Tag Archives: genre: science fiction

Blog Tour Book Review: Stung by Bethany Wiggins (and giveaway!)

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Today I am one of the stops on the blog tour for STUNG by Bethany Wiggens. The tour is hosted by The Book Paparazzi and you can find the rest of the stops here.

stungInfo:
Title: Stung
Author: Bethany Wiggins
Release Date: April 2, 2013
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Source: Walker Childrens for blog tour
Series? Not that I know of
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Romance, Thriller
Page Count: 304
Find It: Goodreads | Barnes and Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository | IndieBound
Rating: [4/5 stars]

Summary:

There is no cure for being stung.

Fiona doesn’t remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered—her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right hand—a black oval with five marks on either side—that she doesn’t remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. She’s right.

Those bearing the tattoo have turned into mindless, violent beasts that roam the streets and sewers, preying upon the unbranded while a select few live protected inside a fortress-like wall, their lives devoted to rebuilding society and killing all who bear the mark.

Now Fiona has awakened branded, alone—and on the wrong side of the wall. (summary from goodreads)

My Review:
Bees scare the honey out of me. As there’s one featured on the cover of STUNG, I almost passed this book up the first time I saw it. But I love me some dystopian and post-apocalyptic books, and so after I read the blurb for STUNG, I knew I had to take a chance.

I’m happy I did. STUNG captured my attention from the beginning. Fiona wakes up, in her house, but something is wrong. The house is filthy, destroyed, and empty. Fiona last remembers being thirteen, but she’s no longer thirteen — years have passed while she was sleeping. She also has a mysterious tattoo on her hand, one that’s similar to the one on her brother’s. But Fiona’s brother isn’t there to explain things — he’s after her, and minutes after waking up, Fiona’s jumping out the bathroom window to escape.

The first several chapters are a wild ride. Fiona knows nothing about the world into which she’s awoken. It was a challenge to put the pieces together and figure out what happened. I liked being confused at the beginning, because it’s no fun to know the whole story before the main character does. I mostly liked Fiona. I thought the author did a good job of balancing Fiona’s past and present. There are some flashbacks scattered throughout STUNG that help explain what happened to make the world the way it is. The flashbacks also develop Fiona’s character.

In the world of STUNG, Colorado has separated from the rest of America and formed its own government. A militia protects a walled off inner society, where only people who are perfect and young are allowed to live and reproduce.

Back when the world was normal, honeybees were going extinct. So the government created genetically modified bees, because if there were no bees, crops wouldn’t grow, animals wouldn’t have food, people wouldn’t have animals to eat, etc. But the genetically modified bees turned out to be dangerous in unexpected ways.

Fiona runs from one place to the next, not sure who to trust. Running away from one danger, she meets Arrin, a mysterious “Fec” (you can read where “Fec” comes from yourself; hold your nose!), who is the epitome of creepy and unreliable. Arrin helps Fiona, but demands a price for helping, which sends Fiona straight into the hands of the militia.

There she meets a boy from her childhood, Dreyden Bowen. Now, the romance was the one part of the book that didn’t work for me. It smacked of insta-love, and I had some problems with Fiona falling in love with her captor. Bowen goes from hating and fearing Fiona to returning her feelings, and even saying he would rather have Fiona tear his heart out than see her captured.

Oh, yeah. I didn’t mention the whole people turning into beasts thing, did I? The tattoo on Fiona’s hand signals that she had a special vaccine before the world changed… one that turns kids into raging animals who have no thoughts but killing.

The idea behind STUNG is unique. There are some science fiction aspects to the book, which I appreciated. The ending was a bit too neatly drawn together for me, but overall, I’m happy I read STUNG. Bees still creep me out, though, and maybe more than before now that I’ve read it!

The author:
Bethany Wiggins has always been an avid reader, but not an avid writer. She failed ninth grade English because she read novels instead of doing her homework. In high school, she sat alone at lunch and read massive hardback fantasy novels (Tad Williams and Robert Jordan anyone?). It wasn’t until the end of her senior year that the other students realized she was reading fiction–not the Bible.

