Science Fiction

The Time Trials – Jon & Dayna McConnell – The Write Reads BBNYA Blog Tour

Recently orphaned Finn Mallory gains a scholarship to study at an elite boarding school and is recruited into a mysterious club known only as Young Historians. What it turns out to be is really a team that will participate in a top secret series of time travel games against teams from other schools. The games however are no child’s play – they take place in moments in the past where the danger is often very real, and that’s not even considering the cutthroat competition between the teams and the trials themselves being rigged by the timekeepers who oversee it all.…

Eyes of the Void – Adrian Tchaikovsky – ARC Review

Following the second battle of Berlenhof, the Architects are indubitably back and causing chaos as they begin to destroy world after world. Where in the previous war, the presence of Originator artifacts on a world provided a certain amount of protection, the Architects seem to have found a way to circumvent its protection. Every planet a target and the various groups of humans, aliens and other species are thrown into chaos as they argue about how to combat the threat. Idris, who has spent his life running away from the memories of the first war, is very much in demand…

A Coin for the Ferryman – Megan Edwards – ARC Review

Nobel Laureate Andrew Danicek gathers a group of elite researchers and scholars to work on a top secret project at the IDES lab in California – a time travel experiment to bring Julius Caesar from moments before his assassination into the present for four days. They plan to use this time to learn as much as they can from him, but despite the tight security and detailed planning, someone has learned the details of the goings on at the lab and attempts to kidnap Caesar. It falls into the hands of Cassandra Fleury, the youngest of the team, chosen for…

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves – Meg Long – ARC Review

Tundar is a frozen planet with hostile terrain and wildlife, and the only remotely interesting thing that happens is the annual, very dangerous sled race. Racers compete for the chance to mine a valuable mineral and get rich, but the trail is long and treacherous. After her mothers died in the race, Sena Kohorsen vowed she would never enter it and her only goal is to make enough money to get off Tundar. But when she gets into more trouble than she can handle with the local gangster and flees with his prize fighting wolf Iska, the race might be…

Steelstriker – Marie Lu

Once the last free nation, Mara has fallen to the forces of the Karensa Federation. The surviving Strikers are scattered and Talin taken by the Premier to be changed into their deadliest weapon, a Skyhunter. With her mother being held captive, Talin has no choice but to obey, knowing that as more time passes the procedure that is converting her into a Skyhunter will soon take away even her freedom to think, placing her completely under the Premier’s control. Meanwhile, Red, as a former Skyhunter himself, believes that there is still hope for Talin and the weak link between them…

Aurora’s End – Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman | Blogmas 2021: Day 12

Earth still stands after the intergalactic battle and the Starslayer attempting to obliterate it, thanks to Aurora stopping the superweapon. But her using her power triggered a whole other problem and has left Squad 312 scattered across space – and time. With some in the past, others in the future, and Tyler alone in the present, they must all find new allies to prepare for the battle ahead and figure out how to get back to their time before it’s too late. The times they have landed in portend some dire possibilities for the days ahead, but this accidental time…

Honor Lost – Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre

Having discovered the true threat to the galaxy, Zara and her allies are hot on the trail of Lifekiller, a beast that can consume planets. But finding it isn’t the problem. The crew are definitely outmatched in this fight and need a better strategy before they can attempt to fight the god-king again. If that wasn’t enough, Torian Deluca is still furious with Zara for messing with his operation – furious enough to send her ex, Derry, after her into space to kill her. Now branded outlaws and with trouble approaching on all sides, time is running out fast for…

Honor Bound – Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre

Zara and the other Honors have survived their encounter with the Phage swarm, an alien species that devours Leviathans, but they haven’t escaped unscathed. Both Nadim and Typhon need to recover and they are running low on both supplies and weapons. With no choice, the crew head for the Sliver, a trading outpost ruled by the crimelord Bacia, taking up some interesting jobs in order to make enough money to pay for everything. When they attract the attention of Bacia himself, he offers them a bigger job in return for advanced armor and upgrades for the Leviathans that would be…

The Darkness Outside Us – Eliot Schrefer – ARC Review

When a distress signal is tripped by the first settler on distant Titan, the only two remaining countries on Earth work together to assemble a rescue mission, each sending a representative. Ambrose and Kodiak wake up on the Coordinated Endeavour, knowing that they are headed to Saturn to rescue Minerva, Ambrose’s sister, but neither of them has any memory of the launch itself. The ship’s AI is clearly holding back information, and when some harrowing discoveries come to light, the enemies will have to work together to figure out what the true purpose of this mission is.

