Starflight by Melissa Landers Book Review

Starflight by Melissa Landers
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: February 2, 2016

Life is hard in the outer realms, but Solara Brooks believes it is her only chance at a normal life. Just out of the orphanage and with fresh felony tattoos on her knuckles, Solara indenture's herself to the selfish prick Doran Spaulding who spent years making her life miserable. When he discovers her tattoos and wants to abandon her on a space station in the middle of nowhere, Solara does the only thing she can think of, she knocks out his memory, kidnaps him, and boards the first vessel heading towards the outer realms. Once Doran regains his memory, he is understandably angry, but it turns out he has a lot more to worry about than a tattooed runaway. In Doran's absence it seems he has been framed for conspiracy and Solara may have actually saved his life. As the months pass on the run, Solara and Doran go from enemies to friends and then something more. But neither are prepared for life as fugitives in space.

As far as plot goes, this book was fairly interesting. Two characters on the run,joining up with a run-down spaceship full of interesting characters who are willing to help for the right price. A run in with pirates that turns into all kinds of a mess. And a conspiracy that runs deeper and darker than Doran could possibly imagine.

I also like the idea that felons are tattooed with their felonies on their knuckles, making it almost impossible to go unnoticed for any period of time. Solara's felony remains a bit of a mystery until about halfway through and once you discover what it is, it seems almost unfair that she must live with these marks. The outer realms it turns out are not the wild west that Solara had been imagining and she is forced to face the reality of what life would be like on a planet. Starvation, prostitution, and slavery all beings things that would probably await a girl like her, no matter how street smart she is.

Doran's life however relies on a lot more stereotypes and Landers doesn't bother to do as much world building for him because we all know what rich assholes are like, right? Of course, it turns out that when you take a rich asshole and put him in a spaceship with unusual characters and a spunky felon, one magically transforms into an awesome lover boy. I don't buy it. In the story, they explain this switch as Doran just being hurt that his mother abandoned him when he was younger and that is why he wasn't nice. But here's the thing, this is a guy who spent years making Solara's life miserable. Absolutely miserable and he showed not a single ounce of remorse until Solara told him some of her sob story. As if his actions were justified by her being less than. And even when they got older, he continued to treat her like crap. He was going to abandon this girl on a space station knowing she was penniless and would probably have to sell herself as a prostitute to get off, and he didn't care. He didn't care! All because he was upset that she wouldn't show him her tattoo convictions. As if he deserved that somehow. The later explanation was supposed to make up for that. It didn't. Sure, Doran changes in the book, but I found the whole character arc to be completely absurd. Not that I don't think bullies can't change, but I wasn't convinced by Doran's change and that's what matters here.

Solara's character arc was a bit more believable. As someone who has been bullied though, I can promise that one of the most unattractive things in the world, no matter how handsome the guy is, is a guy who is a jerk.

Stone in the Sky by Cecil Castellucci Book Review

Stone in the Sky by Cecil Castellucci 
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Release Date: February 24, 2015

In this sequel to Tin Star, readers are reacquainted with Tula Bane, still stuck on the space station Yertina Feray and desperate for revenge. She now runs a small cafe and bides her time, certain that her opportunity will come to destroy Brother Blue. Things quickly turn sour though when the nearby abandoned planet that they orbit is found to have high quantities of a precious resource. Soon the government is breathing down her neck, as is Brother Blue, and she finds herself on the run. She knows that Brother Blue is a liar, but exposing him could put every human at risk. Yet, not exposing him will place every human in space in grave peril.

It is difficult to review a sequel without giving too much away if you have not read the first. I will try though. Tula Bane is a great character. Strong, smart, and brave. She has learned how to be "street smart" and careful, but even so, there is only so much one can do and Tula does make some mistakes. I loved seeing her off the space station and out in this magnificent universe that Castellucci has created. The aliens are alien. The intrigue is dangerous. And the peril is real. This has to be one of my favorite YA sci-fi series. The romance, which most of my readers know usually drives me nuts, was believable and dare I say, good. Tula struggles with what it means to be a human and what it means to listen to your heart. You definitely need to read book one first, but readers won't regret delving back into this world with the second book. My only regret? That it took me so long to read it.


