Science Fiction – LairOfBooks

Spoiler Free Review: The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Title: The Daughter Of Doctor Moreau

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Pub. Date: July 19th 2022

Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy/Historical Fiction

Format: eARC

Publisher: Del Rey

Pages: 320

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☆☆ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review☆☆╮

Characters: 10/10 Atmosphere: 10/10 Writing Style: 10/10 Plot: 8/10 Intrigue: 9/10 Logic/Relationships: 10/10 Enjoyment: 10/10

Rating: 67/9.6 = ☆☆ 5 Stars☆☆╮

Rating system created by The Book Roast

The genre blending Silvia Moreno-Garcia is back with another hit and this one has managed to dethrone Mexican Gothic for me! didn’t think it was possible, foolish me. This time we’re transported to 19th century Mexico in a reimagining of H.G. Wells The Island of Doctor Moreau. Carlota Moreau is growing up in a lavish estate alongside her father who’s genius mind pushes boundaries and defies ethics, a madman who was exiled from his birth country in Europe. Moreau’s work is centered on creating human-animal hybrids, his experiments have led to the creation of many that are deformed and suffering from the pain of their limbs/bone structure. The benefactor of the estate is beginning to apply pressure on results and has threatened to cut off funding. The Hybrids come to life, some with endearing personalities and others with a whole lot of heart and desire for something more than a life in hiding. Some have heard the rumors of a Mayan rebel leader who is fighting back against colonization out in the Yucatan Peninsula. They dream of escaping by joining his rebel groups and want Carlota to leave with them. When the benefactor’s son Eduardo Lizalde arrives at the Hacienda, it’s love at first sight and Carlota’s dad who is desperate for continued funding is overjoyed with their romance. The only person who stands in their way is the new Mayordomo in the Hacienda, Montgomery Laughton.

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Friends, to say that I hated Eduardo is an understatement. A sleaze ball who sees Carlota more as a trophy he must win. In the other corner we have Montgomery Laughton who is the second POV we get in this story. Yes, he does have a LOT of demons and Yes I still ended up enjoying his broody drunk character. There’s an age gap between him and Carlota but he isn’t pressed to try and win her over even though he acknowledges the fact that he loves her. SMG gives us Gothic vibes in a historical backdrop where we have themes of colonization, human exploitation/experimentation and the ethics bound to it, racism towards the Mayans, abuse of power, and a feminist MC who could EASILY have become a better scientist than her father if she weren’t expected to conform to societal expectations. That being said, seeing Carolta’s evolution was satisfying on a whole other level! This is one not to be missed especially if you were on the fence over Mexican Gothic. I’d say give this one a go but be prepared to see yourself become over protective of Cachito, my favorite of the hybrids! ❤

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Spoiler Free Review: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Title: Iron Widow

Author: Xiran Jay Zhao

Pub. Date: September 21st 2021

Genre: YA Sci-Fi

Format: eARC

Publisher: Penguin Teen

Pages: 400 pages

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*•.¸♡ ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ, ɪғ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛ, ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɢᴇᴛ ᴜsᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜɪs. ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴄʀᴀᴅʟᴇᴅ ɪɴ ʜɪs ᴡᴀʀᴍᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ʟɪɢʜᴛ. ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴄʜᴇʀɪsʜᴇᴅ. ʙᴇɪɴɢ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ. ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɴᴏ ғᴀɪᴛʜ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ. ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴄᴀɴɴᴏᴛ sᴀᴠᴇ ᴍᴇ. ɪ ᴄʜᴏᴏsᴇ ᴠᴇɴɢᴇᴀɴᴄᴇ. ♡¸.•*

This turned out to be the Feminist AF Sci-Fi story I needed to reignite my craving for SFF as a whole! It also made one thing very clear and that’s that I enjoy a good revenge plot especially when it’s executed by a female MC who feels she has nothing to lose. Zetian has been groomed from birth to accept her role in society as the weaker gender, her sole purpose if enlisted to fight in the war against the Hunduns (evil robots) is to serve as sort of an amplifier/conductor of Qi (spirit pressure) for the males. Accurately pitched as Red Rising meets Pacific Rim, in this world we have our main characters fighting in giant Chrysalis robots against the Hunduns over the wall. A Chrysalis is controlled by a male pilot and his female “Concubine.” While in battle, their bodies remain dormant in the husks of the Chrysalis while they battle using spirit pressure. Many times, the males thoughts & feelings will overwhelm his concubine and kill her. This is understood and accepted by all, until Zetian comes along with a mission to avenge her sisters death. What begins as a plot for revenge against one pilot turns into a much greater mission to strike against the patriarchy and question a system designed to keep women subservient and/or dead.

