Flash Fire (The Extraordinaries #2), By TJ Klune ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Coming-of age, Humor, LGBTQ, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Social Issues, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: July 13th, 2021

384 Pages

Synopsis: Flash Fire is the explosive sequel to The Extraordinaries, by USA Today bestselling author TJ Klune!

Nick landed himself the superhero boyfriend of his dreams, but with new heroes arriving in Nova City, it’s up to Nick and his friends to determine who is virtuous and who is villainous. Which is a lot to handle for a guy who just wants to finish his self-insert bakery AU fanfic.

One thing I need to address before starting my review for Flash Fire is the controversy regarding the decided pro-police slant in the previous book, which many readers understandably took issue with. The most glaring example of this was Nick’s father, Aaron, who’s a police detective. He also punches a witness who was provoking him. You would expect him to be fired, but instead, he’s demoted, and by the end of the book he’s not only promoted, but it’s to a higher position. To be fair, The Extraordinaries was written before the murder of George Floyd, however there had already been numerous instances of well-publicized police misconduct and brutality. After many readers expressed their dismay, Klune addressed this in a letter: https://www.tjklunebooks.com/new-blog/2020/7/29/a-message-about-the-extraordinaries

As you can see, it’s a thoughtful message from an author who obviously cares about his fans. I’ll be honest and say I personally didn’t have a huge issue Aaron, because there were extenuating circumstances concerning the altercation in question, but I can understand why others did. The important thing is that Klune not only personally addressed this, but also portrays the police in this sequel, much more realistically, and not just through Nick’s sixteen-year-old hero-worshipping eyes. Just like in real life, there are good cops, and ones who abuse the power that comes with their badge.

As for the rest of the book, it’s filled with the laugh-out-loud humor, embarrassing yet somehow endearing sexual conversations between Nick and Aaron, and witty dialogue that was found in the previous book. Due to the backdrop of the police, as well as Nick’s discovery of a long hidden family secret regarding himself and his deceased mother, the story also takes a more serious tone. Nick continues to struggle with his ADHD and panic attacks, but with the support of his father, friends, and boyfriend Seth, shows a lot of character growth in this sequel. There are some new Extraordinaries in Nova City, which adds a new layer of excitement and mystery, and Klune skillfully juggles these with a very realistic exploration of four diverse gay teens coming-of-age, in today’s world.The ending is a whopper of a cliffhanger, and has me eagerly awaiting the conclusion to this trilogy. 

With Flash Fire, once again Klune has crafted a thoroughly enjoyable tale filled with humor, heartbreak, witty dialogue, and memorable characters. I can’t recommend it or its predecessor highly enough for older teens and adults who are looking for an science fiction read.

Questland, By Carrie Vaughn ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Humor, Mystery, School Shootings, Science Fiction, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and John Joseph Adams/Mariner Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: July 22nd, 2021

304 Pages

Synopsis: YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A MAZE FULL OF TWISTY PASSAGES…

Literature professor Dr. Addie Cox is living a happy, if sheltered life, in her ivory tower when Harris Lang, the famously eccentric billionaire tech genius, offers her an unusual  job. He wants her to guide a military strike team sent to infiltrate his island retreat off the northwest coast of the United States. Addie is puzzled by her role on the mission until she understands what Lang has built: Insula Mirabilis, an isolated resort where tourists will pay big bucks for a high-tech-powered, fantasy-world experience, complete with dragons, unicorns, and yes, magic.

Unfortunately, one of the island’s employees has gone rogue and activated an invisible force shield that has cut off all outside communications. A Coast Guard cutter attempting to pass through the shield has been destroyed. Suspicion falls on Dominic Brand, the project’s head designer—and Addie Cox’s ex-boyfriend. Lang has tasked Addie and the mercenary team with taking back control of the island at any cost.

But Addie is wrestling with demons of her own—and not the fantastical kind. Now she must navigate the deadly traps of Insula Mirabilis as well as her own past trauma. And no d20, however lucky, can help Addie make this saving throw. (Goodreads)

Questland is one of those books that’s a little off-the-wall, and imperfect, but is an entertaining escape from the real world. I’m not into Literary Role Playing Games or LitRPGs as they’re known, but I do LOVE fantasy, especially Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, and Harry Potter, and Carrie Vaughn includes plenty of references to those. Plus, this has dragons AND unicorns in it! Need I say more?