Once upon a time, Bethany’s sister dared her to start writing an hour a day until she completed a novel. Bethany wrote a seven-hundred page fantasy novel that she wisely let no one read–but it taught her how to write. She is the author of SHIFTING, STUNG (April 2013), and CURED (2014).

Website
Twitter

Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

*This giveaway is tour wide. I am not responsible for the prizes or winners.

– leeanna

Book Review: Kings of Ruin by Sam Cameron

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kings of ruinInfo:
Title: Kings of Ruin
Author: Sam Cameron
Release Date: March 19, 2013
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Source: Bold Strokes Books/NetGalley
Series? Unknown
Genre: YA, LGBT, Adventure, Contemporary, Supernatural, Science Fiction
Page Count: 193
Rating: [4/5 stars]

Summary:

Danny Kelly cares only for rock ‘n’ roll and fast cars. Too bad he’s stuck in the capital of country music and he’s banned from driving until he turns twenty-one. Plus he likes other boys, a secret that he’s vowed to keep until he graduates high school. When his stepdad’s new truck roars off on its own, Danny discovers a secret that is endangering cars and drivers across America. It almost kills Danny, too, until he’s saved by seventeen-year-old Kevin Clark. Kevin’s gay, handsome, and confident, but working with his dad’s secret government organization has left him lonely. It’s going to take a weekend of car chases, fiery explosions, and country-western singing to save the citizens of Nashville from certain death—but can Danny protect his heart and secrets as well? (summary from goodreads)

My Review:
KINGS OF RUIN is a compelling mix of contemporary and the supernatural. I sat down to read a few chapters and before I knew it I’d finished the whole book. I was that into the story and the characters.

Danny and Kevin are teenagers with one big thing in common: they each lost someone they loved in a car crash. Otherwise, they have some differences. Danny won’t admit that he’s gay, and has a girlfriend to keep up appearances. He doesn’t know the truth about how his father and brother died. Kevin is proudly out but single because of his job — he and his father are part of a team from the Department of Transportation who hunt down Ruins all over the U.S. Kevin’s mother died in a crash caused by the Ruins. Think of Ruins as malevolent spirits that take over cars because they like killing people and creating chaos.

The characters were one of my favorite parts of the book. Aside from Danny and Kevin, there’s the rest of the Ruin hunting team, and I got the feeling they all had interesting back stories of their own. In particular, I liked Mrs. Morris, and the way Danny thought about her when she fills in for his physics teacher: “She was easily the most beautiful woman Danny had ever seen. If it weren’t for the whole gay thing, he might have fallen a little bit in love with her right then and there (p. 17, ARC).”

Some of the other characters that shined were 2KEWEL, FIREBUG, and CHOPR. I don’t know if they would appreciate being described as cute, but they were! The author infused personality into the toy cars and helicopter, and they were an important part of the story even though they couldn’t talk.

I had fun reading KINGS OF RUIN, and I hope there will be another book to continue Danny and Kevin’s story. As you can probably guess, a spark pops up between the two boys. I liked how meeting Kevin made Danny re-evaluate keeping his sexuality a secret. And, although both boys are gay, KINGS OF RUIN isn’t a coming out story. It’s just part of who they are.

I only wish the book had been longer. I thought there could have been more explanation about the Ruins, as I had some questions about them (how does the government know about them? what happens to Ruins after they’re zapped? etc.), and I would also have liked to see some more romance between Danny and Kevin. However, the hints of romance in the book were realistic, and I was happy that they didn’t fall instantly in love and ride off into the sunset together.

KINGS OF RUIN is a well-written YA book full of adventure. I’d recommend it for guys, because there’s a lot of car talk and both main characters are guys, but I think anyone would enjoy it.

Socialize with the author:
Sam Cameron:
Website

– leeanna

Blog Tour Book Review: Terra (Terrestrials #1) by Gretchen Powell

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Today I have a review of TERRA by Gretchen Powell. This blog tour is hosted by Enchanted Book Promotions. Check out the rest of the stops on the tour here. After my review there is an excerpt and a giveaway.

terraInfo:
Title: Terra
Author: Gretchen Powell
Release Date: December 12, 2012
Publisher: Hopewell Media
Source: Author for blog tour
Series? Terrestrials #1
Genre: YA, Dystopian, Science Fiction
Page Count: 286
Rating: [3/5 stars]

Summary:

A broken and desolate Earth. A young girl struggling to survive. A lost boy with a powerful secret.