CW: Death of a loved one, domestic violence, murder, attempted rape, alcohol abuse, suicidal thoughts, misogyny, war themes, descriptions of forced foot binding, and organ removal

This book was hella quotable with social commentary delivering truths on the patriarchy and I absolutely loved it! My rating is a 4.5 only because the finale didn’t match up with the level of climax built up, it felt just a smidge rushed towards the very end. This still wasn’t enough to take away from the story, I found myself fully invested in the characters and overall world building. I’m not yet sure if I’d consider Zetian an unlikeable character, she harbors a ton of anger which I found justified given the crummy deck of cards girls are dealt from birth. We see her experience emotional and verbal abuse from her father as well as the physical pains of having her feet bound at the age of five. Zetian is always in a state of pain and in many ways she uses that as fuel to power through her quest for revenge. From the start when we meet her she makes it clear that she will not consider anyones life (including/especially family) who at some point treated her own life as dispensable. Zetian’s hate/love relationship with Li Shimin was well developed, I honestly felt at some points that they’d never get on the same page. I enjoyed seeing Zetian come to certain realizations with regards to the world they live in and the whole Pilot/Concubine set-up. There were some awesome discoveries at the end that really set-up for the next book in this series. This is a fast action packed Sci-Fi with bits of romance sprinkled throughout haha! it’s def more plot heavy. Our main characters are all queer, the Polyamorous relationship that developed was *Chefs Kiss*! it legit was the perfect balance of sweet and rough around the edges. I have some theories as to where the story will go next and hope to the Book Gods that at the very least we get a cover for the follow-up early in 2022 *fingers crossed*

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FRIDAY READS & THANGS…

How is it almost Christmas? for the most part I’ve got all my Christmas shopping out of the way and so this weekend I get to chill a bit. I was gifted tickets for my tiny human and I to attend the Gazillion Bubble Show tomorrow by my lovely Sister who dubbed it a “Mommy & Me Christmas experience” which means a trip to Manhattan. Which also means I get to use my 25% off Barnes & Nobles in-store coupon…jussayin we both get treats. I’m also hoping to read my little heart away on Sunday & FINALLY binge watch The Mandalorian episodes while I make pepper steak for my little fam ❤

The Wicked king (the folk of the air #2) by holly black

If I could inhale read this book I would cause it’s just that good! I had forgotten how vicious & ruthless the world of Fae can be under the pen of Holly Black, LOVING IT!. I’m still not a fan of Taryn but Jude is making me proud! I still have about 40% left to read but seeing as this post is pre-drafted (Thursday) I may have already finished it when this goes live. The Cardan scenes are giving me life & making it hella uncomfortable to read on a crowded train. There’s only so much screen dimming I can do before I say eff it & snoop at your own risk NYC strap hangers haha! I think this book will easily make my top 10 of 2019.

Queen of nothing (the folk of the air #3) by holly black

I’ve heard from just about everyone that book 2 ends in a massive cliffhanger & I’m not about that life. This is why I chose to hold off & binge read them before the end of the year. When the Mr. showed up with a new fuzzy reading blanket & this book I pretty much ditched my TBR. I’ve adjusted my expectations a bit after watching a few spoiler free review videos. From what I’ve gathered it may not be as good as the first 2 books in the trilogy but it is still satisfying. Either way I’m excited to get to this one over the weekend 🙂

Currently The Manadalorian has aired 5 “Chapters” aka episodes on Disney Plus which I signed up for but have yet to start watching. I’ve definitely fallen down the rabbit hole of Baby Yoda memes with zero regrets so it’s time to watch the show that started this frenzy. If there is any weekend in December to binge watch these episodes this would be the one since the second half of the month will most likely be a blur of holiday activities.

Hello Bookworms! what are some of your weekend plans? reading/watching anything you think I would enjoy? sound off in the comments below <3’s!

