sci-fi Archives - On Starships and Dragonwings

5 Stars: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

May 17, 2013 by Anya 1 Comment

Veronica Rossi’s Through the Ever Night is the second in the Under the Never Sky trilogy and I have to say I think I liked the second book better :D. There will be spoilers for Under the Never Sky, so check out my review of it instead. Under the Never Sky was actually one of the first books I got from the library based on book blogger suggestions, so this trilogy has a special place in my heart ;-). I had some issues with the first book being too romance focused, but Through the Ever Night has completely fixed that problem! Through the Ever Night has strong friendships, heart-breaking adventure, just enough romance to make me smile, but a story beyond just how Aria and Perry feel about each other, haha. I haven’t read the novella about Roar and Liv, and I kind of recommend reading that before Through the Ever Night since I think it would have just upped the feels all the more. But now I get to go read it and get more of these awesome characters :D.
Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: Through the Ever Night
Author: Veronica Rossi
Length: 352 pages
Genre-ish: Dystopia YA
Rating: ★★★★★- amazing sequel, can’t wait for more!

It’s been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don’t take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe’s precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both. Threatened by false friends, hidden enemies, and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder,Can their love survive through the ever night? – Goodreads

Strengths:

Based on most of the YA books I’ve read, I’ve been convinced that boys and girls can’t be friends without falling in love. Through the Ever Night fixed this, yey! I was relieved and excited to see a strong friendship between Aria and Roar that didn’t have love triangle overtones (well, except for that one amusing moment with Perry >.>).
The action just keeps heating up in Through the Ever Night. The Aether is getting worse and not even Aria’s former home in the pod is safe. Everyone wants to find safe haven and I was biting my nails waiting to see how far they’d go to find it.
I know I said the romance wasn’t the major focus, and it isn’t, but I actually really like books where the main characters’ relationship is established and a comfy background to stressful plot developments. It’s like what real relationships are ya know?
If you’ve read Under the Never Sky, you already know this, but the writing of Through the Ever Night was fluid and compelling. The world-building is awesome (hope this doesn’t happen to our planet for reals D:). The characters develop and interact and grow together as real people. Also can I be best friends with all of them? I just need to hug Cinder and Willow :D.

Weaknesses:

I had a bit of vertigo when I started Through the Ever Night. I don’t re-read previous books before jumping into a sequel and I’ve never found it to be a problem. However, I felt like I had missed something when I started Through the Ever Night and actually went to make sure the novella wasn’t 1.5 and required to read 2. It’s not, you’ll get it figured out, just keep reading.
Ummm… when is the third book released please? (That’s all I got, I loved Through the Ever Night, sorry!)

Summary:

I like this pattern I’m seeing in second books where the romance becomes a secondary element and we get to really bite into the plot. Everything is being ratcheted up in Through the Ever Night and the friendships and relationships developed in the previous book are necessary for everyone to stay sane from the stress! If you were a little disappointed with the ending of Under the Never Sky, keep going! It’s totally worth it and you will (hopefully) not be disappointed. I wasn’t at least ;-).

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- A

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: dystopia, five stars, heroine, rossi, sci-fi, through the ever night, trilogy

3 Stars: Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon ARC

May 7, 2013 by Anya 12 Comments

Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon has a promising premise and a gorgeous cover. There were some fun characters, but in the end I was left wondering where the plot went. I was very excited to receive Zenn Scarlett through Netgalley after seeing a couple of mentions on blogs, so thank you Strange Chemistry for giving me the opportunity to review it! While I had a good time reading Zenn Scarlett, and am therefore hopeful for the second book, I was left a bit unsatisfied :(. Zenn Scarlett comes out May 7th (today!), 2013 if you want to check it out yourself!

Note: I read an eARC of Zenn Scarlett from Netgalley. Some things may be changed in the final version.

Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: Zenn Scarlett
Author: Christian Schoon
Length: 304 pages
Genre-ish: Sci-fi YA
Rating: ★★★☆☆- fun premise and characters, weird plot

When you’re studying to be exoveterinarian specializing in exotic, alien life forms, school… is a different kind of animal.

