geekylorraine

I'm experimenting with reviewing at the moment. Reviewing what I've read so far at 50% (well, 45, but close enough) and then reviewing again at the end to see how my opinion might differ.

I'll start by saying I've never read any political books before. Unless you class Feed by Mira Grant, but that's also a post-apocalyptic book with zombies so I'm not sure I count it! I love The West Wing, so figured I'd give this a try.

I actually pre-ordered the book back in March, so was pretty excited when it arrived. The book design definitely added to that excitement, but I daren't judge a book by its cover! I know a lot of people hate Clinton, but you can't say he's not got an interesting story of his presidency. I hoped he'd bring that drama, but also the knowledge with him.

I loved the start of this. I've read other reviews that say it was too slow, but that's exactly why I love it. You get the sense that the president screwed up in the first sentence, or maybe the second. You've got the house select committee and the metaphor of sharks. I feel like the beginning of the novel is all Clinton. This is where his insider knowledge comes in, and I enjoyed it. Although I wouldn't say it's that inside. I've seen things like that before. It's nothing overly new. You have got immediate questions about what's going on, and how that's going to affect the plot.

A little later on, you've then got where I stared to lose faith a little. The action starts, and it's... I don't know. I love myself some good action, but when you've got the President shooting bad guys. It just seems... wrong? The whole plot of the President being the only one who can fix the impending cyber attack is over the top to me. Stretches my ability to believe it. I get that it's fiction, but is fiction not grounded in truth somewhere. Wouldn't the president simply get the top CIA operatives on it, rather than himself? Getting away from his Secret Service agents by ordering them not to follow him, and meeting someone who he's got zero background information on, and could quite easily have killed him multiple times? Maybe it's explained more later on why he's so willing to do this. Why it can't be anyone but him, but right now, it's not sitting too well with me. I find the secret code word to be a little stupid too “Dark Ages”. I don't know the answer yet, but I'm assuming someone hacks into the energy grid and cuts the power across the entirety of the US? And that's the big bad the president has to stop. Maybe he needs to stop being secretive and start informing at least a few more people about the threat, so they can sure up defences and begin planning for events if the worst did happen. I'm not talking about telling the public to great mass hysteria, but come on!

I'm still going to continue reading. I'll be back when I finish.

I'm back, after finishing it! So I was a little off with my theory of Dark Ages being just about electricity. I won't go into it too much because spoilers, but that's one hell of a virus! I think the big reveal of the traitor was obvious. I don't know if it was supposed to be, but it seemed obvious from back when the traitor was first discussed. So the big reveal didn't pack as much punch as expected. I'll admit the way the President goes about catching the traitor, is pretty cool, and brings the tension levels to a critical level.

The character of the President was a tad cliche. Ex-military, adding depth with a wife that passed away, no thought to his safety, much to the annoyance of the secret service. Seemed a little cliche.

The characters I did like were Carrie and Augie. I don't know how to talk about them without spoilers, but how they're portrayed is much more interesting to me.

Whilst I know I've been pretty critical, I did actually really enjoy the book. It was well-paced, and there was enough slower parts to catch my breath without the pace dropping to a crawl.

Overall, I'd recommend it. It's not the first book I've read with a character like President Duncan, or the first I've predicted the ending. It is entertaining and fast-paced, which makes up for it. And the design with the red page gilding on the edition I had.

Originally posted on Geeky Galaxy.

The Plot

I know this is novella lengthed, but it seemed a little rushed to me. There's clearly word count left, but it seemed like the author wanted to write The End and move on before it was ready. They seemed to jump around from point to point just a bit too quickly, not allowing situations to fully develop before moving onto the next thing. For example, there was one part where they were hiding. It seemed to me like this would be perfect downtime from the action. Raise a little tension at the thought of being caught, get some more characterisation in of how the characters are reacting to the stressful situation they were in, etc. This didn't happen. I felt like we moved on before there was this opportunity. Other than the feeling that everything is a little fast, I did really enjoy this story. The idea of an unshackled bot and what would come of it if anyone found out was great.

The ending was well-rounded, sealing everything up with a pretty bow on top. I know there are more books, and there's more to Murderbot's story, but I didn't get the burning desire to read the next one straight away. Or maybe at all... I'm not sure.

