science fiction

May

08

Review: The 5th Wave, Rick Yancey

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 4 comments

The 5th Wave

The 5th Wave (Goodreads)
Author: Rick Yancey (website)
Follow @RickYancey

Rating:

The 1st Wave took out half a million people. The 2nd Wave put that number to shame. The 3rd Wave lasted a little longer, twelve weeks… four billion dead. In the 4th Wave, you can’t trust that people are still people. And the 5th Wave? No one knows. But it’s coming.

On a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Details

Series: The Fifth Wave #1
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Science fiction
Published: Penguin, May 7, 2013
Pages: 460
My copy: via the publisher

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble

Read a preview for free here, or for kindle you can get the sample for free from Amazon.

Review

Cassie is all alone, hiding in the forest. Her father was so excited about the “visitors” arriving, but now her parents are dead, most of the human population wiped out and her five-year-old brother has been taken away by soldiers. She promised she’d find him and look after him, but the military base is far away and impenetrable. How will she get there and find Sammy if she can’t trust anyone to be human?

The 5th Wave is a raw and rather heartbreaking story of just how things could play out in an apocalyptic situation. When you can’t even trust your fellow humans not to kill you on sight, or even to not be an alien in disguise, how are you supposed to survive?

When I finished this book I gave it five stars right away, but after a bit of consideration I decided to downgrade it to four stars instead. Let me see if I can describe why in a coherent way.

What I loved

The premise – alien invasion! I’m not sure if I’ve ever actually read a book about aliens invading Earth but wow, it’s scary stuff to consider! Power lost, world thrown into confusion and people dying from a horrible disease left, right and centre – and people losing their families, not just to the invasion, but to other humans fighting to survive. It’s heartbreaking, and terrifying, and makes a cracker of a story.
The action – the action scenes are edge-of-your-seat tense. I couldn’t stop reading because I was terrified that anyone could die at any moment!
Evan – such a tortured character! I won’t say more in the interest of spoiler avoidance, but wow, that guy is two parts creepy and one part sweetheart.

What I didn’t like so much

There’s a love triangle. Okay, so there’s only a whiff of one, but I have a nasty feeling it’s going to come back to bite in the next book. I know Cassie is only sixteen, but her behaviour towards Evan is incredibly hot and cold. Even after she finds out the truth about him she’s still torn as to whether she’s in or out. Then when Ben’s back on the scene, after all they’ve been through, it turns out she’s still a bit giddy. Okay, old lady alert – I’m sure there are those who love it.
Young children in combat. The children are the future, yes. They are also the most impressionable and easily indoctrinated to fight against the invaders. But seriously, anyone under 10 is not going to be able to perform in a combat situation. Also, these kids have just been through harrowing disasters in which they lost their entire families and homes. Is it really a good idea to arm them and place the future of the world in their hands?

After all that, I think I liked Cassie but I didn’t love her. She’s incredibly determined and resourceful, but at the same time is often a very terrified teenager. I guess I just couldn’t get past the part where she meets Evan (“Omg, saved by a guy I’ve never met before and shouldn’t trust, but he’s SO HOT!”).

I found The 5th Wave to be a very tense and exhilarating read. I’ll look forward to seeing what the future brings for the world, as soon as I pop down to the shops and stock up on canned food and water!

Warnings: Strong violence.

What did others think of The 5th Wave?

“It’s the kind of fast-paced and compelling read that will grab teen readers and leave them wanting more.” - Lost in a Great Book
“This book was so crazily addictive that I read it in literally half a day, and several months afterwards I am still jazzed over its edge-of-your-seat action.” - The Midnight Garden – Enter the giveaway!
“Think of a character in apocalyptic movies that you would hang with to survive, Cassie is that person. She is Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead. Well, you know what I mean.” - Novels on the Run

Apr

29

Review: The Eternity Cure, Julie Kagawa

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 8 comments

Title: The Eternity Cure (Goodreads)
Author: Julie Kagawa (website)
Follow @Jkagawa

Rating:

Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.

Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike.

Details

Series: Blood of Eden #2
Genre: Young adult Paranormal/Dystopian Science fiction/Horror
Published: Harlequin Teen, 30 April 2013.
Pages: 446
My copy: the publisher via Netgalley

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com• Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble

Please note, this is my review for the second book in the Blood of Eden series and so contains spoilers for the first book. You may wish to read my review of The Immortal Rules instead!

Review

After the rollercoaster ride that was The Immortal Rules, I was keen to get stuck into The Eternity Cure. I was delighted to discover that, although a little slow at the beginning while things were re-capped, this second instalment gripped me just as much as the first!