Zenn Scarlett is a resourceful, determined 17-year-old girl working hard to make it through her novice year of exovet training. That means she’s learning to care for alien creatures that are mostly large, generally dangerous and profoundly fascinating. Zenn’s all-important end-of-term tests at the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars are coming up, and, she’s feeling confident of acing the exams. But when a series of inexplicable animal escapes and other disturbing events hit the school, Zenn finds herself being blamed for the problems. As if this isn’t enough to deal with, her absent father has abruptly stopped communicating with her; Liam Tucker, a local towner boy, is acting unusually, annoyingly friendly; and, strangest of all: Zenn is worried she’s started sharing the thoughts of the creatures around her. Which is impossible, of course. Nonetheless, she can’t deny what she’s feeling.

Now, with the help of Liam and Hamish, an eight-foot sentient insectoid also training at the clinic, Zenn must learn what’s happened to her father, solve the mystery of who, if anyone, is sabotaging the cloister, and determine if she’s actually sensing the consciousness of her alien patients… or just losing her mind. All without failing her novice year….– Goodreads

Strengths:

Exovets :D. The premise of Zenn Scarlett is freaking awesome. It in fact makes total sense that people would need to learn how to heal all sorts of alien critters once we start making contact with other life forms. I love sci-fi with a dose of “it could actually happen this way!”
Zenn and Hamish are awesome for their own completely different reasons. Zenn is a great main character, exceedingly relatable (especially for us students!) with a protected but strong heart. Hamish is such a realistic insectoid alien :D. He has to ask permission to do anything because he comes from a colony where the queen tells everyone else what to do always. Makes a lot of sense huh?
Once I figured out what the plot was, there were plot twists and exciting action, yey!
Zenn has a pet that is fuzzy but intelligent named Katie! Katie is awesome and deaf and so Zenn taught her to use sign language. Now they chat and Katie says the cutest things!!!! “Katie hungry, hungry Katie eat now?” *squees”

Weaknesses:

Confused….

As I mentioned briefly above, I had a hard time nailing down the plot of Zenn Scarlett. There were all sorts of big important problems revealed early on, but then Zenn didn’t really try to fix any of them (because really she couldn’t do much). This left me scrambling to try to figure out what the big problem of the book would be that Zenn could solve. Eventually it becomes clear (it’s the strange events happening at the cloister), but not until at least half way through.
On that note, what about all that other stuff! There is a mysterious problem with ships disappearing (which Zenn is quite personally vested in), Zenn is having crazy connections with the animals, Zenn’s father is off doing crazy things, and the cloister is in financial trouble. All of these problems are revealed in Zenn Scarlett, but none of them are resolved in any way. So many questions left!
Related the general plot problem, there is a huuuuuuuuuuge cliffhanger. To the point that I really don’t consider the end of Zenn Scarlett all that connected to the rest of the book. The main plot is resolved and then another plot line starts. Then the book ends. Have fun waiting for the second book!

Summary:

Zenn Scarlett had a lot of promise between the amazing premise and wonderful characters. However the lack of a clearly defined plot frustrated and confused me. I will probably read the second book if/when it comes out, mostly because I want to know what freaking happens, but I hope that more attention is paid to having a well-developed plot line. If the premise of Zenn Scarlett interests you and you enjoy shenanigans at schools that need to be figured out, then you will probably enjoy Zenn Scarlett, so go for it! However if you can’t stand cliffhangers and unresolved questions, stay away ;-).

- A

Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: heroine, schoon, sci-fi, strange chemistry, three stars, ya, zenn scarlett

5 Stars: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

April 19, 2013 by Anya 18 Comments

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer is the second book in the Lunar Chronicles installment and it rocks! Possibly it rocks harder than the first book, Cinder, though that is probably a matter of opinion ;-). Cinder introduced us to cyborgs, plague, and crazy Moon people (Lunars!). Scarlet ramps up the action with dual viewpoints of Cinder and a new character, Scarlet. The fairytale retellings continue, this time with Red Riding Hood, but don’t you worry, Scarlet is so much more than the classic storyline. While Cinder entertained me, Scarlet made me never want to stop reading. From here on out there will be spoilers for the first book and you can just read my review of Cinder if you want to avoid them but find out about this awesome world!

Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: Scarlet
Author: Marissa Meyer
Length: 464 pages
Genre-ish: Dystopia/Sci-fi/Fairytale retelling awesomeness
Rating: ★★★★★- things are really getting going :D

The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth…

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner. – Goodreads

Strengths:

First off, the last third of Scarlet is dangerously awesome because I got white knuckles from holding my book too tight >.> I really wanted to know what was going to happen all right! There is no slow going this time: Scarlet is action-packed and amazing.
I really liked the way the Red Riding Hood retelling fit in, but Scarlet didn’t follow it precisely so you still won’t know what actually happens.
Wow, there were so many feelings while reading this one! Who can I trust? Such noble sacrifices! *melts in a puddle*
Iko is still around and she is possibly my favorite character >.> Go androids! I need a bumper sticker or something, haha.