The World

The setting of All Systems Red is well-built, with subtle pieces of information woven in, rather than it all being thrown at you at once. The reasons for the characters being where they are made sense and the description of this alien world was mostly good. I did feel like I wanted a little more occasionally. Like they're on a minimally surveyed alien planet with all sorts of weird and wonderful flora and fauna, right? I'd love to hear a little more about what that actually looked like. I'm just a sucker for good world-building that makes me feel like I'm stood on this alien planet right alongside the characters, and this didn't give me that feeling.

The Characters

Murderbot

Murderbot has some of the best quotes in this book. Murderbot doesn't have a specified gender that I saw, but because I related to Murderbot so much, I'm going with she. She's not a social person at all and I totally relate to that. I feel like some of the things she's said about humans have crossed my mind once or twice before. The voice this character was written in was just unique, and since this was told from her point of view, I really enjoyed seeing how she thought and processed things as a mostly bot with some human bits thrown in for good measure. I feel like Murderbot made up for some areas of this I felt were a little lacking, because of how relatable she was.

The accuracy of the below quote!

“Yes, talk to Murderbot about its feelings. The idea was so painful I dropped to 97 percent efficiency.”

There's more characters in this, of course. Murderbot is a SecUnit, which means her purpose is to provide security to the survey team she's with. However, Murderbot is clearly the key character. This series is called The Murderbot Diaries after all. The other characters did feel very secondary, like they were there to be protected and did serve a purpose, but not in any meaningful or memorable way.

Would I read it again? Maybe? I'm not 100% on this.Will I be picking up the next in the series? If it's on sale, sure.

Would I recommend it? It's a short, quick read. Murderbot is a fun character, so sure.

Is it going on my favourites shelf? No.

Review originally posted at Squirtoon's Bookish Blog

Absolutely loved this. My favourite book of the year, so far. Which isn't saying a lot, but it's also my first sci-fi of the year, which could be telling me something about the urban fantasies I've been reading.

It's hard to properly review this story without spoilers, so there will be minor ones below. However, I've avoided spoiling any of the massive plot points, because where would be the fun in that. I want you to go out and experience the book for yourself, not give everything away here!

The narrator of this story, Bob, has the perfect level of sarcasm and snark. Despite his situation, which is totally out of this world, I found him, and his reactions, relatable. As a character, he's thrown into an incredible, stress-inducing situation, and how he handles it, and the sense of humour he uses to keep himself sane, is fantastic. Maybe it's because I'm a little bit geeky, but his pop culture references, that no one else understood, did make me chuckle quite a lot. If you know a certain famous science fiction TV series, you'll recognise one of the names I discuss below.

Bob, to do what he really wants to do, has to make duplicates of himself. There's one named Riker, which I took a particular liking to. I enjoyed the way the author chose to switch POV throughout this piece. Although the first time it happened threw me, as I wasn't paying attention to chapter titles. So, if you pick this book up, pay attention to them! They'll give POV info, as well as the date.

Another good thing for me, is that this novel wasn't constantly rushing forward at break neck speeds. There was the odd chapters that were more relaxing, where you had a little bit of science explained to you, instead of an intense fight. The author balanced this out well for me, so I wasn't bored of the slow-down or exhausted by the action.

From the beginning to the end, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The intriguing start, the journey and stories that were encountered throughout the various star systems, and even back on Earth, and the stories that are still waiting to be told come the end. I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series. It's just a matter of deciding if I want to read it right now, or if I'm going to give something else a chance. Hmm, decisions, decisions.

Originally posted at my blog - Squirtoon's Bookish Blog

Well, at first I had no words for this. It's probably one of the strangest things I've ever read. I've never read a sci-fi comedy before, so this was a first for me. 

The main character Cal Carver is definitely the star of the show. He's got a remarkably quick wit, and is possibly the most annoying character in existence. I like main characters I can like, characters that I can cheer for. Cal was not this for me. Cal was a character I wanted to very desperately punch in the face. I wasn't alone in this opinion, most of the characters did as well. How he survived the whole book without being killed, I'm not entirely sure. He should've been. I've also got no clue what Cal actually looks like, which isn't great for a main character. 

There was also the character of Miz. She was another character I couldn't stand. Miz is a werewolf-type alien, who had a crush on Cal, until she found out the truth about him. Her behaviour is super annoying throughout, because of this crush she had. Imagine the cheesiest, most possesive girl character you can, multiply it by 10, and you'll have Miz. It just made me roll my eyes every couple of pages. 

My favourite character was Splurt. You won't understand it unless you read it, and I don't want to spoil too much. Splurt is the best character, and he doesn't even talk. Maybe that's why I like him so much. 