A discovery that will change everything.

In the distant wake of a plague that has decimated the Earth’s population, humanity is split in two: The rich and powerful live in skycities that float overhead, while those who remain on the ground have gathered in settlements strewn across a dying planet. Eighteen-year-old Terra Rhodon is a terrestrial–a denizen of the barren groundworld–who makes her living as a scav. Long abandoned by her father, her caregivers gone, Terra supports herself and her younger brother, Mica, by scouring the earth for discarded scraps and metals to recycle for profit. One day, while on a routine scavenging run, she discovers something that shocks her home settlement of Genesis X-16. When the value of her discovery is revealed, Terra’s world is turned upside down.

Terra suddenly finds herself asking questions no one will answer. Her search for the truth leads her to Adam–a beguiling skydweller unlike any she has ever met. But Adam has secrets and a quest of his own, and with him by her side, the world Terra thought she knew begins to unravel. Soon her discoveries unearth a terrifying conspiracy that has the potential to shatter everything–a revelation that will test the bonds of loyalty, family, and love.

The first book in debut author Gretchen Powell’s anticipated Terrestrials series, Terra catapults you through a story filled with blood-pumping action, intrigue, and surprising twists that will both wrench and warm your heart. As the hidden truths of this world unfold, new dangers that loom on the horizon are sure to leave you waiting breathlessly for the sequel. (summary from goodreads)

My Review:
TERRA is the story of Terra and her brother Mica. They live on Earth, but it’s not an Earth any of us would recognize. After a city fell from the sky hundreds of years ago and released a plague, there has been a divide between ground dwellers and sky dwellers. The unfortunate people that live on the surface scratch out a living by doing crappy jobs while dodging acid rain. Terra is a scav — scavenger — and to support her brother, she picks up metal and plastic discarded from the sky cities.

I liked the dystopian setting of TERRA. The author has a lot of creativity, and I enjoyed reading about the world she created. There were some parts that were information dumps, but as I generally prefer to know as much as I can about a new setting, they didn’t bother me.

Terra is the kind of girl I can get behind: a kick-butt, take no excuses, speaks before she thinks type. Her concern for her brother was touching, and it was good that she wanted to support him and give him a better chance than she had. Mica was good comic relief, and also a foil for Terra’s seriousness and sense of responsibility.

After scavenging an incredibly valuable item, Terra makes the decision to try and find more, so that she can afford to give Mica a real chance in life. Her decision leads to an incredible adventure, starting with running from raiders who want to hurt her to ending up in a plague quarantined city. That’s where she meets Adam, a guy with a boatload of secrets.

I really, really wanted to know what was up with Adam. Supposedly a sky dweller, Adam is doing research on how “the other half” lives. Terra and I both had a lot of questions about him, which brings me to the main thing about TERRA that didn’t click for me. Without giving too much away, it felt like there were two stories in TERRA. The first half of the book focuses on the dystopian world and survival, and the second half, well I can’t figure out how to explain it without spoiling some major things. But it was different. Now, I liked both stories. I just wanted them to gel together more smoothly. Maybe if the book had been longer there would have been more room to accomplish that.

A longer book would also have allowed more room to explore and develop the relationship between Terra and Adam. I was happy that the relationship wasn’t of the insta-love or head-over-heels variety, and that Terra thought about the implications of a relationship between a ground dweller and a sky dweller. But I didn’t quite feel the chemistry between them.

Something else I liked about TERRA was that the author was willing to hurt her characters and put her in some bad situations. Sometimes authors treat their characters with kid gloves (which I can understand!) but Gretchen Powell wasn’t afraid to put Terra through some hard stuff. There was a part near the end that I didn’t think was going to happen, but IT DID, and I cheered even as I thought, “Nooooo, poor Terra.”

Overall, I enjoyed reading TERRA. It’s a well-written YA dystopian/science fiction with a cliffhanger ending that made me want to read the next book RIGHT NOW.