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80’s Freestyle Keep Me Hanging On…

Hello Bookworms! Hope you’re all having a wonderful day and if you’re anything like me, you are looking at the clock waiting for the end of the work day. Find the person who thought it was a good idea to work any day past Christmas & you have your Grinch #jussayin

When I sat down to make my list of top 2018 books I’m looking forward to, I quickly realized my post would be a mile long and I just couldn’t do that to you lovely Bookworms. So instead I opted to split my list into two posts, this post will be for 2018 sequels I’m anticipating in the new year. The second post will be stand-alone/series starters. I have 12 sequels I’m super stoked for so grab your fave snack & or beverage cause ya girl has compiled a bit of a list (no particular order)…

1. The Winter of the Witch (Winternight Trilogy #3) by Katherine Arden aka the book I NEED like air!

I recently read & reviewed The Girl in the Tower (my spoiler free review here) which was utter PERFECTION! Just when I thought this trilogy could not get any better, Arden gave us The Girl in the Tower & now my nights are consumed thinking about the final installment in the world *sobs* This is not the final cover btw, I’m sure the final one will be GLORIOUS as they all have been! Scheduled for August 2018, a little earlier than the December release dates I’ve gotten grown accustomed to with these wintry books but HOORAY regardless!

2. Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

Anyone who has read the first two books in the Illuminae Files can probably tell you how addictive this series really is smh. I was initially intimidated by the format of these books & it took me about a year to finally decide to read the first one…NEVER looked back after that! I will most likely devour Obsidio in one sitting, March 13th you have been claimed!

3. Nyxia Unleashed (The Nyxia Triad #3) by Scott Reintgen

Having recently read Nyxia (my review here), the adrenaline I felt reading this book is still pretty vivid. Not only was the plot fast paced edge of your seat FANTASTIC! the characters are easily some of my favorite in all of YA. Coming from all corners of the world, the crew of Nyxia offers up the diversity we are currently lacking in YA Sci-Fi. Nyxia Unleashed is set to hit the shelves July 2018 *eeeeK*

4. The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch #2) by Rin Chupeco

Last year I read The Bone Witch (my review here) & fell in love with the world building Rin Chupeco had created. I was actually surprised that it wasn’t labeled Adult Fantasy considering the expanse & complexities of the world. This was a real treat for myself seeing as I love details & lush writing which The Bone Witch pulled off beautifully often times reminding me of Memoirs of a Geisha. This wonderful sequel is set to be released March 2018!

5. Iron Gold (Red Rising #4) by Pierce Brown

The Red Rising Trilogy (I can’t call it this anymore) is one that I am a hardcore fan of…no seriously though, I’m a Howler through & through! If this now series had ended with Morning Star, I would’ve been Ok because it was one of the BEST most EPIC endings I’ve ever read. To have read the news of that the world would be expanding was AMAZING for both myself & the hubby who is also a big fan. I read these books before creating Lair Of Books & missed out on fangirling with other Blogger buddies. Well, January 16th is almost upon us & I cannot wait to get my hands on this book! any Howler fans out there?

6. Defy the Worlds (Constellation #2) by Claudia Gray

Defy the Stars (my review here) was my 1st Claudia Gray book & it won’t be my last. I had heard of Gray’s books before getting a galley for Defy the Stars & now I can see why. The world building in the start of this series is fun & introduces us to a A.I. whose dry humor will leave you smiling in disbelief. I was lucky to get my hands on a arc copy of Defy the Worlds but I’m still including it in this list because I will be buying a finished copy on release day. Gray has some of the BEST covers I’ve come across & I’m already obsessed with this one, April 3rd will be the day I get my hands on this pretty little book *heart eyes*

7. Whisper of the Tide (Song of the Current #2) by Sarah Tolcser

If you’re looking for high seas adventure, Song of the Current (my review here) is probably the book for you! I enjoyed the authentic pirate talk and the world building was on point with clothing, way of life, and mythos behind the Gods. What I loved most is that we get a POC MC who knows her calling in life and won’t easily be thrown off by a love interest. Caro is non-traditional & won’t settle for societal norms. June 5th I’m hoping you’re a warm day I can count on for a iced drink & return to the treacherous waters in this world 🙂

8. Daughter of the Siren Queen (Daughter of the Pirate King #2) by Tricia Levenseller

Oh goodness! I can’t even begin to describe my excitement over the follow-up to Daughter Of the Pirate King (my review here). I was so very lucky to have a arc recently gifted to me by the wonderful Ashley over at Socially Awkward Bookworm, she made my year! DOTPK offered up so many laughs alongside a kick a** MC who is the female Jack Sparrow. If Pirates of the Caribeean (prior to Depps shameful behavior) brought you much enjoyment, chances are DOTPK will be a hit for you as well. Ahoy Mateys! February 27th is the day the sequel finds its way to our shores 🙂