The story itself is quite far-fetched, but still somehow fun. They get themselves into trouble, and somehow get themselves out of it in some very entertaining ways. This was the redeeming quality of the story. It kept me reading, instead of telling Cal to do one and giving up. The entertainment value of the story is what somehow upheld the 4 stars I've given to the story. 

I've not decided if I'm going to get the next book in the series or not. Can I put up with two annoying characters for a whole other book? I'm not sure. 

Review originally posted at A Reading Brit

The Plot
It felt like the first few episodes of a TV show, and just when the series was really ramping up and getting amazing, it's the end of the season and you've got to wait ages to see the start of the next season. That's what this feels like. It ended on the mother of all cliff hangers, and the story doesn't feel remotely complete. There's closure about pretty much nothing come the end of this book. And that'd be great if the next book was already out. But it's not. And I'm not good at waiting.

There's not much of a chance to breathe with this story either. From the first chapter to the last, there's always something happening and the authors skillfully weave characterisation and relationship around the action.

The World
Aurora Rising is set over 300 years in the future, where humanity has encountered (and of course warred with) other species in space. The Aurora Academy is a neutral organisation, purely created to help those in need. Think something like The Red Cross in space. It's a cool idea, and one I'd like to see explored more thoroughly. As, whilst this squad is technically supposed to be helping others, they don't really get the chance before their own crisis and drama happens. Long-distance space travel is achieved through The Fold, which seems to be something similar to travelling through an alternate reality. It's an interesting concept, and again, something I wish was explored a little more. That's the thing with Aurora Rising, I love it for its characters, but I wish some more of the world was really explored. I want to know more about all of the fun sci-fi stuff that's going on in the background.

The Characters
As always, characterisation is my favourite thing in reading. And I feel like this is where Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman really shine. Aurora Rising is told from the point of view of... I want to say 7 characters. I'm not a massive fan of books that jump between characters like that, all in 1st person POV, but this was done so well. Each character had such a unique voice that I knew who it was without having to read the chapter title.

Taylor
Our Alpha, the leader of Squad 312 and a character that from his description before I started reading this, I was sure I wasn't going to like. And yet I did. Tyler just wants what's best for the squad and Aurora. I thought he was going to be an arrogant jock-Type, but besides a little moaning at the beginning, he was nothing like that.

Aurora
The main character/trouble starter. If it wasn't for Aurora, the rest of the squad wouldn't have come together and each of these character's stories would've been very different. She's an ok character, I wouldn't say she was anywhere near my favourite. And I found her ability to deal with waking up 200 years after she thought she was going to wake up quite incredible. She managed to function instead of being a blithering mess, which either shows she's the strongest character there, or maybe a little unrealistic. Who knows.

Scarlett
Scarlett is the FaceThe diplomat, trained to deal with those that may be less willing to accept help. And she does it well. She's charismatic, and uses her beauty to her advantage, more than once. It was fun to read her less serious interactions with the characters, but also good to read about her handling the emotions and feelings of the squad. Her sibling relationship with her brother was also a laugh to read, the typical sibling rivalry and jokes.

Zila
Zila is the Brain, the scientist, the logical. Is it weird if she's the character I relate to the most? She struggles with emotion and thinks of everything with logic, and as the story progresses, you see her begin to experience emotions and try and deal with that. I loved reading her progression, often from other's point of view, as her point of view was brief and to the point. Brains for the win!

Cat
The one character I had some serious difficult liking. Her pining and drama were a little frustrating at times, and I found myself wishing she'd stop moaning, especially in chapters that were from her point of view. She did redeem herself a little later on, proving her worth and loyalty, but I still wasn't a fan of her as a character, and I think I was supposed to be?

Kal
Aww, Kal, with his slightly weird Twilight-esque romantic imprinting. It was cute, but sometimes creepy. I was still cheering for him to succeed by the end of it. He wouldn't allow his violence to define him, which totally won me over.

Finian
I was laughing a lot, almost every time Fin spoke. Every good group has to have a bit of comedic relief, and Fin fills this role perfectly. He's insecure, so covers almost everything with a laugh and a joke. His character was endearing and relatable in some ways. He was awesome.

Would I read it again? I read this twice before I even thought about writing this review, so yes, I can 100% see myself reading this again. The first time was just a simple readthrough, the second I used tabs to label my favourite parts.

Will I be picking up the next in the series?That's not even a question. Of course.