Excerpt:
The route to the southern wall takes three times longer than usual. With every other step, I find myself looking behind me, but by the time I finally reach the wall, I’m confident I haven’t been followed. I pull the gloves out of my pocket and put them on to protect myself against any residual water that has pooled in the wall’s cracks, then begin to climb. As I scramble up, the moonlight casts an eerie glow on the black brick, making me feel uncomfortably visible. My anxiety level is high as I reach the top, and I climb down the other side without checking the ground below. My boot lands in a shallow puddle of rainwater, splashing up a cascade of droplets that land on the arms of my jacket with a sizzle.

“Augh!” I yell out, then bite my lip and mentally curse myself for making noise. I leap out of the puddle and instinctively wipe down my arms with my gloved hands. Drawing a deep breath, I survey the damage. Fortunately, the thick soles of my new boots seem virtually unscathed, and there are only a few light scorch marks on the sleeves of my jacket. My gloves, on the other hand, are completely shredded.

“Well, those were a good investment,” I mutter under my breath, peeling off what remains of the gloves and inspecting the pink skin on my palms. My hands feel a little raw, but they don’t actively hurt. It appears the still-smoking material of the gloves absorbed most of the damage from climbing. I toss them into the puddle and offer up a sarcastic salute as they disintegrate, leaving nothing but decorative metal studs floating on the surface.

Giveaway:

US only giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

International giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaways are hosted by the author and are tour-wide.

Socialize with the author:
Gretchen Powell:
Website
Facebook
Twitter

– leeanna

Book Review: Magisterium by Jeff Hirsch

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magisterium-rInfo:
Title: Magisterium
Author: Jeff Hirsch
Release Date: October 1, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: Library
Series? Not that I can tell
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Page Count: 310
Rating:

Summary:

On one side of the Rift is a technological paradise without famine or want. On the other side is a mystery.

Sixteen-year-old Glenn Morgan has lived next to the Rift her entire life and has no idea of what might be on the other side of it. Glenn’s only friend, Kevin, insists the fence holds back a world of monsters and witchcraft, but magic isn’t for Glenn. She has enough problems with reality: Glenn’s mother disappeared when she was six, and soon after, she lost her scientist father to his all-consuming work on the mysterious Project. Glenn buries herself in her studies and dreams about the day she can escape. But when her father’s work leads to his arrest, he gives Glenn a simple metal bracelet that will send Glenn and Kevin on the run—with only one place to go. (summary from goodreads)

My Review:
Magisterium is an intriguing combination of science fiction, fantasy, and dystopian/post-apocalyptic that while big on ideas, unfortunately fell short of the mark for me.

At first, I liked the main character, Glenn. I thought she would be a good inspiration for teen girls interested in science and math, and I loved that she didn’t want to be derailed by a romantic relationship. I could also relate to Glenn wanting to escape her father’s obsession, yet feeling sick about leaving him alone.

Magisterium has one of the best descriptions for science that I can remember reading:

“Ever since she was a little girl, Glenn loved science because it taught her to take new things and incorporate them seamlessly into what she already knew about the world. It was like adding a new room onto an ornate but ever more perfectly constructed house. In science, she learned, everything is connected and everything is explained (p. 73).”

But once the story got going, I was confused, sorta bored, and really tempted to start skimming. Glenn’s friend Kevin, the romantic interest, gets dragged into Magisterium with her. The bulk of the action happens to him, which makes me wonder why he wasn’t the main character instead of Glenn.

I figured out one of the big plot twists early on, so it didn’t have a lot of impact for me when it was finally revealed. I also stayed confused right to the end, and the ending baffled me. The opening for a sequel is definitely there, but I also don’t know where the author would take the story. Yet I had unanswered questions about basically everything, from the worldbuilding to the characters.

I up-rated because of the ideas in Magisterium. Unfortunately, I wish I’d found out a lot more about the Magisterium and the Colloquium. I had the feeling that the author had a lot more story to tell, but left most of it out.

Socialize with the author:
Jeff Hirsch:
Website
Facebook
Twitter

– leeanna

Book Review: Star Wars: Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn

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star wars: scoundrelsInfo:
Title: Star Wars: Scoundrels
Author: Timothy Zahn
Release Date: January 1, 2013
Publisher: LucasBooks
Source: Amazon Vine
Series? Star Wars
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 432
Rating:

Summary:

To make his biggest score, Han’s ready to take even bigger risks.
But even he can’t do this job solo.