Warning: Book Trailer contains *SPOILERS* from Book 1

The Sailweaver's Son by Jeff Minerd Book Review

The Sailweaver's Son by Jeff Minerd
Publisher: Silver Leaf Books
Release Date: September 1, 2016

Etherium is an air world, with mountain top cities and great seas of clouds transversed by great sail-driven airships. Fifteen-year-old Tak is the son of a prominent sailweaver, which grants him a good deal of freedom. Some in the royal court would say too much. Take likes to sail his small airship near the big naval ships, which often gets him into trouble with their captain. Until the day Take witnesses a giant gas bubble rise up from the depths and explode, taking a ship with it. In an act of bravery and folly, Tak rescues its captain. His actions are rewarded with suspicion though but Admiral Scud who seems hell bent on creating war with the Gublins, underground creatures that live far below the clouds within the mountains. And so Tak sets off on an adventure to discover Admiral Scud's true intentions, discovering new friends along the way and a level of bravery he didn't think he had in him.

There is a lot of work that goes into building a new world, particularly one that despite being fantasy in nature, is grounded in some science. Minerd handled this part of the story very well. Etherium is a fascinating planet, for lack of a better world. A place where the air is thick enough to allow ships to sail through the clouds, caught on the wind. The people who live above and beneath the clouds have evolved and adapted well to their environments. Long histories, wars, science, are all hinted at, but long exposition was rare. Appendices in the back of the book expand upon the world, but much of the information was scattered throughout the book and so the appendices felt more like a behind the scenes in a film.

As for the characters, Tak is a fun character who doesn't exactly change throughout the book, but rather discovers what kind of person he truly is. Is he really the kind of person who will board a burning airship to save a man? No one is watching. He could just leave. At the end of the book, I think that we know Tak so well that when he is confronted with a similar choice, we already know what he will do. I particularly liked that these characters felt so real as Tak has to address issues like PTSD and what it means to be privileged.

Luff, a young goat herder with a rather janky airship is the first of Tak's new friends, rescued from the tentacles of a jellyfish. I liked Luff although I wish there had been more to his character. He was a bit backward and fearful, not at all heroic like Tak, but I did expect more of him and was disappointed when he returned home 2/3 of the way through the book. On the other hand Brieze, the wizard's daughter, was a wonderful secondary character. In Etherium wizards are basically scientists and so Brieze has a bit more insight into the happenings of their world than either of the boys do. It makes her a great asset and a bit mysterious. I was sad to see her leave too, but for a completely different reason than Luff.

In the end, this was a solid science fiction book that dips its toes in the fantasy and steampunk genres. I look forward to reading book two.

MiNRS by Kevin Sylvester Book Review

MiNRS by Kevin Sylvester
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Release Date: September 22, 2015

Chris Nichols lives on an asteroid, one that is almost planetoid in nature as it is now in the sun's orbit and is in the sweet zone where it is actually habitable. Chris and his family, although with 100 other people work on the asteroid as miners and farmers on the first ever space colony. As it goes with these things, there are going to be two months where the asteroid will be incommunicado with Earth, which is ominously called the Blackout. In order to make the Blackout less scary, they plan a giant party for the countdown, but when they reach zero, instead of a party the colony is brutally attacked. Chris' father manages to get Chris and some of the other children down into the mines, but once there it is up to the kids to figure out how to survive.

It's funny that I was reading this book while also reading The Martian. Funny enough, the wonderful realistic science of The Martian, did not detract from this story although it may have pointed out some of the flaws that I otherwise would not have noticed. These kids are twelve and so I must give them some leeway.