Allison Sekemoto has delivered her friends to safety, but as a vampire, she is not welcome with them. She resumes her search for her mentor, Kanin, following her sense of his presence as her sire. She knows he is being held captive and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren, but instead of being led to Kanin, she discovers her sibling, Jackal – the leader of the Raider city her human friends had been held captive in not long ago. It seems he and Allison might be after the same goal in the short term, but is it safe to trust him?

Even though the subject matter in this story is often quite dark and violent, there is just enough light-hearted humour to bring the story out of being a depressing read. The first few chapters contain quite a lot of re-cap from the first book, so it felt a little slow to someone like me who only just read the first book, but once the action got going, it was all go, go, go. The journey into and back out of New Covington was nail-bitingly suspenseful and there were just enough twists to keep me guessing all the way to the end. And wow, what an ending! The third book cannot come fast enough!

When Allie first meets back up with Jackal, I was a bit confused. I didn’t remember him playing a very large role in the first book – apart from being a heartless bastard, that is. In any case, he was an interesting and enigmatic addition to the new storyline, and even by the end we have no idea whether he is trustworthy or not. Such a well-written character, and I enjoyed his snark, even if I wanted to slap him more than a few times! Zeke, also, is quite different in this book – harder and more kick-arse. As the only human through a lot of the story he does a great job at making sure none of the vampires push him around, even if they could rip out his throat at any moment.

The one thing that slightly disappointed me about this book was the romantic aspect. I know, I know, it’s young adult, there has to be some romance, and after the scene at the end (no spoilers) it is necessary to a certain degree (my heart! *clutches*), but hear me out. After Zeke appears back on the scene, he knows that Allie is a vampire and that she is now working with Jackal, but he forgives her way too quickly, in my opinion. The rebuilding of their relationship could have been drawn out until the very end of the book in exquisite agony for each of them, but no. I’m trying not to give too much of anything away here, so I’ll just say that the romantic elements of this particular book didn’t work for me.

The Eternity Cure is a much darker book than The Immortal Rules in a lot of ways, but still brilliantly written and full of edge-of-the-seat suspense all the way through. I would highly recommend this series to any dark urban fantasy enthusiasts.

Warnings: Graphic violence.

Blood of Eden series

What did others think of The Eternity Cure?

“Even better than the first book! Fast pacing and high action combine for a gripping, edge of your seat read!” - Auntie Spinelli Reads
“It is Jackal – Allison’s blood brother and old enemy – that truly makes an impression in this instalment. He is cocky, presumptuous, unpredictable, and, more than anything, a brilliant source of dark humour and entertainment.” – Realm of Fiction
“…I don’t know that I’ve ever read a vampire story — especially from the point-of-view of the vampire — that I’ve loved more. And I’ve read a lot of good ones. Trust me.” – The Starry-Eyed Revue

Apr

09

Review: The Immortal Rules, Julie Kagawa

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 5 comments

Title: The Immortal Rules (Goodreads)
Author: Julie Kagawa (website) Follow @Jkagawa

Rating:

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for again.

Details

Series: Blood of Eden #1
Genre: Young adult Paranormal/Dystopian Science fiction/Horror (Vampires and Zombies, oh my!)
Published: Harlequin Teen, April 2012. Paperback March 26, 2013.
Pages: 485
My copy: the publisher via Netgalley

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble • Bookworld (epub)

Review

I heard so many amazing things about this book around its original publication date in 2012, but avoided it because, well… vampires. I really wish I had picked it up though – I ended up loving it as much as everyone else seemed to!

At some point in the near future, a deadly disease wipes out most of the human population of earth. The vampires were not susceptible to the disease, and barricaded themselves within certain cities, keeping some humans nearby as a food source in exchange for relative safety. In trying to create a cure for the disease, the rabids were created – mindless zombies who roam the world outside the cities, killing any living creature in their path.

Allison (known as Allie) lives in the fringe of the city where everyday survival is a struggle for those who choose to remain unregistered as “blood donors” by the vampires. One fateful night, Allie and her group are attacked and killed by rabids. Allie, however, doesn’t stay dead. She is “rescued” by a vampire – turned into the very thing that she hates.

Allie spends much of the story trying to come to terms with the fact that she is now dead, no longer human, and a blood-craving monster. I really admired her strength, but also her vulnerability as she mourns the life she left behind, even if it wasn’t much of a life. Her journey out of the city and towards the fabled city of Eden is very tense – at any moment she could be discovered or attacked, or get a whiff of blood and lose her self-control. The pacing is just right and I couldn’t put the book down – in fact it kept me reading well into the night with a torch while I was camping over the Easter weekend!

I wasn’t sure how I felt about the whole business with the religious group at first. I was slightly annoyed that religion had come into it, but the more I thought about it the more it made sense for someone like Jeb to have such a single-minded purpose. I must admit I thought Zeke was a bit too much of a warm fuzzy romantic interest rather than a real leader, but he does improve by the end. I hope Allison manages to run into him again before long.

