The rubber duck on the cover definitely piqued my interest enough to pick up this book. The synopsis, well there was no way I could NOT read this book. The hooks for the book worked their job, but the story is definitely worth the time and money spent reading CASSANDRA FILES: GENESIS.
Cassandra Morse has hit rock bottom. Her actions tell the story of a woman with nothing to lose and no will to find something better. Then we learn the immediate past that has taken her from a decorated Navy test pilot to the current version of a life on the skids. And it's a heck of a story!
Now Cassandra must use every scrap of her determination and the skills she learned in the Navy to figure out what happened to her on THAT DAY and save the people of LA from her most devastaing prediction.
This is a unique story line....at least to me....and I found it interesting and entertaining. The use of a Navy pilot who also happens to be a woman as the hero of the day just made it better. Since the book is titled FILES, let's hope that means we'll see Cassandra and her cast of supporters again.

Military/government agencies are not usually within my area of interest, but Cassandra Files: Genesis threw in comedy, mystery, and paranormal. Unusual combination, but it worked. It was fast paced with interesting characters... but could use some help from a good editor to help with word choice errors. There were enough twists to keep me interested, and I always enjoy a strong female character with realistic humor and snark. I don't think I've read Rod Pennington before, but this book makes me willing to.

Cassandra Files by Rod Pennington

9781572420441

304 Pages
Publisher: Integration Press LLC / AuthorBuzz
Release Date: May 7, 2021

Fiction, Mystery & Thriller, Sci Fi & Fantasy

Lt. Cassandra Morse comes from a family of Admirals. She is a young combat fighter pilot. When she was flying, she and the plan became one. She is asked to perform a test flight in front of government representatives to decide if they should switch defense contractors and go with this experimental plane. Her grandfather decides at the last minute to fly with her. While they are taking the plane through maneuvers, a bright light comes down from the sky directly in their path. A dormant Star Wars device takes out the plane. It is three weeks before Cassandra is found floating in a raft in the ocean.

After her accident, she begins to have vivid dreams and sees the ghost of her grandfather. These dreams are prophetic and when a couple of dreams come true, Cassandra does everything she can to avoid sleeping and dreaming. She drinks to excess and sleeps with lots of men. She is a mess and out of control.

Carrie Finch works for the National Intelligence Agency. When she runs internet search on her computer, she gets a hit on Cassandra Morse. She tells her supervisor, Donovan, about it but he doesn’t show any interest. The report she writes is sent up the chain and before she knows it, Finch is called to the Assistant Director’s Office. Because of the information she discerned, things happen quickly for Finch, and she is immediately moved upstairs.

The book was fast paced, it was written in third person point of view, and the characters were well developed. I loved this book and hope the author plans to write more about Cassandra, Finch, and the rest of the cast of characters. The author included environmental protesters, domestic terrorists, savvy journalists, and so much more. If you enjoy action adventures with a political twist and outspoken tech support, you will like this one.

this was a really interesting read, I enjoyed the use of mystery and scifi. The characters were what I wanted and I enjoyed reading this.

This was actually an addictive read. Normally I get bored with books that have main characters who are military and/ or involving government agencies but this was different.

It was such an unusual twist of comedy, serious (esp topics like how bad for nature nuclear plants can be), thriller, espionage, mystery, and psychic.

The ducks on the cover really confused me at points but I started figuring it out right around the same time as Finch and Mullen.

I found Cassandra File: Genesis to be an absolute blast. Fast paced with a a fun cast of characters, an intriguing story, plenty of action, and just a right amount of humor. Once I started I had trouble putting it down and finished in only a couple of days.. This is the first book I've read by Mr. Pennington, but it definitely won't be the last. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R37WYBZJHX0CW1/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cassandra-files-rod-pennington/1139171436?ean=9781572420441&bvnotificationId=00446345-0dbb-11ec-b4a9-0a4bd39de7ff&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/186669035

While this is well-paced and has a high-concept, the writing is rudimentary & the characterizations are formulaic and a little cringe-worthy.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It started off with Cassandra as the focus but as the story went on we got multiple POVs from a variety of characters, which worked well to move the plot along. This helped me imagine this as a movie playing in my head as I was reading. This story was a fast paced, mystery/thriller/suspense/paranormal all rolled into one and it really kept my interest from beginning to end. A little more editing would've been good to fix a few choppy areas, and a few of the dialogue lines were a little goofy. The paranormal aspect was explained well, but I felt it was too easily accepted by the other characters and basically the whole world by the end. The romance at the end also felt added in and rushed. This book was quite entertaining and I'm hoping there is more to come with these characters.

I was given this book through netgalley in return for an honest review. Thrilling & captivating are the first words that come to mind. From the beginning
I became vested in Cassandra's story. You quickly learn her background before starting her thrilling journey of a test pilot to fallen baby pilot to discovering her new abilities and very human way of dealing with it all. There are several additional character story lines that do show up and muddy the story telling a bit. About half way through, some major questions find answers. & the writing becomes more rushed. At this point in the story they have less than a day to solve the mystery while bringing the team of heroes together. I would expect there to be an urgency in the story telling but again, to me it felt rushed. Even so, the book truly is a page turner with a satisfying ending.

My thanks to the author and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. A young female Navy pilot is show down by an unknow weapon.. She does not get rescued for 22 days from the sea. She now experiences supernatural moments and visions of future tragedies. I read this book in one sitting as the action is nonstop. I look forward to Mr.. Pennington's next installment.