9. Grey Sister (Book Of the Ancestor #2) by Mark Lawrence

I read my very first Mark Lawrence earlier this year & I’m so happy It was a good place to start after hearing so much about this well known author. Red Sister (my review here) was a 5 star gloriously bloody EPIC start to the Book of the Ancestor series! In my review I described the setting for Red Sister as Hogwarts mixed with a Ludus (like in Spartacus). Vivid fight scenes, positive female friendships and positive LGBTQIA representation are just some of the things you’ll find in this new Fantasy. Red Sister is perfect for those who read only YA Fantasy and are looking to get their feet wet in adult Fantasy. April 19th is the date set to return this ruthless world 🙂

10. Catwoman SoulStealer (DC Icons #3) by Sarah J. Maas

I don’t really have much to say about this one…I own a copy of Wonder Woman which I haven’t read yet. I came to the decision that I wanted to wait for a few of these books in the series to be out before starting cause I reallllllly dislike waiting haha! I am VERY interested in how Selina Kyle is written considering she is half white/half Cuban. We’ll know more on August 7th!

11. My Plain Jane (The Lady Janies #2) by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, and Brodi Ashton

I’d link my review for My Lady Jane but it’s soOo old when I was still in my baby stages of blogging so no thanks hehe! My Lady Jane was the book to make my water almost come out through my nose smh LOL! So silly & filled with hilarious banter, I LOVED that book! from that book came the formation of The Lady Janies which are the 3 awesome authors who brought the characters I fell in love with to life. My Plain Jane is a MUST HAVE & THAT cover is giving me all the Summer vibes! I’ll see you on June 26th Jane 🙂

12. The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Guide #2) by Mackenzi Lee

You may have noticed the cover for this title isn’t displayed above and that’s because there hasn’t been a cover reveal. Earlier this year I read The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (my review here) which was a ton of fun. I’ve really been enjoying YA Historical Fiction lately & this is definitely one of my top favorites. Although I loved the MC Henry oh so much! I really ended up intrigued by his little sister Felicity & I know I’m not alone in this. The Goodreads Synopsis has the following listed:

A sequel to The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, narrated by Felicity and featuring travel, pirates, and a science girl gang.

I mean…who can resist this?!?! Not I said Lilly…October 2nd is the day to pick up a copy!

Happy Wednesday Bookworms! this list took me a bit longer to type up than expected which is making me give post II the stink eye haha! (wayyyyy longer) & i’m sure I’ve forgotten others. Also, If I didn’t list a sequel it’s possible I haven’t read the 1st cause waiting sucks (Strange the Dreamer & Lady Midnight/Lord of Shadows I’m looking at ya). Please sound off below with any titles that come to mind <3’s!

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Review: Artemis by Andy Weir

Title: Artemis

Author: Andy Weir

Pub. Date: November 14th, 2017

Genre: Science Fiction

Publisher: Crown Publishing Group

Pages: 305

Format: eGalley/Netgalley

Jazz Bashara is a criminal.

Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you’re not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you’ve got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.

Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she’s stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself—and that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.

I’d like to preface this review with how much I REALLY wanted to LOVE this book! I’d read so many glowing reviews for The Martian and having missed that spaceship, figured maybe this would be the one to get me wanting to read all things Weir…sadly, this wasn’t the case. This doesn’t mean I won’t be reading The Martian, it actually has me all the more curious to see whether this was just a case of…well let’s just get into it shall we. Artemis is based on a heist that is pulled off by our MC Jazz Bashara, a Saudi Arabian who was born and raised on the Moon city. As soon as I met Jazz, we hit it off! I love me a good sarcastic character who as they say has no hair on her tongue. Jazz is intelligent, resourceful, cunning, and at the very heart a HUSTLER! haha! she is after the $$$ & has pretty much got the business of smuggling in illegal goods on lock. There isn’t anything that enters Artemis without her knowledge. With the exception of drugs, Jazz will get you anything you need for the right price. Jazz mentions a specific dollar amount (astronomical) that she MUST earn in order to something…it’s never quite disclosed to the reader & I kept reading hoping that by the end it would be revealed only it never was. She has some high profile clients on the Moon & one of them recruits her to pull off a big heist. I won’t reveal what that actually entailed since that would be spoilery but I could’ve used more heisty action.