Chris is the natural leader of the group, both because he thinks logically and isn't quick to do anything. He takes the responsibility of helping these kids with great seriousness, a good thing since the youngest among them is only five. Elena,Chris' friend and fellow survivor, is the more militant one of the group, insisting on attacking the Landers (as they end up being called), but lacks any sort of empathy or understanding for their situation. Although she was redeemed in the end, the constant urging from Elena to attack got old fast, especially when such things were being discussed with a five and seven-year-old around the corner. I kept wondering, if these older kids got killed, what would happen to the little ones? Sure, there was the one girl who always stayed back, but it seemed reckless in the extreme. Don't get me wrong, there are some very good reasons why they need to attack the Landers, but they are just kids and some of their plans are not always well thought out.

One of my few complaints had to do with some of the logic of this world. Chris is completely brainwashed by the mining company his parents work for, which on one level made sense, but I could never figure out why his parents didn't try to rectify such fantasies. It also made no sense that one of the kids, whose mother is a doctor, knows medicine herself. My dad repairs computers for a living. I've seen him do it, but couldn't for the life of me do it myself. Thus, I felt the medic character was a bit too convenient with her medical knowledge and thought that the story, which felt very realistic, could have done with a dose of realism in this one area too.

On the whole, I thought it was a fun adventure story full of a lot of what-would-I-do moments that kids will just gobble up. Of course, it will be a series, something that was not advertised anywhere on the book, but I guess I should just get used to that since this seems to be the way publishers do things now. It almost feels like a trick sometimes.

Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood Book Review

Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood
Illustrations by Meg Hunt
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Release Date: May 5, 2015

Once upon a planetoid,
amid her tools and sprockets,
a girl named Cinderella dreamed
of fixing fancy rockets.

With a little help from her fairy godrobot, Cinderella is going to the ball--but when the prince's ship has mechanical trouble, someone will have to zoom to the rescue!

Folks, this is it. This is the picture book that geek me can't help but gush over. Cinderella in space?! Yes, please. Told in cute lyrical rhymes, this book is the perfect combination of fairy tale re-hash, sci-fi awesome, and adorable illustrations. (Cinderella has pink hair!) This is a true girl power book. Not only is Cinderella a really good mechanic with absolutely no caveats to this fact, but when the prince asks her to marry him she declines, telling him she is too young. Even without the fairy tale twist, this story stands very well on its own. 

Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall Book Review

Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall
Publisher: Egmont
Release Date: March 17, 2014

When the Morrors came to Earth, they promised they could reverse the global warming and assured the humans that they only would live in the cold areas of the Earth. What they didn't say was that they were planning on making the entire planet cold. Born into war, the children of Earth have never known a life without the Morrors. Alice's mother is a spacefighter, world-renowned for her ability to spot and destroy the invisible Morror ships. Which is why it was no surprise when Alice ended up being shipped off to military academy on Mars with other kids from around the world. Some, like Carl came because his brother won the lottery and siblings can come too. Others like Josephine were recruited because they were smart, even if they don't want to become soldiers. Besides, the newly terraformed Mars is safer than Earth at the moment. At least on Mars you can kind of breath and no invisible Morrors are around to shoot you. Then all the adults disappear and it is up to Alice, Carl, Noel, and Josephine to find a way to contact Earth. And they better hurry because a terrifying new life form has arrived on Mars and they are ten times worse than a Morror.

Balancing between a middle grade and a young adult novel, Mars Evacuees is a carefully planned and executed space adventure. In the beginning we are introduced to Alice who lives in a boarding school in England, a school that is now under threat from oncoming ice. Both her parents are deployed and she rarely sees either of them. She deals with feelings of inadequacy next to her "exceptional" mother and worries she will never have a future. Carl and his brother Noel are Filipino-Australian lotto winners who really don't seem like the kinds of kids you would want in a military academy, but war is war and Mars is safe. Noel lovingly calls his brother Kuya, a Filipino term meaning brother. At first Carl is rather off-putting as he is always trying to show off, but as the story progresses you see it for what it really is, a good deal of machismo mixed with fear and loss of control. Josephine (who really should have been the main character) is smart, driven, and a born leader. She is the Sherlock to Alice's Watson. She also happens to be black and for those keeping track, that makes three out of the four main characters, diverse. Thanks to the war with the Morrors, she has a big chip on her shoulder when it comes to aliens.