Weaknesses:

The story lines of Scarlet and Cinder are separate for a loooooong time. I started getting impatient for them to meet up because I know it would be fun for them and me!
On that note, however, Scarlet and Cinder are fairly similar characters (strong, curious, dealing with an annoying guy, isolated from the world with secrets), which made it slightly hard to keep track of them and just annoying from a story perspective.
There are still so many questions! Why can’t my questions be answered ever???

Summary:

Many times second books aren’t as good as the first. No worries about that. I actually liked Scarlet far more than Cinder (well, a bit more, I still liked Cinder!). The magnitude of the world’s problems start coming to light and the action really gets going. We get a glimpse of just how epic the rest of this series is going to be and I love it; that aspect helped me get so much more invested in these characters’ actions. I’m also so excited that the next book, Cress, will finally be getting us to the desert! (I love deserts >.> as settings, not to visit probably, haha.)

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- A

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: cyborgs, five stars, heroine, scarlet by marissa meyer, sci-fi, series, werewolves

4 Stars: Divergent by Veronica Roth Audiobook

April 15, 2013 by Anya 16 Comments

I’m a bit behind the times when it comes to reading Divergent by Veronica Roth. However, I’m finally starting to get caught up with all these awesome 2012 books! It’s funny that I finally got around to Divergent when I saw it on audio from the library. I hadn’t been able to find time to read the physical book I bought a year ago (one of my first book blogger inspired purchases :D), but I have been so short on audiobooks that it worked out perfectly in the form! In any case, I know that some of my opinions on this one are likely to be disagreeable with many fans, but that’s why they are opinions right, hehe.

Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Length: 11 hours 11 minutes
Genre-ish: Dystopia YA
Rating: ★★★★☆- invigorating plot, quite sad

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her. – Goodreads

Strengths:

I am a huge fan of slow burn romances, those relationships that you start getting an inkling about in the beginning, but the characters certainly don’t realize it. Divergent did this wonderfully from Tris’ perspective since she starts annoyed and put off, but slowly gets to know Four and finds she likes who he is when he freaking relaxes!
The premise of five factions that focus on only one trait is quite interesting. I found myself thinking quickly about which faction I would end up in (Erudite) though it also seems likely I would have been born into it ;-). What faction do you think you’d choose? Do you think you would have been born into it based on your parents’ personalities?
The plot twists of Divergent are delicious :D. I saw this book going in a very different direction, so it was pretty awesome to see how things developed.
I thought the questions that Divergent brings up in terms of who should make up the government were really fun to think about and actually a good thing to consider. In the beginning there seem to be very good arguments for Abnegation, but is it really fair/good to have only one faction control government?
The narrator did an excellent job. I highly recommend you check out the audiobook version if you are interested.

Weaknesses:

There is only so much sadness and innocent death that I can take, and Divergent pushed up against that limit. I really didn’t think all of the bad things should have happened to some of the side characters. I understand some of it was necessary to show how cruel select candidates were, but it just went too far for my emotional health ;-).
I’m not a fan of the “saving the world with love” conclusions and Divergent definitely felt like one.
Just a generally word of caution that Divergent has abuse and assault situations at several occasions that might be more than unpleasant for some people.

Summary:

Divergent definitely brought the grittiness of dystopias to the table in addition to a fascinating premise and strong characters. While I wish it hadn’t been nearly so dark at times, I thoroughly enjoyed the brewing romance and developing character of Tris. Now that all of that has gone down, I’m excited to see what Insurgent has in store! I’ve heard it’s just as depressing, so I’m holding off reading it until I’m filled up on happy fantasy books, but I won’t be able to resist the questions long ;-).

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- A

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: divergent, dystopia, four stars, heroine, roth, sci-fi, trilogy

5 Stars: Above World by Jenn Reese

April 4, 2013 by Anya 8 Comments

Above World by Jenn Reese is a Nebula finalist (Andre Norton Award) this year, therefore as soon as I spotted it, I had to read it. I’ve been craving mermaid/underwater books lately (I think they make me think of summer, haha), so I was freaking thrilled to discover Above World. While the Kampii don’t want you to call them mermaids, and a lot of the book takes place in the Above World (ie land), this book had such an original combination of fantasy and sci-fi elements as well as an awesome retelling of the traditional mermaid myths. Think about a world were humans have altered themselves to be able to live underwater (tails, breathing devices and all), or fly through the skies (think harpies, but not evil), or gallop across the deserts (centaurs!). That is the world that Above World is set in :D.