We follow Jazz as she makes her rounds working her legit regular day job which isn’t anything fancy or high paying, as well as her side hustle. It is inferred that Jazz is so intelligent, she could have an amazing career if she only cared to apply herself. We do see Jazz get herself out of some sticky situations using brilliant ingenuity. I really enjoyed meeting some of the supporting characters in this world & then others not so much. Although I began enjoying Jazz & getting used to her self-deprecating humor, I soon became aware of how excessively male characters were pointing out her promiscuity. Jazz rolls with the comments & never denies anything & yet she has no sexual encounters in the book whatsoever which left me a bit confused as to why she’s depicted as being Queen of casual sex. So, I think it’s safe to say that I was a bit dissapointed with the representation of women. I cannot draw comparisons with the well loved Mark Wattney in The Martian, but I also won’t ignore what I do know of that character & how eerily close Jazz resembles him.

Here’s where it gets a awkward…besides the fact that the only other two women in this book were at odds with Jazz, upon meeting one of them, Jazz assumes the woman is Latina due to having a “Latina complexion.” This left me a bit confused as to what that looks like exactly being that I’m a Latina woman with family from Puerto-Rico, Salvador, and Argentina…over the holiday weekend we took a family photo and the range of skin tones ranged from white to olive to black with blue, green, and brown eyes. In another scene, the author breaks the fourth wall to assume we the readers don’t know what a niqab is by stating “Okay, you can stop pretending you know what a niqab is. It’s a traditional Islamic headwear that covers the lower face.” which again left me with a raised brow and a icky feeling. I was prepared to give this book all the love for it’s diversity but by the end saw how left it went with its efforts and assumptions.

One of things that lured me to request Artemis on Netgalley was its setting…who doesn’t want to read a heist that takes place on the Moon?!?! Over joyed to dive right into the world building, I went in confident this book would suck me in. I LOVE world-building & it only comes second to my love for well fleshed out characters. The city of Artemis is 1 of I believe 5 dome-like cities. The book comes with a pretty cool map that gives you a better idea of what it looks like. Since Jazz is very mobile all throughout the book, we get to familiarize ourselves a tad bit better with this world & I really enjoyed seeing some of the other cities. Now, there is mention of Artemis being the property of Kenya but unfortunately that’s as far as we get in terms of info. which I was a bit bummed out over because I wanted more on that connection. On the writing front, I will admit that I struggled with info dumping. The many scenes where we get Jazz walking us through the particulars of welding & the science behind it left me wanting to get back to the main story line in a hurry. I have a love for the subject of science however, the focus on welding took some of the fun away from the fact that we were on the Moon. The ending left me feeling as if there is potential for more story & I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still interested in Jazz’s story, which means I guess you can say I’m conflicted…

*Many thanks to Crown Publishing Group, Netgalley, Goodreads (also won a physical copy) and Andy Weir for the eGalley copy of Artemis in exchange for an honest review.

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WWW Wednesday 11/22/17

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On a World of Words and to participate all you have to do is answer the three W’s listed below. Once you’ve posted your WWW, drop a link to your post in Sam’s comments <3’s!

The questions are:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang

I am 75% into BOEC & OBSESSED with the writing style! perfect for this time of year, I’m so glad I picked it up the week before the holidays because whenever I am reading it, I get sucked into the strange & atmospheric world Lang has created. Told in multiple POV’s we follow several characters that have crossed paths with our MC Wylen who is a boy/man wrapped in mystery & magic. Tons of nature, animals, and stars this is one I’ll hold near & dear to my heart. Oh & our MC has a special connection with animals but that’s all I’ll say cuz I’m trying to be mysterious LOL!

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

This was not on my November TBR but the mood hit for a darker read & I went with it. I am buddy reading this collection of short stories with Melanie over at Meltotheany who is pretty awesome & I highly recommend visiting /following for EPIC reviews, tags, & awesome Bookish posts. Mel suggested we do one story each night starting this week which I’ve never done & found it would be easier to juggle with my other book. Well! I may just read all my short story collections his way! THANKS Mel! the first story The Husband Stitch is still haunting me. Fantastic writing & imagery, this collection blends many genres into its stories about the violence on women’s bodies.

The Closest I’ve Come by Fred Aceves

Earlier this week I finished reading this book & posted my review on Monday (here). I haven’t come across another book to tackle socioeconomic diversity in YA since reading The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas & so I was happy to have been approved for a galley on Edelweiss. Our MC is well fleshed out & his character growth is the strongest part of this book. There are trigger warnings for Violence, Alcoholism, and Racism. I gave this book 4 stars for all of the hard issues it tackled & handled well, I only wish some of the supporting characters were a bit more fleshed out.

