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Nanostealth #2
Stealth Power
I must survive. For Dr. Bickel's sake, I must survive.Weakened by the nanomites' drain, Gemma flees from General Cushing's renewed pursuit. She finds temporary refuge in Dr. Bickel's vacant safe house-refuge and time for her body to recover from the damage inflicted by the nanomites.
But how does an invisible woman with no identity survive in a visible world?
While the nanomites search for Dr. Bickel (intent upon facilitating his rescue), Gemma appropriates a new identity and, piece by piece, secures a tenuous foothold in the real world that allows her to move about unnoticed. To Gemma's amazement and grave misgivings, the nanomites, who had previously withstood her every overture, show themselves to be her allies.
Or are they?
The struggle for control is on.
Nanostealth
Book 1: Stealthy Steps
Book 2: Stealth Power
Book 3: Stealth Retribution, June 2017
But how does an invisible woman with no identity survive in a visible world?
While the nanomites search for Dr. Bickel (intent upon facilitating his rescue), Gemma appropriates a new identity and, piece by piece, secures a tenuous foothold in the real world that allows her to move about unnoticed. To Gemma's amazement and grave misgivings, the nanomites, who had previously withstood her every overture, show themselves to be her allies.
Or are they?
The struggle for control is on.
Nanostealth
Book 1: Stealthy Steps
Book 2: Stealth Power
Book 3: Stealth Retribution, June 2017
315 pages, Paperback
First published January 27, 2018
252 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Vikki Kestell
54 books211 followersVikki Kestell’s passion for people and their stories is evident in her readers’ affection for her characters and unusual plotlines. Two often repeated sentiments are, "I feel like I know these people," and "I'm right there, in the book, experiencing what her characters experience."
Vikki holds a PhD in organizational learning and instructional technologies. She left a career of twenty-plus years in government, academia, and corporate life to pursue writing full time. "Writing is the best job ever," she admits.
Also an accomplished speaker and teacher, Vikki and her husband, Conrad Smith, make their home in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Want to be notified of new book releases? Sign up for Vikki's newsletter on her website, http://www.vikkikestell.com/, or connect with her on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/TheWritingOfV..., or follow her on BookBub, https://www.bookbub.com/authors/vikki..., or right here on Goodreads.
Vikki holds a PhD in organizational learning and instructional technologies. She left a career of twenty-plus years in government, academia, and corporate life to pursue writing full time. "Writing is the best job ever," she admits.
Also an accomplished speaker and teacher, Vikki and her husband, Conrad Smith, make their home in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Want to be notified of new book releases? Sign up for Vikki's newsletter on her website, http://www.vikkikestell.com/, or connect with her on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/TheWritingOfV..., or follow her on BookBub, https://www.bookbub.com/authors/vikki..., or right here on Goodreads.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
March 10, 2025
Current day, Albuquerque, NM
I. LOVE. THIS. SERIES!!
It is so different. I've really never read anything quite like it. It’s not exactly science fiction (which is not my favorite genre), although there is a lot of science in it, and it is fiction…
It has suspense and plenty of action, which I enjoy.
It has a love story, of a sort, which warmed my heart.
It is highly intelligent. At least, my meager brain seems to think so. 😁
There's humor all the way through it, but it’s definitely not a comedy. It’s just the cute way the author says things that makes me giggle.
And, just as the first book in the series, the narrator is Reba Buhr…without a doubt the best narrator I’ve ever heard. I’ve said that a few times about others. But no, Reba is definitely amazing. I am so glad Vikki Kestell's books were read by this astounding talent. It seriously does not sound like she’s reading it. It sounds like she’s telling me the story from the main character's own mouth.
So, back to how this is so different. The main character is invisible because of nanobots that have surrounded her. Nanobots that can reflect and simulate the surrounding area, so people seem to be looking right through her.
Gemma doesn’t have any choice about her state of invisibility, because, under attack, a command was given by her boss, scientist Dr. Bickel, for the bots to hide her in order to save her life. Then something happens to the scientist and the nanobots aren’t being told by him to unhide her. And she can’t command them to unhide her in order for her to be visible again.
Life is incredibly unusual, the kind of life where she has to navigate this invisibility to get what she needs, like food, or other essentials, yet not steal any of it because of her strong moral compass. She can’t let anyone know she’s invisible because of an evil female general (General Cushing) who wants those nanobots for her own nefarious purposes.
She has nosy neighbors, and a little boy who saw her car drive up initially, and saw no one get out. He also looked in her kitchen window and saw a floating coffee cup. So, people who call on her hear her croaky voice (sounding sick) on the phone or through the door, and she’s able to hold them off for weeks.
Meanwhile, the nanobots, who have no voice, have to find a way to communicate with her what’s going on, because she’s totally in the dark about what’s happening to her body. That’s pretty much what happened in book one, but this book is even more involved, only partially because of her lawyer twin sister, who has no conscience, who is suddenly sticking her nose in it. And the gang members across the street, and an evil woman looking for her, and an FBI agent investigating her after an incident with a heroin-producing building. Then she’s aware the little boy across the street is being abused and starved, so she has to intervene. Whoa! That intervention was quite a page-turner.