Shards of Earth – Adrian Tchaikovsky – The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour

In the war, Earth was destroyed and turned inside out by an alien enemy known as the Architects. To combat this foe, man created mentally enhanced humans called Intermediaries, and they, Idris amongst them, were successful in forming a mental link and communicating with the Architects, driving them away. With the war seemingly over, Idris wanted nothing more to do with the humans who now forcibly create Intermediaries for commercial purposes and bind them to contracts. Forty years later, Idris tries to keep a low profile as the pilot of the Vulture God, a salvage vessel that takes on missions…

Aetherbound – E. K. Johnston – ARC Review

On an interstellar freighter like the Harland, everyone is expected to earn their oxygen and rations. When at five, Pendt is found to have the ability to manipulate genes, her mother and aunt declare it worthless. Seen as useless by the family, Pendt is relegated to menial tasks and basically starved, given just enough to survive. As her eighteenth birthday draws closer however, she knows the day she will be contracted out to other ships is coming, and with it, what little freedom she does have will be gone too. As the Harland docks at Brannick Station, Pendt sees her…

Honor Among Thieves – Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre

Petty criminal Zara Cole ends up the target of some very powerful people after what should have been a straightforward theft, and nowhere seems to be safe. When she is unexpectedly selected for the Honors program, where a select group of 100 humans travel with Leviathans, sentient alien ships, for a year to explore the universe, Zara seizes the chance to get away from her pursuers. Aboard Nadim, the Leviathan she is assigned to, Zara begins to feel a sense of belonging and home, but dark secrets lurk in the universe beyond, and the Honors program is not all it…

Victories Greater Than Death – Charlie Jane Anders – ARC Review

Sixteen year old Tina has always known that she would have to leave her life on Earth behind one day. As the human clone of Captain Thaoh Argentian, one of the best alien commanders in the galaxies, she eagerly awaits the day when the beacon in her chest will light up and the Royal Fleet will arrive to take her back. But when the beacon finally activates, things don’t really go according to plan and everyone expects her to be a seasoned warrior, but Tina realizes she is most certainly not prepared for it. As an intergalactic war continues, Tina,…

The Infinity Courts – Akemi Dawn Bowman – ARC Review

Nami is on her way to her high school graduation party, when she is murdered. When she wakes, she finds out that she is in the afterlife, called Infinity but notices that everything does not seem quite right. Nami quickly figures out that the afterlife is controlled by Ophelia, an AI used for everyday tasks by humans on Earth, who has declared herself Queen of Infinity, turning the humans into mindless servants. Rescued by the Resistance, a group of rebels aiming to overthrow Ophelia and the Residents, she finds herself caught up in their mission. But she cannot fully bring…

Mini Reviews #13 | Blogmas Day 1

Hello readers! It’s time for another round of Mini Reviews, where I talk about some of the books I don’t write full length reviews for. It’s been a while since I did one of these posts! With the hectic posting schedule I’ve had these past months, I haven’t really had the chance to share my thoughts on some of the other books I’ve been reading, so I figured it would be a great post to kick off Blogmas! This installment, let’s chat about: Hench, Rebel Spy, Heartstopper: Volume Two and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Skyhunter – Marie Lu

Mara is one of the last free countries in the world as the Karensa Federation expands their borders and conquer everything in their path. Talin is a Striker, part of Mara’s elite fighting force trained to take out Ghosts, the once-human monsters that the Federation uses to attack them. An all-out invasion could happen at any moment, but when a prisoner, a defector from the Federation is captured at the warfront, Talin senses there is something different about him, maybe something that could win them the war once and for all.