Vampire society, while briefly introduced to Allie by Kanin during her training, doesn’t play any part in this part of the story. The fact that we see barely any other vampires and that Kanin disappears from the picture so quickly made it painfully obvious that this is just the first part of a much larger story. I’ll be interested to see how he comes back into things.

I would highly recommend The Immortal Rules for anyone who likes the sound of a gritty dystopian, with vampires and zombies who are slightly different from the current norm. The second book in this series, The Eternity Cure, is due for release at the start of May and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into it!

Warnings: Graphic violence including towards children.

Blood of Eden series

What did others think of The Immortal Rules?

“If you swore never to pick up a vampire book again, this book is worth breaking that promise over.” - Tea, Daydreams & Fairytales
“Allison is actually a kick-ass heroine set to rival the likes of Buffy and whilst I didn’t see her as more than a regurgitated Katniss at first, she soon proved to be a hell of a lot more.” – Once Upon A Time
“The Immortal Rules is anything but traditional, and most importantly it is GOOD. (And by good I mean awesome to the point where I had trouble doing my job because I kept telling myself to read “just one more page” on my Kindle app.)” – Nina on Goodreads

Apr

08

Cover Reveal and Giveaway: Shudder, Samantha Durante

Cover Reveal Posted by Angelya / 1 comments

I’m very pleased today to be able to join in with the cover reveal for the second book in the Stitch trilogy, Shudder by Samantha Durante! Samantha is also hosting a giveaway of an ARC of this book – details are at the bottom of this post.

If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Stitch, you can find my review here. I really enjoyed it and have been looking forward to the next part of the story!

I’d like to present to you: Shudder.

Title: Shudder
Author: Samantha Durante
Follow @SamanthaDurante

Series: Stitch trilogy #2
Genre: Young Adult Post-Apocalyptic Paranormal Romance
Published: June 15, 2013

Synopsis

It’s only been three days, and already everything is different.

Paragon is behind her, but somehow Alessa’s life may actually have gotten worse. In a wrenching twist of fate, she traded the safety and companionship of her sister for that of her true love, losing a vital partner she’d counted on for the ordeal ahead. Her comfortable university life is but a distant memory, as she faces the prospect of surviving a bleak winter on the meager remains of a ravaged world. And if she’d thought she’d tasted fear upon seeing a ghost, she was wrong; now she’s discovering new depths of terror while being hunted by a deadly virus and a terrifying pack of superhuman creatures thirsting for blood.

And then there are the visions.

The memory-altering “stitch” unlocked something in Alessa’s mind, and now she can’t shake the constant flood of alien feelings ransacking her emotions. Haunting memories of an old flame are driving a deep and painful rift into her once-secure relationship. And a series of staggering revelations about the treacherous Engineers – and the bone-chilling deceit shrouding her world’s sorry history – will soon leave Alessa reeling…

The second installment in the electrifying Stitch Trilogy, Shudder follows Samantha Durante’s shocking and innovative debut with a heart-pounding, paranormal-dusted dystopian adventure sure to keep the pages turning.

About the Author

Samantha Durante lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. The Stitch Trilogy is her debut series. Learn more about Samantha at www.samanthadurante.com.

Giveaway

Enter the Giveaway HERE!!!

Feb

21

Review: Star Wars: Scoundrels, Timothy Zahn

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 3 comments

Title: Star Wars: Scoundrels (Goodreads)
Author: Timothy Zahn (Facebook)

Rating:

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?

Details

Series: Stand-alone, but part of the greater Star Wars saga
Genre: Science fiction heist
Published: Del Rey (Random House), January 2013
Pages: 432

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Barnes & Noble

Review

Scoundrels is a very enjoyable grand heist story, set in the Star Wars universe. If you’ve seen Ocean’s Eleven, you’ve got the basic storyline here – Han Solo and Chewbacca are offered an amazing reward for busting some stolen credits out of a maximum-security safe. Han gathers a team of professional thieves and slicers to take on the job, including Lando Calrissian.

The story takes place after the events of A New Hope (Episode IV) but before the Rebels relocate to Hoth at the start of Empire Strikes Back (Episode V). Han has received credits as a reward for his part in the rescue of Princess Leia and the destruction of the Death Star, but he was held up by pirates and the money was stolen before he could pay off Jabba the Hutt. Now he’s looking for a new job to raise the money again, and get those bounty hunters off his back, but with the Black Sun organisation making their presence known and Imperial agents sniffing about, a carefully crafted plan may not be enough to pull the caper off.