Oh, this sounds somewhat complicated, but in actuality, it’s a lot more complicated. And that’s why I loved it so much.
There's an associate pastor (an ex-gang banger) named Zander who finds Gemma to be well worthy of his time, because of her personality, but also as a mission field. He wants to see her saved. She’s had a grudge against God most of her life, so she’s a challenge.
Those two are the first people she "confides in", the little boy and Zander, because somehow she finds them trustworthy. But her purpose is not for them to help her. No, it’s to help the little boy. This is the kind of heart Gemma has.
Okay, I’ve said enough.
Except for one more thing…
The gospel, the gospel, the gospel! Ms. Kestell has such a way with words! How she shares the gospel, not just once, but several times and in such unique ways had me cheering!
Fantastic!
I’m heading into the third book of the series called Stealth Retribution . I’m hooked!
I. LOVE. THIS. SERIES!!
It is so different. I've really never read anything quite like it. It’s not exactly science fiction (which is not my favorite genre), although there is a lot of science in it, and it is fiction…
It has suspense and plenty of action, which I enjoy.
It has a love story, of a sort, which warmed my heart.
It is highly intelligent. At least, my meager brain seems to think so. 😁
There's humor all the way through it, but it’s definitely not a comedy. It’s just the cute way the author says things that makes me giggle.
And, just as the first book in the series, the narrator is Reba Buhr…without a doubt the best narrator I’ve ever heard. I’ve said that a few times about others. But no, Reba is definitely amazing. I am so glad Vikki Kestell's books were read by this astounding talent. It seriously does not sound like she’s reading it. It sounds like she’s telling me the story from the main character's own mouth.
So, back to how this is so different. The main character is invisible because of nanobots that have surrounded her. Nanobots that can reflect and simulate the surrounding area, so people seem to be looking right through her.
Gemma doesn’t have any choice about her state of invisibility, because, under attack, a command was given by her boss, scientist Dr. Bickel, for the bots to hide her in order to save her life. Then something happens to the scientist and the nanobots aren’t being told by him to unhide her. And she can’t command them to unhide her in order for her to be visible again.
Life is incredibly unusual, the kind of life where she has to navigate this invisibility to get what she needs, like food, or other essentials, yet not steal any of it because of her strong moral compass. She can’t let anyone know she’s invisible because of an evil female general (General Cushing) who wants those nanobots for her own nefarious purposes.
She has nosy neighbors, and a little boy who saw her car drive up initially, and saw no one get out. He also looked in her kitchen window and saw a floating coffee cup. So, people who call on her hear her croaky voice (sounding sick) on the phone or through the door, and she’s able to hold them off for weeks.
Meanwhile, the nanobots, who have no voice, have to find a way to communicate with her what’s going on, because she’s totally in the dark about what’s happening to her body. That’s pretty much what happened in book one, but this book is even more involved, only partially because of her lawyer twin sister, who has no conscience, who is suddenly sticking her nose in it. And the gang members across the street, and an evil woman looking for her, and an FBI agent investigating her after an incident with a heroin-producing building. Then she’s aware the little boy across the street is being abused and starved, so she has to intervene. Whoa! That intervention was quite a page-turner.
Oh, this sounds somewhat complicated, but in actuality, it’s a lot more complicated. And that’s why I loved it so much.
There's an associate pastor (an ex-gang banger) named Zander who finds Gemma to be well worthy of his time, because of her personality, but also as a mission field. He wants to see her saved. She’s had a grudge against God most of her life, so she’s a challenge.
Those two are the first people she "confides in", the little boy and Zander, because somehow she finds them trustworthy. But her purpose is not for them to help her. No, it’s to help the little boy. This is the kind of heart Gemma has.
Okay, I’ve said enough.
Except for one more thing…
The gospel, the gospel, the gospel! Ms. Kestell has such a way with words! How she shares the gospel, not just once, but several times and in such unique ways had me cheering!
Fantastic!
I’m heading into the third book of the series called Stealth Retribution . I’m hooked!
April 18, 2018
Ok, so I know that everybody likes different stories. (It's kind of like how my favorite color is blue, but my daughter's is purple. It's simply that we perceive things differently.)
Having said that, I must say that this novel has kept ME enraptured COMPLETELY and TOTALLY in the first two of this series. Never in my wildest imagination would I have thought to combine sci-fi along with the undeniable message of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Amazing to me! Just simply amazing!
I just downloaded the third one in the series. I loooved this one, and can't wait to start the next one I just now downloaded.
Exceptional entertainment!
Having said that, I must say that this novel has kept ME enraptured COMPLETELY and TOTALLY in the first two of this series. Never in my wildest imagination would I have thought to combine sci-fi along with the undeniable message of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Amazing to me! Just simply amazing!
