Tag: sci-fi

Reviews

Winter Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Winter Review

*A few Spoilers*

41SSIYbE2LL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_I absolutely adored this series! I really did not know what to expect when I started it and thankfully it completely exceeded my expectations.

We start with a fresh perspective from Princess Winter who is greatly admired by the people of Lunar for her grace and kindness as well as her beauty which is marred by three scars that mark her face (said to be given to her by Queen Levana). Winter can’t stand her stepmother and her only solace in Luna is her childhood friend Jacin who is now one of the royal guards. He is the only one who can keep her somewhat sane as she refuses to use her abilities and has vowed to never control another person the way that she has been controlled. Not using her abilities has caused them to turn back into her and now produces debilitating attacks of hallucinations. But hopefully with the help of Cinder and Emperor Kai she will be finally able to overthrow Queen Levana and reestablish peace over Lunar and Earth.

Winter was a very different character to the rest of the cast of strong female protagonists. She had a whimsicalness to her and she kind of floated along the storyline maintaining a strong presence but I was unsure as to what input she could add to the plot. She definitely redeemed herself in my eyes towards the end of the book and I came to really appreciate her arc. Jacin was one of those characters that you kind of love to hate but you understand his motivations. I honestly didn’t really enjoy him at in the last two books but reading how he acts around Winter and going more in depth to their history together made me kind of change me mind about him in the sense that he was integral but I still didn’t quite like him. Their relationship did feel genuine to me though and I like how they have that unrequited thing going.

Cress definitely stepped up in this book. I love that she really has no combative skills and even doesn’t know how to swim, yet everyone relies on her so much for her technological know how. Being separated from the rest of crew for a majority of the storyline and not giving up and still helping in whatever way she can was really inspiring to read. I also still absolutely love how her relationship with Thorn progressed throughout the course of the story and I just found them to both be absolutely adorable!

The action in Winter was kind of up and down. You get a whole lot going on all at once and then a slow build towards the next event and then that pattern would continue throughout the book. I appreciated the build up but a lot the book was quite stagnant for me. It felt like things were moving and plans were set in motion and then it would kind of stop for a few chapters and there would be nothing happening. Eventually everything did come to a head and we get this fantastic, dramatic fight scene at the end where all of the plot lines intersect and comes to fruition.

All in all this was a highly entertaining series and I really enjoyed every second reading these books and dissecting the storyline and seeing how these characters were going to interact with each other and work together towards this seemingly unattainable goal.

⭐️4/5 stars HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! Amazing YA Sci-fi/Fantasy series that ticked all my boxes 🙂 

Reviews

Gemina Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Gemina Review

*No Spoilers*

9781780749815_1This. Was. Amazing.

I am completely enthralled by this series so far! I loved Illuminae so much it was so different to anything I had ever read and the storyline was super entertaining and somehow Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff have been able to step it up another notch with Gemina. I feel like it has catapulted the plot to another level that I wasn’t expecting at all!

We follow two fresh perspectives of Hanna and Vik. Hanna is the daughter of the Heimdall station commander and Vik is the son of a highly known crime family. They meet under nefarious circumstances, as Vik is Hanna’s dealer of recreational drugs that are semi-popular on the station. Hanna’s boyfriend Jackson is one of the workers under her father and he isn’t that fond of Vik and vice-versa. The plot picks up as the Alexander is making its way towards the Heimdall station so they can publicize the attack of the Kerenza camp and BeiTech want to completely destroy all evidence of this. So BeiTech send an “audit team” to Heimdall station to stop this from happening.

I really loved Hanna and Vik as our protagonists in Gemina. Hanna has wanted for nothing in her life, her father has provided for her and taught her how to protect herself and ingrained in her a thorough knowledge of political and military strategies. She has moved around from station to station a lot and is completely capable on her own. Vik has grown up in the criminal world, with street smarts and deep rooted ideals of loyalty and family honor. The contrast of the two makes for an entertaining and fun read.

Again there is soooo much happening is such a short period of time in this book but because I had become accustomed to the style from Gemina I definitely enjoyed the experience a lot more this time around. The plot unfolded super quickly and the stakes just kept getting higher and higher as it progressed. I literally could not put the book down until I finished it. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole story and it kept me guessing right from the start. I had no idea where the story was going to go and what was going to happen next and I loved it! There are so many plot twists and action scenes and high intensity moments that I enjoyed so much.