Artemis by Andy Weir

I finished this book this past weekend & sadly it wasn’t the hit I so badly wanted it to be. I rated it 3 stars because I really enjoyed the MC Jazz Bashara to an extent lol. My main issue with this book can be summed up to 2 things: 1) the awkward sexual dialogue that didn’t come off as natural…I love a sarcastic MC Female or Male & sexual jokes don’t really bug me but it was almost overkill. 2) the overly descriptive ramblings on the science of welding -_- I just couldn’t do it bookworms! sometimes pages long before returning to the main story line, I struggled getting through these parts. Also, there is one other thing that did get a deep frown from me but I am saving that for my review. I have a feeling this was missed by many other reviewers but after bouncing it off others, I can safely say that it’s not just me. I’d like to promise my review will go up this Friday but well you know, Holidays & stuff so we shall see 🙂

Ok, so out of the 8 books I posted on my November TBR I have completed 4 & will finish the 5th book tonight. I will be reading Her body and Other Parties along with my next main book which I’ve decided will be…

Haunting the Deep (How to Hang a Witch #2) by Adriana Mather

I’ve been enjoying the darker reads lately & this one I’ve heard delivers on that end. I’m looking forward to returning to Mather’s atmospheric writing & the TITANIC! 🙂

What are you wonderful bookworms currently reading? planning to read next? any good ones? & if you’re reading any of the ones I mentioned, sound off in the comments down below! & to those who celebrate the holiday, Happy Thanksgiving!❤ ❤ ❤

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ARCstravaganza #13

#ARCstravaganza is a weekly meme hosted by the wonderful Flavia over @Flavia the Bibliophile where book bloggers/bookstagrammers have a chance to show off their ARCs/eARCs/Galleys!

Hello Readers! This is my 13th week participating in #ARCstravaganza Monday & this week I’ve chosen Defy the Worlds (Constellation #2) by Claudia Gray & it legit makes me happy every time I walk past my shelf. Earlier this year I had the awesome opportunity of reading & reviewing Defy the Stars (my review) & ahhhhh! Bookworms! if you’re a fan of Illuminae & Gemina then please treat yo selves to this new series & thank me later HAHA! A++ world building & amazing characters have me looking into Gray’s other books that I’ve also heard great things about. One thing’s for certain, whoever Gray has as a cover artist deserves EPIC praise! they’re all so eye catching & vibrant that it makes walking past them damn near impossible.

Funny story on how I came to actually owning this arc copy…while walking past The NOVL/Little Brown booth at NYCCC my peripherals caught a flash of pink, purple, and orange hidden behind a curtain. Now, it was clear they were hidden for a surprise ARC drop later that day but I’m a sucker for vibrant book covers & so I knew I had to ask The NOVL people if it was what I thought It was (jumble of nerves be damned). Yea, like many of you out there I love a good cover reveal & so I knew Defy the Worlds fit the description lol. Well, they were more than gracious to confirm my suspicions & told me when to come back for the drop. I nearly fainted a million faints right on the showroom floor as I set my alarm on my phone. Of all the arcs I acquired that day, Defy the Worlds really got me the most excited 🙂

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*Since this is a sequel, I won’t include the Goodreads synopsis for fear of spoilers.

What are some ARCS/eGalleys you’re excited to have Bookworms? Have you read Defy The Stars? I’m thinking of reading Gray’s Firebird trilogy, has anyone else read them? I’d also like to get into her Starwars books but feel as if they may go over my head since I’m not a die hard SW fan lol…sound off in the comments below

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WWW Wednesday 10/25/2017

The questions are:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

The Dark Intercept (The Dark Intercept #1) by Julia Keller

I requested this book from Tor back in June & had totally forgotten about it since I hadn’t heard from them. I was very happy to have received it in the mail last week but since its publication date is 10/31 this means I had to squeeze it in this weeks reading schedule. There aren’t many reviews as of yet since I believe I read somewhere that the Publisher asked reviews to be posted first week of November. Of the reviews/ratings that are up on Goodreads, not many are good but I’m not letting this deter me from reading this one. I started it this morning so I’m only 25 pages in but I will be reading throughout the day & updating my Goodreads as I ago along. Blurbed by Melissa Landers author of the Alienated series & Emmy Laybourne author of Berserker, I have hope for this read *fingers crossed*