I borrowed a copy of this book from the library. All statements are my own honest opinions.

Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing
Title: Above World
Author: Jenn Reese
Length: 368 pages (hardcover)
Genre-ish: Fantasy/Sci-fi hybrid :D (Younger YA)
Rating: ★★★★★- such awesome world-building and characters!

Thirteen-year-old Aluna has lived her entire life under the ocean with the Coral Kampii in the City of Shifting Tides. But after centuries spent hidden from the Above World, her colony’s survival is in doubt. The Kampii’s breathing necklaces are failing, but the elders are unwilling to venture above water to seek answers. Only headstrong Aluna and her friend Hoku are stubborn and bold enough to face the terrors of land to search for way to save their people.

But can Aluna’s warrior spirit and Hoku’s tech-savvy keep them safe? Set in a world where overcrowding has led humans to adapt—growing tails to live under the ocean or wings to live on mountains—here is a ride through a future where greed and cruelty have gone unchecked, but the loyalty of friends remains true. — Goodreads

Strengths:

One of my favorite things about Above World were the new phrases that Reese came up with to suit a culture that has been living under the sea for generations. They say things like “still as a starfish” because that’s what they are surrounded by! This level of detail to the world made me really happy :D.
At first I thought Above World was a fantasy with mermaids, then I realized it was a fantasy with sci-fi roots to explain how all the humanoids came to be. This hybridization was freaking awesome to read.
Aluna and Hoku are adorable and I love how they broke various stereotypes. Aluna was a great female character who was a complete tomboy, though her headstrong nature got her into trouble sometimes. Hoku was the one who needed rescuing because he was a complete nerd :D, but his curiosity for technology was quite useful in the end.
Above World is proof that best friends don’t always have to fall in love with each other. This was a huge relief ;-) and sends a good message I think. Turns out girls and boys can be just friends if they want, haha.

Weaknesses:

As with many books of this age range, there were some convenient developments to get the characters out of various pickles.
While Above World at first seems like a middle grade, I would be very cautious about suggesting this to kids. There were some pretty gruesome moments with all the body part switching technology. I would say Above World is more a light YA given the gore-y parts near the end.

Summary:

I may be biased due to my current mermaid addiction, but Above World is hands down an awesome fantasy/sci-fi book. I am in love with this world and can’t wait to find out more about the centaur people in the next book :D. While most of Above World has a MG feel to it, there is definitely a lot of weird and gore-y moments given the nature of the technological enhancements everyone has. If you are looking for a fun fantasy that has tech-mermaids (maybe you didn’t realize you were looking for that, but you should be!), great characters and world-building, and a bit of an edge, you have to pick up Above World like NOW.

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- A

Above World by Jenn Reese

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: above world, fantasy, five stars, heroine, jenn reese, mermaids, mg, sci-fi, ya

4 Stars: The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson

April 1, 2013 by Anya 4 Comments

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson tells the story of a futuristic Brazil ruled by a matriarchy where a Summer King is ritualistically killed most years to choose the next queen. June hasn’t paid much attention to the Summer Kings until this year when her and her best friend fall in love with Enki, the Summer King from the lowest level of society. The Summer Prince had so much potential, but I had a hard time following the plot due to so many foreign words and the slow nature of the story-telling. I requested The Summer Prince through Netgalley because really, who could resist that cover??

Note: A copy was provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Scholastic for providing me a copy.

Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: The Summer Prince
Author: Alaya Dawn Johnson
Length: 304 pages
Genre-ish: Artistic dystopia
Rating: ★★★★☆- awesome ending, confusing start

The lush city of Palmares Três shimmers with tech and tradition, with screaming gossip casters and practiced politicians. In the midst of this vibrant metropolis, June Costa creates art that’s sure to make her legendary. But her dreams of fame become something more when she meets Enki, the bold new Summer King. The whole city falls in love with him (including June’s best friend, Gil). But June sees more to Enki than amber eyes and a lethal samba. She sees a fellow artist.