There are a couple of things that prevent this from being a perfect read. In my opinion, the majority of characters are not well written and come across as stereotypical and in some cases, not very believable. The only two to deviate from this one-dimensional mold are a secondary character named Rucker who I disliked in the beginning, before he sneakily changed my mind, and the protagonist of the story, literature professor, Dr. Addie Cox, who fifteen years previously survived a school shooting, but helplessly watched two of her friends die. I absolutely loved her, both for her strength and vulnerability, and also for her humorous reactions to what she sees on the island. Throughout much of the book, she gets herself into situations where she has to be saved, but given that she’s suffering from PTSD, I was willing to cut her some slack. And during the second half of the book, she starts gaining more confidence in herself which was nice to watch. The story itself with its magic-mimicking technology is fascinating, and I found myself wistfully wishing to be able to go visit Insula Mirabilis. Thanks to the fast pace that leads to an ending which wraps everything up nice and neatly, I finished this in one sitting.

I’ll be honest and say that I don’t think Questland is one of Vaughn’s best books, but it’s fun nonetheless and I’m happy I read it. I think my fellow fantasy geeks would enjoy this as well. As for me, now I really, REALLY want a dragon!

The Album of Dr. Moreau, By Daryl Gregory ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Humor, Mystery, Science Fiction, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: May 18th, 2021

176 Pages

Synopsis: Daryl Gregory’s The Album of Dr. Moreau combines the science fiction premise of the famous novel by H.G. Wells, with the panache of a classic murder mystery and the spectacle of a beloved boy band.

It’s 2001, and the WyldBoyz band are the world’s hottest boy band, and definitely the world’s only genetically engineered  human-animal hybrid vocal group. When their producer, Dr. M, is found murdered in his hotel room, the “boyz” become the prime suspects. Was it Bobby the ocelot (“the cute one”), Matt the megabat (“the funny one”), Tim the Pangolin (“the shy one”), Devin the bonobo (“the romantic one”), or Tusk the elephant (“the smart one”)?

Las Vegas detective Luce Delgado has only twenty-fours to solve a case that goes all the way back to the secret science barge where the WildBoyz journey first began—a place they used to call home.

The Album of Dr. Moreau gives the typical locked-room mystery, an absolutely wild and zany spin that could only come from the mind of Daryl Gregory. There are dark moments which you’d expect from a story that’s based on the H.G. Wells classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, but there are surprising moments of levity and sweetness as well. The characters as you can probably guess from the synopsis are quite unique, although they share some personality traits with certain members of well known boy bands. I actually grew more attached to them than I expected given this is a 170 page novella. The big reveal wasn’t a huge surprise, but that didn’t matter because it was so much fun getting there. This is the third book I’ve read by Daryl Gregory, and I’ve concluded that he’s an author who isn’t afraid to take risks and go places where many wouldn’t even imagine. The Album of Dr. Moreau may be a little out there, but it’s a wonderful little respite from the real world that I highly recommend!

Dark Whispers (Brightstorm #2), By Vashti Hardy ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Fantasy, Middle School Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Norton Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: March 16th, 2021

416 Pages

Synopsis: The ragtag crew of Captain Harriet Culpepper, is off on another adventure! Ermitage Wrigglesworth, the notable explorer and author, has been reported missing in Stella Oceanus to the east. Twins Arthur and Maudie are eager to answer the call of adventure to find him, but their old nemesis and newly discovered aunt, Eudora Vane, is also on the hunt. As Lontown’s most famous explorer families set sail aboard their sky-ships, it soon becomes clear that Eudora’s not just after the missing explorer. There’s a secret she’s chasing, something Wrigglesworth had discovered before he vanished, something that definitely shouldn’t be in Eudora Vane’s hands. The Aurora’s crew will have to journey to uncover Wrigglesworth’s secret first, and will discover new lands and new friends along the way… (Goodreads)

Darkwhispers is the sequel to last year’s Brightstorm, and in my humble opinion, an equally brilliant middle school fantasy/science fiction novel, that’s perfect for fans of authors like Philip Pullman. It’s filled with exciting adventure just as the previous book was, with familiar characters and intriguing new ones.