This is the first in a series and was quite good. The characters were developed and the plot was fairly straight-forward. A fighter-pilot is bombed out of the air during a demonstration, only to be rescued many days later. She is dismissed from the Navy and falls into a routine of nightly drunkenness' to prevent the prophetic dreams that inhabit her sleep. When a small man suggest she contact her original doctor, she discovers the reason for the dreams- and the "bad guys" discover they've been found out. Lots of action.

This was such a nail biter of a page turner. A great read. I loved the book. The plot was very well written and I cannot wait for another book. This was from a new to me and great author. I really enjoyed the book.

Cassandra Morse was a Top Gun Navy pilot, who got a surprise visit from her grandfather, who was going to accompany her in testing a prototype aircraft, but once in the air things didn't go as planned. An unidentified object exploded knocking the aircraft with Cassandra and her grandfather out of the sky.

Twenty-two days later, Cassandra was picked up from the ocean and taken to the hospital. After waking up, she saw her grandfather who filled her in on what happened. The Admiral told her to claim to not remember anything.

Cassandra made the mistake of asking about where her grandfather went and putting a name to a weapon. These words cost her to lose her Navy career. Her grandfather is deceased and knowing the name of a top-secret weapon didn't put her in a good light.

Cassandra is now living in her grandfather's home that she inherited and still able to communicate with her grandfather. Unaware that she is being watched and also bringing attention to herself after going to the police following a premonition dubbing her the Dream Lady.

A strange man shows up feeding Cassandra some facts for her to check on regarding herself and some shocking information. Another dream has her scrambling because it involves nukes and blowing up L.A.!

What pulled me into the story was Cassandra having premonitions and the fact that she was being watched. The reasoning for her premonitions wasn't what I was expecting. I liked that Cassandra was a strong female character with the ghost of her grandfather as her sidekick. Holly Mullen was quite an interesting character and I loved the bantering between her and Carrie Finch. I did have some trouble keeping all the characters straight and trying to figure out who was on what side because there were several side issues going on at the same time. I found parts of the story very intriguing while other parts less so; mostly due to the fact that I was confused with so many character names and trying to figure out how they all tied together.

I received an ARC from NetGalley via Integration Press LLC and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

This was fun to read, it was outside my usual genres. A bit more action and a military setting. I loved the cover and that was what drew me to the book.

Cassandra Files: Genesis was everything I wanted to read without even knowing it.

The only complaint I have would be how everything wrapped up in a too pretty bow towards the end but let's face it, I had a blast reading this book through and through. It was well paced, funny yet emotional and action packed with female leads ready to kick ass... Seriously, lots and I mean LOTS of badass women !
What's not to love?

I definitely recommend this quick, enjoyable lift up story !
Congratulations to the author Rod Pennington for an amazing release !

I found this book to be a quick and entertaining read for me. I enjoy books that have a realistic touch to the supernatural without being totally unbelievable. This book perfectly followed that line between real and paranormal. After an accident leaves her in a coma, the main character is able to predict bits of the future. I really enjoyed getting to see how she was going to fit everything together and make it to the end of the book. I would certainly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good read.

Casandra Morse is the daughter of a line of high ranking military and just as tough as her father and grandfather. As a Naval combat pilot she is presumed killed in an incident and missing for 21 days. She is found in a coma and upon recovery has been having dreams of future disasters and seeing her now deceased grandfather.
A recent dream has set her on a quest to save the day.
A little too superhero for me. If you like military mysteries this is right up there for you.

I could hardly put this book down in order to get some sleep. The combination of "what just happened" and the several mysteries as they try to figure out what. where . who and why keeps you on the edge of your seat and some humor interspersed keeps it light and interesting. I can hardly wait for more, I hope we get to see some of these characters again.

Cassandra Files: Genesis by Rod Pennington

eutenant Cassandra Morse, USN came from a Navy family, three generations of Admirals. She was on track to be the fourth until she was suspected of spying and forced out of the Navy. The same terrible event that ended her Navy career left her with terrible nightmares that predicted horrific events.

Cassie works to solve the mystery of what happened to her and works to understand her dream and prevent a disaster. I found the book hard to put down.

I recommend this book and thank Netgalley for the chance to read it before publication.

I especially enjoyed the strong characters and the humour. It was a fast paced thriller and seems to be a great deal. When I looked today, the Kindle version was 99 cents. It was free for those with the kindle unlimited program.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

Rod Pennington's latest novel, Cassandra Files: Genesis, is a quick and enjoyable read.

A third-generation and well-respected Naval combat pilot, Lt. Cassandra Morse, is performing a test of a prototype fighter jet with her co-pilot grandfather when they are attacked. Missing for weeks after the accident, she has no memory of the lost time. Stranger still, she can see and talk with her grandfather, who died in the accident. No one believes her even when she begins having prophetic dreams. That is, no one believes her until her dreams come true, and her latest dream is the scariest yet.

While I enjoyed the story, I enjoyed Pennington's writing, use of strong women characters, and humor more. The story wraps everything up at the end, but he left room for a sequel too.

Some reviewers had a difficult time keeping track of the numerous characters involved. I do not think that should prevent readers from enjoying this book. It is worth taking the time to read, and since it is a quick read, it will not take much time. I think it is best described as a cozy for the fantasy genre.

Pennington is best known for The Fourth Awakening Series.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com.