I just downloaded the third one in the series. I loooved this one, and can't wait to start the next one I just now downloaded.
Exceptional entertainment!
April 11, 2019
So, I'll admit that the sci-fi premise has gotten a little more out there than I'm usually comfortable with--. But the storyline is still very interesting, so I will probably try the next book, although I'm not sure if I'll make it through.
I do like this new depth of confidence in Gemma and the way she's tapping into some of the strength she's had all along, as well as harnessing the abilities of the nanocloud. The interaction between Gemma and the nanomites is pretty funny at times, and I had to come back to Zander's reminder at times that however intelligent and intuitive they seem, they're still not human! I loved the way a couple of human relationships developed through this book, too, and not always in a romantic sense. ;)
I liked the way the spiritual thread stayed front-and-center through the whole story, even when Gemma was specifically fighting against it. I especially liked the way that Zander didn't shove it in her face but didn't shy away from telling her the truth or keeping God in the conversation just because it made her uncomfortable. Yeah, he's awesome! The only thing I didn't like along those lines were some of the ethical decisions Gemma made (still in an unsaved state) that weren't specifically dealt with or corrected--in particular, the issue of identity theft, even though it was done for a good purpose. Although overall there was less of that than there could have been, with the annoying moral compass her aunt had instilled in her. :)
The only other small annoyance I had was that when a scene or portion of dialogue was being repeated in Gemma's mind, sometimes it went on much too long beyond the part that was pertinent to the reason she needed to remember it. Some more trimming on the flashbacks might have been good. But that's about my only complaint style-wise.
3.5 stars
Content--some mild language, including "stupid," "devil," "freaking," etc.; mentions of swearing, including words bleeped out of dialogue; violence, kidnapping, people threatened ; mentions of wounds, blood, sickness, and vomiting; some theft, sneaking, hacking, etc.
I do like this new depth of confidence in Gemma and the way she's tapping into some of the strength she's had all along, as well as harnessing the abilities of the nanocloud. The interaction between Gemma and the nanomites is pretty funny at times, and I had to come back to Zander's reminder at times that however intelligent and intuitive they seem, they're still not human! I loved the way a couple of human relationships developed through this book, too, and not always in a romantic sense. ;)
I liked the way the spiritual thread stayed front-and-center through the whole story, even when Gemma was specifically fighting against it. I especially liked the way that Zander didn't shove it in her face but didn't shy away from telling her the truth or keeping God in the conversation just because it made her uncomfortable. Yeah, he's awesome! The only thing I didn't like along those lines were some of the ethical decisions Gemma made (still in an unsaved state) that weren't specifically dealt with or corrected--in particular, the issue of identity theft, even though it was done for a good purpose. Although overall there was less of that than there could have been, with the annoying moral compass her aunt had instilled in her. :)
The only other small annoyance I had was that when a scene or portion of dialogue was being repeated in Gemma's mind, sometimes it went on much too long beyond the part that was pertinent to the reason she needed to remember it. Some more trimming on the flashbacks might have been good. But that's about my only complaint style-wise.
3.5 stars
Content--some mild language, including "stupid," "devil," "freaking," etc.; mentions of swearing, including words bleeped out of dialogue; violence, kidnapping, people threatened ; mentions of wounds, blood, sickness, and vomiting; some theft, sneaking, hacking, etc.
June 10, 2018
Like all second books, this is a bridge
But it is really well done. The characters are developed more deeply. The relationships grow. The story remains intense. It’s great fun and a great series.
But it is really well done. The characters are developed more deeply. The relationships grow. The story remains intense. It’s great fun and a great series.
June 8, 2017
(Alright Pumpkin, another shoutout to you. This book was just as fabulous as the first one.)
Awesome things in this book - Spider-Man, princess bride, and Star Trek references; great biblical theme; everything else in the book.
Non awesome things -
Yep, that was intentionally left blank. If you haven't read this series yet, obviously start with book one. But you gotta read it! So good!
Also I may or may not have skipped ahead to the end of book 3 to see how it ended, but THATS OKAY. God created me to want to know how things turn out, otherwise He wouldn't have given me the book of Revelation. I think that's pretty sound logic.
Awesome things in this book - Spider-Man, princess bride, and Star Trek references; great biblical theme; everything else in the book.
Non awesome things -
Yep, that was intentionally left blank. If you haven't read this series yet, obviously start with book one. But you gotta read it! So good!
Also I may or may not have skipped ahead to the end of book 3 to see how it ended, but THATS OKAY. God created me to want to know how things turn out, otherwise He wouldn't have given me the book of Revelation. I think that's pretty sound logic.
July 21, 2022
The adventures continue for Gemma and the “tribes”. Reads like a spy novel, fast-paced and intriguing.
May 27, 2017
Have read both books, and am eagerly awaiting the release of the third. Was compelled to reread Luke 15 by the short sermon shared in book 2.