Han Solo should be basking in his moment of glory. After all, the cocky smuggler and captain of the Millennium Falcon just played a key role in the daring raid that destroyed the Death Star and landed the first serious blow to the Empire in its war against the Rebel Alliance. But after losing the reward his heroics earned him, Han’s got nothing to celebrate. Especially since he’s deep in debt to the ruthless crime lord Jabba the Hutt. There’s a bounty on Han’s head—and if he can’t cough up the credits, he’ll surely pay with his hide. The only thing that can save him is a king’s ransom. Or maybe a gangster’s fortune? That’s what a mysterious stranger is offering in exchange for Han’s less-than-legal help with a riskier-than-usual caper. The payoff will be more than enough for Han to settle up with Jabba—and ensure he never has to haggle with the Hutts again.

All he has to do is infiltrate the ultra-fortified stronghold of a Black Sun crime syndicate underboss and crack the galaxy’s most notoriously impregnable safe. It sounds like a job for miracle workers . . . or madmen. So Han assembles a gallery of rogues who are a little of both—including his indispensable sidekick Chewbacca and the cunning Lando Calrissian. If anyone can dodge, deceive, and defeat heavily armed thugs, killer droids, and Imperial agents alike—and pull off the heist of the century—it’s Solo’s scoundrels. But will their crime really pay, or will it cost them the ultimate price? (summary from goodreads)

My Review:
Scoundrels is set right after Star Wars: A New Hope. Don’t worry if you’ve never read a Star Wars Expanded Universe novel before — you don’t need to know any background. As someone who has been disappointed by some of the EU developments and experiments (such as the Yuuzhan Vong war and the Red Harvest horror/zombie novel) I was a little worried, but I shouldn’t have been. Timothy Zahn has always been one of my favorite EU authors, and in Scoundrels, he delivers an exciting adventure that I devoured in a matter of hours.

Remember the big reward Han got at the end of “A New Hope?” The one he needed to pay off Jabba? Well, he lost it, and with Jabba still after him, he needs a job with a big payoff. It’s his lucky day when a guy named Eanjer claims he’ll split 163 million credits with Han if Han can help him recover the stolen credits. The only problem? The guy that has Eanjer’s credits is a Black Sun sector chief, and Villachor is serious about his security. Paranoid doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Even though Han’s a smuggler, not a safe cracker or thief, he’s sure he can do the job. Using the huge payoff as a lure, he assembles a team including his faithful sidekick Chewie as well as Lando Calrissian. Also included are Winter and Kell Tainer, faces experienced EU readers will recognize, and some new rogues, such Bink and Tavia, as a pair of identical twin thieves.

The heist is the focus of the novel. As always with Han, nothing is as easy as it sounds, and before he and the team know it, they’re in way over their head. Besides getting into a virtually impregnable safe, they’ve got a Black Sun Vigo in the mix and even some Imperials. I don’t want to spoil anything, because part of the fun is figuring out all the clues. I will say the ending surprised the kriffing Sithspit out of me! I SO did not see it coming, but I’m sure if I reread the book, I’d see clues pointing it out.

Scoundrels isn’t the typical Star Wars novel, full of space battles and lightsaber fights. Because Han, Chewie, and Lando are familiar characters, we don’t learn a whole lot of new information about them. Zahn instead develops the ensemble cast. I particularly enjoyed seeing Winter in a bigger role, and watching Villachor try to figure out the right thing to do — aka how to stay alive.

I tend to prefer the older EU books, such as the Thrawn trilogy, the X-Wing series, and the Jedi Academy trilogy. I’m happy to say that Scoundrels will join those favorites in my Star Wars section, and I look forward to rereading it in the future. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a Star Wars book so much.

Socialize with the author:
Timothy Zahn:
Facebook

– leeanna

Blog Tour Review: Debris Dreams by David Colby (and giveaway!)