Would I recommend it? If sci-fi is your thing, or even if it's not. This would be a great soft, YA intro to sci-fi for those that might not be sure if sci-fi is something they'd enjoy.

Is it going on my favourites shelf? Yes!

Sorry if none of this review made sense! It started off a little rambly and nonsensical, and this is it after a few weeks of rewrites and editing! I did love this story, and it is amongst my favourites, but no story is without one or two faults. Hopefully, my love for it came across more than my comments on the maybe 2 things I didn't like!

This book had me hooked from the first page to the last. With a story full of twists and turns and loveable characters, it's a book I wasn't expecting much from but got way more than I bargained for.

The World
If you don't like metaphors and interesting, sometimes eccentric description, this book isn't for you. Me, I enjoyed it. Some reviewers have commented on things like “how can you taste midnight?” but I get it. It's not so much taste midnight, it's the all-around experience of it. If you take everything you read literally, this book won't be for you. Scarlett also had an ability, similar to synesthesia, but with a more magical, empath-like twist, where she could experience her emotion in the form of colours, and it was interesting to read what colour combination matched the emotion.

The broader world was a tad tropey, but not so much that I didn't enjoy it. Part of me wants to know more about the world as a whole, part of me thinks everything is about the setting of Caraval, and the point is the rest of the world is supposed to fall away until Caraval is everything. At least for a few days.

“The sky was black, the moon visiting some other part of the world, as Scarlett took her first step into Caraval. Only a few rebel stars held posts above...”

The Plot
I don't even know where to begin here. This is almost a story told from the point of view of an unreliable narrator, but it's not really her fault. Anything and everything the characters experiences could be completely fake or it could be real, and it's nigh on impossible to know which is which. And just when you think you've figured it out, and there can't be another twist you're not prepared for, something will hit you. Sometimes books like this annoy me. The twists seem random or not thought out. Caraval was different though. Caraval seemed well thought out. Nothing was there without a purpose and the author had a way of telling the story that drew you in so you experienced everything right along with Scarlett.

There was one problem with experiencing things along with the main character though, you're left out of the loop a lot. The magic system is... magic? These systems are supposed to have limits that are defined. If not, what's the point? Anyone can do anything and it's all ok? I'm hoping this is explained more in future books otherwise the stakes might seem less concerning if someone can click their fingers and undo all the bad that's happened.

“Every person has the power to change their fate if they are brave enough to fight for what they desire more than anything.”

The Characters
Scarlett

Scarlett is the main character, whose point of view we experience Caraval. In the beginning, she was mildly annoying, a weak female character who I wanted to give a nudge to fight for herself. But that's where we get the growth. Once she gets over herself at the start of the book, she becomes a character I enjoyed reading about, and one I could eventually cheer for. Her personality could've been more in-depth, with more story than a missing mother and abusive father, but overall, she was just about good enough to carry the story. I can only hope she grows more and is fleshed out better in further books.

Julian

The somewhat predictable love interest, but still my favourite character in this book. After all, without Julian, where would Scarlett be? Dead, probably! Julian is an enigmatic character. I'm not sure we ever find out who he is for 100% certain, but that's one of the reasons I actually like him. His story is clearly complicated, but he's likeable and I was rooting for Julian throughout.

Donatella

Donatella is Scarlett's younger, more irresponsible and out of control sister. Although I think there's a secret heart of gold hidden under the insecurity and madness. The whole plot is centered around her, but you don't get to actually see much of her. Scarlett clearly cares deeply for her, though, and it sounds like she's important for future books, so I'll be interested in reading more about her.

Would I read it again? If I didn't have thousands of other books on my list, sure. This isn't one of those I'd pick up as a “comfort read” though.

Will I be picking up the next in the series? Yeah, eventually. I'm great at starting series and never finishing them. I'll get on it eventually.

Would I recommend it? If you like a lot of metaphors, a little bit of romance and a magical setting, you should definitely give this one a go.

Is it going on my favourites shelf? Not quite. I enjoyed it, but not at that level.

Posted at Squirtoon's Bookish Blog

4.5 stars, rated down that .5 for reasons I'll explain below!