A very different kind of read, for me, with the science fiction aspect of the nanomites!
A very different kind of read, for me, with the science fiction aspect of the nanomites!
September 12, 2022
Love!
See my review on book 1, this series is great. I love the spiritual elements and Gemma's evolving relationship with Nano, Emilio, and Zander. Read these books!
See my review on book 1, this series is great. I love the spiritual elements and Gemma's evolving relationship with Nano, Emilio, and Zander. Read these books!
June 13, 2017
*This review contains spoilers galore!*
NOT A NICE ENDING!!! Talk about cliff hangers.
Things are getting interesting. Gemma has taken several people into her confidence - Abe, Zander, & Emilio. It's hard to care about people while you're on the run from a psycho military general. Added to the mix is a creepy drug lord who Emilio's uncle got caught up with.
The nanomites do all kinds of awesome stuff like:
- find Dr. B
- heal Zander, Abe, & a young dad dying of cancer
- train Gemma in fighting techniques (that part was a bit confusing. I missed that Gustav was a Virtual Reality avatar)
- oh yeah, MERGE THEMSELVES WITH GEMMA! The whole "we are six thing reminds me of Groot. Read it in a Groot voice, "We Are Six". Kestell better fix it somehow though because I've wanted Gemma, Zander, and Emilio to be a family since halfway through the first book.
As part of finding and rescuing Dr. B, Gemma allies herself with FBI agent Ross Gamble. The scene where Genie confronts him pretending to be Gemma to try and trap him was AWESOME! One of my favorite parts of the book. But unfortunately, though they rescue Dr. B, Cushing has made it borderline impossible for them to carry out their plan to expose her. And during the escape, Gemma and the nanomites got Tased, so the mites had to make a bunch of new mites, and Gemma basically sacrificed herself to save everyone. Great spiritual symbolism, but not going where I want it to.
Yes, Gemma became a Christian!!!! That obviously is the biggest spiritual scene, but another big one was Zander's conversation with Genie. Basically Genie is controlled by demons. YIKES! Powerful stuff there. Zander lays it all out on the table for her in a really serious conversation.
I know I'm kind of jumping back and forth, so let me sum up ;)
Gemma and the mites spend a large part of the book figuring out their relationship which results in the merger. Once they are good, the planning and training for rescuing Dr. B starts. There is the side track of Mateo/Soto/Emilio. Mateo ends up dead, Emilio is going to live with Abe, and Soto gets arrested, then escapes and at the end, kidnaps Emilio to draw out Gemma. (Wow, I'm failing at summing up).
As I said, Gemma gets almost killed while rescuing Dr. B, so it's up to him, Gamble, and Zander to get them all out of there and to Dr. B's mountain lab to try and save Gemma. Which as I stated, half worked. She's alive, but what exactly that means remains to be seen.
BITS AND BITES
I was starting to dislike the word "optimal." Yeah, that word. Optimal? You keep using that word; I do not think it means what you think it means. YES!!!!!!
"Cushing is not interested in me, per se. She wants the nanomites and, for the time being, the mites and I are inseparable. Of course, I also know too much, so also wants to shut me up, which, I'm afraid, would be very bad for my health."
Knowing Cushing had hidden Dr. Bickel somewhere on WSMR had been about as helpful as saying she had hidden him somewhere in Texas! Cushing may have hidded Dr. Bickel close to her - close in relative terms - but she had also picked the largest U.S. military haystack in which to hide her "needle."
I snickered. "Hard to be worried about never seeing me again when you've never seen me in the first place." "Brat. You know what I mean - and joking about it doesn't change the danger you're putting yourself in."
"Because it would be a hard sell, right? Convincing your boss and his boss that a two-star Air Force General has a renowned scientist imprisoned against his will in violation of his constitutional rights? Oh, make that a dead scientist. And you learned all of this how? From an invisible woman?" "Well, when you say it like that.." Gamble mumbled.
Sorry for the rambling. On to Book 3 and hoping it doesn't end as terribly as Julianne makes it out to end.
NOT A NICE ENDING!!! Talk about cliff hangers.
Things are getting interesting. Gemma has taken several people into her confidence - Abe, Zander, & Emilio. It's hard to care about people while you're on the run from a psycho military general. Added to the mix is a creepy drug lord who Emilio's uncle got caught up with.
The nanomites do all kinds of awesome stuff like:
- find Dr. B
- heal Zander, Abe, & a young dad dying of cancer
- train Gemma in fighting techniques (that part was a bit confusing. I missed that Gustav was a Virtual Reality avatar)
- oh yeah, MERGE THEMSELVES WITH GEMMA! The whole "we are six thing reminds me of Groot. Read it in a Groot voice, "We Are Six". Kestell better fix it somehow though because I've wanted Gemma, Zander, and Emilio to be a family since halfway through the first book.