There were a few moments in the story where I worried about whether this would turn into some Ender's Game and later into Lord of the Flies, but McDougall kept it on track and well-paced. As if there wasn't already four fabulous main characters, there are also two other secondary characters that throw a wrench into all kinds of things. One, a Goldfish robot-teacher who follows them across Mars, is annoyingly chipper and very much would like to teach the children math, even when they are fighting for their lives. The other cannot be mentioned without ruining the story for you. Although it isn't a twist per-se, I think readers should discover them on their own. There are a number of weighty topics dealt with including alien sex, which is why the book is pushing towards YA.

A fun action-packed sci-fi novel that is truly a stand-alone novel that craftily asks what does it mean to be human.

Cakes in Space by Phillip Reeve Book Review

Cakes in Space by Phillip Reeve
Illustrations by Sarah McIntyre
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Release Date: September 4, 2014

Astra's family are on their way to their new home on Nova Mundi. The only problem is, it will take 199 years to get there. Not to worry, everyone will be held in suspended animation, sleeping away two centuries in sleeping pods. The only problem is that before Astra falls asleep she instructs the food machine in the canteen to make her the most wonderful brilliant cake ever. And so for a century, while everyone slept, the machine kept churning out cakes one after another. When Astra wakes, only halfway to their final destination the ship is in deep trouble. They have been knocked off course, there are killer cakes on the loose, and a gang of alien Poglites are planning on stripping the ship bare. And we won't even mention the Nameless Horror that is stalking her.

Now, isn't it interesting that in the same week I happen to review and read two books featuring Sarah McIntyre as an illustrator? It wasn't on purpose and I didn't even notice until I began writing the review. Perhaps it is my general love of science fiction or that fact that there are so few hard sci-fi's for this age group, but I completely loved this odd little book. The tone had a vague Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy mixed with some Space Rocks!, in a way that made the story fun and entirely awesome. Don't get me wrong, I know killer cakes is a weird concept, but it works in the context of the story. Astra is an adorable character, aptly named, and rather heroic despite the many terrible things that are happening to her. I don't know if this is a planned series, but I am quite interested in knowing what happens next. Do the grownups believe her when they wake up? What about the Nameless Horror? I want more information about it, by the way. Is Nova Mundi the paradise they are hoping for or are there aliens there too?

A great bridger books for kids moving out of chapter books, but aren't quite ready for Harry Potter, this one is sure to be a quick read that will make you smile.

The Stolen Moon by Rachel Searles Book Review

The Stolen Moon by Rachel Searles
Publisher: Fiewel & Friends
Release Date: January 27, 2015

In the sequel to The Lost Planet, Chase is still in hiding, protected by a family friend on a space ship. To everyone else, he is just an orphan recruit, but Chase and his sister are so much more than that. Following a series of clues, the children, along with their friends Parker and Marcus, set out to find the truth even if it means disobeying a direct command. How could they know they were walking into the middle of a war? How could they know that they enemy will do anything, even commit genocide, in order to get at their extraordinary escapees?

The reason I even read The Lost Planet was because this book sounded so interesting. It did not disappoint. One of my major issues with the last book was an extreme lack of answers, a problem that is solved in this volume. There is a lot of action/adventure type thing going on with kids who are willfully out of their element, which makes the story both interesting and infuriating in the same breath. Searles does a great job of keeping the pace moving along at a brisk pace without being overwhelming. Of course, as with all things, there are still unanswered questions that will be revealed in another book, but enough mysteries were revealed that I wasn't frustrated.

A solid fantasy for middle grade readers with just enough mystery to keep you wanting more.

For the Love of Gelo! by Tom O'Donnell Book Review

Space Rocks! 2: For the Love of Gelo by Tom O'Donnell
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: October 30, 2014

Chorkle and its human friends, Hollins, Becky, Nicki, and Little Gus have been warped to a strange new galaxy far away from the human's parents and too close to their enemy. With their security shield on the fritz, the decision is made to go to the planet below, which they have identified as Kyral with supposed allies, to seek help. However, when Chorkle's originator doesn't return, Gelo is thrown into political turmoil from a power-hungry Xotonian named Sheln. It is up to Chorkle and its human friends to mount a rescue. Things quickly get out of hand though as an enemy fighter stows aboard and nearly gets them all killed. Their ancient allies after being conquered by the enemy are almost incapable of helping. Kalac is still missing. Chorkle isn't sure if they will ever find what they need to get off planet, let alone to reunite the humans with their parents.