Aurora Burning – Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman

Still reeling from the loss of Cat on Octavia III, the remaining members of Squad 312 are in Emerald City trying to sell their ship when they are declared traitors with a massive bounty placed on them by the Aurora Legion. Their narrow escape turns into a desperate race against time as every powerful force in the galaxy is on their tail for one reason or the other, from Kal’s sister Saedii (and an army of Unbroken warriors) to the GIA agents. But Aurora still needs to find the truth behind what happened to her on the Hadfield and how…

Mini Reviews #12

Hello readers! It’s time for another round of Mini Reviews, where I talk about some of the books I don’t write full length reviews for. This installment, let’s chat about: The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly, Girls With Razor Hearts and Heartstopper: Volume One.

Mini Reviews #11

Hello readers! It’s time for another round of Mini Reviews, where I talk about some of the books I don’t write full length reviews for. This installment, let’s chat about: The Kingdom of Back, Girls With Sharp Sticks, Sword in the Stars and Aru Shah & the Tree of Wishes.

Wildcard – Marie Lu

With the truth behind Hideo’s new NeuroLink algorithm being revealed, Emika and the Phoenix Riders are amongst the few not affected by it due to still using the beta lenses and they team up to stop his plans. But Tokyo is no longer safe for Emika, and with a bounty on her head, the only place she is safe is with the mysterious Zero and the Blackcoats. Zero’s motives are no clearer however, and Emika is still reluctant to trust him completely, especially given the betrayal she has just suffered. Hideo’s algorithm is fast taking effect around the world, it’s…

Warcross – Marie Lu

Teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down criminals who bet illegally on the virtual reality game Warcross, that has become a way of life around the world. Struggling to pay her bills, she takes a huge risk and hacks into the opening ceremony of the International Warcross Championships, hoping to snag some valuable power ups she can sell, but it goes wrong and she ends up accidentally glitching herself into the game in front of countless spectators. Emika is certain she’s about to be in a lot of trouble, but to her surprise, Hideo Tanaka, the creator of…

Eclipse the Skies – Maura Milan – ARC Review

With Einn’s betrayal and the revelation of his plans to destroy the universe, Ia now finds herself fighting on the side of the Commonwealth. Brinn has accepted her Tawny identity, but public opinions on refugees are still the same, and with the Refugee act abolished, violence in the streets is rising by the day, placing her family at risk. Knives is now headmaster of Aphelion following Bastian’s death, a position he never asked for and with war on the horizon, he finds himself caught between his duties and the weight of expectations placed on him as an office and following…

Ignite the Stars – Maura Milan

Ia Cocha is a criminal mastermind feared throughout the Commonwealth. Of course, no one realizes that Ia is actually a seventeen year old girl, and when the Commonwealth captures her, they send her to Aphelion, their elite military academy to be trained. Ia is determined to escape as soon as possible, but finds herself unexpectedly making acquaintances, maybe even friends at the academy.

Mind Games – Shana Silver – ARC Review

Arden Varga is a computer genius and a skilled hacker. At the exclusive STEM focussed high school she attends, everyone uses a technology called HiveMind, created by her father, which syncs to a persons brainwaves and allows them to upload all their memories into the cloud and access them at any time, essentially ensuring that you’ll never forget anything. Arden however, has hacked this system, and has a business of stealing and selling others’ memories along with her friend Zoey. Everything is great until Arden realizes that her own memory has not only been hacked but thousands of her memories…

Aurora Rising – Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman

Tyler Jones is about to graduate at the top of his class from the prestigious Aurora Academy, which grants him first pick of cadets for his team. But unable to sleep the night before the Draft, he takes off on a solo space flight and ends up answering an SOS call from the Hadfield, a spaceship that has been lost for over 200 years.

Last of Her Name – Jessica Khoury

Stacia Androva has lived her whole life in a small village on a remote planet of the Belt. A talented mechanic, Stacia loves spaceships in particular. So when an astronika appears on Amethyne, she is eager to take a closer look. A must-read for sci-fi fans, and even if it isn’t your staple genre, this is a creative twist on Anastasia’s tale.