Timothy Zahn is a master of Star Wars lore, having already written at least 10 other books set both before and after the time of the films. I have actually read his Heir to the Empire series as well, a long time ago. His stories are easy to read and very suspenseful – you’re never quite sure who can be trusted or what the plan actually is until it happens. To a certain extent the ending is predictable – we know how some of it ends, because Lando isn’t happy with Han when they meet at Bespin during Empire Strikes Back (“You’ve got a lot of guts coming here…”), and we know the bounty hunters are still after Han. Despite that, the actual order of events is never obvious and there are plenty of twists throughout.

Being set within the timeline of the original three films is a major bonus here – unlike some of the other Star Wars books, there are only a few references to obscure places and people elsewhere in the universe, or events that happened in the past outside of the film storyline. This makes Scoundrels a more accessible book to those who are just film fans and not necessarily lore gurus like some people I know (*eyes SWTOR-playing friends*).

Scoundrels gives a bit of extra insight into some of my favourite characters from the Star Wars films. Han shows true leadership and more of his intelligent side than the “scruffy looking nerf herder” of the films. While Chewie doesn’t exactly get a lot of dialogue, he is still a major player in the heist. I didn’t feel that Han, Chewie and Lando showed that much of their film personas, but I get the feeling that the audiobook version would bring out the characters we know and love a lot better.

I’d recommend Scoundrels to Star Wars fans. Prior Star Wars knowledge isn’t essential, so those who enjoy an action-packed heist story should enjoy this one too!

Warnings: Star Wars levels of violence (blasters, no blood)

What did others think of Scoundrels?

“All in all this is a big step away from the traditional SW novels focused on action with plenty more tension and planning, but there are still plenty of things that go boom.” – The Mad Hatter’s Bookshelf
“Zahn takes a number of risks here, writing something of this kind for the franchise, and as I read the book it was clear he looked simply to have fun with it and hoped readers would do the same. I think he was right because I had a good time!” – SFRevu
“Zahn tells a good story and Scoundrels is no exception. He has the advantage of building upon the foundation of a well-known universe and Zahn uses that to his advantage, skillfully unveiling parts of Lucas’ universe for new readers without rehashing what the passionate fans may already know.” – Stainless Steel Droppings

Feb

14

Review: Scarlet, Marissa Meyer

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 0 comments

Title: Scarlet (Goodreads)

Author: Marissa Meyer (Website) (Twitter)

Rating:

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

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.

As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Details

Series: Lunar Chronicles #2 of 4
Genre: YA Science fiction
Published: Penguin Australia (Puffin in the UK, Feiwel and Friends in USA), February 5, 2013
Pages (hardcover): 464

Paper copies: Amazon.com (hardcover) • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble • Bookworld (epub)

Please note: This review is for the second book in this series, and so will contain spoilers for the first book, Cinder. You may wish to go and read my review of Cinder instead!

The Queen’s Army

Before reading Scarlet you may wish to take a look at a short story that comes in as #1.5 in the series. The Queen’s Army is about a young Lunar boy, chosen to be part of Queen Levana’s army. He is physically modified to give him wolfish characteristics and is trained to be a killing machine. The events of this story pave the way for what happens in Scarlet, and gives a bit of background into some of the newer characters.

You can read The Queen’s Army for free at the Tor website! (Goodreads link)

Review

I loved Cinder when I read it early last year, so I couldn’t wait for Scarlet to be released and hoped it would live up to such a fantastic first part of the story. Thankfully, it did!

Scarlet starts almost immediately after the events at the end of Cinder, so here’s a quick recap of where things lie: Cinder has just crashed the ball, drenched from the rain but determined to tell Kai that the Lunar Queen is planning to kill him after their marriage, if he agrees to it. She confronts Queen Levana and is exposed as a Cyborg. She flees the scene, leaving one of her feet behind her, but is captured and thrown in prison. Doctor Erland, the Lunar who had been working on the cure for the plague, tells her to escape and come meet him in Africa.

As well as continuing Cinder’s story, Scarlet is also based loosely on the story of Red Riding Hood. Scarlet Benoit is a young lady living with her grandmother in rural France. Her grandmother has been kidnapped, and in her search to find her Scarlet meets the curiously vulnerable street-fighter, Wolf. Scarlet’s father turns up desperate and disoriented after having been tortured by the same group that has kidnapped Scarlet’s grandmother, and Wolf agrees to help Scarlet find those responsible. What could her grandmother possibly know that would cause someone to do this to her?

Scarlet’s and Cinder’s stories are very separate throughout most of the book, each following their own path, but it all ties together nicely in the end. Prince (now Emperor) Kai also makes a few appearances so we get to see how he is coping with the growing crises. Kai and Cinder are not actually together so I did miss their delightful romance of the first book, but in Scarlet we get the growing relationship between Wolf and Scarlet instead. Their romance develops over only a couple of days, which feels slightly rushed, but it’s only early days for them so it will be nice to see how they further develop.