I have made it no secret that Space Rocks!, the first book in this series, is one of my favorite books to come out this year. Full of action, an interesting (dare I say, unique) narrator, and some great sci-fi elements, it felt like the sci-fi books that made me fall in love with reading. For the Love of Gelo is a worthy sequel.

Although these are all the same characters from the first, a couple of new and interesting characters emerge who both frustrate and complicate the situations they are put in. O'Donnell has done such a good job with the world building that it was easy to get upset, frustrated, and despondent just like the characters do. The planet of Kyral is so sad, a conquered place where all their technological advancements were utterly destroyed, leaving the bird-like creatures there to live in relative squalor, fighting one another over traps and food. We are also given a bit of insight into their enemy the Vorem, a warlike race where the word peace doesn't exist. I also cannot express how much I love Little Gus. The youngest of the human group, he is funny, mostly confident, and an all-around cool guy. Also, bonus points for a red-headed boy being in the story. There aren't very many male red heads running around in fiction.

I don't have a whole lot of criticism. There were one or two preachy moments about everyone getting along, peace, and people being multi-faceted, but they were relatively short and weren't out of sync with what was happening in the context of the story. You will have to read the first book to know what is going on, but I promise this will not be a chore. All in all a very solid sequel. A definite go-to series for the reluctant reader.

My only question is, where is book 3?

Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci Book Review

Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Release Date: February 25, 2014

Tula is supposed to be heading with her family to a new world on board a colony ship. Instead, she finds herself stuck on a remote space station, left for dead, with no way of leaving and no friends. Living by her wits and trading for what she needs, Tula manages to eek out an existence on board the Yertina Feray. However, underneath she boils with anger at the colonists' leader, Brother Blue, the man who nearly killed her and who she is certain was the cause of her families' deaths as well. It isn't until three other humans arrive on the station that Tula begins to see a way for her to leave and exact revenge on Brother Blue.

I am always a fan of books that start in the middle of the "action". When this story opens, Tula Bane is lying on the floor, being kicked to death, and barely able to breath the air on the space station, knowing that if she doesn't play dead she will likely end up dead. The backstory, which comes soon after is quick and to the point. Although the story does start there, I don't want to give the false impression that this is an action-packed sci-fi. Although I really did like this story, it was definitely character-driven rather than plot-driven.

Tula is the only human on Yertina Feray and it remains that way for almost three years. I loved the way the author played around with that. If there were no other humans about would you really care about how your hair looked or even whether you were acting very human? Would you take on characteristics of aliens? What would it be like to not be touched by another human being for three years? Tula spends a lot of her time in a simulated greenhouse, eating the fruit and staring down at the abandoned planet below. She yearns for a home, a planet, and I was completely sucked into her world.

Despite how much I enjoyed the book, there were a few areas that fell a little flat for me. Tula is a very strong, street smart, intelligent character and yet she has a really hard time putting two and two together in regards to Brother Blue. Even when it is obvious to the reader that there is so much more going on, Tula remains in the dark and this felt so out-of-character for her. She knows something is wrong. In the entire three years that she has been sending transmissions to the colonies, she didn't figure out that something else was wrong? Even when the other humans arrive and give her more information on Brother Blue, it takes Tula a frustrating amount of time to put it all together. I understand that Tula desperately wants there to be a happy ending for her family, but the fact that Brother Blue was willing to lie and murder people should have been a clue that something was not on the up and up. The secondary characters are rather hit or miss in how well they are fleshed out. Tula's good alien friend is interesting and thought provoking as is the security guard at the station (I love him so much), while the stranded human teens were agonizingly simple. There are hints of this big universe out there, but since we are stuck with Tula, we know very little about it. I am hoping that as the series (I am assuming it will be a series) we will learn more about it.