Minor spoilers below

I started and finished this book in the same day. Hell, in a few hours. I read it in one sitting. It's one of those books where you need to know what happens as soon as possible. This is the first police procedural book I've read in a long while, and boy am I glad I picked it up. It was a lot closer to what I imagined would happen with something like this. The media, the police, the country, would focus on the dead rich girl, and not pay enough/any attention to the foreign Eastern European girls, even though paying attention to the others was the key to breaking the case. There was so many twists and turns to this novel, which in themselves were enjoyable, but were slightly dampened by the fact I had a pretty good guess on who the killer might be from about the 50% mark. This is what dropped that .5 for me. I like to be kept guessing until the very end. I don't like the books where you very quickly know who the killer is, and you're left rolling your eyes as the detective slowly bumbles towards the answer.

My favourite thing about this novel was the character building. The protagonist had a brilliant, unique personality and voice. The secondary characters were so different, with intriguing stories of their own, and the victim's family fit so perfectly into everything, with their craziness and pretentiousness. All the characters were just fantastic.

I picked this book up with Kindle Unlimited, and if you're subscribed, I would highly recommend you to grab a copy as well. I'm pretty sure you won't regret it.

Wow, where do I start?

Thanks for r/suggestmeabook to begin with. I asked for a spacefaring romance, but something where the romance was subtle, not too in your face.

I'll start with the spacefaring. This book definitely has that! 90% of the book is set on The Wayfarer, a wonderfully fun sounding spaceship, with a task of never thought about before, and a multi-species crew.

The technology is always one of they things I like to read about, and there was plenty of it here. The explanations were good, not too in-depth to bore the reader, but deep enough to give a decent understanding.

Where this book really excels though is the characters, particularly in Rosemary, which is the character that grows and changes the most throughout this book.

The book was full of surprises, things that made me smile, and loveable characters. I've already finished book 2!

Well, I have no idea what I just read. This book came into my life after someone thought it was mine, so gave it to me. I tried to explain it wasn't mine, but I was told to keep it anyway. That was a few years ago and I've only just read it. When I opened it, I had no idea what to expect. I'd heard of the book, but never found out what it was about. I learned very quickly! A fairy army, kind-of. I was confused to say the least, but as I read, it got better. The author manages to introduce all the different types of fairy with their own rules, powers and appearance.

The human characters, in my opinion, are less likeable than the fairy characters. It may be what the author intended, but does an author ever truly want the reader to hate the title character? The human characters are also less believable than the fairy characters, if that's at all possible. A genius 12 year old, with a “manservant” that is described as a “mountain” many times. Then, there's the mother with mental health issues and the sister to the manservant, who is also clearly a little bit crazy. I just didn't like any of them! I struggled to believe them as real human characters, and I think them being human was important, as it would've offset the magic and craziness of the fairies, but there wasn't a real human character there.

Despite the above, I did enjoy the story and the world-building. There are redeeming qualities of this book and I still would say read it and see what you think. I think it's a very strange book.

Review originally posted at A Reading Brit

The Plot

Illuminae is a solid read with great twists, and a complete book come the end! This wasn't one of those books where the end doesn't feel like the end. Illuminae saw the full story through, from beginning to end, with only the odd little thread leaving just enough to carry through to the sequel.

The end also happened to be my favourite part of this book. And whilst there is spoilers below, I won't go into detail about the ending. It was awesome, and everything suddenly made sense like pieces of a puzzle finally slotting together. I never guessed the twist, and that's what makes it great. Oh, and the humour. I was laughing so much, every other page had something that had me snickering. Seriously, just read this book.

I should mention, this whole book is written in a series of reports, interviews and IM messages. I haven't read many (if any) books in an epistolary format, and if they're anything like this one, I've been missing out. It blows my mind how there's a full novel, with great characters, a sound plot and even description, all in this format. Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff are a force to be reckoned with.

The World

I admit, whilst I said there was great description, this description only covers the immediate surroundings of the characters. The ships they were on, and that's about it. The rest of this world is a little lacking. There's some psychotic mining companies who commit mass murder, basically destroying a planet, and there's government of some form.

Beyond that, though, I feel like I don't know much. I'm sure the next book will give me more detail, because I definitely need more detail! How are things run? Humans didn't encounter any form of life after leaving Earth? How far has humanity spread? That's just a few questions that popped to mind as I was writing this review. Give me an hour and a notebook and I'll fill it up with questions I want the answers to!

The Characters

The characters is where this book really excels. In the style this book is told in, character is everything, and boy, were there some characters in this.

AIDAN

I'd seen AIDAN related merch everywhere, and loads of people talking about how they liked him. And I was just confused. About half-way in, and I couldn't grasp why a psychopathic AI that killed thousands of people was likeable. And then I got to the last quarter of the book and suddenly I loved him too. The care he showed for Kady, and to be honest, whilst he was crazy, his reasoning made sense. Yeah, it was probably an extremely solution to the problem, but it was one of the logical solutions.