Together, June and Enki will stage explosive, dramatic projects that Palmares Três will never forget. They will add fuel to a growing rebellion against the government’s strict limits on new tech. And June will fall deeply, unfortunately in love with Enki. Because like all Summer Kings before him, Enki is destined to die. – Goodreads

Strengths:

To start, I love this cover and I especially love that the shiny, pretty tattoos are actually fairly accurate to the story. Often covers don’t actually reflect any real scene, but June really does get light implants that look like a tree, which I appreciated.
You read that description right: Gil is June’s male best friend and he is in love with Enki the male Summer King. Yey for homosexuality being accepted and normal in this story!
The ending is action-packed and so satisfyingly emotional. I just wish the rest of The Summer Prince had been so engaging.
There are a lot of awesome plot twists towards the end. I definitely had not expected the story to go the way it did and it was pretty great ;-).

Weaknesses:

There were so many words that I didn’t know which were either Portugese or supposed to resemble Portugese. I realize that this was probably suppose to set the tone, but if the context doesn’t make it obvious what a word means, it makes it pretty difficult to get that mental movie going.
The plot of The Summer Prince felt very slow and undirected for most of the book. I really had no idea what the goals of the characters were and there was very little sense of overall tension to drive them. There were art projects and love stories, but that wasn’t enough to pull me in until the end.

Summary:

While The Summer Prince is technically a dystopia, it reads much more like a contemporary set in a futuristic society. The love story and artistic endeavors were the main focus, and therefore there was very little action until the very end. If you have some familiarity with Portugese, then perhaps you will be able to understand what is going on in the first half better than I could, but I found it very problematic while reading. The Summer Prince is definitely not a typical dystopia, packed with action, however it is a touching love story if you stick it out to the end.

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- A

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: alaya dawn johnson, dystopia, four stars, heroine, romance, sci-fi, summer prince

4 Stars: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

March 18, 2013 by Anya 18 Comments

Cinder by Marissa Meyer was exceedingly popular last year, so it had to go on my Christmas wishlist ;-). I however had a massive number of books that I needed/wanted to read, so it wasn’t until the sequel Scarlet was set to come out that I finally got my butt in gear, haha. I’m a bit late to the game, but I agree with what many have said before: Cinder rocks! Who would have thought to combine cybords, moon people, a plague, and a Cinderella retelling all together?? Marissa Meyer, that’s who :D.

Goodreads | Amazon
Free Chapters 1-5
Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Length: 387 pages (hardcover)
Genre-ish: Sci-fi/Fairytale retelling YA (with cyborgs!)
Rating: ★★★★☆- so original, slowed in the middle

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. – Goodreads

Strengths:

Cinder has cyborgs and moon people who have separated from Earth’s population long enough to develop some interesting traits. How awesome of a future is that :D. Sure, maybe I don’t want to live there, but I sure want to read about it!
In addition to the awesome sci-fi elements, there is a plague; nothing says compelling like a plague.
Omg the crazy plot twists! I can’t actually count all the cool plot developments in Cinder right now. Nothing is as it seems >.> <.<.
I always worry with retellings that the story will be predictable because the book will follow the retelling too closely. This is not the case with Cinder!
The romance is so adorable *sighs*.

Weaknesses:

I am probably in the minority here, but I found that the pacing slowed in the middle of Cinder. I had to push a bit to get to the good stuff at the end.
There is only so much bad news that I can take at one time, and Cinder started pushing my limit. It’s not really a happy book at times….
Wow, such a cliffhanger. You’ve been warned.

Summary:

If you are craving a fresh and amazing sci-fi with a touch of Cinderella retelling and a hint of dystopia, get Cinder. I know that it might seem like a crazy combination of story elements, but there is a reason so many people have been raving about this one folks! I will admit that I’m not actually addicted to Cinderella or cyborgs, but even beyond the cool ideas thrown together, Cinder is a solid story about a girl kicking butt against adversity and making friends in the most unusual places.

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- A

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: cinder, cyborgs, fairytale, four stars, heroine, magic system, meyer, sci-fi, series

5 Stars: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins Audiobook

March 14, 2013 by Anya 14 Comments

Wow, I know I’m late on reading the Hunger Games trilogy, but rest assured that I am now fully amazed by Suzanne Collins and her made skills with Catching Fire :D. I was able to snag Catching Fire from the library’s (very scant) YA audiobook section, and I’m actually amazed that I spotted it because the case didn’t even have the cover art on it! I might need to go make a suggestion to my librarian about marketing such a great trilogy…. In any case, much of this has already been said, but the main thing I want to emphasize is that the love triangle element is not that bad! As a person who doesn’t like love triangles, I had delayed finishing the trilogy after reading Hunger Games. However, I am now convinced that everyone should finish the trilogy, don’t be afraid of the romance ;-).

