Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (The Illumiinae Files_01)

Synopsis:

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

BRIEFING NOTE: Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

Rating: ★★★★

Review:

I literally CAN NOT breathe after reading this! For short this is an action packed, futuristic, war in space, with artificial intelligence times 1000, and a zombie like outbreak. Make of it what you will!!

Plot wise although it started off in the heat of things, it still took off a little slow for me with getting used to the unique format. I was a bit iffy with how engaged I was during the first section of the book but once I got in the groove of the different formats the book was in, I took off and was fully invested in the story. I loved all of the action and having to see the characters deal with more than one problem at a time and by doing this I wasn't allowed to get bored with one task. I felt really involved in the plot even though I wasn't physically doing anything, mentally I felt like I was problem solving with Kady, Ezra, and the crew. 

I found myself really, and shockingly, emotionally attached to the characters. Even though it started out with me not really being a fan of Kady because I drew no connection from her, as the book went on I had more time to build a solid relationship with her. Ezra on the other hand was my love at first sight character, not in a romantic aspect but a friendship view point. I loved his personality and he made me laugh numerous time throughout the book even in time where I probably shouldn't have been laughing. 

I loved the relationship growth between the main characters and getting to watch them put their differences aside and grow, not just as book characters per se, but as people. The one thing Ezra's and Kady's character have in common, that I love, is their sarcasm. It was a perfect mix with the all of the drama going on that really lightened the mood at the perfect times. 

I really enjoyed...liked...loved, but not LOVED(in caps), this book, if that makes sense.

P.S. I also absolutely loved the ending it really showed Kady's spunk and overall attitude.

Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Synopsis:

Odessa is one of Karthia's master necromancers, catering to the kingdom's ruling Dead. Whenever a noble dies, it's Odessa's job to raise them by retrieving their souls from a dreamy and dangerous shadow world called the Deadlands. But there is a cost to being raised--the Dead must remain shrouded, or risk transforming into zombie-like monsters known as Shades. If even a hint of flesh is exposed, the grotesque transformation will begin.

A dramatic uptick in Shade attacks raises suspicions and fears among Odessa's necromancer community. Soon a crushing loss of one of their own reveals a disturbing conspiracy: someone is intentionally creating Shades by tearing shrouds from the Dead--and training them to attack. Odessa is faced with a terrifying question: What if her necromancer's magic is the weapon that brings Karthia to its knees?

Rating:★★★½

Review:

Necromancy + Royalty + Zombies = An amazing Fantasy!!

I loved the immediate jump into action from the opening of the book. Also, I liked how we get bits and pieces of the world building here and there piecing it all together instead of taking two and three chapters to do it all at once. Avoiding brain overload!

I felt like the characters were missing something and needed a little more development. I don't feel like I have a real relationship with the characters but at the same time when something bad happens to them, I'm somehow emotionally tied to them. I wish I had more of a background on the other Necromancers, seeing as they are a part of the main cast it would make more sense. I hate that Odessa had a suicidal attitude, like Bella & Tris, but I like that I got to see her hit rock bottom then pull herself together without needing help from another love connection like most YA books. Speaking of love connections I'm not a fan of the romance AT ALL!! Not because of how it was built but because of who it was built between. I just think it's weird, but not far fetched, and disrespectful and you'll see why once you read the book.

I think Sarah Marsh did a good job setting up and explaining how the Necromancers retrieved the spirits. She set up a really good adventure just from taking us through the gates to traveling through the Deadlands, and that's not mentioning the time spent in the real world. However, I wish she went into more detail about the other types of Mages. We only get a real lesson on Necromancers and Beast Masters but that's only 2 out of 5 of the KNOWN/BASIC Mages, not including however many hybrid mages there are that were also mentioned but we know nothing about. We get a crash course on Weather Mages but only mentioning that they can manipulate the weather and I have no idea what the other mages even are. Why mention something you're not going to explain or use? 

But I hope it's different in book 2 because overall I did really like this book.

Plastic by Doug Wagner

Synopsis:

Retired serial killer Edwyn Stoffgruppen is in love with Virginia, a girl he "met online." Her affection quiets his vile urges. 