His later caring for Kady, and seeing all his internal thoughts and conflicts was a joy, and I agree with everyone else. I need more AIDAN. Oh, and the way his thoughts were formatted on the page was glorious. This is a book that has to be read in paper-copy to truly experience.

“I am glad yOu aRe wIth me.”

Kady

Our badass teenage hacker/tech extraordinaire. There's not a computer system that will stand in her way. She's fierce, determined, and a protagonist worth cheering for. And I definitely cheered with her, throughout, whether I was cheering for her against AIDAN, or cheering for her against Ezra, she always held her own. She was awesome. I've included the below quote mostly because I relate.

“I am frequently underestimated. I think it's because I'm short.”

Ezra

Ezra, Kady's ex and the reason she keeps fighting when all other hope is lost. Ezra is super romantic, but also definitely has a mouth on him. He's not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, and he provides the occasional comedic relief too, which I respect. The quote below sums up why I like him so much. His somewhat child-like humour kept me entertained through, as well as Kady's somewhat withering responses to it.

“I am now raising my... oh, dear ... yes, it's my middle finger at Mr. Postgrad here.”

Would I read it again? Yeah, and if I don't hurry up and read the next one, I will.

Will I be picking up the next in the series? Yep, definitely.

Would I recommend it? Fancy a sci-fi, set on 2 spaceships, with a little romance, a psychotic AI and all written in epistolary style? Go for it! Don't fancy that? Read it anyway.

Is it going on my favourites shelf? Yes.

Originally posted in A Reading Brit.

The Long Way Down by Craig Schaefer is an urban fantasy set in Las Vegas with a main character of Daniel Faust, a magician with a shady past.

At first, I thought this was going to be like every other book of this type I'd read, and it started out very similar. I stuck with it, and it definitely became a thing of its own.

The characters are where this excelled for me. You've got the main character, Daniel Faust. I admit, with a name like Faust in a book with demons, I thought this was going to be some weird parody at first. The author obviously realises this though, and has the character poke fun at the irony of his own name, which did make me chuckle. He's a well-rounded character, he's got his issues, but he's got strengths too. I enjoyed reading this from his point-of-view.

The other character, and there were quite a few, all stood out. They all had their own personality and voice, and with as many characters as there were, I thought that was quite an achievement. Most of the time, I could figure who was talking based on how they were talking, rather than hunting around for a dialogue tag. That impressed me.

The one thing that's been left a mystery, is how the magic of this world actually works. And to be honest, I wish it wasn't a mystery. I'd like to know about the cards that Daniel carries around, and how they work. I'm curious about the restrictions and ability that magic has. This novel is very much on the soft side of magic, due to the lack of explanation, so I do wish there was a little more.

It's one of the better urban fantasies I've read recently, and for that I'm thankful!

There were some great descriptions in this. This one stuck with me:

The fingers of the desert sun stabbed around the edges of my curtains, shaking hands with my hangover.

Just thought this was a great way to set the scene, and give an insight into how the character was feeling, all in one sentence. I love it when there's things like this.

And this quote, was amongst my favourites, for a completely different reason!

“No rules, we can take what we want. Eat what we want. Eat your toes. Toes are the tastiest.”
Don't know why, but I got Gollum vibes from this, anyone else? This bit of dialogue had me laughing out loud. The last thing I expected was for toes to be tastiest, who'd have thunk it?

Would I read it again? I actually would consider re-reading. Especially if there's a gap before I read the next one.

Will I be picking up the next in the series? Yep, absolutely.

Would I recommend it? If you're into urban fantasy, yeah. This has some very dark undertones though, so it's not necessarily a light read.

Is it going on my Favourites shelf? Hmmm, maybe? I'm not 100% on this. I'm tempted though.

And, I've just discovered I've got another book by this author waiting for me on NetGalley. I'd been putting it off because it's got a while until publication, but I think I'll bump it up my list.

I ran a Twitter poll, asking what I should read next with a few options that people had recently recommended to me. ADSOM won, so here I am, writing this after spending about 4 hours of my life reading it. To be honest, I wasn't as awe-struck as I thought I was going to be...

Full review at A Reading Brit

Originally posted at Squirtoon's Bookish Blog

How many books can I say I started at 10pm, and finished at 3am? Not that many. For that reason alone, it's 5 stars. I value sleep like little else, but this made me forgo sleep to see what would happen next.