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Today I am a stop on the Debris Dreams blog tour, hosted by Bewitching Book Tours. I apologize to both the host and the author for missing my original date, and thanks to them for letting me post late!

debris dreamsInfo:
Title: Debris Dreams
Author: David Colby
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Publisher: Candlemark & Gleam
Source: Publisher for blog tour
Series? No
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, LGBT
Page Count: 292

Summary:

2068
1.5 million kilometers above the surface of the Earth

Drusilla Xao has only seen a tree in movies and vid-games. She has never breathed air that wasn’t recycled, re-filtered, and re-used a hundred times over again. She has never set foot on the Earth.

And now she never will.

When a terrorist attack by a radical separatist group on Luna destroys the space elevator that had called so many – including her parents – to live permanently in space, Dru is cut off from any hope of ever reaching Earth and her beloved girlfriend, Sarah. The Chinese-American Alliance declares immediate war on the rebels and conscripts everyone they can get their hands on…including Dru.

Cast adrift, forced to become a soldier, trapped in a nightmare of vacuum and loneliness, Dru’s training will help her survive, but only Sarah will be able to bring her home. (summary from goodreads)

My Review:
I have to admit, I was initially drawn to Debris Dreams because the summary mentions that the main character, Drusilla, has a girlfriend. I haven’t found a lot of YA science fiction with a gay main character, so I excited to see it here. Now that I think about it, I haven’t found a lot of YA science fiction, either.

Debris Dreams is a fantastic book. It’s the kind of YA book that makes me happy because it’s about something important: war and the effects of war on soldiers. Even better for me, it doesn’t delve into too much romance. Yeah, Drusilla has a girlfriend, but that relationship is something that helps keep Dru sane in a very insane situation, not the entire focus of the book. So refreshing!

Dru is conscripted into a war she doesn’t want to fight after Lunar terrorists attack the space elevator that connects Earth and the Hub, effectively cutting off any chance Spacers have of returning to Earth. Dru herself has never been to Earth; she was born in space. But she dreams of going to Earth one day, to meet her girlfriend, Sarah.

I loved how real Dru was. After her parents are killed in the attack, she can’t help but be glad they died, and not her. I gotta say, if a big disaster happened, and heaven forbid, something happened to people I loved and I was alive … yeah. I’d be happy I was alive, too.

The science aspects of Debris Dreams aren’t dumbed down for the YA audience. A lot of it, especially the physics explanations, kind of flew over my head, but I appreciated the effort the author put into explaining space combat. It helped me imagine how each battle played out, as well as imagine the horrors of those battles.

And that’s the message behind Debris Dreams: war is horrible. I cared about Dru and her fellow cadets, and rooted for them every time they got into a shitstorm. And unfortunately, there were plenty of those with the dunderheads in charge of the war.

The only nitpicking I have with Debris Dreams is that the slang used by Dru and other characters isn’t translated. Usually I can figure out what slang words would relate to, but in this book, it’s a mix of Mandarin, English, Cantonese, and even some Swahili.

While the book is aimed at teens, I’d recommend it to an older audience as well. Admit it, no matter how old you are, you’ve always wondered just how astronauts go to the bathroom in space … now you’re about to find out.

Lastly, if Debris Dreams piqued your interest, or you enjoyed it, I’d recommend Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card for further reading.

Rating: 4 owls

Socialize with the author:
David Colby:
Website
Twitter @therealzoombie

Giveaway:
Leave a comment (and a way to contact you) to enter! This is a giveaway on my blog, copy provided by blog host/publisher.

– leeanna

Video Review: Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines

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libriomancerInfo:
Title: Libriomancer
Author: Jim C. Hines
Release Date: August 7, 2012
Publisher: DAW
Source: Library
Series? Magic Ex Libris #1
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Paranormal Fantasy
Page Count: 308

Summary:

Isaac Vainio is a Libriomancer, a member of the secret organization founded five centuries ago by Johannes Gutenberg. Libriomancers are gifted with the ability to magically reach into books and draw forth objects. When Isaac is attacked by vampires that leaked from the pages of books into our world, he barely manages to escape. To his horror he discovers that vampires have been attacking other magic-users as well, and Gutenberg has been kidnapped.

With the help of a motorcycle-riding dryad who packs a pair of oak cudgels, Isaac finds himself hunting the unknown dark power that has been manipulating humans and vampires alike. And his search will uncover dangerous secrets about Libriomancy, Gutenberg, and the history of magic. . . . (summary from goodreads)

My Review:

YouTube link.