YOU BRING THE DISTANT NEAR by MITALI PERKINS

This is the eGalley that I was supposed to be reading together with Nyxia last week lol. Well…Nyxia kind of snuffed out everything in sight & I could only focus on what was going on in NYXIA! smh so reading 2 books was a #epicfail last week. I have hope this week since I am reading The Dark Intercept in physical format on my commute to/from work & this will be the eGalley I read while at work during down time. I’ll aslo be updating my progress & thoughts on Goodreads 😉

Berserker (Berserker #1) by Emmy Laybourne

I finished Berserker yesterday & settled on a 3.5 rating, it certainly had many elements I enjoyed however, I expected a less than neat conclusion to what really was a bloody read. Many thoughts I’m still sorting through but my review will be posted this week.

Nyxia (The Nyxia Triad #1) by Scott Reintgen

I recently read, loved, & wrote a GUSH review for Nyxia by Scott Reintgen (my review)…I’m still not over that ending!!! *sobs* this book was a burst of adrenaline each & every time I picked it up. I enjoyed the cast of diverse characters immensely & can’t wait for the sequel next year! Also, on Friday my luck was on a roll & I won a signed copy of this book from a giveaway the author himself was running. He was very nice & promised that book 2 amps up the fun even further which gives me something to look forward to. Last but not least, I came across NerdNarration who also reviewed Nyxia & BOOKWORMS she nailed it! I loved her enthusiasm & style of reviewing so much 🙂

Renegades (Renegades #1) by Marissa Meyer

Secret Identities.
Extraordinary Powers.
She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone…except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova’s allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.

Yes! Yes I am reading Renegades next & Yes! I am over the top excited & have tired of stroking the spine every day when I walk past my shelf haha! This is 576 pages I am SO READY for & because it’s a hefty one, it will be my last read for the month. Hoping to close October with a bang! 🙂

What are you wonderful bookworms currently reading? planning to read next? any good ones? & if you’re reading any of the ones I mentioned, sound off in the comments down below! ❤ ❤ ❤

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Gush Review: Nyxia (The Nyxia Triad #1) by Scott Reintgen

Title: Nyxia (The Nyxia Triad #1)

Author: Scott Reintgen

Pub. Date: September 12th, 2017

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers

Pages: 384

Formats: eGalley

Emmett Atwater isn’t just leaving Detroit; he’s leaving Earth. Why the Babel Corporation recruited him is a mystery, but the number of zeroes on their contract has him boarding their lightship and hoping to return to Earth with enough money to take care of his family.

Forever.

Before long, Emmett discovers that he is one of ten recruits, all of whom have troubled pasts and are a long way from home. Now each recruit must earn the right to travel down to the planet of Eden—a planet that Babel has kept hidden—where they will mine a substance called Nyxia that has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe.

But Babel’s ship is full of secrets. And Emmett will face the ultimate choice: win the fortune at any cost, or find a way to fight that won’t forever compromise what it means to be human.

Fast paced non-stop action from the minute you start the EPIC ride that is Nyxia! This is one will leave you with a bad case of “just one more chapter & then I’ll stop”

We get introduced to this diverse set of characters who have all basically signed on the dotted line & joined Babel as recruits. The Mission: to board the ship departing Earth & headed for Eden aka a newly discovered habitable planet with alien life. In Eden the recruits will mine a substance called Nyxia. This substance has been heavily researched & found to be invaluable. The major corporation Babel has recruits from all parts of the world on the ship headed for Eden after having them sign contracts promising huge pay-outs for their families back on Earth as well as themselves upon their return to Earth. For these specific recruits the money is worth leaving all they love behind, they are all poor & many have terminally ill parents. Our MC Emmett Atwater has signed but his gut feeling is telling him that something just isn’t right & that there’s more than meets the eye with Babel. Alliances & enemies will be made once the specifics are laid out & what once appeared to be a lucrative deal turns into survival of the fittest.