Goodreads | Amazon
Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Length: 11 hrs 37 mins
Genre-ish: YA Dystopia
Rating: ★★★★★- amazing sequel, the action just keeps going!

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol – a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she’s afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she’s not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol’s cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can’t prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying. – Goodreads

Strengths:

Catching Fire has fast-paced action right from the start! Really, we wouldn’t expect any less ;-).
As I said above, while there are two love interests, it hardly counts when Katniss is forced to have a relationship with one of them by the corrupt government….
All of the characters in Catching Fire just get better. We start learning the depth of President Snow’s villainy, we finally get to know Gale better, and we meet new faces! We don’t know if we can really trust said new faces, but they are funny :D. I’m looking at you Finnick >.> <.<.
I loooooved the narrator, Carolyn McCormick! Even the minor characters had voice changes of their own (all from one narrator’s vocal cords!) and she gave wonderful dimension to already wonderful characters :).
While the first third of Catching Fire seems like it will be similar to Hunger Games, it’s not, don’t worry! And I can’t say more without spoilers ;-).

Weaknesses:

While Katniss keeps thinking she was faking most of her affection for Peeta, there is enough doubt and angst that I still had to roll my eyes at times. Make up your mind, girl!
Warning: there is gore! This is after all still Panem…. If you aren’t up for tragic moments and icky moments, this trilogy probably isn’t for you.

Summary:

Love love love Catching Fire, as most others did as well :D. My biggest regret is waiting so long to finally continue the trilogy, but I made it before the movie ;-). I in fact love Catching Fire more than Hunger Games, I think, because we get to see so much more of Panem and Katniss really starts coming into her own. This of course all sets you up for needing to get Mockingjay (the third book) immediately! If you have been thinking of finding out what all the hype was about, go for it. If you were like me and decided to stop after the first book for fear of angsty romance, have no fear. There is some angst, but the delicious dystopian action is totally worth it! Also check out the audiobooks if you have a chance, they are rocking!

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- A

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: catching fire, collins, dystopia, heroine, hunger games, sci-fi, trilogy, ya

4 Stars: Persistence of Vision by Liesel K. Hill

March 7, 2013 by Anya 10 Comments

I’ve been following L.K. Hill’s blog for a while now, and hearing about the updates as she made progress towards getting Persistence of Vision published at the beginning of this year. It was a pretty fun process to read about and cheer on, and I always enjoy the glimpses into the publishing world that author blogs give us ;-). I was super excited when Hill emailed me about her blog tour, since Persistence of Vision sounded like the perfect sci-fi dystopia for me! Thank you again for the review copy :D.
Goodreads | Amazon
Title: Persistence of Vision
Author: Liesel K. Hill
Length: 386 pages
Genre-ish: Sci-fi/Dystopia (with time-travel!)
Rating: ★★★★☆- fresh sci-fi with great characters

In a world where collective hives are enslaving the population and individuals have been hunted to the verge of extinction, Maggie Harper, and independent 21st Century woman, must find the strength to preserve the freedom of the future, but without the aid of her memories.

After experiencing a traumatic time loss, Maggie is plagued by a barrage of images she can’t explain. When she’s attacked by a creep with a spider’s web tattoo, she is saved by Marcus, a man she’s never met, but somehow remembers. He tells her that both he and her creepy attacker are from a future in which individuals are being murdered by collectives, and Marcus is part of the rebellion. The collectives have acquired time travel and they plan to enslave the human race throughout all of history. The flashes Maggie has been seeing are echoes of lost memories, and the information buried deep within them is instrumental in defeating the collective hives.

In order to preserve the individuality of mankind, Maggie must try to re-discover stolen memories, re-kindle friendships she has no recollection of, and wade through her feelings for the mysterious Marcus, all while dodging the tattooed assassins the collectives keep sending her way.