Cinder continues to be a kick-arse Cyborg and it was lovely to see the android Iko back in the action. Cinder has an accomplice on her journey through this book – a shallow and a rather comical figure, Captain Carswell Thorne. I loved how he added a lighter side to an otherwise fairly action-packed story.

If you enjoyed Cinder then you should definitely get a hold of Scarlet. Marissa Meyer has continued her story about how just a few people can change the course of worldwide events and I’m not sure how I’m going to wait a whole year for Cress to come out!

Warnings: Violence but otherwise clean.

Expected pub Feb 2014

Expected pub 2015

What did others think of Scarlet?

“If Cinder was about lies and manipulation, then Scarlet‘s focus is on all of the secrets that led up to that. It’s engrossing and fast-paced, the kind of story you never want to end.” – The Starry-Eyed Revue
“For the few of you out there who, like me, were unimpressed by Cinder, I challenge you to give Scarlet a try. It will, undoubtedly, make you eat your former words about this series.” – Ivy Book Bindings
“SCARLET will take you on an adventure where darts coming out of fingers can almost be considered normal and where the little red riding hood isn’t as gullible as we thought she was.” – Stéphanie of Tynga’s Reviews

Jan

28

Review: Through the Ever Night, Veronica Rossi

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 0 comments

Title: Through the Ever Night (Goodreads)
Author: Veronica Rossi (website) (twitter)

Rating:

It’s been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don’t take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe’s precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both.

Threatened by false friends, hidden enemies, and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night?

Details

Series: Under the Never Sky #2 of 3
Genre: Young adult post-apocalyptic Sci-fi
Published: Pier 9 in Australia, HarperCollins in USA, January 2013.
Pages: 352
My copy: For review from the publisher via Edelweiss, thanks!

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble • Bookworld (epub)

Please note: This is a review for the second book in the series, and contains spoilers for Under the Never Sky. You may prefer to go and read my review of that book instead!

Just a short note before I begin – late in 2012 Veronica Rossi released an e-novella as part of the UtNS series – Roar and Liv. The story takes place just before the events of the first book, and while you don’t have to have read Under the Never Sky for the events of Roar and Liv to make sense, it does help. It also sheds more light on the relationships between Perry, Roar, Liv, Talon and Vale. I recommend reading it!

Buy Roar and Liv: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble • Bookworld (epub)

Review

After I finished Under the Never Sky I was desperate to get stuck into this second book – I really enjoyed the first one and I was hoping Through the Ever Night could live up to the expectations I had. Fortunately, it was very, very difficult to put this second instalment down – something that a lot of middle books struggle with – and I loved it.

Aria has been staying at Delphi with Marron while Perry returns to the Tides to regain his hold as Blood Lord over the tribe. The story picks up as they are reunited after several months apart, during which time Aria’s abilities as an Aud are sharpened. Aria and Perry decide that the best course of action is to return to the Tide encampment and prepare for a journey north to the city of the Horns. Apparently the leader there, Sable, knows about the location of the Still Blue, a mysterious land without the destructive Aether where their people could live in safety. The Tides are naturally wary of Aria and don’t accept her easily. Meanwhile, a consignment of food and helpers arrives from the Horns. Does this mean that Liv has gone through with her part in the bargain and married Sable after all?

Through the Ever Night is a roller-coaster ride of action, emotion, hope and heartbreak. This story is in no way just a romance between Perry and Aria – there are emotional scenes of every shade and each character is driven by their own ambitions or quest. The world they live in is travelled and explored more widely and we learn more about how tribal society works, although still not a lot about Aria’s old life inside Reverie.

The point of view once again switches between chapters between Aria and Perry, and this style works well to keep each thread of the story moving along. Even when the two are together, the pov shift adds dimension to the story to see events from two sides. Perry and Aria’s voices differ enough that they have distinct feelings about the way things happen. Roar plays a large part in this story as well, and as before is a brilliant and lovable character, driven to distraction trying to chase down his love, Liv. I also loved how the citizens of Reverie were brought back into the story – I can’t begin to imagine how they’re all going to deal with what has happened at the end!

I enjoyed every bit of Through the Ever Night. The things that annoyed me in the first book were explained or were missing in this one. The romance was lovely and there were a few “don’t you DARE do that!” moments in it too. I know this whole review has been one long gushy mess but honestly, I cannot wait to see what happens next.

Bring on the final book!

Warnings: Violence, sexual situations (not graphic)

Under the Never Sky

?Into the Still Blue(January 2014)

What did others think of Through the Ever Night?