In this entry, the twins each begin to set forth on their own paths and you can just begin to glimpse the remarkable adults they’ll develop into. The mystery itself is a fun and twisty one, especially when the villainous Eudora Vane gets involved. I especially appreciated the additional insight provided, through the memories of her relationship with the twins mother. It made me somewhat sympathetic toward her, although that was temporary. A beloved character meets their demise, but even that was handled imaginatively.

I grew fearful near the end that perhaps this was going to finish as a duology, which had me deeply disappointed, because I’ve grown quite attached to Maudie, Arthur, Harriet, and the rest of the crew of the Aurora, but something occured in the last couple of pages that has me thinking there will be another book. I cannot recommend Brightstorm and Darkwhispers enough. They’re creative, unique, and although technically written for upper elementary through middle school readers, are bound to appeal to adult readers who enjoy these genres as well. They truly are a perfect escape that you will find yourself easily lost in!

The Echo Wife, by Sarah Gailey ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Child Abuse, Domestic Abuse, Science Fiction, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: February 16th, 2021

256 Pages

Synopsis: Evelyn Caldwell’s husband has been having an affair—with Evelyn Caldwell. Or, to be exact, a genetically cloned replica.

After a morning that begins with a confrontation, and ends with Nathan’s body bleeding out on the kitchen floor, the two Caldwell wives will have to think fast—before sharing everything includes sharing a jail cell.

I’m going to straight up say that The Echo Wife needs to be made into a movie! What a fantastic read this was, filled with surprising twists and turns right up until the last pages. It’s both a character and plot driven tale with each pushing the other. Evelyn is a cold, calculating researcher and empathy doesn’t come easily to her. Yet ultimately she come across sympathetically through her flashbacks to her unhappy childhood. Martine, Evelyn’s clone and a complete innocent, is someone who will make your heart ache. But as these two women work together, they find strength in each other and make quite the formidable team. The Echo Wife has been compared to Westworld, and while it shares a few similarities, it’s not a thriller. Instead, it’s a slow burning suspense, that chapter by chapter, reels you in. I easily finished it in one sitting and I highly recommend it to readers who are not only looking for a good suspense tale, but also ones who enjoy pondering ethics, and the nature vs nurture debate.

Bright Shining World, By Josh Swiller ~ 2.0 Stars

Tags

Coming of Age Stories, Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction, Social Satire, The Environment, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books For Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 24th, 2020

304 Pages

Synopsis: Wallace Cole is perpetually moving against his will. His father has a deeply important job with an energy company that he refuses to explain to Wallace who is, shall we say, suspicious. Not that his father ever listens to him. Just as Wallace is settling into a comfortable life in Kentucky, his father lets him know they need to immediately depart for a new job in a small town in upstate New York which has recently been struck by an outbreak of inexplicable hysterics—an outbreak which is centered at the high school Wallace is to attend.

In the new town things go from disturbing to worse: trees appear to be talking to people; a school bully, the principal, and the town police force take an instant dislike to Wallace; and the student body president is either falling for him or slipping into the enveloping darkness. Bright Shining World is a novel of resistance, of young people finding hope and courage and community in a collapsing world.

You can probably guess from my rating that Bright Shining World was not for me. I wanted to like this, I really did. Mainly because of Wallace, who I loved and is the sole reason why I’m giving this 2 stars. But even this endearingly snarky, clever, courageous misfit couldn’t save a story that to me, just never found its footing. It’s a convoluted mess of coming-of-age, science fiction, a bit of horror, some social satire, and environmental activism. While I’m all for genre-defying tales, this was jumbled and confusing and in the end, made my head hurt. And to make matters worse was that except for Wallace and his mysterious father—who was unlikable but at least somewhat interesting—the other characters were so overwhelmingly stereotypical that I found myself continually rolling my eyes. When I reached the last page all I could think was “Thank God it’s over!” It’s too bad, because Bright Shining World had a lot of potential, especially with such a strong protagonist. 