“We’re poor,” Roathy says without a trace of shame. “They picked us because we’re poor. We can be kings and queens, sure, but only if we bow first”

Nyxia’s cast of characters come from all over the world & the author Scott Reintgen came up with an ingenious way to overcome the language barrier. Each of the recruits are given high tech suits & small quantities of Nyxia that can be molded into literally just about anything. Inclusively, they’ve given them mouth pieces which function as translators. This being science fiction, I was very happy to see all of the different equipment & functions that facilitated communication between these characters. Our MC Emmett Atwater is a young black male from Chicago who considers himself a Southpaw. Emmett is very guarded, intelligent, and has his eye on the prize. With two very loving parents at home, one of which has Cancer, Emmett is driven by their need for better medical coverage. I have read a TON of YA books across many sub-genres but it wasn’t until I picked up Nyxia & discovered Emmett that I could say I had a favorite male MC. I can list teh reasons I love him but the truth is that parts of the fun is seeing him discover parts of himself he never knew he had in him 😉

In total there are 10 recruits to board the light ship & although I enjoyed them all so much there are a couple of stand outs.

Kaya ends up being sort of roomates with Emmett & if there’s one thing that will instantly make me fall for a character is finding out they are a fellow bookworm.When she pulled out a copy of my favorite childhood book I gasped haha! Kaya is Japanese and through the translating mouth piece is able to talk to Emmett with no barrier. Their scenes reading together were some of my FAVORITE! Kaya is also a strategist & Emmett’s first alliance, LOVE this character! Then there’s Bilal who comes from a small village in Palestine where he & his family are very poor. Bilal is always smiling & an overall positive presence, he is the type of person we could use more of in real life. Bilal befriended Emmett through perseverance, never taking Emmett’s stand offish attitude as a deterrent. Azima is from Kenya & emanates strength, beauty, and intelligence she is silent when we meet her but soon realize she is a force to be reckoned with. Jasmine aka Jazzy is from Texas & she carries with her that southern charm. It be best not to sleep on Jazzy though now that she’s far from the world of beauty pageants & focused on the same goal as the rest of the recruits (to remain vague cuz spoilers). Katsu…many might not like his boisterous personality but I found him funny at times, he is also Japanese & enjoys making others laugh through random outbursts & jokes.

Last but not least Emmett’s father who imparts such valuable pieces of wisdom to his son, stole my heart from the moment I met him. His confidence in Emmett to do the right thing & the history he keeps alive to strengthen his son brought me to tears a few times. Many of my highlighted passages in my galley were of conversations between Emmett & his dad. These characters are all amazing but they are also very flawed & hurting inside, but they were also very relatable & I am so glad to have met them even if it was within the pages of this book.

So of course after I finished reading Nyxia & finding myself in a EPIC book hangover, I did what I always do hehe. I went looking for the authors note & bio to meet the person behind the book. Scott Reintgen is a teacher of English & creative writing and when he set out to create the characters in Nyxia, he aimed to give his students characters they can relate to & see themselves in. Scott also had some of his students beta read for him which I found to be brilliant! In his author bio is written “The hardest lesson he learned was that inspiration isn’t equally accessible for everyone. So he set out to write a novel for the front-row sleepers and back-row dreamers of his classrooms”…I’d say he accomplished what he set out to do, this AMAZING diverse set of characters are relatable. Combined with the fast paced non-stop adrenaline inducing plot, Nyxia is hands-down my favorite YA Sci-Fi book of 2017! ❤ ❤ ❤

*HUGE Thanks to Crown Books for Young Readers, Netgalley, and Scott Reintgen for the eGalley copy of Nyxia in exchange for an honest review.

Hello Bookworms! I was so excited to write this review since I couldn’t stop raving about it & Twitter/Goodreads wasn’t enough to spread the word hehe. Have any of you read Nyxia? or possibly plan to? what are some of your favorite YA Sci-Fi books? Sound off in the comments <3’s!

#ARCstravaganza #11

#ARCstravaganza is a weekly meme hosted by the wonderful Flavia over @Flavia the Bibliophile where book bloggers/bookstagrammers have a chance to show off their ARCs/eARCs/Galleys!

Hello Readers! This is my 11th week participating in #ARCstravaganza Monday & this week I’ve chosen Artemis by Andy Weir! I was very excited to have won this arc through a Goodreads Giveaway since it is one of my most highly anticipated reads. Now, many have asked me whether I read The Martian & the answer is no I have not simply because the hype train got the best of me with that book. I still fully intend on reading The Martian & I know this because as much as I’ve been tempted to, I still have not watched the movie haha! That being said, Artemis perhaps comes with more hype & high expectations. No worries I will not be discouraged this time…also, who wouldn’t want to live in the first city EVER on the moon?!? Jazz sounds like a MC I will love getting to know & so I will be reading Artemis in anticipation of its November 14th release date 😉