“Through the Ever Night had everything that was missing for me in Under the Never Sky: a gripping plot, characters I cared about, and a story that felt necessary.” – Book Nook
“Even if you weren’t impressed with the first book, I highly urge you to change your mind and read this second book. Rossi grew by leaps and bounds, and when that happens with a recently-debuted author, it’s really a joy to watch.” – Birth of a New Witch
“Veronica Rossi’s writing continues to be amazing and she really pulls off both Aria’s and Perry’s POV flawlessy by giving them each a unique voice.” – Book-A-Holic

Jan

17

Review: Under the Never Sky, Veronica Rossi

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 3 comments

Title: Under the Never Sky (Goodreads)
Author: Veronica Rossi (website) (twitter)

Rating:

Exiled from her safe home in the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria finds herself in the outer wastelands known as the Death Shop. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent energy storms will. There she meets a savage, an Outsider named Perry – wild, dangerous – who is her only chance of survival.

But Perry needs Aria, too, and they are forced into an unlikely alliance that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

Details

Series: Under the Never Sky #1 of 3
Genre: Young adult post-apocalyptic Sci-fi
Published: Pier 9 in Australia, HarperCollins in USA, January 2012.
Pages: 376

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble • Bookworld (epub)

Review

I started reading Under the Never Sky expecting it to be just like the other YA sci-fi I’ve read recently and while it was to a certain extent, the story was told in a very engaging way and with such awesome characters that I enjoyed it immensely!

Aria lives in the protected environment called Reverie – a “pod” where parts of humanity have taken refuge after an apocalyptic event that left the world’s surface devastated. Inhabitants are genetically altered to avoid disease and wear a Smart-Eye that allows them access to the Realms, a sort of virtual reality where they can hang out with their friends or live out any dream that they desire, with a thought. But Aria’s mother has travelled to another pod city to continue her research and when the link to that pod drops, Aria is determined to find out what has happened there. Soon she finds herself mixed up with the wrong crowd and expelled from Reverie, left to fend for herself in the surface wastelands known as the Death Shop.

There, she meets Perry – an Outsider, savage to her eyes. Perry sees her as a weak Mole, but he keeps her alive as she is the only hope he has of helping his nephew. Perry is also a Scire – his sense of smell is heightened so that he can smell people’s “temper”, sensing their moods and intentions.

The Scires, Audiles and Seers make an interesting magic system – in the world outside the pods, human senses are magnified for some people. It also adds an extra dimension to the tribal society, because only some people develop these senses, and they must marry within their sense to preserve the bloodline.

Under the Never Sky starts with a bang – the first couple of chapters are quite dark but very gripping. The pace drops off a bit in the middle, but ramps up again to an explosive ending. I was a little disappointed with the last few chapters – they ended up a bit romantic and wishy-washy and the trip into Bliss felt rushed to me. Nevertheless, I was very keen to get stuck into the second book, Through the Ever Night (which incidentally was just released last week and I read during Bout of Books!).

I haven’t given this book a full five stars, partly because of the ending, but there were a couple of other things that brought the story down a bit. Firstly, being in a future post-apocalyptic world, there are many strange and unfamiliar things in this world, and not just in Aria’s pod city of Reverie. Usually, in time, these things would be explained and I’d have more of an idea of how things work in this world. Not so in Under the Never Sky. The idea of the Outsiders’ heightened Senses was gradually explained so that was okay, but there are references to other tribes, to things in the pod society and especially everything relating to the Aether that were not explained. The Aether is particularly annoying because it’s constantly referred to as being up there above the clouds and funnelling down to earth during storms to burn all in its path, but what is it actually? I’m assuming some kind of electro-magnetic storm that is surrounding the earth, but how did it get there? I really hope there will be more explanation in future books.

The characters in UtNS are brilliant. Perry and Aria are each very strong people and their interactions sizzle, at first with hostility, but as their friendship builds – wow! It did slightly bother me that Aria was able to take so quickly to hunting, fighting and trekking across the wilderness such a short time after coming from a life being sheltered and protected underground. Perry was just awesome – cold and distant at first but gradually warming up and showing his true colours. It’s a brutal world they live in and Perry is obviously a product of that world.

The supporting cast is fantastic too – I loved Roar and was intrigued by Cinder. I was a little confused by Marron and the stronghold at Delphi – why does he have this outpost of high technology and the other Outsiders are still living in hut villages, hunting and gathering to survive without any tech? He was obviously well-known to Perry and Roar, so why doesn’t everyone want to live there?

I wasn’t suprised to learn that Under the Never Sky has been optioned by a major film company – it’s rather Hunger Games-esque in its hunting scenes and the fleeing through the forest parts. I do think it will make an amazing movie if it does come toghether though – the aether, the mixture of primitive and future technologies… I’ll look forward to seeing it!