If Maggie can’t fill the holes in her memory and find the answers to stop the collectives, the world both in her time and in all ages past and future will be doomed to enslavement in the grey, mediocre collectives. As the danger swirls around her and the collectives close in, Maggie realizes she must make a choice: stand out or fade away… — Goodreads

Strengths:

The premise of Persistence of Vision is awesome with all the different neurological abilities and the collectives taking over the world. I haven’t read anything similar recently, which was a lot of fun!
It was a cool idea to have the main character suffer memory loss previously. I haven’t seen that done before either in the way Persistence of Vision uses it.
The romance element is adorable if a bit strained due to the circumstances. I think a lot of people will wish that it had more of a presence ;-).
Wow the villain plot twists, just wow.
There were some very moving scenes in Persistence of Vision, especially about 1/3 through the book, that really helped me connect with Maggie. She is a main character that I want on my team.

Weaknesses:

I sort of wish there was a prequel to Persistence of Vision, or maybe a lot of flashbacks in the next book? Maggie’s memory loss ended up being a bit disorienting and made some things less climatic (like the big villain plot twist, if you know what I mean).
I’ve never liked the whole “humans only use 10% of their brain” explanation for super powers, since it’s just not really an accurate description of how the human brain works….
There is a character called the Remembrancer, and for some reason that word just doesn’t work for me. It just sounds like a silly word a kid would make up, but I could be crazy or overly picky…. Did that bother anyone else?

Summary:

If you have been on the hunt for a great sci-fi with some cool neurological powers and a dystopia element, then you have to check out Persistence of Vision. I’m so freaking excited for the sequel, since there is a lot left to get discovered :D. While there were a couple things that bothered me, those were probably peculiarities of mine, so if they don’t sound annoying to you, don’t even worry about it ;-). I especially like the classic sci-fi feel of addressing concerns about morality through the use of storytelling, since the collectives do try at points to justify themselves as the correct way to live. Persistence of Vision raises great questions about what you would do in a similar circumstance, or how human kind could possibly have avoided the road it went down. I’m very much looking forward to reading anything Hill writes next :).

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- A

Persistence of Vision by Liesel K. Hill

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: four stars, heroine, hill, persistence of vision, sci-fi

Three Stars: Veil by Aaron Overfield

January 29, 2013 by Anya 14 Comments

Sci-fi dystopias, like Veil by Aaron Overfield, are awesome for the thought experiments they play out and the possible futures they warn us of. Overfield dreams of a technology that allows humans to experience what it is like to be one another, what is is like to think like another person for a few hours or a lifetime. But Overfield doesn’t stop at “isn’t that a cool idea?” oh no, that would be a waste. Instead, Overfield shows us the true implications of such a technology, both the beautiful, humanity-changing and the apocalyptic. Veil is less a story of characters and more a story of, well, Veil itself. I received the book Veil (not the technology alas ;-)) from Aaron Overfield in exchange for an honest review, thanks for the opportunity!

Goodreads | Amazon
Title: Veil
Author: Aaron Overfield
Pages: 604 (paperback)
Genre-ish: Sci-fi dystopia (mature content)
Rating: ★★★☆☆- awesome idea, needed polish

Dr. Jin Tsay’s revelation entices the military with a potential to uncover and disarm any covert threats. The government that funded the engineer’s classified project orders Tsay’s death, so they can solely and secretly possess his alluring technological consummation: VEIL

Veil proves to be the purest, deepest form of espionage and anti-terrorism by endowing humankind with the ability to experience life through another person. Dr. Tsay’s technology offers submersion into another’s mind; Veil provides a direct perception of their immediate thoughts, emotions, memories, and the rush of their most intimate senses. If it ever escapes the military’s relentlessly selfish grip, Veil swears to permanently alter the psychosocial, sexual, political, economic, and religious landscapes of our lives. Veil promises to usher in our ultimately unifying evolution: the New Veil World.

Retribution for Dr. Jin Tsay’s assassination comes in the form of his widow, who races to deliver Veil unto the world and share it freely, before those who ordered her husband’s murder can exploit it. Wielding the inescapable force of Veil, Suren Tsay seeks to inflict justice upon all those responsible for her husband’s demise, culminating in an unforgiving, brutal, obsessive hunt for the elusive killer of the father of the New Veil World: the Great Jin Tsay.

Taking Veil beyond limits Jin himself could’ve imagined, the revered Widow Tsay vows to get her revenge at any cost. Suren Tsay soon realizes she too must inhabit the world created by her husband’s invention and her own bloodlust.

Suren must learn to live in the New Veil World.
She must also fight to liberate it. – Goodreads

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Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: dystopia, sci-fi, three stars, trilogy, veil by aaron overfield