Senne
The Blighted Stars is the first book in a trilogy that mixes science fiction with romance. There are not that many of those around, so I was excited to check this one out. And it took me by surprise!
This book is set in a world where people have the technology to map their consciousness and download it into a printed body. It's like 3D printing on steroids! While this could open up many discussions about humanity, death, gender, … it’s unfortunately not that kind of sci-fi book. The printing process itself isn't flawless and feels well thought out. It raises questions like "What if the printing goes wrong?" "What if I can't afford it?" or "What if my neural map falls into the wrong hands?"
One of the two main characters is Tarquin Mercator, whose father is the head of one of the five influential families in this world. The Mercator family gathers their wealth from mining relkatite, a rare mineral that is necessary for the printing of bodies.
Naira Sharp, the other MC, believes that Mercator is killing earth-like planets during this mining process. These habitable planets are necessary for the survival of humankind and Naira is part of the revolution that wants to protect these new earths.
Tarquin is sent on a mission to one of those planets to start mining relkatite. Disguised as Tarquin’s new bodyguard, Naira plans to prevent this from happening.
However, the mining mission goes completely wrong and both of them end up on a dead planet, where they need each other to survive.
The pacing in this book is excellent from the very beginning. There are some action packed sequences, but also enough room to let the characters grow. Twists, political scheming and a growing mystery keeps you engaged throughout. The subtle horror elements are a nice addition to the story and there are even some pov’s from a spaceships AI!
Although the romance was very cheesy, I liked it a lot and I caught myself grinning several times.
I enjoyed reading this book and I think it’s an easy recommendation for first time sci-fi readers. It’s a very accessible story and Megan O’Keefe’s writing is perfect for this.
I can’t wait to read book 2!
When Downtown Abby goes fantasy and gay, you get an amazing story. This is exactly the kind of romantasy that I need. A story with believable and well developed characters, that takes place in a world that has enough elements to make the fantasy nerd in me happy. The mystery plot was, although not groundbreaking, enjoyable and coherent.
And of course the romance! Robin and Edwin are a sweet (and sensual) couple, that brings so much more to the pages than merely the tropes they are based on.
The use of consent throughout the whole novel is very well done. Marske should create a masterclass about this for many other writers (or just people in general).
This sublime novella is beautifully written and shines a bright light on hidden oppression, injustice and enslavement.
This was an intriguing book set in a contemporary London. A heatwave and a whale trapped in the river Thames glues the story arcs together.
You follow a diverse cast of interconnected characters during one weekend, that is filled with almost soap opera-like drama, conflict and miscommunication. The deep dive into their minds widens the scope from this single weekend to their troubled pasts and uncertain futures.
The humor, that made me chuckle out loud, countered the heavier topics discussed in this novel. This, combined with the excellent audiobook, made this a very entertaining and fast-paced read!
This was a very entertaining read that doesn't shy away from dark and emotional themes. The main character is well layered and I liked how the author showed the grey areas between the light and dark side.
The inquisitor time period of the book was definitely the highlight and I would have liked to read more of this.
Sanderson remains a very hit or miss author for me. Unfortunately, Tress of the Emerald Sea was a big miss.
I was constantly on the edge of dnf'ing, but kept going out of curiosity for the ending and the intriguing worldbuilding. However, my patience wasn’t rewarded. The humor didn’t work for me, and not once did I find the characters or story arcs believable.
The pacing felt odd, but—as usual—Sanderson’s prose kept the story moving and flowing.
This is a strange book. See how the title of this book is 'Revan'? Well, surprise surprise, this isn't really about Revan. His character is bland and shallow. Which is a shame, since he has such an interesting backstory. This book was better titled 'Scourge', since he is the only one with somewhat of a character arc. He is interesting and has some (however small) layers to his personality.
The last 50 pages were really underwhelming and rushed. The ending was just ... an ending, I guess? It felt like I read the first book of a trilogy, which it actually isn't.
It wasn't all bad though. It's a fast read and some of the action scenes were definitely enjoyable.