As part of finding and rescuing Dr. B, Gemma allies herself with FBI agent Ross Gamble. The scene where Genie confronts him pretending to be Gemma to try and trap him was AWESOME! One of my favorite parts of the book. But unfortunately, though they rescue Dr. B, Cushing has made it borderline impossible for them to carry out their plan to expose her. And during the escape, Gemma and the nanomites got Tased, so the mites had to make a bunch of new mites, and Gemma basically sacrificed herself to save everyone. Great spiritual symbolism, but not going where I want it to.
Yes, Gemma became a Christian!!!! That obviously is the biggest spiritual scene, but another big one was Zander's conversation with Genie. Basically Genie is controlled by demons. YIKES! Powerful stuff there. Zander lays it all out on the table for her in a really serious conversation.
I know I'm kind of jumping back and forth, so let me sum up ;)
Gemma and the mites spend a large part of the book figuring out their relationship which results in the merger. Once they are good, the planning and training for rescuing Dr. B starts. There is the side track of Mateo/Soto/Emilio. Mateo ends up dead, Emilio is going to live with Abe, and Soto gets arrested, then escapes and at the end, kidnaps Emilio to draw out Gemma. (Wow, I'm failing at summing up).
As I said, Gemma gets almost killed while rescuing Dr. B, so it's up to him, Gamble, and Zander to get them all out of there and to Dr. B's mountain lab to try and save Gemma. Which as I stated, half worked. She's alive, but what exactly that means remains to be seen.
BITS AND BITES
I was starting to dislike the word "optimal." Yeah, that word. Optimal? You keep using that word; I do not think it means what you think it means. YES!!!!!!
"Cushing is not interested in me, per se. She wants the nanomites and, for the time being, the mites and I are inseparable. Of course, I also know too much, so also wants to shut me up, which, I'm afraid, would be very bad for my health."
Knowing Cushing had hidden Dr. Bickel somewhere on WSMR had been about as helpful as saying she had hidden him somewhere in Texas! Cushing may have hidded Dr. Bickel close to her - close in relative terms - but she had also picked the largest U.S. military haystack in which to hide her "needle."
I snickered. "Hard to be worried about never seeing me again when you've never seen me in the first place." "Brat. You know what I mean - and joking about it doesn't change the danger you're putting yourself in."
"Because it would be a hard sell, right? Convincing your boss and his boss that a two-star Air Force General has a renowned scientist imprisoned against his will in violation of his constitutional rights? Oh, make that a dead scientist. And you learned all of this how? From an invisible woman?" "Well, when you say it like that.." Gamble mumbled.
Sorry for the rambling. On to Book 3 and hoping it doesn't end as terribly as Julianne makes it out to end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2020
I definitely enjoyed this book more than the first. Most of the information is out there (being dumped into the first book), and we're left with just the continuing story of Gemma and the mites (good band name, no?). The relationships that we were introduced to in the first book were continued enough to make me happy, with the addition of a new character who became one of my favorites. The writing style isn't my favorite, but in the end, I was glad to have read this, and look forward to seeing where the story goes from here.
Gemma herself bugged me during a lot of this book. I mentioned in my review of the first book that she came across like a petulant child, and that only got worse in this one. The sections from her POV (which is most of the book) was immature, and I didn't always enjoy it. I know there was a lot of really unpleasant stuff happening to her, but even while she was growing stronger in many ways, boy, did she whine a lot. There were also a lot of verbal tics in this book that I don't remember from the first one--a lot of "um"s in the dialog. It only led to a further frustration with Gemma, and there's a reason most authors don't write dialog that realistically. It's annoying to read.
The associate pastor, Zander, was probably my favorite character from the first book. That took a small turn for me in this book, as his character came across as simply a vehicle for preaching Christ to the other characters, and to the reader. I'm not saying there aren't people in real life who would have talked exactly as he did, but he became a bit confrontational when talking to Gemma's evil twin sister, and I felt it was a bit much. My favorite character in this one, then, was the new one in this book, an FBI agent.
My favorite thing about the first book was Gemma trying to communicate with the mites, and that really expanded in this book. Even while she groused at and about them, I really liked them. Maybe that's the under-emotional side of me, to identify more with the computer than the human. My least-favorite thing about the first book was the exposition, and Gemma's repeating of the exposition, and there was some of that in this one, but not nearly as much. The author did, however, have a tendency to recall back to a previous conversation later on, and she would pretty much always include twice as much of the original conversation as was needed.
In the end, I think it's really the writing style that detracts the most from this series from me so far. The characters and plot I am enjoying more than enough to make up for that though. I need to try to put less time between this one and the next one than I did the first book and this one, though, because there was little in the way of reminders to what happened before. I started out really lost! Like with Stealthy Steps, I would recommend the book to fans of Christian mysteries & thrillers and lovers of this type of sci-fi.
