Category Archives: Fantasy

Review: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

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Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay KristoffIlluminae
Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Random House Children’s Books/Knopf Books for Young Readers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

I’m going to pull the marketing copy from Goodreads because honestly, I won’t be able to come up with anything to the story better justice:

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.

What I thought
This story is kind of like World War Z meets 2001: A Space Oddyssey. SO. MUCH. TENSION. An unpredictable AI who may or may not be trying to kill everyone, plus a highly contagious epidemic of people basically turning into paranoid, violent zombies. In a closed spaceship. In the middle of outer space. With an enemy ship closing in behind them. Are you on the edge of your seat? OMG, you should be.

The story is told through various “records” like emails, interviews, crew reports, and instant messages. At first I didn’t think I’d like this. I felt like it really limited how things unfolded, but once I got past the first couple of chapters, I felt like the pacing and the choice of which documents are included and the order in which they appear really adds to the feeling of tension building and building as the story progresses.

I loved the quick, witty dialogue between characters, especially Ezra and Kady. What I didn’t love quite so much was that after a while, it seemed like that voice got used too often and too many characters sounded the same to me. I was definitely willing to overlook that, though. It hardly affected my ability to enjoy the story. It was just more something I happened to notice.

Also, the end was fantastic. There was a moment in which I worried that it was going to all wind down leaving me bitter and disappointed, and instead Kristoff and Kaufman totally kicked it up a notch. I would absolutely read a sequel.

Side note: I read an ARC acquired from Netgalley, so the formatting in my version may not match the final version, but I’d recommend ordering a hard copy of the book rather than an ebook. There were a few pages that, because of how they displayed, were a little bit difficult for me to read, and I felt like I was missing parts of words at the edges of the page. I think it might have been easier to read as a paperback, though I usually prefer an ebook version.

Language Content
Loads of profanity and some crude references.

Sexual Content
References to sexual acts.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
A biological warfare agent/virus causes those affected to become violent. Sufferers maim and decapitate others. Lots of descriptions are of the aftermath of the outbreak, but there are some really intense moments in which a point-of-view character faces someone with truly gory intent. I’m pretty sensitive to violence in literature, and it was definitely at my upper limits of what I can take.

Drug Content
See above.

Review: The Dredge by Jaimie Engle

Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, New Adult 18up, Sci-Fi, , ,

The Dredge
Jaimie Engle

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Crushed under the powerful Regime, Marrok and his mother slide deeper into poverty. Driven by a strange vision, Marrok spends the last of his money on a bet that’s beyond a long shot. And then wins. But what seems like his salvation soon becomes his worst nightmare. Ambrosia, a mysterious woman who leads a resistance network, knows about Marrok’s power and believes he has come to save them from the terror of the Regime. Ambrosia isn’t the only one interested in Marrok, though. He feels powerfully drawn to Chantelle, a girl he meets in the gambling hall. It isn’t long before she’s saved his life, more than once. When the Regime closes in around them, Marrok must find the courage to stand up against a terrifying evil.

At roughly seventy pages, The Dredge is a pretty quick read. A lot happens in those pages, so the story pulled me through from beginning to end. I liked Marrok as well as Chantelle, a girl who helps him along the way. There’s a little bit of romance, but it’s very sweet. I liked the storyworld created by Engle in this piece. It felt like the same kind of universe you might meet Captain Malcolm Reynolds or Luke Skywalker in.

Language Content
“Hell” appears one time.

Sexual Content
Physical contact between opposite sexes is forbidden. Marrok feels drawn to a girl and they touch hands and briefly kiss. They spend a night in one another’s company, sharing a mattress, but just sleeping.

Spiritual Content
A prophecy foretells a savior coming to destroy the regime. A powerful woman believes Marrok is the one to whom the prediction refers.

Violence
Brief battle scenes. The Regime is brutal, but the descriptions are not gory.

Drug Content
Marrok goes to a gambling hall and orders a strong drink.

Review: The Lost Princess by Dani-Lyn Alexander

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

The Lost Princess (The Kingdom of Cymmera #2)
Dani-Lyn Alexander
Lyrical Press
Published: 10/13/15

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Ryleigh’s boyfriend is from another dimension. Literally. Jackson, the newly crowned king of Cymmera wants her to leave the human world behind and join him in ruling his kingdom. Torn between what could be her destiny and her love for her younger sister still in the human world, Ryleigh isn’t sure what to do. Then an important Cymmeran relic disappears. Ryleigh sets out to find the missing stone and stumbles onto a treasonous plot that could destroy Jackson’s fragile kingdom. She must find a way to warn him before the betrayal can be carried out.

There’s an old writing saying about beginning a story in the middle. Alexander was paying attention. The very first chapter of The Lost Princess is jam-packed with action and conflict. I haven’t read the first book in the Kingdom of Cymmera series, so I was a little nervous about being able to follow the story. For the most part, though, it was easy to figure out what was going on and why it was significant.

