Fantasy

This is the first book in the Ascendance Series by Jennifer A. Nielsen. The False Prince is about an orphan boy named Sage, who is also a thief. He gets taken from the orphanage by a man named Belvin Conner, who is traveling between orphanages hoping to find specific boys to fulfil his quest of replacing the prince who is presumed to be dead because his ship was attacked by pirates years ago. The boys compete against each other hoping to be the one Conner chooses to become the false prince, in fear of what might happen to them if they are not.

Sage is my favorite character because doesn't give up, and he seems to always make light of the situation. He is very stubborn, which makes him a enjoyable character to read about. This book is full of danger, action, and suspense. It was not at all predictable, and some parts surprised me. I gasped in my head several times at all the lies and truths revealed as the story went on. I found myself not wanting the book to end, and yet I couldn't put it down. This is one of my favorite books, and I would definitely recommend reading it.

Kahlen never believed in love at first sight. That is until she met
Akinli. He actually tried to understand her, under the circumstances. The
circumstances being she's a siren. Will Kahlen be able to fake her past and
be with her soulmate? Or will she put duty before love. This book is a
thrilling read. The ending will move you forever. I can't recommend this book
enough!

Savvy by Ingrid Law is an amazing book stuffed with mischief, fun,
turns and twists! It follows Mississippi "Mibs" Beaumont through her thirteen
birthday. When her father is put into the hospital, Mib's world is turned
upside down. Her perfect "savvy" birthday has been ruined! When she turns
thirteen, she receives a special savvy (a savvy is a particular gift given to
those in her family when they turn thirteen)-but it's not what she's been
hoping for. Mibs and her friends embark on a wild ride, trying to get to her
father's hospital to see him. Nothing on their trip is what they expect, but
Mibs and her friends continue in the midst of laughter and hardship. Will
they ever get to the hospital, and will her father be alright? Savvy is a
crazy, adventurous, funny book that you're sure to enjoy!

Gail Carriger's novel, Waistcoats and Weaponry, is a touching and
well balanced book that is filled with twists and turns. Gail Carriger weaves
an intricate plotline, following Sophronia Temminick in the third book of the
finishing school series. Sophronia's friend, Sidheag, must return to her
werewolf pack in the wake of a fresh conflict. Sophronia and her friends
embark on a train journey that's hauntingly mysterious, dangerous, and
exciting. Faced with new challenges along the way, they have to stick
together to make it. Secrets are unveiled and romances escalate, but what
will truly happen? This is an artfully crafted book that will keep you on the
edge of your seat! Check it out!

Nick was born evil. As the most powerful demon to ever exist, every fiber in him was created to destroy, annihilate, and wreak havoc. It is his destiny to destroy the world and everyone he loves. But he is determined to thwart his destiny, and live his life as a somewhat normal person. When he's not being thrown against lockers by the school bully, he's battling demons and pushing the limits with the Fates of the Universe. Except for this time, with the help of his ancient demons friends and the Eye of Ananke, he can see the mishaps of the future...and knows that someone besides him is trying to change it. Now, he has to battle something far deadlier and treacherous than ever before...and he has no idea who or what it is.

This is the seventh book in the series, and once again it does not disappoint! I like how there is a mix of adventure, the supernatural, romance, and fantasy (and even some special appearances from Greek gods and goddesses!) and that the main character is relatable: he's in high school, trying to figure out who he is and what he stands for. The book also isn't a super long read, and once you start, it's hard to put it down!

I’m not sure when it happened, but somewhere in the last decade or so, the idea of “redeemable villains” took off. So many stories had antagonists that had their heinous acts justified by some past trauma that somehow made them more human and understandable. While I appreciate flawed characters and the bad decisions that eventually led them down the dark and evil path, I don’t think it’s always necessary to make villains redeemable. That is unless it’s done well. Fairest does it well.

Right from the first pages of Fairest, the reader understands that Levana was the runt of the family. The amount of teasing and hypocrisy that formed this young girl into the evil queen she would eventually become is understandable. However, the real brilliance of this story comes in when Levana tries to solve her problems the only way she knows how: by manipulation. It’s not entirely her fault, as the royal family seemed to be built on this foundation of getting what they want by any means necessary—still, it doesn’t excuse what she did.