Those who enjoy YA Fantasy and Sci-fi should love the gritty action and swoony romance in Under the Never Sky. It’s an amazing debut from Veronica Rossi and I’m looking forward to seeing what else this talented author has in store.

Warnings: Violence, sexual situations (not graphic)

Under the Never Sky

?Into the Still Blue

(January 2014)

What did others think of Under the Never Sky?

“So much of this book is beautiful but the character creation and development takes the cake.” – The Fiction Pixie
“There are some excellent supporting characters and Rossi has given us several very different environments/worlds within the entire world she has created which is awesome.” – All the Books I Can Read
“One of my favourite debuts of the year, Rossi’s Under the Never Sky is a fast-paced adventure of self discovery, action, romance and sacrifice.” – Badass Bookie

Dec

27

Review: Great North Road, Peter F Hamilton

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 2 comments

Title: Great North Road (Goodreads)
Author: Peter F. Hamilton (website)

Rating:

In Newcastle-upon-Tyne, AD 2142, Detective Sidney Hurst attends a brutal murder scene. The victim is one of the wealthy North family clones – but none have been reported missing. And the crime’s most disturbing aspect is how the victim was killed. Twenty years ago, a North clone billionaire and his household were horrifically murdered in exactly the same manner, on the tropical planet of St Libra. But if the murderer is still at large, was Angela Tramelo wrongly convicted? Tough and confident, she never wavered under interrogation – claiming she alone survived an alien attack. But there is no animal life on St Libra.

Investigating this alien threat becomes the Human Defence Agency’s top priority. The bio-fuel flowing from St Libra is the lifeblood of Earth’s economy and must be secured. So a vast expedition is mounted via the Newcastle gateway, and teams of engineers, support personnel and xenobiologists are dispatched to the planet. Along with their technical advisor, grudgingly released from prison, Angela Tramelo.

Details

Series: Stand-alone
Genre: Science Fiction “Space opera”
Published: Macmillan, September 2012 (will be released in the USA on Jan 1, 2013)
Pages: 1087
My copy: For review from Pan Macmillan Australia, thanks!

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble

Review

Science fiction in general at the moment seems to feature a lot of dystopia and generally depressing views of the future. Great North Road is different in that it presents a rather optimistic view of the near future – quite a lot has changed but the basic human nature seems the same. This story is the first by Peter F Hamilton that I have read, but I’m now very interested in reading some of his many other works.

Where to begin with a story of over a thousand pages? Let’s start with a bit of background. In the beginning of the 21st Century, Kane North has been working on a cloning program, specifically to clone himself. After several failures he does succeed – Augustine, Bartram and Constantine North are born. In the middle of the 21st Century, gateway technology is developed (think Stargate but on a corporate scale), allowing instant transport across vast distances. Connections are made to distant planets, and the three North brothers create Northumberland Interstellar Corporation to take advantage of developing resource-rich new worlds across the galaxy. They focus their development on Sirius’ planet of St Libra, growing algae-paddies to harvest bioil for use back on Earth and across the inhabited planets. The North brothers create further clones of themselves and these so-called 2Norths become the management of Northumberland Interstellar.

Fast-forward to 2141, and one of the 2North clones is found dead in the Tyne River in a wintry Newcastle upon Tyne. Detective Sidney Hurst is in charge of the investigation. The case receives a considerable amount of attention given the high-profile victim, but also because the unidentified North was stabbed through the heart by a five-bladed knife (or claws) – the exact way Bartram North and his household were slaughtered twenty years previously on St Libra. Back then, the only survivor, Angela Tramelo, had sworn she had seen a monster in the mansion – a black-armoured humanoid with blades for fingers. Her story was not believed and she was incarcerated for life.

But now, the Human Defence Agency (or HDA) are reconsidering the possibility of sentinent alien life on St Libra, and mount an enormous expedition to the planet to try to track any trace of the alien down. Angela is released from jail, on the condition that she accompany the expedition as an expert advisor. So while the murder investigation continues in Newcastle, the HDA and their legionnaires head through the gateway and into the unknown north continent of St Libra.

Great North Road is an amazing tapestry of stories – the cop-drama investigation in Newcastle and the expedition to St Libra are the two main storylines, with many other smaller stories woven around them. The narrative jumps back and forth with a lot of flashbacks which is a little offputting at times, but it allows the full truth to be kept hidden right up to the end of the story, keeping the mystery intact and the tension high. The fascinating technology is discussed quite casually and not over-described, which makes the advanced tech feel quite natural. I don’t usually go for murder-mystery books but the sci-fi elements of this one really kept my interest.

There were two main problems I had with Great North Road. The first is the size of the book! The paperback is such a doorstop. It’s a stand alone story but I think it could have been split at least in half to make it more manageable to handle. It took me two months to read it (which is a very long time for me!) as I couldn’t carry it to work with me. I’d recommend the e-book version!