Gemma herself bugged me during a lot of this book. I mentioned in my review of the first book that she came across like a petulant child, and that only got worse in this one. The sections from her POV (which is most of the book) was immature, and I didn't always enjoy it. I know there was a lot of really unpleasant stuff happening to her, but even while she was growing stronger in many ways, boy, did she whine a lot. There were also a lot of verbal tics in this book that I don't remember from the first one--a lot of "um"s in the dialog. It only led to a further frustration with Gemma, and there's a reason most authors don't write dialog that realistically. It's annoying to read.
The associate pastor, Zander, was probably my favorite character from the first book. That took a small turn for me in this book, as his character came across as simply a vehicle for preaching Christ to the other characters, and to the reader. I'm not saying there aren't people in real life who would have talked exactly as he did, but he became a bit confrontational when talking to Gemma's evil twin sister, and I felt it was a bit much. My favorite character in this one, then, was the new one in this book, an FBI agent.
My favorite thing about the first book was Gemma trying to communicate with the mites, and that really expanded in this book. Even while she groused at and about them, I really liked them. Maybe that's the under-emotional side of me, to identify more with the computer than the human. My least-favorite thing about the first book was the exposition, and Gemma's repeating of the exposition, and there was some of that in this one, but not nearly as much. The author did, however, have a tendency to recall back to a previous conversation later on, and she would pretty much always include twice as much of the original conversation as was needed.
In the end, I think it's really the writing style that detracts the most from this series from me so far. The characters and plot I am enjoying more than enough to make up for that though. I need to try to put less time between this one and the next one than I did the first book and this one, though, because there was little in the way of reminders to what happened before. I started out really lost! Like with Stealthy Steps, I would recommend the book to fans of Christian mysteries & thrillers and lovers of this type of sci-fi.
June 12, 2019
A favorite author of mine. I was greatly pleased she began to bring the Christian message more and more into the novel...that is why I read her books!!!
I am still a little leery of the whole nano business....because for example
Elon Musk ( an atheist is so convinced that AI's will overtake humanity that we MUST MERGE with them ( thus his neurolink mesh thingy).
The other thing that is disturbing to me is the actually fact that the nano's make her a 'super' human.
This is worrisome because so so many young people believe in evolution, and reaching a 'higher' plane, and becoming united with the 'borg/AI' sooooooo
You might wonder with my having such 'issues' why I would give this a 5 stars?
Because she is a Christian author and her Biblical quotes, Bible themes, references, and application are right on!!!!!!
In this book, I also loved the conversation between the pastor ( Zander) and the twin!!!
It was so perfect for those who are convicted the are 'free', masters of their own fate, etc etc.
Also that Gemma became a Christian finally!!!
And the story is so well written.
I am not sure if she is just giving Christian information of the whole nano technology thing, perhaps as a warning....... or????
I will have to read the last in the series, but I highly recommend this Christian author and this series.
I truly have never understood when people complain that Christian authors 'preach' in their novels?
That complaint boggles my mind!! What is extremely upsetting to me is when so called Christian authors do NOT Preach
or
only mentions someone went to church or prays just once in their whole novel!
If I wanted to read a novel where God is not mentioned, free of Bible quotes and how to apply scripture to one's life etc. I would read secular novels exclusively. Are they expecting a Christian author to be like a secular author?
In truth, I have read secular authors that talk more about God than some 'in name only', Christian authors and that is crazy.
So yes, this author is going to mention God and the Bible etc. more than just once Yeah!!!!!
Praise the Lord!
But she is a fine author!!
I am still a little leery of the whole nano business....because for example
Elon Musk ( an atheist is so convinced that AI's will overtake humanity that we MUST MERGE with them ( thus his neurolink mesh thingy).
The other thing that is disturbing to me is the actually fact that the nano's make her a 'super' human.
This is worrisome because so so many young people believe in evolution, and reaching a 'higher' plane, and becoming united with the 'borg/AI' sooooooo
You might wonder with my having such 'issues' why I would give this a 5 stars?
Because she is a Christian author and her Biblical quotes, Bible themes, references, and application are right on!!!!!!
In this book, I also loved the conversation between the pastor ( Zander) and the twin!!!
It was so perfect for those who are convicted the are 'free', masters of their own fate, etc etc.
Also that Gemma became a Christian finally!!!
And the story is so well written.
I am not sure if she is just giving Christian information of the whole nano technology thing, perhaps as a warning....... or????
I will have to read the last in the series, but I highly recommend this Christian author and this series.
I truly have never understood when people complain that Christian authors 'preach' in their novels?
That complaint boggles my mind!! What is extremely upsetting to me is when so called Christian authors do NOT Preach
or
only mentions someone went to church or prays just once in their whole novel!
If I wanted to read a novel where God is not mentioned, free of Bible quotes and how to apply scripture to one's life etc. I would read secular novels exclusively. Are they expecting a Christian author to be like a secular author?
In truth, I have read secular authors that talk more about God than some 'in name only', Christian authors and that is crazy.