Once the story shifts into the Cymmeran realm, the action stays high but the conflict becomes more organized. Jackson’s motivations are clear and powerful. And though Ryleigh gets herself into a bit of trouble, she’s far from a helpless maiden. Most of the story centers around these two characters. I found myself wishing for more information about Dakota, Jackson’s best friend, and Mia, Ryleigh’s little sister.

One thing that did slow the story down for me was the sheer number of adjectives in each sentence. Sometimes the descriptions heightened the emotional impact of a scene, but at other times it almost made moments seem cheesy or melodramatic. I think the story would have been stronger by tightening things up, especially in those intense moments.

Over all, this wasn’t my favorite. The things I liked about it – the strong heroine, worthy hero, fantasy landscape – can be found in other stories where the narrative is better executed. Readers looking for high action and fierce romantic tension may find this story to be a good fit, though, as Alexander delivers on both counts.

Language Content
No profanity.

Sexual Content
Jackson tries his best to keep the smooching to a minimum. Prolonged kissing begins a ritual that will bind Ryleigh to him forever, and he wants to wait until she’s ready to make that choice. However, there’s a lot of sexual tension between the two. A lot of references to their feelings for each other via physical experiences – an aching need to be together, that sort of thing.

At one point, though, the kissing does get a bit carried away, and while the two are still clothed, they are lying down together and the imagery is pretty sexual.

Spiritual Content
Jackson and his people live in an alternate realm to the human world. Some of his people are part of a league called Death Dealers, who venture into the human world to kill certain targets and bring them back to their own kingdom to live. They use portals to travel from one place or dimension to another.

Elijah, a prophet has visions that he reveals to the Cymmeran leadership. They follow his directions. It’s unclear if this is supposed to be a supernatural gift or a religious experience for the prophet. The evil king has a prophet/sorcerer of his own as well. Ryleigh finds a spirit animal who remains at her side as a protector throughout the story.

Violence
Battle imagery. References to torture. A prisoner is pretty severely brutalized. A prince exacts revenge on an old enemy by stabbing him in the temple.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: Shades of Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Shades of Doon
Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon
Blink YA/Zondervan
Published: September 1, 2015

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

As Vee embraces her role as Doon’s Queen, she looks forward to the day she and Jamie will be able to rule together. Her best friend Kenna still searches for her own place in the kingdom. Just as Kenna begins to feel she’s found her niche, a dark force boots both girls from their beloved land and drops them back in the real world. As if facing the shock of their old, broken lives wasn’t enough, all signs indicate that this is just the beginning of a new threat. Together with the MacCrae boys, they’ll have to face an old enemy once again, one who’s determined to have the rule of Doon for herself.

Vee and Kenna are very different, but their friendship makes them each stronger. I liked the dynamics between them, where Kenna kept Vee from taking herself too seriously and Vee kept Kenna from losing faith in herself. The circle of friends and advisers added interest, too. I definitely wanted to know more about each of them. I haven’t read either of the earlier books in this series, so I may have to do that in the hopes that some of these other characters get a little more stage time.

I also really enjoyed the references to musicals and theater that were sprinkled throughout the story. Though I’m far from a theater buff, I picked up on several of them, and it felt like being in on a joke or something. I thought it was a nice touch.

While I found myself captured by the idyllic landscape of the story, I felt like it lost tension in a couple of places. One is after the girls are booted out of Doon, which is resolved in a snap once the boys arrive. The other is following an attack by an unknown enemy. The attack ends and everyone kind of dusts themselves off and moves on. I was like, wait, what?! Is the enemy still out there? What’s going on?? But… no one else really seemed too worried. So that was a little confusing.

There was also quite a bit of kissing in this story. Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for a bit of smooching, especially when I’ve been rooting for the romance to finally blossom for the entire story. This was more like, the couple has already fallen in love and it’s kind of just happily ever after on rinse and repeat. I would have liked to see more tension or conflict between the couples to keep me guessing and hoping. However, if I’d been a reader from the very beginning of the series, I might still be happy-sighing every time a well-earned lip-smack happens. So it could just be me. And the authors take things up a notch toward the end, definitely creating some anticipation for the next book.

Language Content
No profanity.

Sexual Content
Lots of scenes that include kissing. There’s one moment where it gets pretty intense and the characters stop themselves from taking things further, wanting to respect the boundaries they’ve set for their relationship which include waiting to have sex until marriage.

Spiritual Content
The Protector seems to be the name the Doonians use to refer to God. They believe that some have a calling to live out their lives in the kingdom of Doon, and that calling involves being joined with a soul mate.