The second thing I didn’t really like so much about the story was the sheer amount of detail – every part of the murder investigation is mentioned in detail and it really slows the story down at times, especially in the first half of the book. Thankfully the action ramps up in the second half and it’s very difficult to put the last 300 pages or so down.

The characters are fantastic! Each personality is developed so well that we really get to know them by the end. The point of view is shared around between several main characters, which gives a lot of insight into what’s happening in the different political factions and the motivations of important individuals. The addition of Geordie terms such as referring to each other as “pet” is a nice touch – I kept having to remind myself to think with an accent!

Those who like an upbeat Sci-fi story set in the not-too-distant future should enjoy Great North Road. I’d recommend getting the e-book version if you’d rather not cart around a brick of a physical copy!

Warnings: Graphic violence, language, sexual situations (not graphic), drug use

What did others think of Great North Road?

“Overall, Great North Road is a highly recommended novel of 2012, while missing my top 25 where I had expected it to place.” – Fantasy Book Critic
“Overall, Great North Road is a very solid novel. It’s not amongst his best, but it rattles along at a good pace and handles its immense length quite well.” – The Wertzone
“Hamilton has once again shown why he is one of the best writers in the field today, how he can manage multiple plot threads and complicated twists and turns. Above all he can create a world that is unbelievably detailed, and can tell a vast and engrossing story within it.” – Walker of Worlds

Dec

10

Review: The Waste Lands, Stephen King

Challenge / Reviews Posted by Angelya / 2 comments

Title: The Waste Lands (Goodreads)

Author: Stephen King

Rating:

~ Blurb from Goodreads ~

Roland, the Last Gunslinger, moves ever closer to the Dark Tower of his dreams and nightmares- as he crosses a desert of damnation in a macabre world that is a twisted mirror of our very own.

With him are those he has drawn to this world, street-smart Eddie Dean and courageous wheelchair-bound Susannah. Ahead of him are mind-rending revelations about who he is and what is driving him.

Details

Series: The Dark Tower #3 of 7
Genre: Sci-fi/Fantasy/Horror
Published: First published August 1991
Pages: 422

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble

Review

Note: The Stephen King’s The Dark Tower challenge is supposed to be a read-a-long, but I’m doing less of the “answer questions as you read” part and more just reading each book and posting my review each month. If you’re interested in reading some discussion questions about each book, please check out the Dark Tower Challenge blog.

You can also check out my reviews for the first two books in The Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger and The Drawing of the Three. This review contains spoilers!

Roland, Eddie and Susannah (as Odetta is now called) are recovering from their time journeying along the beach in search of doors between the worlds. It’s soon clear that Roland is slowly starting to lose his mind, as he hears voices and is no longer sure which of his memories is the truth. Meanwhile, in New York, eleven-year-old Jake is having a similar crisis as he’s sure he should have died on his way to school. Roland and his companions must try to draw Jake into their world and continue on with their quest.

We find out a lot more about the Tower, about the group’s Ka and their quest towards the end goal moves along at pace, taking them to an almost-ruined ancient city in search of an insane train.

The Waste Lands is packed with literary references, as well as elements of pop-culture from the 1960s-80s eras. I’m sure there were quite a few references I didn’t pick up as well. The often odd references made the story enjoyable in some ways, but distracted from the Mid-world itself in other ways. The first part of the story is a little slow – I thought the entire sequence with Roland and Jake’s dual memories went on for too long. The pace picks up a lot more in the second part of the book and I had a lot of trouble putting it down right to the end.

I found The Waste Lands much more enjoyable than the previous two books. For one thing, it’s not quite so desperate and a lot more adventurous. I spent the entire time reading The Drawing of the Three biting my nails, waiting for the next horrible event to occur, but The Waste Lands was much more like a traditional fantasy tale with a fairly linear journey and plenty of character relationship development.

I loved the way the characters have developed, although I’m still not really sure what happened to Odetta and Detta at the end of the previous book. Susannah seems like a strange mixture of the two of them and we don’t get to know the new her all that well. I did think Eddie was brilliant and I can’t wait to see how he and Susannah develop both their relationship and their abilities as Gunslingers. I also loved having Jake back in the story and the introduction of Oy the billy-bumbler, even though I’m trying not to form too much attachment to any of them as I’m sure they could be killed off at a moment’s notice!

As with the previous books in the series, I’d recommend it to fantasy fans who don’t mind a bit of blood and guts and who enjoy terrifying chases and escapes. The series just keeps getting better with each instalment and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into the fourth book, Wizard and Glass.

Warnings: Sexual scenes (some abusive), coarse language, graphic violence.