Together, they tour the back roads of America in their LTD Crown Vic, eating doughnuts and enjoying their insatiable appetites for each other. Life is good...until a Louisiana billionaire kidnaps Virginia, forcing Edwyn to kill again in exchange for her freedom. 

And the twist to all of this? Virginia is a sex doll.

Writer DOUG WAGNER teams up with artists DANIEL HILLYARD and LAURA MARTIN for a chilling new crime series that ROBERT KIRKMAN (THE WALKING DEAD) reviewed as: "This is the weirdest s**t I've ever read. I love it!"

Collects issues 1-5.

Rating: ★★½

Review:

I didn't hate it but it did not live up to my expectations! The graphics were nice, especially the few extra at the end, but the "save-the-damsel-in-distress" plot wasn't as exhilarating as I wanted it to be. I loved the whole idea of this graphic novel following a serial killer main character and his sex doll girlfriend but it could have been handled better. It felt like it was lacking in the dialogue department because I often found myself getting bored during non aggressive scenes. 

Also, the characters had very little to no development, basically they were your average criminals and everyone that wasn't a criminal seemed like they didn't belong. It almost seems like they were only added to have a full roster of characters but they didn't have a purpose and ultimately weren't really needed.   

Although, this is definitely a gruesome and weird story, I just wish I would have been more invested in the story itself instead of being bored 50% of the time. To sum it up I guess you can say I'm simply disappointed. 😞😞

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Synopsis:

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era! Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon—the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

Rating: ★★★★

Review:

I loved this so much!!!! This trilogy has been on my radar for so long and I honestly don't know what took me so long to actually start reading this. 

It's been a while since I read a time traveling novel that I actually like and I really really REALLY liked this one. The time travel itself, how it was incorporated into the story and how it evolved throughout the whole of the book, was handled with perfection. I loved how it started out uncontrolled but at same time it was explained where we as readers knew what was happening and we weren't left confused because of bad transitioning.  

I also loved the family dynamic. Not speaking of the obvious favoritism for whoever they thought had the time traveler gene but because it was a relatable family. Being that they're not perfect but not overly cruel, they just have the normal ups and downs of a real life family.

I love the friendship between Gwen and Leslie and how the author kept their friendship constant throughout the book, not letting it fade into the background or be over shadowed by everything going on with the plot. Their relationship is just so pure and I want it to stay that way. #FriendshipGoals 👭

I don't really care for Gideon or his an Gwen's budding "romance" and I pray for it not to be a thing. I don't feel like this book needs a romantic relationship, at least not between these two characters. I almost feel like it's a forced relationship and it just makes things awkward. #HellNaawwToTheNawNawNaw 👎🚫 #NoThankYou 🙅😷 #NotONMyWatch ⌚


I absolutely loved the Narrator! She made me laugh so hard when she voiced some of the characters and she just did an amazing job with everyone in general. The epilogue blew my mind and I'm still sitting here mind blown to pieces wondering what in the hell's going on and what did I just hear. I already downloaded Sapphire Blue and I'm ready to jump back into the mystery ASAP!!

Inchor by Aladea

Synopsis:

This book will permit you to defy all the sorrow you once buried deep within you, now riddled within your bones, in order to reach ecstasy and bury seeds instead of persons and gather flowers instead of sorrowful thoughts. 

Fragments of what once made your eyes weep but now make your tears dry. Broken pieces put together to create wholeness within you. 

Based on the genre of milk and honey; Inchor is a poetry book that will delicately unlace the legion of intertwining cords enfolding your brain, in which thoughts are rummaging at all times, to bring out calm from the chaos dominating your soul. You will find the victory of all your previous battles in its poems and it will glorify the shields you have used and act as a weapon to your current daily battles. A mix of metaphors and meanings destined to make you feel the way you've never felt before.

Rating: ★★★★

Review:

I loved the intro! I don't think I've ever had an introduction quite like this for a collection of poetry! Also, I loved that her poems weren't directed at someone in particular or a particular situation. They were universal and I loved that that lets you apply any of the poems to whatever situation you may be going through. 