This is my first ever video, so please let me know what you think.

Rating: 5 owls

Socialize with the author:
Jim C. Hines:
Website
Facebook
Twitter @jimchines

– leeanna

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

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cinderInfo:
Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Release Date: January 3, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Source: Library
Series? Lunar Chronicles #1
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fairytale Retelling
Page Count: 387

Summary:

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. (summary from goodreads)

My Review:
Stars, I loved this book. I couldn’t put Cinder down until I finished it, and now I’m anxiously awaiting the next three books in the series.

Cinder is a retelling of Cinderella, complete with androids, cyborgs, space travel, an evil queen, a good prince, and a deathly plague. There are no love triangles, vampires, werewolves, or any of that sort of thing.

Cinder is a refreshing protagonist. She works as a mechanic, and has a reputation as being one of the best. It’s the reason Kai, the prince of New Beijing, comes to her to have his android fixed. I liked that there was a reason for them to meet, and that it wasn’t a chance encounter that started off their relationship. I also liked that Cinder wasn’t in love with Kai right away.

A few parts of the story were predictable, but overall, I enjoyed how the author fit everything together. Another plus is that the book doesn’t end on a total cliffhanger. There are plenty of questions to be resolved in the series, but at least we get a few answers at the end of Cinder.

The worldbuilding is pretty cool, as well. The humans that live on the Moon, the Lunars, have evolved differently than the humans on Earth. The Lunars have a magical power, a glamour, that allows them to manipulate minds.

Cinder herself is a cyborg, with over 30% of her body made of metal parts. Being a cyborg makes her a second class citizen, the ward of her legal guardian. It’s a twist on the Cinderella story, because Cinder’s stepmother has a reason — albeit misguided — to dislike her.

There’s a lot to like in Cinder, and a lot to keep your attention. I can’t wait until it comes out in paperback. I also can’t wait for the next book, Scarlet!

Rating: 5 owls

Socialize with the author:
Marissa Meyer:
Website
Facebook
Twitter @marissa_meyer

Book 169: Star Wars: Boba Fett 4: Hunted

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HuntedStar Wars: Boba Fett #4: Hunted, by Elizabeth Hand

“Hunted” is the fourth book in a six book series on the life of young Boba Fett. In “Hunted,” Boba Fett flies to Tatooine to find the crime lord Jabba the Hutt.

Jango Fett, Boba’s father, had left instructions for his son to go to Jabba to learn knowledge. But Boba runs into problem after problem on Tatooine, first losing his father’s Mandalorian helmet to a street gang, to having no credits to buy water – a necessity on the desert planet.

Will a trip to Jabba’s palace teach young Boba the knowledge necessary for a bounty hunter?

As with the other books in this series, I’m not entirely thrilled with the writing. I do understand that they are written for younger readers and I’m over the intended age, but I wish Star Wars had kept up the quality a little better. The passage of time in this series isn’t clear – the first three books seemed to take up only days, but this book is apparently set months after the event of book three, “Maze of Deception.” At least the story in “Hunted” was better than the previous book.

2/5.

Book 168: Star Wars: Boba Fett 3: Maze of Deception

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Maze of DeceptionStar Wars: Boba Fett #3: Maze of Deception, by Elizabeth Hand

“Maze of Deception” is the third book in a six book series on the life of young Boba Fett. In this installment, Boba and Aurra Sing journey to Aargau, the banking planet of the galaxy. Similar to Coruscant, Aargau is a layered planet; the lowest levels are the most dangerous, full of the scum of the galaxy.

Aurra Sing, a very dangerous bounty hunter, takes Boba to Aargau to get half of Jango Fett’s fortune. Boba, naturally, isn’t keen on splitting his inheritance with her, and makes a dangerous escape to keep the entire fortune for himself.

But can a young, inexperienced boy really avoid all the pitfalls a planet like Aargau holds?

I found “Maze of Deception” to be an okay book in the Boba Fett series. A week after reading it I’ve already forgotten most of it, so it’s not that memorable. Younger readers will enjoy Boba’s exploits on Aaragu, and his gradual evolution into the great Boba Fett of Star Wars Legend.

2/5.