I know it looks intimidating to start but its actually a very fast paced, action packed, emotionally charged story that you fly through.

⭐️4.5/5 stars I’m picking up Obsidio and starting it ASAP!

Reviews

Cress Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Cress Review

*Spoilers, Spoilers, Spoilers!*

220px-Cress_(Official_Book_Cover)_by_Marissa_MeyerI can definitely see why the majority of the YA community absolutely loves this series! It’s been an absolute roller coaster ride.

Cinder and Thorn are still on the run however they now have Wolf and Scarlett with them after saving them from the thaumaturge in Paris. They are now all together plotting to overthrow Queen Levanna and stop the royal wedding. Their best bet is the hacker who helped Cinder and revealed the Queen’s evil plan. Cress has been imprisoned and isolated on her satellite in orbit for 7 years now with only her netscreens to keep her company and informed. Finally it seems like her luck is changing and she will finally be rescued by Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

The pace of each of the novels in the Lunar Chronicles continues to grow after each installment. Cress was a whirlwind from start to finish. I like how we are starting to get more of a background of Luna and what life is like there and how different it is from Earth. It has again broadened and added a lot more depth to these books and it starting to weave together the storyline. Cress was another great female protagonist in the book. I like that she brought forth more naivety and innocence that Cinder and Scarlett kind of lack. I like that she has such a wild imagination and is able to use it to her advantage in her times of need. The relationship that springs up between her and Thorn kind of felt a little contrived to begin with, but I have been enraptured! Both of them having to rely on each other throughout their ordeal in the desert and watching as their bond grew closer and how they opened up to each other was so genuine and just plain cute. I definitely ship them! My heart broke for Dr. Erland, I kind of didn’t really enjoy him as much as other characters but I definitely felt he was an integral role in the book and he has helped really pull together this ragtag group of rebels and set them on this course that they are now on.

There is just so much action and plotting and planning and revelations and heartbreaks, it’s almost too much but also not enough. There has just been a continual thread of maneuverings and I can feel the subtle build up of anticipation that I know is about to culminate in the last book of this series.

⭐️4/5 stars entertaining, informative, escalating, Winter is going to be crazy!

Reviews

Illuminae Review

by amyleighreads3 Comments on Illuminae Review

*Spoiler Free*

Illuminae Ray V6FrontOnlyA2A_V3.inddWow… just wow!

Illuminae follows the story of Kady and Emery who live on a tiny planet made of ice on a colony called Kerenza at the edge of the universe that was being mined by a megacorporation. On the day that Kady and Emery decide to break up the planet is invaded and attacked by a rival megacorporation called BeiTech. Somehow they both make it off the planet on separate spaceships, Kady on a science vessel called the Hypatia and Erza on a battle carrier called the Alexander with one more ship called the Coepernicus. The main ship that BeiTech used in their assault is the Lincoln and it has been chasing the three vessels for the last six months as they try to make it to a far off jump station called the Heimdall.

Ok, I will admit for the first hundred pages or so I was completely lost. There was a lot of information thrown at me in a short period of time and it took me a minute to adjust to the unique structure of Illuminae. I without a doubt have never read anything like this book before and it had me a little frazzled to begin with. However, after the plot really picked up and I had become more accustomed to the storyline I was completely engrossed! The characters are diverse and you really get a feel of everyone through the intimate form of communication that they use. The language throughout the novel jumped a lot from informal to formal and I loved the juxtaposition between the two, it really helped you to relate to a majority of the characters.

Kady is just fantastic; I absolutely loved her tenacity and determination and the staunchness that she radiates as she faces repeated horrors and grief. Ezra was such a relatable character. He wears his heart on his sleeve and he has such great relationships with those around him. I love the camaraderie he shares with his fellow pilots and the emotions he displays over the course of the novel was touching to read. Aidan was a little bit of an enigma for me. I don’t really want to get too into details and spoil the storyline but I really didn’t trust or believe anything he said after the Copernicus. I thought Kady was a little naïve for believing him at first but as the story progressed you really get a sense of the depth of the character and it explored a whole different avenue that I really wasn’t expecting.

This kind of composition is really engaging and it keeps you highly entertained. The plot is so fast paced and with the stakes being so high you are on the edge of your seat throughout the whole storyline. I loved it, it was honestly a breathe of fresh air and I cannot wait to jump into Gemina and Obsidio in the very near future!

⭐️4/5 stars didn’t know what to expect but loved it!