Despite all that though, I really did love this. I read it in a day and I have great hopes for future books. The image of Tula, standing on simulated soil, her head pressed against glass, staring down at an abandoned planet is one that has really stuck with me and is the image I wish had been on the cover. Tula is strong and her internal struggles along with diabolical plans, made me wish the second book was already out.

Earthfall by Mark Walden Book Review

Earthfall by Mark Walden

The earth has fallen. Humans are no more than mindless shells. Only a handful of people seem to be immune. Aliens have arrived on Earth and Sam knows, whatever their plans are, it cannot be good. On his own for nearly 19 months, Sam almost goes crazy with the knowledge that he is the only one not a "Walker", but then he meets a rag-tag army run by a scientist and an ex-military man. Sam knows there is something more going on then what they are being told, but their lives and those of the entire planet depend on them finding out.

This is how I look at books and my massive consumption of them. I know there are wonderful books out there, ones that make you hold your breath as you turn the page and gasp in horror when the big twist is revealed. Sadly, not every book can be that book and to be quite honest, within my average book reading of 100-140 books a year, I read quite a few duds. Most of the really bad ones never get reviewed here either because I feel bad for disliking it so immensely or because it wouldn't be fair to read a book that I simply skimmed (or sometimes skipped) through. This year there have been quite a few good books, but as anyone who has read this blog for long may know, I have a pension for science fiction. I am an equal opportunity reader of course, but I am always on the lookout for a good or even decent sci-fi. Earthfall falls into the category of great.

Earthfall reminds me of the sci-fi I used to read when I was a kid, books by H.M. Hoover, Anne McCaffrey, John Christopher, and Robert Heinlein. There is no doubt who the bad guys are and Walden is not afraid to let the reader know there is something so much bigger at stake and secrets that are just as big to go along with them. The pacing was right, the main character engaging, and the world, our world, devastating. However, this doesn't feel like a dystopian sci-fi in the way that Divergent or Hunger Games does. No, this is like a teen version of Independence Day, and just like the aforementioned film, there will be a sequel.

In fact, this is my only complaint. Earthfall wraps up fairly nicely, but I take issue with books that don't advertise themselves as a series if that is in fact what they are. This is definitely not a novel and it was open-ended enough for a series. It doesn't have to be a trilogy. Call it the Earthfall: The Chronicles of Sam or something equally understandable and ambiguous, but don't try to fool me either. I hate starting a series and not knowing that it is one. I feel like I have been tricked somehow.

I do not think everyone will love this book though. Truly, it is a book for lovers of the authors that I mentioned above. If you have been searching for a good YA sci-fi, I definitely think Earthfall falls into that category quite nicely. I may need to go in search of more of this author's titles.

Shades of Earth Book Review

-->

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis

In this third and final installment of Beth Revis’ riveting sci-fi adventure, Amy and Elder are finally landing on Centauri Earth, having left the Godspeed behind. The new colonists soon realize though that the monsters they were warned of are real and that they may not be the only intelligent life on Centauri Earth. When their people start to be systematically picked off, Amy and Elder must unravel a mystery that may stretch all the way to Sol-Earth.

In a genre where post-apocolyptic novels have stepped in and called themselves science fiction, it is always exciting to find a true sci-fi with spaceships, space travel, and alien worlds. Beth Revis does not pull any of the stops or slow down any of the action in this final installment of her trilogy. There are plenty of deaths, explosions, monsters, and mystery to appease any audrenaline junkie.

Despite my love of this book, I am afraid that the characters did fall a little short for me. Although the plot rolled along at a pace that kept me breathless and wanting more, Amy and Elder’s budding romance felt forced and Amy’s flirtations with the military man Chris, was completely unbelievable. Amy’s wishy washy attitude towards Elder and her parents were sometimes understandable and at other times it defied logic.

That said, I think this is a lovely trilogy to add to my bookshelf and despite a characterization flaw, I found the book to be dead exciting with an interesting mystery that was fun to uncover.