Even if Fairest is only a side-story for the Lunar Chronicles series, I think it’s required reading to understand the series’ main antagonist fully. If you want to read it chronologically (before Cinder ), it’s a good amount of backstory that will help bring you up to speed, even at the expense of being spoiled by some of the (albeit obvious) twists of the series. If you read it after Cress and before Winter, then it stands as a much-needed flashback before the conclusion of the series. At the very least, I’m glad that this story wasn’t crammed into the other books and was given the room to be its own story.

The best “understandable villain” I’ve ever read, I give Fairest: Levana’s Story 4.0 stars out of 5.

Anyone who has spent a considerable amount of time with me will know that one of my top three favorite movies is Tangled (2010). It then comes as no surprise to me that the third book in the Lunar Chronicles series that adapts the Rapunzel fairy tale into this sci-fi retelling would be my favorite of the set. It wasn't until I was reading original fairy tales to my daughter that I realized how close Cress came to representing the story it was based on instead of just relying on the familiar accouterments of the fairy tale.

While I didn't appreciate as much of the split storylines in Scarlet , I felt they improved the greater story arc of the whole series here. Cress explored much of the inner workings of the antagonist faction of Lunars that had been missing up until this point of the series. As such, I was able to gain a greater emotional attachment to the rag-tag group of rebels. It also helped that there was clear character growth in some of the minor characters like Carswell Thorne and Cress through the challenges they had to overcome.

Perhaps the best reason this was my favorite book of the Lunar Chronicles series is that it truly was building toward the climax of the series as a whole. Watching all the different pieces fall into place to set up the final book of the series was what had me hooked on this story all the way through. And sure, it still had that "teenage girl" quality to its prose, but at least it helped make the characters realistic—even if it was to adhere to the tropes of the Young Adult genre.

The sci-fi Rapunzel retelling I didn't know I needed, I give Cress 4.5 stars out of 5.

A few years ago, someone suggested that I read the Remembrance of Earth's Past series, so of course, I added it to my Overdrive wish list so I could eventually listen to the audiobook. I'm usually down to read some hard sci-fi since it's a niche genre I enjoy. I was intrigued that this book came from China because I don't usually think of hard sci-fi when I think of that country. In fact, I hardly think of literature that wasn't written hundreds of years ago.

It's been about five months since I read this book, so this review is a long time coming. I still vaguely know what this book was about and what science was explored within its prose, but that's about it. Nothing stuck with me other than the sense that it was a bit of an Ender's Game ripoff. I would have liked to connect with the characters a bit more, but The Three-Body Problem seemed too bogged down in trying to get its complex science across to spend enough time creating characters that I liked.

Ultimately, much like the Broken Earth trilogy, I can understand the hype this book had received, even if it didn't fully grab me when I listened to the audiobook. I'll continue this series if for no other reason than it presented an interesting idea that I'd like to see to completion. Perhaps the fact that I'm listening to a translation of the original Chinese story is what's reducing some of my enjoyment of this book, which isn't necessarily the book's fault. I think the world is big enough for other non-Anglo cultures to tell stories like this, and for this reason alone, I would recommend fans of hard sci-fi at least give The Three-Body Problem a chance.

Interesting hard sci-fi concepts from China, I give The Three-Body Problem 3.5 stars out of 5.

Illuminae is an enthralling mix of science fiction and thriller. Written as a case file and using many different formats (audio logs, transcribed security footage, and interviews are just a few), Illuminae has action, mystery, and romance to interest many teen readers, although its multimedia style may be jarring to some. Overall, an excellent book and the start of one of my favorite series to date.

Mrs. Frisby, a mouse, and her family have lived in peace, traveling between summer and winter homes to account for the farmer's plowing and the weather.
But when Timothy, her youngest son falls very ill, and cannot be moved in time, Mrs. Frisby sets out to fix her dilemma. She soon comes across the rats of NIMH, who are very strange and very smart. They are more than willing to help her, but they already have a problem on their hands, one they aren't even aware of.

This book is amazing! It shows the thoughts and worries of Mrs. Frisby, and then her ways of dealing with them in a terrific way. I loved the characters and the suspenseful plot. It kept me up late, because the rats are just so fascinating, especially in their way of coping with their unique problems.
This is a fantastic read, and everybody who reads this book will love the sweet and charming character of Mrs. Frisby, and the spectacularly mysterious rats. Even if you usually stick to nonfiction, you will love this book, because it shows some interesting science...