The only problem I had with this book was that sometimes, because of the way the book's edited, I couldn't decipher when one poem ended and the other began. It didn't happen often maybe twice or three times throughout the entire collection but it did happen.

This book lacked no depth, emotion, or understanding. I absolutely loved it and I 100% recommend picking this up because it is a wonderful quick read.

**The author did contact me with a preview of this book and offer to read and review but I did purchase with my own money and have given my honest opinion.**

The Bear by Claire Cameron

Synopsis:

A powerfully suspenseful story narrated by a young girl who must fend for herself and her little brother after a brutal bear attack. While camping with her family on a remote island, five-year-old Anna awakes in the night to the sound of her mother screaming. A rogue black bear, 300 pounds of fury, is attacking the family's campsite, pouncing on her parents as prey.At her dying mother's faint urging, Anna manages to get her brother into the family's canoe and paddle away. But when the canoe dumps the two children on the edge of the woods, and the sister and brother must battle hunger, the elements, and a dangerous wilderness, we see Anna's heartbreaking love for her family--and her struggle to be brave when nothing in her world seems safe anymore.Told in the honest, raw voice of five-year-old Anna, this is a riveting story of love, courage, and survival.

Rating: ★★½

Review:

I had higher expectations for this book because the synopsis sounded like it was going to take me on an emotional field trip. The beginning started off on a strong note but once the bear attack was over that's when things started going down hill.

Anna is a very frustrating character to follow. I understand she's only 6 but I don't understand how a 6 year old can not know the difference between a dog and a bear, even tho she brings up multiple past conversations discussing bears, but coincidentally knows what a beaver is. Her mind is portrayed as more of a 4 year old than a 6 year old and to come to think about it her 4 year old brother, Stick's, personality and actions doesn't match his age either.

Also, most of Anna's flash backs have nothing to do with the main event at hand and it truly hurts the plot. It makes the story feel longer than needed and that mixed with the frustrating personalities of the main characters makes me loose interest and ultimately makes me want to bail on the whole book but I stuck it through till the end. After the kids were rescued I wish the author would have elaborated more on their therapy and how they came to term with everything they had just experienced but I did like the epilogue more than any other part in the book, besides the beginning. 


I don't know what possessed me to pick up a book where the POV (point of view) character is 6 but most likely it'll never happen again.

Starflight by Melissa Landers

Synopsis:

Solara Brooks needs a fresh start, someplace where nobody cares about the engine grease beneath her fingernails or the felony tattoos across her knuckles. The outer realm may be lawless, but it's not like the law has ever been on her side. Still, off-world travel doesn't come cheap; Solara is left with no choice but to indenture herself in exchange for passage to the outer realm. She just wishes it could have been to anyone besides Doran Spaulding, the rich, pretty-boy quarterback who made her life miserable in school.

The tables suddenly turn, though, when Doran is framed for conspiracy on Earth, and Solara cons him into playing the role of her servant onboard the Banshee, a ship manned by an eccentric crew with their own secrets. It's been a long time since Solara has believed in anyone, and Doran is the last person she expected to trust. But when the Banshee's dangerous enemies catch up with them, Solara and Doran must come together to protect the ship that has become their home and the crew that feels like family.

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Rating:★★★★★

Review:

YA never fails to surprise me! I loved the pace of the plot, not too slow, not too fast, but a nice steady pace that slowly built up tension. I feel like the action scenes were well spaced out throughout the book and not all at once so you don't overdose or get bored.

Character wise I loved Solara's and Doran's bickering, it got a giggle or two out of me. I have mixed feelings about Solora seeing that she's somewhat of a hypocrite but at the same time she's also remorseful and try's to grow over time and not all at once which makes her relatable. 

I actually really liked the fact that Doran was this little naive spoiled rich kid that didn't change his ways overnight because I appreciated his character growth and the realization of his wrong doings. I could grow to truly like him as a character. 

The plot twist blew my fucking mind!!! So with that being said I 100% recommend this book and I'm more than excited to read the next book.