The Preserve, By Ariel S. Winter ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Suspense, Techno-Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 3rd, 2020

256 Pages

Synopsis: Decimated by plague, the human population is now a minority. Robots—complex AIs almost indistinguishable from humans—are the ruling majority. Nine months ago, in a controversial movie, the robot government opened a series of preserves, designated areas where humans can choose to live without robot interference. Now the preserves face their first challenge: someone has been murdered.

Chief of police Jesse Laughton on the SoCar Preserve is assigned to the case. He fears the factions that were opposed to the preserves will use the crime as evidence that the new system doesn’t work. As he digs for information, robots in the outside world start turning up dead from bad drug-like programs that may have originated on SoCar land. And when Laughton learns his murder victim was a hacker who wrote drug-programs, it appears the two cases might be linked. Soon, it’s clear that the entire preserve system is in danger of collapsing. Laughton’s former partner, a robot named Kir, arrives to assist on the case, and they soon uncover shocking secrets revealing that life on the preserve is not as peaceful as its human residents claim. But in order to protect humanity’s new way of life, Laughton must solve this murder before it’s too late.

The Preserve is a fresh and futuristic mystery that is perfect for fans of Westworld and Bladerunner.

The Preserve is a fun, fast-paced futuristic techno-thriller that had me thoroughly engrossed for the couple of hours it took me to read it. While the storyline is fictional, some of the political and societal issues involved mirror what’s happening in the real world, and I appreciated their thoughtful yet not heavy handed inclusion. As I often find when reading a novella, I think the plot and its interesting characters especially Jesse and Kir, could have benefited from the book being a little lengthier, but this is strictly a personal opinion. Overall I highly enjoyed The Preserve and can easily picture it being adapted for a tv series or movie. I highly recommend this for fans of science fiction fare like Westworld and Ex Machina.

The Future is Yours, By Dan Frey ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Diversity, Mystery, Science Fiction, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: February 9th, 2021

352 Pages

Synopsis: Two best friends create a computer that can see one year into the future. But what they can’t predict is how it will tear their friendship—and society—apart.

Ben Boyce and Adhi Chaudry are outsiders struggling to find their place in Silicon Valley. But when Ben reads Adhi’s graduate dissertation about an obscure application for quantum computing, he has a vision of a revolutionary new technology: a computer that can see forward through time by communicating with its future self.

The two friends quit their jobs and team up to form a business, building a company that will deliver their groundbreaking device to consumers around the world. Rival tech giants try to steal their innovation, while government agencies attempt to bury it—but Ben and Adhi are helped by their own cutting-edge technology, staying ahead of the competition and responding to challenges before they arise.

As the tension mounts, Ben and Adhi’s friendship begins to fracture under the weight of ambition, jealousy, and greed. Most frightening of all, they discover the dark side of the machine they’ve created—the way in which viewing the future sets them on a path toward unavoidable disaster of epic, apocalyptic proportions. Unless they can disrupt the technological system they’ve created, there won’t be any future at all.

Told through emails, texts, transcripts, and blog posts, this bleeding-edge tech thriller chronicles the social costs of innovation and asks how far you’d be willing to go to protect the ones you love—even from themselves.

I’m always intrigued by a story told in epistolary format, but because events are relayed by various means—which in the case of The Future is Yours, include: emails, text messages, interviews, and transcripts—it’s easy for the storyline to get confusing. I’m happy to say that for the most part that wasn’t the case here. There were a few sections here and there where I had a bit of difficulty discerning between Ben and Adhi, but this wasn’t a big issue. I thought at first that Ben was extremely shallow, immature, and arrogant, but I have to admit he grew on me as the story progressed. I loved Adhi, the genius loner who is somewhere on the autism spectrum. While The Future is his invention, he agonizes over the moral repercussions that result. Even as their friendship disintegrated I found myself rooting for them. As far as the actual plot goes, well, there aren’t many surprises. I mean how difficult is to ascertain that being able to see what’s going to happen a year from now is going to lead to nowhere good? For me, the best part of the story was the ambiguous ending which leaves the reader wondering. I thought it was absolutely brilliant! So, overall, I found The Future is Yours, to be a little rough around the edges, yet still entertaining. It’s intriguing science fiction that explores the moral complexities of technology and brings to mind that well known phrase: Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, By Christopher Paolini ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Science Fiction, Space Opera

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: September 15th, 2020

880 Pages

Synopsis: A brand new space opera on an epic scale from the New York Times bestselling author of a beloved YA fantasy series.