It saddens me that this book gets so many mixed reviews. It's not a bad book at all. It is however, as expected from an author that describes his work as 'weird fiction', a little bit weird. I think the marketing is somewhat wrong and it seems that a lot of people started reading with the wrong expectation.
Read this if you want a story with a very crafty way of writing and a really interesting worldbuilding. This is a book about humanity, ideas, light vs dark, storytelling, ...
Don't read this just because you are a fan of Keanu Reeves. Don't read this if you want a fast-paced action packed military sci fi. Don't read this if you want a lot of character work.
Once in a while I try to read a queer romcom. And every time I'm disappointed. I truly don't know why I do this to myself and I'm amazed that I made it to 50% in this story.
The plot of this book is kinda cute. An awkward guy goes on The Bachelor to date multiple women, but falls in love with his producer. But the execution of this story was just bad. The characters (yes, all of them) are one-dimensional and unrealistic, the dialogues are incredibly cringy and to top it all off the book is full with awful representations of mental health struggles.
I definitely recommend this beautiful short story about identity and belonging.
Review only for The Paper Menagerie.
My expectations were high, but this turned out to be a very mediocre book. It feels like the author took some (amazing) lines from famous books + looked at some Pinterest quotes, and then crafted a story to bind them together.
The book meanders very slowly and the characters are rather boring. It's all very predictable.
I can see how some people might enjoy the feel-good vibes and the absence of any conflict or real struggle.
What an unique debut novel!
The characters, the worldbuilding and the plot are all so very interesting. Liar does an amazing job in creating this haunting and oppressive atmosphere. There is mystery on every single page and it’s very rewarding when some of the puzzle pieces come together!
However, some of the pieces don’t come together at all and Liar makes you work for it. I liked this book, but I can imagine that a lot of people will struggle with it. It suffers from the same things that Gardens of the Moon also has, being a little bit too overwhelming or needlessly complicated at some points. There is very little explanation to anything, especially in the first 75% of the story.
Personally, I can’t wait for the next book!
There are some great parts in this book and it touches on a lot of important themes, but it is so overwritten that it gets annoying at some points.
This is such a fun and fast paced book! I think a lot of readers will enjoy this and I wouldn’t hesitate to advise this as a starting point to fantasy.
There is plenty of interesting world-building, but it never overwhelms you. Logan is a good writer and his way of describing the world is really great. It sucks you right in.
The characters definitely have their own voice and especially Lukan and Flea shine when they are together.
The story does rely on plot armor, ‘telling, not showing’ and convenient events that aren’t always believable. However, it never took away my enjoyment of reading this book.
Artemis is often frowned upon as the worst Andy Weir book, but I don't think that is fair. This is just a fun and fast paced book, perfect for new readers to sci fi or to get out of a reading slump.
I loved this book and I'm certain this will remain one of my favorite stories ever. This isn't a big action packed book, but is more focused on storytelling, characters, myths, mysteries, etc. The south-Asian inspired worldbuilding and its magic is complex, believable and very interesting.
The pacing in this book was perfectly slow and Virdi's prose is lyrical, but also easy to follow. This is a story to be savored and it invites readers to pause at certain scenes to let it all in.
I understand that this book might not be for everybody, but it certainly was for me! It was a place of rest and immersive reading in the midst of a turbulent point in my life. I'm very glad that the sequel is coming soon! I already pré-ordered the beautiful The Broken Binding edition and I can't wait to get back to Ari's story/stories.
It would be a 5 star if it wasn't for the first part. I couldn't wait to get it over with...
However, the rest of this book is a masterpiece. Pierce Brown is a great writer and knows exactly how to keep a reader engaged and on the edge of his seat. The emotional impact was really great and the different story arcs left me just speechless at some points.
The different POV's are written way better then Iron Gold, so that was also a big step up from book 4.
This is a book with a lot of great moments and ideas. It's sci fi at its best.
Unfortunately, everything between those things is just a meandering and slow read.
“My life to yours. My Breath become yours.”
I'm surprised that some people think this is one of Sanderson's weakest books. I really enjoyed it! The story takes place in only one city, but the world-building is really well done. The magic system is also one of the bests I've ever read.
Lightsong was definitely my favorite character and I was emotionally invested in his arc from the start.