So yes, this author is going to mention God and the Bible etc. more than just once Yeah!!!!!
Praise the Lord!
But she is a fine author!!
June 1, 2017
*pumps fists in the air and spins around in exultation*
Oh I love these books so much! So excited for Friday, when the third one comes out! Ahhhhh!
I loved when she risked her life for a burger. This is a heroine after my own heart, for sure! And then the whole, "Someone is with us!" conversation. The mites are so cute! I loved how the way they inhabit her creates an analogy for how Christ inhabits us! So many good spiritual parallels without getting overly preachy. (Although there is preaching b/c Zander is a pastor so...)
So yeah, I loved this book. Did I say that already? No?
*Shouts in your ear* WELL I LOVED IT.
Also, I have a strange desire to take martial arts classes now. Lol (and everyone screams NOOOOO DON'T ARM THIS CRAZY CHICA)
sheesh calm down! All I did was shout in your ear!
ALL you did was scream in my ear? I HAPPEN TO BE DEAF IN THAT EAR NOW THANK YOU!
Well look who's got uncontrollable emotions and therefore shouldn't be taking martial arts now? Hmm?
Moral of the story: don't make me deafen you. Read these books.
Oh I love these books so much! So excited for Friday, when the third one comes out! Ahhhhh!
I loved when she risked her life for a burger. This is a heroine after my own heart, for sure! And then the whole, "Someone is with us!" conversation. The mites are so cute! I loved how the way they inhabit her creates an analogy for how Christ inhabits us! So many good spiritual parallels without getting overly preachy. (Although there is preaching b/c Zander is a pastor so...)
So yeah, I loved this book. Did I say that already? No?
*Shouts in your ear* WELL I LOVED IT.
Also, I have a strange desire to take martial arts classes now. Lol (and everyone screams NOOOOO DON'T ARM THIS CRAZY CHICA)
sheesh calm down! All I did was shout in your ear!
ALL you did was scream in my ear? I HAPPEN TO BE DEAF IN THAT EAR NOW THANK YOU!
Well look who's got uncontrollable emotions and therefore shouldn't be taking martial arts now? Hmm?
Moral of the story: don't make me deafen you. Read these books.
July 19, 2018
Invisible suspense
The second book in the Nanostealth series continues the harrowing tale of Gemma Keyes, whose previous mild-mannered approach made her feel invisible & unnoticed. Now she really IS invisible and is not quite sure how to live life as an invisible person. Formimg a union with the nanomites involves many changes in her body & her life. Now to rescue Dr. Bickel and to defeat the evil Gen. Cushing and equally evil drug cartel biggie, Dead Eyes Soto. Book 3, here i come!
The second book in the Nanostealth series continues the harrowing tale of Gemma Keyes, whose previous mild-mannered approach made her feel invisible & unnoticed. Now she really IS invisible and is not quite sure how to live life as an invisible person. Formimg a union with the nanomites involves many changes in her body & her life. Now to rescue Dr. Bickel and to defeat the evil Gen. Cushing and equally evil drug cartel biggie, Dead Eyes Soto. Book 3, here i come!
September 16, 2019
I wish I hadn't waited so long between books 1 and 2 in this series. The narrative provides enough reminders that I wasn't confused, but I enjoyed book 1 and the reminders made me want to remember more. Yet I didn't want to put this one down to go back and re-read the first one.
The Nanostealth books are good reads on multiple levels--fast-paced science fiction and action, complicated romance and family dynamics, and faith. I love how the author brings Christianity into the story in a way that encourages my faith while staying natural to the characters' experiences.
Definitely enjoying this series.
The Nanostealth books are good reads on multiple levels--fast-paced science fiction and action, complicated romance and family dynamics, and faith. I love how the author brings Christianity into the story in a way that encourages my faith while staying natural to the characters' experiences.
Definitely enjoying this series.
September 30, 2021
Don’t usually read Si-Fi but….
I don’t usually read sci-fi but this series is different to say the least! I love the characters and how true to life they are. I love how the author has woven threads of Christianity throughout the story. I didn’t understand all the technical stuff but you don’t have to to enjoy the book. I couldn’t put it down or wait until I could download the next one to find out what happens!
I don’t usually read sci-fi but this series is different to say the least! I love the characters and how true to life they are. I love how the author has woven threads of Christianity throughout the story. I didn’t understand all the technical stuff but you don’t have to to enjoy the book. I couldn’t put it down or wait until I could download the next one to find out what happens!
May 20, 2022
Very good
After reading the first in the series, I couldn't wait to read this second book. Again, Vikki Jester knocks it out of the park! What a great series, keeps me on my toes, makes me giggle, brings tears to my eyes, puts a smile on my face, and makes the housework wait. ;) I will definitely be getting the third in the series... after I get some housework done. I highly recommend reading all about Gemma Keyes and the Nano!