It was supposed to be a routine research mission on an uncolonized planet. But when xenobiologist Kira Navárez finds an alien relic beneath the surface of the world, the outcome transforms her forever and will alter the course of human history.

Her journey to discover the truth will thrust her into the wonders and nightmares of first contact, epic space battles for the fate of humankind, and the farthest reaches of the galaxy. 

Christopher Paolini is the author of the bestselling The Inheritance Cycle which was both beloved by millions of readers and criticized for its stereotypical characters and awkward grammatical structure. Despite the series’ flaws, what was always apparent to me, was that Paolini was a gifted storyteller. With his first adult book, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, my feelings regarding his writing remain much the same. Once again, his characters are the weakest part, making it frustratingly difficult at times to connect with them. And, his prose is still somewhat clunky and could use some finessing. However, my goodness, this man knows how to spin a story! No dragons here, but plenty of fascinating aliens, thrilling space battles, and epic world building. Space operas aren’t one of my usual preferred genres, but I was utterly mesmerized the entire time I was reading. The book is almost 900 pages yet I finished it in a few days, which should tell you what a page-turner it is. I was going to give this 3 1/2 stars, but upon reflection I’m rounding it up to 4 stars, because just as he did with his fantasy series, Paolini again captured my complete attention with the sheer breadth of his imagination.

The Somebody People (The Resonant Duology Book 2), By Bob Proehl ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Diversity, LGBTQ, Science Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: September 1st, 2020

624 Pages

Synopsis: A group of outcasts with extraordinary abilities, must save a crumbling world from annihilation in this gripping follow-up to The Nobody People.

Fahima Deeb changed everything seven years ago when she triggered the Pulse, imbuing millions of people with otherworldly gifts like flight, telekinesis, or superhuman strength. She thought that would herald the end of hostilities between those with abilities and those without, but it instead highlighted a new problem: There is someone behind the scenes, able to influence and manipulate these newly empowered into committing horrible acts against their will. Worse still, that shadowy figure is wearing the face of Fahima’s oldest friend, Patrick Davenport. Fahima is horror-struck when she realizes that Patrick has built an army entirely under his control to wipe out all who oppose him. 

With nowhere to turn and few she can trust, Fahima must rely on uncertain allies: Carrie Norris whose illusion of a normal life vanishes at Fahima’s reappearance. Clay Weaver, a retired soldier, fighting to keep his husband and son safe—and to keep Patrick from taking over his mind. And, finally, Emmeline Hirsch, adrift and untethered from her ability to travel through time. Together, they might be able to topple Patrick’s shadowy regime…though it may spell destruction for the entire world.

I really enjoyed The Nobody People, the first book in this duology, which was a mashup between X-Men and Harry Potter. The Somebody People picks up seven years after Fahima sent out the Pulse, imbuing more people with abilities in the hope that it would end the fighting between Resonants and those without. Unsurprisingly, this only caused new problems. In this conclusion, the storyline plays out through several characters perspectives and therein lies the problem. There is no recap at the beginning, so readers who read the previous book a year ago are going to have difficulty following things, especially at the beginning. I read The Nobody People just a few months ago and I floundered for a bit, which made the beginning of this book slow going. Thankfully, about 30% in, the action picked up and I wound up being quite entertained. In the end, while I don’t think The Somebody People quite lives up to its predecessor, it’s a fun and satisfying conclusion to this duology. I would only advise that readers who haven’t read The Nobody People do so before jumping into this, and even if you did, if it’s been more than a couple of months, I’d recommend skimming though the first book to refamiliarize yourself with the diverse cast of characters. The Resonants duology was my first introduction to Bob Proehl, and I’m looking forward to what he comes up with next.