Violence
A witch threatens the Doonian people. No graphic details beyond an admiring description of Duncan or Jamie’s rippling muscles.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: On a Clear Day by Walter Dean Myers

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

On a Clear Day
Walter Dean Myers
Crown Books for Young Readers
Published: September 23, 2014

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Since her mother’s death, Dahlia has simply survived. On her own in a rundown apartment, she waits for a way to make her life mean more. Then two boys offer her a chance to make a difference. She joins other teen prodigies in brainstorming a strategy to take down C-8, a group of corporations that have the world in a stranglehold. But just as Dahlia and her team stumble onto something big, a big-shot terrorist comes to town. The team knows he must be stopped, but taking him on might simply be playing into the bigger plans of C-8.

I requested an ARC for this book via NetGalley but didn’t get it. Based on the description posted there and on Goodreads, I thought this story would be more like X-Men teens meets The Net (1995, Sandra Bullock, etc.) Now that I’ve read the story, I get where the blurb was going, but I’m not sure it’s the best representation of the tale itself. I wonder if revealing the fact that the narrator is a girl was thought to be off-putting to potential male readership? Pure speculation.

What I liked about the story was that it pulled a lot of different elements together. The cast of characters shows a lot of racial diversity and delivers it with authenticity. In the same way, the team Dahlia joins also shows a lot of intellectual diversity, showcasing different areas of expertise and how they bring a unique perspective to each problem the group faces. To me this also echoed the same message of value and equality about the characters’ ethnic backgrounds: we all bring value. We may not agree on things, but in order to succeed at saving the world, we have to work together and trust each other.

I expected a lot of fast-paced action and suspense, and there was definitely tension building as the story unfolded, but this is more about unique teens dialoguing together over a plan to stop the bad guys from running the show. They do make progress, but not in the ways they necessarily expected, and ultimately, they don’t accomplish their goal. I think I would have liked this book more if there had been a stronger forward push carrying the story along. The group assembles with a vague goal in mind, which keeps things a bit wishy-washy until well into the tale.

This is the first book by Myers that I’ve read, and most of the reviews I skimmed through recommend his other books over this one. Monster has been on my list for a long time, so it’s possible I’ll give that one a read and reevaluate this story again.

Language Content
Strong profanity used with moderate frequency.

Sexual Content
One reference to a man putting his hand between a waitress’s legs. It’s inappropriate and another man calls him out for it.

Spiritual Content
A priest oversees a funeral. Hard times have fallen on humanity and many have died from lost hope. Dahlia makes a comment about having craved her own death before out of a simple desire to “move to the next plane” of existence.

Violence
Groups of vigilantes and terrorists wreak havoc on the population. Dahlia’s team goes head to head with a terrorist group, exchanging fire with them. Resulting deaths and injuries are briefly described. Some soldiers are children. In one instance, a boy is caught in razor wire. Dahlia and her friends watch helplessly as the wire kills him.

Drug Content
A girl in her early twenties drinks a glass of white wine at a café. At a meeting with gang leaders, someone passes marijuana to Dahlia, who refuses to smoke it. Then a woman uses a needle to inject drugs in front of Dahlia.

Review: I Crawl Through It by A. S. King

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Magical Realism, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

I Crawl Through It
by A. S. King
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Four teens battle inner traumas from grief to anxiety to neglect. Stanzi’s parents compulsively visit sites of school shootings. China has eaten herself. Lansdale tells outlandish lies that make her hair grow. Gustav is busy assembling an invisible helicopter from a kit the bush man gave him. The bush man has all the answers. He knows the place Gustav and Stanzi can go, a place that has answers for them, too. Escape seems like the perfect solution, until it isn’t.

Honestly, I so didn’t get this book. I wanted to like it. I liked pieces of it. I think each character individually had a really fascinating story. I just didn’t really understand how they fit together and why they were all stories in the same book. Also, I kept expecting the odd stuff to be revealed as metaphors for something. I thought maybe this layer of fantasy would be pulled back to reveal a layer of reality that made sense beneath it – like Neal Shusterman’s Challenger Deep.

That doesn’t happen, though. The story remains sort of this weird urban Alice in Wonderland, where the lines between reality and I’m not even sure what – fantasy? Hallucination? – blur and loop back on themselves.

The narrative is strong and each character is profoundly unique, so there are some really powerful elements present. But I couldn’t get past feeling left hanging, waiting for things to click into place and make some kind of sense. I felt like I missed the boat somehow.

If you’re looking for an intense emotional read where nothing is predictable and the plot really takes you outside the box, I Crawl Through It will not disappoint. If you need a little more sense and reason in your fiction, it may not be the book for you. Try Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman or We Were Liars by E. Lockhart if you’re looking for something different about mental illness.

Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.

Sexual Content
A man lives in a bush near Stanzi’s house. He wears a trench coat but is naked underneath, and sometimes appears to expose himself. Stanzi kisses him, and there are hints that he may be having sex with some teen girls, but it’s never described. Patricia lives with Gary and he asks her for sex, but she makes excuses.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
This isn’t really violence, but Stanzi is obsessed with biology and dissecting things, especially frogs. She doesn’t harm anything living.

Drug Content
The man who lives in the bush sells lemonade with or without roofies. Stanzi believes this is a joke. It’s never specified.