion Trilogy #1) here

Review is also posted on Let’s Say It’s A Blog.

“I want to go home, Marduke. I want to go to Earth. Can you promise me that?”
(Mattie; Chapter V, Roth)

FANTASTIC!!!
I’m always excited and anxious for every sequel whose first books I enjoyed a bit too much. Excited for what kind of exhilaration the 2nd book would bring. Anxious to find out whether the 2nd book would give me the same feeling I had while reading the first one.
Today, I proudly confirmed that Roth has gracefully topped ALL my expectation as the second book of Invasion Trilogy!
GOD! I had a great time with the first book. Earth had successfully taken me into a mind-blowing roller-coaster ride and in the end it left me speechless and craving for more. But ROTH, people, ROTH is marvelous! It’s amazing! It’s everything I’ve never read! It… blew my mind! Every part of it!



Just like the first book, Roth was told in alternating POV of Mattie and Marduke. In this book, the story was placed on Roth ―the planet under Oden’s possession― where Mattie was sent to after the chaos happened back on Earth as the arrival of Ival, Marduke’s evil brother. Ms. Frances once again proved her astounding ability to ‘live out’ her imagination into a very vivid and graphic story. It felt almost real! It’s like watching a movie, a real action and fantasy movie blended into one where the scenes were ready to jump out of the screen any minute! She’d succeeded in making me amaze with the invasion on Earth. Now, I was again mesmerized of everything she brought out in this book. Seriously this book made me wants to fly all the way to Aussie to knock on Ms. Frances’ front door and ask,
“How did you come up with all of these things?” or maybe something like,
“How could you even do that without twisting the cells of your brain in the process?”
Not only she successfully visualized what was Roth like (from the two suns until the unnatural green forest), but she also threw in new mysterious creatures aside of the alien to the story (something with claws and uncontrollably wild with black gushes oozing from its wound and ―okay I’m sorry I’ll stop here). And as usual, she did it very well. It was very graphic and easily let out scary vibes to the readers.
This book had a lot of twist and I totally admitted I could not even guess a single thing out of every scene on the book. It’s totally unpredictable I felt like don’t even want to blink my eyes in case I missed something in those milliseconds!
Roth is a perfect combination of thrilling action, mind-blowing discoveries, lots of drama, and heart-ripping romance wrapped up in an epic never-ending battle. Here, Mattie and Marduke once again reminded me of why I fell in love with this couple on the first place.

‘I love that she confuses me. I love that she is willing to argue for what she believes in, and that she cares for her people. Every touch, every kiss, and every word she ever spoke to me feels important. Humans speak of love and soul mates. We might not have such a thing on Oden, but I fully believe that Mattie is my other half.’
(Marduke; Chapter II, Roth)

I loved how strong and determined Mattie while Marduke was so understanding yet still held a high respect for his family back in Oden. In Roth, they still appeared with the same strong characters but at the same time I could sense some changes in them as they were put in a whole new circumstance that might tie or break them. Yes, they still argued a lot here but somehow I sensed that they acted more mature and less difficult than before.
God, I loved it so much that even when they argued, they still cared for each other deeply. Both of them were willing to put their ego aside to listen to each other’s demands. Both of them were willing to put themselves on each other’s shoes in order to feel what they truly felt. Both of them were more open with their feelings and never even hesitated to sacrifice their lives for each other. When it’s common for people to break down and break apart when put in their hardest situation, Mattie and Marduke proved the old saying that “love will conquer all”. Their love grew even stronger and never wavered even in the middle of worst pandemonium ever happened in the whole universe.

‘Even when she’s not with me, she’s managing to save me.’
(Marduke; Chapter XIX, Roth)

This book also touched more issue about the comparison of family life between humans and aliens. I liked it when Marduke intended to watch carefully of how Mattie felt about her family. How alien, like Marduke, was described indifferent towards their family but not because they’re heartless, more like because they didn’t understand emotional feeling. This was described very well that the readers could definitely see their differences by knowing every detail. Ms. Frances actually dealt with more details like this to give a clear picture of the life outside the Earth. And she succeeded in all of that.
Ms. Frances’ writing style is so unique! I loooove it when she sometimes put such ‘teasing sentences’ in the end of chapter. It’s like a page-turner button for me, actually. And oh! even if this book contained a lot more actions with lots of awful situation, Ms. Frances started to do something fresh here. When I thought that I would certainly cried or most likely being tensed all the time while reading the book, she managed to slip some jokes and silly or sarcastic thoughts in the mid of serious situations making me actually crack ―loudly at that― several times. It helped lighten up the tension a bit. My only complaint, though, a lot of villains made appearance here, made me kind of hopeless sometimes. But good news, there will be a lot of unexpected turn of events that would make you believe there’s still hope somewhere out there. Sadly, Lisa and Hanks story hasn’t make any progress here, so I’m expecting a lot in the last installment!
With 208 pages, Roth succeeded in giving me a mind-boggling experience that I’m sure will stay in my mind for a very long time. In fact, I kind of wish this is a part of tetralogy instead of trilogy… but, it’s not so yeah… *crying inside*

