YA Sci-Fi

5 Comments Posted on 5-Hearts, Book Review, YA - Dystopian, YA Sci-Fi, YA-Romance, YA-Space Travel

Illuminae – Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff – Take 2

233956801Title: Illuminae
Authors: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 20, 2015

Buy Link: http://a.co/2fOj0IS

Blurb: This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

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

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

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

My Review:  Why yes, I have already reviewed Illuminea, but since I read the book a few weeks ago, I also decided to listen to the audio book, and I wanted to give you a brief update on my review.  A few things to keep in mind, if you will…

What I Loved:  Okay, in my humble opinion, if you want to get the full true-blue experience of Illuminea, you reallllly need to do both the hardback and the audio book.  The hardback is so visually awesome, filled with documents and such.  The audio though, it has so much personality and flair!  There is a long list of narrators, and they all do an excellent job!  My husband also listened to this book, and it was funny when he was like, “I like that British dude.” “Oh, Aiden (the computer) is freaky.”  “Wait…that wasn’t Aiden I was talking about…”  It really is done so well, it ranks right up there with the Harry Potter audio books and Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.

Not So Much:  Not sure if you’ll recall, but in my original review I indicated that because of the censorship of the ‘document’ that this book was pretty clean.  This isn’t quite as true for the Audio book.  I mean, it’s still censored, however it mutes out the words, leaving just enough to  help you know exactly what was said (which you know that reading anyway…but it’s different when you hear it I guess).  Some of our characters are real potty-mouths.  Also, the innuendos were easily read past in the book, however they are much more clear and present in the audio book because of the personalities and inflections of the voice.

The Verdict:  I still hold to my original rating, but I would like to bump this up to good for older teen’s rather than a clean book.

 

Advertisement
Leave a comment Posted on Book Review, YA Sci-Fi, YA-Romance

Book Review: The Taking – Kimberly Derting

Title: The Taking
Author: Kimberly Derting
Synopsis from Goodreads:   

A flash of white light . . . and then . . . nothing. 


When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day. 


Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men. 


Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?


My Review:
I am not one to pick books that have an “alien” feel about it because it’s just not something I’m interested in, however, the idea of waking up and 5 years have passed, dealing with that and the fact that everyone else has aged and moved on while you’re exactly the same as when you left; I just found the premise enticing, thus saying ‘yes’ to The Taking.  I was not disappointed with this book in the slightest, it had the drama I was looking for and just enough of the sci-fi aspect to make a good story without taking it too far ::cough, cough:: ‘out of this world’ for my liking.  I felt like the book may have progressed a little too quickly in the romance part; while 5 years had passed for Taylor and he was acting on a childhood crush, only a few days had passed for Kyra – and after reading about her relationship with Austin, I wasn’t quite ready for Taylor.  Regardless, I was completely sucked into this book from the onset, the characters are captivating and the storytelling was truly excellent; I completely recommend reading this one if you’re into a light sci-fi theme.  I’m already anticipating the next book which is due to release in April (oh the day before my birthday in fact), and discovering more about why these people are being taken – is war coming? an invasion? or is it just basic evolution sped forward because of some weird black hole situation?

Rated: PG-13 – There’s cussing  
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Romance
Rating:  4 of 5
1 Comment Posted on Book Blitz, YA Fantasy, YA Sci-Fi

Girls Heart Books Book Blast: Gemini the Heir – Kristen DaRay

Gemini the Heir
Gemini Book # 2
By-Kristen DaRay
Expected Publication Date- December 1st, 2013
Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy


Just a year ago, I thought I was an ordinary human, and I gave up everything on Earth to save the people I loved. I have become the Lenai of Emréiana, making me the heir to the Emréian throne. It also makes me in charge of defeating the Bremoir, a race that has been consuming other worlds. If I can’t stop them, the universe is doomed.
Then there is Aaronmon, my betrothed. We have only known each other for a year, but our bond is strong. It’s that bond that makes it hard to know my true feelings. While I think I am ready for the ceremony, I wonder if I really love him like I loved Kyle, my ex- boyfriend who was murdered.

But none of my feelings matter. In order to rule Emréiana, I must go through with the bonding ceremony. If I don’t, then I risk losing the right as heir and I’ll have no power in the war against the Bremoir. Nobody wants them defeated more than me.


  
About the Author- 
Kristen was born in Alabama in 1991 and still resides there today. She has been writing since the 6th grade. However, she did not begin to write fiction until she was 15. In 2009, Kristen had an idea that would spark the concept for Gemini of Emréiana that she would later write in 2011. During that time, she met her husband. They married in August of 2012. When Kristen is not writing, she spends time watching Korean Drama’s or creating SIM’s 3 stories. Kristen continues to write the next novels to the Gemini Trilogy. She also plans to release a new series later on in the year.