At first, when I first read about this, I was unimpressed. It seemed like every other YA, dystopian novel out there. How many books have the classes separated by something? Whether that be numbers, colours, looks or something else? It's now a new concept. This was a breath of fresh air for this genre for me.

I was more invested in the characters than I'd care to admit. Darrow, Mustang and Servo were just great characters. If you don't like Servo, then I think there's probably something wrong with you. He was my favourite character because he wasn't perfect like the other golds. He wasn't traditionally handsome and tall, but boy was he smart.

To be honest, parts of it aren't YA. This is a quote from the first few chapters, and when I really started paying attention to this novel:

On Mars there is not much gravity. So you have to pull the feet to break the neck. They let the loved ones do it.

I was expecting this book to be more interesting, overall. Maybe it's just me, but I found the whole story around the gangs of London to be somewhat predictable and old news.

I never understood Milton's motives. He ditches the life he had and ends up spending time with a 15 year old kid and his mother. Who, by the way, are the most stereotypical and eyeroll-worthy characters there could be.

A Court of Thorns and Roses was a book I read because I couldn't escape it. Everywhere you turn in the book community, you see Maas, which is amazing for her, and I respect that, so I thought I'd pick up her most talked about series. Going into it knowing everything wasn't ideal.
Tamlin was fun to read about, but knowing that “the first love interest is never the final” spoke about every time Maas is mentioned kinda ruined the whole plot of this book for me. Having now finished the first book, I can see what's coming in future entries without even trying. At least I now know some of the quotes and names I see around and they make more sense to me.

Feyre, like every human in these Fae based stories, somehow manages to attract the attention of... everyone? What it is it about human women and ancient Fae Lords or Princes (or whatever the term whatever Fae book I'm reading at any given time decides to use). Clearly humans are something special.... I don't know. It felt very much like the cliche, “Feyre isn't like other girls.” without explicitly saying it.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy my time spent reading this book. I just feel like much of it was wasted on me due to the many, many spoilers and my belated reading of this. A few years back, I think I would've loved this. Honestly, I was worried about selling anything ACOTAR related I ever got in book boxes, but at least now I won't regret that too much! I'm almost disappointed I can't join the obsession, but there's also a silver lining on not spending the money on it! So, I get the enjoyment people get from these books, but I think I was a little too late to the party for it.

I had a few issues with this book. The main character is just so boring. He's like a walking, talking cardboard cut-out with no emotions. Like an android.

And the plot. He's stuck in a tunnell with water, how does he get through? Oh look, it just so happens his Uncle left a suit. He's stuck in a tank of water? Oh look, magical cream that gets him out. He's looking for a way to take down a plane? Oh, just so happens he left a Nintendo Cartridge that blows up. Seriously? This whole thing was all too convenient. It's like Rider had no challenge at all, the whole thing was just laid out on a plate for him to follow. The kid never makes a mistake! Also, the explanations for when, how things happen. The plane blowing up, for example. It's only mentioned Rider places the Explosive Nintendo Cartridge a couple of minutes after he placed it. It's like the author suddely though, “Crap, I need a way to blow this plane up” a few minutes after Rider had already left the plane, so he adds a little sentence about playing an explosive thing in there. Pretty damn convenient. Like everything else that happens in this story.

Saying all of the above though, I can imagine kids liking it. Spies, explosions, violence, all fun for kids. Just not so fun for adults, who can't stand the bad plot.

Each time a Prince comes of age, a Selection occurs, to find the Prince a wife from a member of the public. America Singer is a seventeen year old girl who is a Five. She never wanted to be Selected, and when she was, it changes everything.

Overall, this book wasn't too bad. It was quite different, at least, not exactly the same as some of the other ones out there. The romance in the book drags on for an awful long time though. I've just finished the third book and it dragged on throughout that one as well! Despite that, I enjoyed the plot. America is a really down-to-Earth character that, despite her circumstances, is somehow relatable, even though her name is annoying as hell.

Yet again, we have a YA book with a love triangle! How unique! The love triangle really wasn't necessary. It didn't add anything to the plot. The romance was having enough trouble as it was without a love triangle!

I'm not really sure why I went on to read the rest of the books. I wouldn't really recommend anyone else to read it, unless you want one of those stories where the love is awfully annoying and eye-roll worthy.

Review originally posted at A Reading Brit.