After reading the first in the series, I couldn't wait to read this second book. Again, Vikki Jester knocks it out of the park! What a great series, keeps me on my toes, makes me giggle, brings tears to my eyes, puts a smile on my face, and makes the housework wait. ;) I will definitely be getting the third in the series... after I get some housework done. I highly recommend reading all about Gemma Keyes and the Nano!
June 7, 2019
Better pacing than the first book. Still love the characters... but I just can't handle the really blatant Christianity. It intensified as the book went on and became increasingly less subtle and less thought provoking. I've no doubt some would find it inspiring, but I found it entirely too distracting.
July 5, 2020
Love this series! Gemma Keyes- Nanomites = Stealth Power...I am so enjoying this series. It is interesting to think about how our world could be different with this type of technology. Abe, Zander, and Emilio bring humanity to this story, along with a deeper knowledge of how Faith fits into our lives!
Thanks, Vikki Kestell for again bring us great Faith-Filled Fiction!
Thanks, Vikki Kestell for again bring us great Faith-Filled Fiction!
March 11, 2022
Stayed up way too late
To finish this book! Immediately bought the next one! I wasn't sure when I started reading this series. It's not my usual genre. However, it's got me hooked. If you haven't started on this series yet, I definitely recommend it. Good guys, bad guys, military, FBI, and a sweet romance in the making.
To finish this book! Immediately bought the next one! I wasn't sure when I started reading this series. It's not my usual genre. However, it's got me hooked. If you haven't started on this series yet, I definitely recommend it. Good guys, bad guys, military, FBI, and a sweet romance in the making.
August 20, 2022
You definitely want to read this series in order. I rushed through the prequel novella and book 1. In this one I slowed down a bit, especially if an especially suspenseful section was coming up just before going to bed :-) The plot twists kept me on the edge of my seat. I'm looking forward to reading the third book!
June 21, 2017
Amazing book
You won't want to put it down! The plot twists and turns keep you guessing and the character development is amazing. I have few books I would classify as exceptional but this is definitely one of them.
You won't want to put it down! The plot twists and turns keep you guessing and the character development is amazing. I have few books I would classify as exceptional but this is definitely one of them.
June 24, 2017
Cant put it down!
The only issue i have with this series is that there are only 3 books. That means the next one is they last! I love so much about this book. I'm excited to see how things will change for her in the 3rd book.
The only issue i have with this series is that there are only 3 books. That means the next one is they last! I love so much about this book. I'm excited to see how things will change for her in the 3rd book.
November 5, 2017
Thrilling from beginning to end
Another great book by Mrs. Kestell. She weaves science, life and faith exceptionally well in the story of Gemma and her friends. Can’t wait to read book 3.
Another great book by Mrs. Kestell. She weaves science, life and faith exceptionally well in the story of Gemma and her friends. Can’t wait to read book 3.
January 21, 2018
The power of the overall story steadily builds through this sequel. The ever-deeper penetration of the nanomites into Gemma's physical systems is very well portrayed.
The Christian element also increases noticeably in this volume: I applaud her integration of sci-fi/fantasy with Christian fiction!
The Christian element also increases noticeably in this volume: I applaud her integration of sci-fi/fantasy with Christian fiction!
October 23, 2018
Must read
I loved this book! I love the writers style, her presentation of characters, plot and topics are exceptional. I read one then had to read 2. I thought I would lose interest but I must have book 3. Good job Vikki, you have a gift for writing.
I loved this book! I love the writers style, her presentation of characters, plot and topics are exceptional. I read one then had to read 2. I thought I would lose interest but I must have book 3. Good job Vikki, you have a gift for writing.
July 19, 2019
Not sure why this series has such a hold on me, but I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series. The wonder about the nanotech and what it can accomplish add mystery and fantasy to a good story line. The hint of romance and the spiritual aspects also add to the charm of these books.
August 25, 2019
Nano-Science + Jesus
An entaining and fasinating novel of science and the love God has for his creation. The author breaks down nanoscience into laymen's terms and adds the story of Jesus's love in a well written novel of science, sin and salvation.
An entaining and fasinating novel of science and the love God has for his creation. The author breaks down nanoscience into laymen's terms and adds the story of Jesus's love in a well written novel of science, sin and salvation.
November 22, 2019
I did not want to put this book down. I had to know what could happen next. Even in the suspense I laughed out loud during a sneezing scene. If you like clean suspenseful stories I highly recommend Stealth Power.
October 19, 2022
Great suspense
This is an awesome Christian suspense novel and I would give it a five but it leaves you hanging at the end and you have to buy the next book! I WILL definitely read the next one through, it was great suspense!
This is an awesome Christian suspense novel and I would give it a five but it leaves you hanging at the end and you have to buy the next book! I WILL definitely read the next one through, it was great suspense!
October 25, 2022
This book has to be read in chronological order as part of the entire series. This second instalment goes deeper into the storyline and enriches the experience of the first book. Very good writing. There is more Christianity in this one.
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