‘This is not a war I plan on losing. We will win.’
(Marduke; Chapter XIX, Roth)

[Chrystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book is just as great as the first one! I love how Marduke goes after to find Mattie and when they reunite, it's so adorable. The love and dedication of each other is sweet and never wavering and nobody comes between them. Mardukes protection of Mattie and the baby she's carrying is commendable and I like the fact that even though she may get frustrated with him for that she never gets angry but loves him all the more. So cute! I have only a handful of books that I've given 5 stars to and this series (so far...don't let me down, Jessica) is definitely one of them. I was, however, hoping that Marduke would get those scenes where he gets to kick some butt but noooo...he still gets his ass kicked by almost everyone and Mattie comes to his rescue every time. That's the only thing that frustrates me. Again......where is all that training he had growing up??!! Please let him get some kickass action in the 3rd book! I truly hope that, while they got captured at the end of the book and Mattie was connected to some i.v that it didn't hurt the baby. She escaped that room and helped Marduke and his brother escape but still, don't let anything go wrong with her pregnancy! Still don't like the covers of these books either but the books are great!!

[Ash Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written installment of The Invasion Trilogy. Written again from both Marduke and Matties point of view.

Roth takes place right were Earth left off. Mattie is on Roth with Hank and other humans. They plan on taking back Earth from the aliens, which they assume is the robots because the don’t realize yet that the humans they have deemed brainwashed are actually the alien race that removed them from Earth. Mattie believes Marduke and Logan are dead but they are on Mardukes home planet Oden. Marduke is actually imprisoned there. Will they be able to save Earth and the humans? Will they reunite?

Mattie still going strong in this book. No matter the complications and the unexpected news she doesn’t falter. She fights her hardest for Earth, Marduke, her friends and family.

This book was full of non stop action. I enjoyed the detail that was put into this story it made everything easy to imagine, from the nasty aliens to the planets that they were on. With all the complications and ups and down Mattie and Mardukes relationship is going stronger than ever and its nice to see them fight and disagree but work things out.

I’m excited to find out what happens next. With the new twists thrown in how are they going to handle everything. Will they save Earth? Will they survive.

Excellent book! Lots of page turning action, romance, heartbreak,drama, some humor , human like aliens and nightmare type aliens. With everything flowing and all the action it was hard to put it down!

[Everything Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Invasion Trilogy and you must read the first novel, Earth, in order to understand this one.

So, Roth picks up right after the ending of Earth and we discover both Mattie and Hank, living there after leaving Earth. They are adjusting to their new lives, especially with the torturous weather and the strict rules, living in refugee camps. Mattie is mourning after the loss of Marduke. She becomes a shell and closes herself off. Her soul fills with hatred which leads to vengeance and the story takes a dark turn after certain events occur. But, little does she know that Marduke is alive and is kept prisoner.

This story has it all, jam-packed with action, romance, and suspense. There is an introduction of new characters and the return of old characters that we loved in Earth. I really enjoyed this story however, I liked the first story a little better. Also, the descriptions of the surroundings were on point and once again, I felt like I was watching a movie. It was a good follow-up to the first novel, and I can't wait to read how it all ends!

[Amanda Shelley-Masters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! Jessica France's is and incredibly gifted author! I was blown away by the first book in this series and find myself just as captivated in the second. Frances's world is harsh unforgiving and yet the hope that lays beneath it all is so breathtaking that you can't put the book down for a second.

The creatures in this one are amazing and down right run for your life scary! Frances is a true artist of the written word when it comes for her characters running for their life! I couldn't believe what bad luck these people had!...lol

I loved the relationship between Marduke and Mattie the were not lovey dovey all the time. They fought constantly and they loved continually! No matter what!

This book was amazing and I can't wait to read more!

[Alizon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Jane | Book Flutter ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Invasion Trilogy and you must read the first novel, Earth, in order to understand this one.

So, Roth picks up right after the ending of Earth and we discover both Mattie and Hank, living there after leaving Earth. They are adjusting to their new lives, especially with the torturous weather and the strict rules, living in refugee camps. Mattie is mourning after the loss of Marduke. She becomes a shell and closes herself off. Her soul fills with hatred which leads to vengeance and the story takes a dark turn after certain events occur. But, little does she know that Marduke is alive and is kept prisoner.

This story has it all, jam-packed with action, romance, and suspense. There is an introduction of new characters and the return of old characters that we loved in Earth. I really enjoyed this story however, I liked the first story a little better. Also, the descriptions of the surroundings were on point and once again, I felt like I was watching a movie. It was a good follow-up to the first novel, and I can't wait to read how it all ends!