Shadow and Bone is the first book in the Grisha Trilogy, and I'm pleased to say I finally got around to reading it! I'm only a few years behind the times here...

Overall, this was a fun read that I really enjoyed. I read it in a few hours in one sitting. Whilst the main character didn't really win me over, all the other characters did, as did the world that Leigh Bardugo built. Much like Nevernight, I'm annoyed I didn't read this sooner! Next time a book is everywhere, and super popular, I plan to find out why much sooner that I have been.

The Characters

Alina – She was a little bit annoying at first, but I eventually found it within me to like her. She spent a little bit too much time saying she wasn't pretty, saying she didn't deserve anything that was happening. It was a tad stereotypical, but it wasn't over the top, and I still managed to enjoy her story, nonetheless.

The Darkling – Yep, this is my favourite character. I'm obviously not sure what happens in future books, but I feel like this isn't a character that should be my favourite? I've always been the one to like the bad boy though. It's definitely a fault I've got! He's a great bad guy, and whilst I should've expected it, I didn't quite realise how bad. I went into this book knowing he was the bad guy, but I didn't know how.

Mal – Aww, Mal. He was cute, and genuine, and I felt a little sorry for him. I also spent far too much of the book worrying about him! Whilst The Darkling might be my favourite, Mal has a place in my heart too. I'm curious about him and any undiscovered talents he might have. There's more to that tracking power than meets the eye.

The World

Now, this was interesting, and I'm glad the copy I read had a map so I could understand it a little more. It's an interesting premise, a darkness full of monsters killing anything that might come near. All created using the abilities of an extremely powerful Grisha. I'm interested to find out more about the other Grisha. We only see a hint of what they can do in this book. Even when we did see it, it's mostly for show. I'm intrigued to know what the Grisha can do on a true battlefield, what the different Summoners can do and what other powers might yet be revealed. The whole magic behind it all is fresh and fun, and I can't wait to find out more about it!

Would I read it again? Yeah, I probably would. I feel like I could've missed some details in my eagerness to find out what happens next.

Will I be picking up the next in the series? Yep, maybe not instantly, but it'll certainly be read within the next few months.

Would I recommend it? If you're anything like me, you won't care whether it's been recommended or not. You'll be curious why this book is literally everywhere and have to read it to find out why. If you're like me up until a few days ago and haven't read it, then go for it. At least you'll know what everyone is talking about!

Is it going on my favourites shelf? No, I don't think so. I don't think a book where the main character wasn't my favourite can go on that shelf. I'm still going to rave about it though, because I love The Darkling.

Review originally posted at https://squirtoonsbookishblog.wordpress.com/2018/12/22/into-the-black-odyssey-one-by-evan-currie/

★★★★

Odyssey One is the first in a series (known, very creatively, as the Odyssey One series) by an author I admit to not hearing of before stumbling across this book in my recommended section on Audible. I started listening to the Audible version in work, but realised the book required a little more focus and attention, so I grabbed the Kindle version. It took me three hours to get half way through the book. I read that far without putting it down, and then I stupidly let my phone die, so here I am, writing my feelings up to this point.

So far, I'd give it a solid 4/5. I can't fault the military aspect of this, although I will say there's a lot of military terms, that I either don't remember being explained, or simply forgot, which has led me astray into googling what the hell half of the acronyms meant. Probably just my fault, but I'd say a fiction book should keep me in the story, not throw me out with wondering what one term or another meant.

Sci-fi wise, I feel like, so far, everything has been well explained. Or, as well explained as science fiction can be within current scientific knowledge. What is said seems to make sense to a lay-person like me, which can be quite the achievement, I assure you.

The reason I've dropped a star is the characterisation. I just don't feel like the characters are as realistic as they could be. Some of them seem a little generic, with no quirks or character of their own. The Captain and Steph seem to be the most fleshed out, either the author spent more time on them, or just had more fun writing them.

My phone should hopefully have enough charge for me to get back to it. I'll be back when I'm done!

Three hours later

Ok, so I'm done! Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this read! I loved the science in this. The author wasn't afraid to really go in-depth, mostly about shields and weapons systems, and I'm a little bit geeky when it comes to that stuff, so it was right up my street. 

The archangels had to be my favourite part of the whole book. The characters in the archangel squadron were more fleshed out, and unique, and the fighters themselves seemed amazing. 

In case you were curious, yes, I will be picking up the next book in the series. Perhaps not because of the characters, but I need to see how Earth, or at least the Odyssey, plans to kick some alien butt.